Need Some Philly Locals to Help Us Plan Our 4 Day Vacay (Philadelphia: appointed, city hall)

[LookingforFireflies]

My husband and I are going to look for an Air BnB/Vrbo in Philly for 4 days in mid-June and I'd love to ask some locals to plan our stay. We are in our 50s, adept at city transit (never been on the train in Philly but we're originally from NYC), and looking to do these possible things during our visit:

1) find a quaint, tree lined neighborhood for our Air BnB/Vrbo (we might ultimately decide to stay right in Center City, but I'm leaning toward something adjacent, just a little quieter/more foliage)
2) eat dinner at a great authentic Mexican restaurant for good food & Margaritas
3) get a good drink at a cool bar, even better if it has live music
4) grab a delicious bagel and coffee in the morning
5) take a walk in a beautiful city park
6) go visit something really cool and off the tourist-track (even if we have to drive)

Any suggestions would be great. We're pretty adventurous and want to leave Philly feeling like we really got the most out of the city. We usually travel with our kids but they are older teens now and we're finally going somewhere without them and can do whatever *we* want. Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

[newmarlig]

See the dm I sent you.

[MarketStEl]

If you would rather stay in a neighborhood outside Center City that has tree-lined streets, my first recommendations would be Spruce Hill in West Philadelphia's University City section and the western part of Spring Garden, in about that order. You'll probably find a decent place to grab coffee and a bagel in the morning in both neighborhoods, though it might not be as convenient to you as it would be if you stayed in Washington Square West or Rittenhouse Square in Center City.

Some of the best Mexican restaurants are in the vicinity of the Italian Market on South 9th Street,. where many immigrants from southern Mexico have set up shop. One of the oldest and best of those is Plaza Garibaldi, on Washington Avenue just west of 9th. Another Mexican restaurant that's very good is La Calaca Feliz on Fairmount Avenue around 22d, on the border between Spring Garden and Fairmount. The latter has a liquor license; I don't know about the former.

Stay in Spring Garden and you will be close to Fairmount Park and the Schuylkill River Trail. This walking/jogging/biking trail runs from Center City below South Street (from which it's being extended southward) all the way to Manayunk and continues from there into Montgomery County. You can do a circuit through the park by taking the trail up to the Falls Bridge, crossing it, then coming back down via the trail along Martin Luther King Drive — or even the drive itself, which has been kept closed to cars since the start of the pandemic. (In ordinary times, it's closed on weekends from 7 am to noon.) The trail on the Schuylkill's west bank crosses back over it just above the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

A cool place to visit that's off the tourist track is also a park: Ridley Creek State Park in Delaware County. In it you will find a historic recreation of an early Pennsylvania plantation, hiking trails and more.

[TLC1957]

If you love gardens you have to visit Longwood Gardens about a 45 min car ride from Philadelphia.

https://longwoodgardens.org/

We have visited gardens all over the USA and by far Longwood is the best. You need to make reservations as they limit access because of Covid. You can easily spend an entire day walking around the garden. If you schedule a late afternoon visit you can view the fountain show in the evening, something not to be missed.

[Wells5]

Originally Posted by SoFlaMom

4) grab a delicious bagel and coffee in the morning

If you are desirous of a bagel breakfast, New York or Montreal would be better.


In Philly, it's the pretzel breakfast.


https://www.toasttab.com/rowhome-cof...pine-street/v3

[rowhomecity]

1) I would advise looking at staying in Fitler Square, Society Hill or Queen Village as well as Fairmount/Spring Garden....

All are fairly quiet and close enough to all the Center City action to walk or take a quick subway or bus ride too.

2) One of the most authentic Mexican restaurants in Philadelphia is called. Philly Barbacoa. https://www.visitphilly.com/things-t...illy-barbacoa/ It is more known as an early lunch spot... as lines start early and they serve no alcohol.

For Mexican... this is the one food category I think Philadelphia is still a bit deficient in but you definitely have some solid options. If you want modern Mexican I would check out Lolita. It is in the heart of Center City and all the vibrant action. I also really like a funky spot called Loco Pez. They opened a location close to Rittenhouse Square. It is less fancy and no thrills but very solid and a fun dining experience. You can also find a great deal of low key Mexican spots around the Italian Market 9th/Washington.. but I honestly do not have one I have been to in that area to recommend.

Philadelphia is known as the BYOB capital. (Bring your own bottle). There is no corkage fees at many of these restaurants. One of my favorites is called Audrey Claire. It is in Rittenhouse and very nice and the food is good. It sort of reminds me of somewhere in the West Village...

3) I would recommend a place called Time for the cool bar spot. They always have great live music which have restarted playing again. Space is limited but maybe by June things will open up back more. You can still not sit at bars in Philadelphia.

4) Check out Spread Bagelry for a delicious bagel and coffee. You will not be disappointed.

5) For Park/Outdoor recreation I have many suggestions

I would recommend walking around Washington Square and Society Hill. The architecture and scenery is so beautiful. You also have Rittenhouse Square which is very vibrant and always fun for people watching and they often have live musicians playing on the weekend or performing small shows.

Also take a walk down the Parkway to the Art Museum and explore the famed boathouse row and Kelly Drive. You can even rent city bike share bikes for the day to bike along the beautiful river and park that follows it.

I would even recommend biking to Manayunk which is a quiet city neighborhood which has a very charming and active Main St. (think quasi Brooklyn vibes)...

It is also quite fun to walk across the Benjamin Franklin bridge. The railings are very low so the views are really awesome.... treat yourself to a drink at an outdoor spot called Morgan's Pier located right along the Delaware River as a reward for your walk back and forth... and stop at the Cherry St. Pier (lots of eclectic vendors) and the Race St. Pier.. really relaxing pier park.

Go to a park called Cira Green. It is a 12 story park in the air. The views are beautiful and it is so peaceful. There is also a small restaurant there to grab a light lunch/snack and a drink.


6) Take a tour of City Hall and go to the top. It is a really cool observation tower and a neat experience. Also walk over to the Four Seasons which is the tallest hotel in North America and ride the glass elevator to the top and go for a cocktail to get a breathtaking view and experience.

Have fun...

[Maddie104]

Originally Posted by SoFlaMom

My husband and I are going to look for an Air BnB/Vrbo in Philly for 4 days in mid-June and I'd love to ask some locals to plan our stay. We are in our 50s, adept at city transit (never been on the train in Philly but we're originally from NYC), and looking to do these possible things during our visit:

1) find a quaint, tree lined neighborhood for our Air BnB/Vrbo (we might ultimately decide to stay right in Center City, but I'm leaning toward something adjacent, just a little quieter/more foliage)
2) eat dinner at a great authentic Mexican restaurant for good food & Margaritas
3) get a good drink at a cool bar, even better if it has live music
4) grab a delicious bagel and coffee in the morning
5) take a walk in a beautiful city park
6) go visit something really cool and off the tourist-track (even if we have to drive)

Any suggestions would be great. We're pretty adventurous and want to leave Philly feeling like we really got the most out of the city. We usually travel with our kids but they are older teens now and we're finally going somewhere without them and can do whatever *we* want. Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

My husband and I live in a suburb of Philadelphia and we generally spend time in Chestnut Hill, New Hope, the Jersey shore and Center City on occasion. We enjoy dining out, attending concerts --Philly Pops, Pennsylvania Ballet and events at Penns Landing. The area is full of interesting venues even if just walking around and taking in the sights. My daughter was a rower so we spent many years along Boat House Row and it is lovely for walking or bike riding. We also enjoy the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show which is being held June 5-13 this year. My husband tries not to miss this event.

We lived in Chestnut Hill for several years and loved it. We lived in a twin home on a tree lined street close to Pastorius Park -- where we would take our dog and met up with other dog lovers. In the summer there are live concerts in Pastorius Park. Living in a twin afforded us the opportunity to meet and get to know our neighbors and we enjoyed the community spirit. We would walk to the avenue for various festivals and also attend holiday concerts at Chestnut Hill College. My husband annually participated in "Run for the Hill of It" a big community event fundraiser. There are various entry points to Fairmount Park for walking, running and bike riding. The restaurant scene is decent in the CH/Mt. Airy area but I would suggest Center City or New Hope for better ethnic cuisine. There are train stations within walking distance and it's about a 30 minute train ride to Center City.

You might want to visit this quaint leafy area modeled after an English Village. It is more low key and doesn't have the Center City vibe but it's charming in its own right.

[Hedonism]

Originally Posted by Wells5

If you are desirous of a bagel breakfast, New York or Montreal would be better.


In Philly, it's the pretzel breakfast.


https://www.toasttab.com/rowhome-cof...pine-street/v3

That's pretty gross.


For the best pretzel, they'd have to go to Mart Pretzel in Cinnaminson, NJ.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by SoFlaMom

My husband and I are going to look for an Air BnB/Vrbo in Philly for 4 days in mid-June and I'd love to ask some locals to plan our stay. We are in our 50s, adept at city transit (never been on the train in Philly but we're originally from NYC), and looking to do these possible things during our visit:

1) find a quaint, tree lined neighborhood for our Air BnB/Vrbo (we might ultimately decide to stay right in Center City, but I'm leaning toward something adjacent, just a little quieter/more foliage)
2) eat dinner at a great authentic Mexican restaurant for good food & Margaritas
3) get a good drink at a cool bar, even better if it has live music
4) grab a delicious bagel and coffee in the morning
5) take a walk in a beautiful city park
6) go visit something really cool and off the tourist-track (even if we have to drive)

Any suggestions would be great. We're pretty adventurous and want to leave Philly feeling like we really got the most out of the city. We usually travel with our kids but they are older teens now and we're finally going somewhere without them and can do whatever *we* want. Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

There are so many good restaurants in Philadelphia, & I don't think Mexican when I think of Philadelphia restaurants. My suggestion would be to pick another ethnicity and ask for the bar to serve good Margaritas.

Longwood Gardens is an excellent recommendation. Is there a theme that you're looking for? Regionally, the theme is history, if that helps you.

I hope that you have a good trip.

[KansastoSouthphilly]

The philly food scene is as goood or better than pretty much anywhere in the country; that said bagels and Mexican food are not what it excels at. That said the Italian market has a bunch of excellent Mexican restaurants, these are typically more hole in the wall type spots. Because of Pennsylvania liquor laws most do not serve alchohol (though byob is very common). The exception is blue corn which serves booze, is authentic and is generally very good. South philly barbacoa is also excellent but not booze.

There has been a proliferation of bagel places in philly lately. They generally aren’t nearly as good as what you will find in New York. If you want to go out of your way for a bagel and coffee then adelie coffee in mt airy has their bagels delivered from New York (I believe) daily. They have excellent coffee as well. You could pair that with a walk in the wisahickon.