Bostoner Visiting Philly For A Weekend (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: rentals, hotel, houses)

[BostonJad]

Hello Fellas,

I'll be flying to Philly for business and since I have never been there before would love to take on the touristic stuff it has to offer. Wondering if anyone here is kind enough to share with me MustDos while I am in Philly. What are the attractions that I must see? what are the restaurants I must try out? best area to find clubs? where are the lively places with lots of people walking? and finally I know it sounds cliche but where to find the best cheesesteaks?

Planning on compiling a checklist from the suggestions you guys give that I can check off while I am there. That way I'll consider my trip well spent.

J

[john_starks]

welcome to Philly - for good walking, check out my neck of the woods: South Street (from about 11th street all the way down to Front street). a little gritty with a lot of youngsters, but its a philly staple... and check out Jim's Steaks on 4th & South. the lines get a little long but it moves...

[newmarlig]

The National Constitution Center

National Constitution Center: Home

The Reading Terminal Market

Reading Terminal Market › Home

www.gophila.com

We usually see a lot of Bostonians walking around center city when the Red Sox play the Phillies.

[ajb842]

OK, it's funny I spent time with a friend of mine from Boston a few years ago and he asked the same thing...He wanted to go to all the "tourist" spots if you will. That being said, here are a few things to check out in the Center City area:

1. Walnut Street-you can start walking it from pretty much anywhere. There are tons of shops and restaurants. My wedding was downtown and we spent the entire weekend at the Ritz Carlton and spent lots of time walking down Walnut St and Market St from that area, which is 10 avenue of the arts.
2. Liberty Bell and Independence Hall(liberty bell 501 market st and independence hall is very close). You could check out some places in old city(around front and market up to the bell and crossing over a few blocks)to eat. There are some bars and clubs in that area which you may or may not like, depending on your idea of "fun".
3. South Street-a different crowd, stores are not as upscaled, but offers lots of walking with funky/trendy stores and various other restaurants and bars.
4. Franklin Institute, The Art Museum, US Mint, Academy of Natural Sciences, Mutter Museum, Philadelphia Zoo. You will have to drive to these depending on where you're staying(if you're interested in those things)
5. University City-there are restaurants and stores and also the upenn campus. This is a very diverse crowd and I think there is an architectural museum at penn that I've heard is pretty neat.
6. For another place to walk and talk, check out Manayunk or Chestnut Hill, but if you're only here for a few days I would go to neither but I wanted to let you know they exist and are not in CC so you might have a slightly more relaxed atmosphere if that's you're wanting, compared to CC.

I can't really compare Philly to Boston, Boston is a great city. Philadelphia is a different city and has it's own history and beauty as well. Hope this helps!

[Hobokenkitchen]

Our guests seem to enjoy being taken to Old City for a drink at Cafe Ole followed by a stroll down Elfreths Alley (nation's oldest inhabited street which is totally cute).

Then we go to Headhouse Square in Society Hill, stop at one of the pubs for a drink and wonder around within a few blocks of the square (Delancey street/ Spruce street) to give them an idea of the beautiful Society Hill row homes and gorgeous streets.

If we are walking we walk up Pine St; detouring to check out Washington Square Park, then continue on - detour again to check out the blocks of 10th and Clinton Streets which are GORGEOUS tree lined residential streets, and then taking in Antiques Row and stopping off for yet another drink in one of the cute cafes.

Once you hit Broad Street we turn down Locust street and wander along to Rittenhouse Square. Marathon on the Square is a nice place for a lunch - or there are lovely but more expensive options on the square itself.

From Rittenhouse Square I would wander down Walnut Street heading back east to take a look at the shops. Then head over to The Reading Terminal Market to check that out.

This is a really nice, but longish walk. Totally worth doing.

You can also look up 'walking tours' on phila.com and they take in a lot of the historical sites.

Another nice thing to do is to check out the Museam area with the 'Rocky Steps', and take a drive or a stroll past the boat houses on the river. It's lovely.

We can recommend 'Jones' at 7th and Chestnut for brunch and Old City has the Continental and a bunch of fun places for drinks. We enjoy Sassafras for a laid back atmosphere.

If it's super hot and you don't fancy walking, the Hop on Hop off bus is pricey, but fun. It shows you a lot of Philly, but NOT Rittenhouse Square which is compulsory for a visitor! You get the Hop on Hop off bus around where the Liberty Bell is - around 7th and Market I think.

Enjoy!

[BostonJad]

You guys are awesome for sharing your ideas. One thought though, I hear you guys mentioning Manayunk as a place to check out but not worth it compared to everything else...the hotel I am staying at is located in Bala-Cynwyd which is neck-and-neck to this place so I might as well check it out but tell me what has it got to offer.

[rainrock]

Manayunk. Depending on what kind of weather you get can be a very happening place. Appearance wise it looks more like Pittsburgh than philadlephia, lots of old mills,narrow streets,cowpath but Mainstreet is actually quite vibrant. Try the Manayunk Brew Pub and Le Bus has a very good reputation for lunch or dinner.Manayunk is kind of an old blue collar neighborhood that has become yuppified. Its much more active during the fall when colleges are in session but its still worth the summer trip imo.

Just an idea and I'm not sure if this would appeal to you but you could rent a bike in Manayunk and ride into either Chestnut Hill or Center City. Kelly Drive is an excellent recreation trail that takes you along the Schuylkill River from Manayunk right into Center City, its roughly 7-8 miles. Once you reach Center City definitely keep riding your bike into the old historic neighborhoods of Center City/University City. A bike is a tremendous asset in exploring Philadelphia, just talk to the bike rental associates and they will point you in the right direction.

The recreation trail from Manayunk to Chestnut Hill is simply awesome, much different than that of Kelly Drive as it takes you through the Wissahickon Gorge. This trail is more reminiscent of the foothills of Vermont than it is of the 5th largest city in the usa. If you are an outdoorsperson I would recommend experiencing either trail.

Biking Rentals in Philadelphia

Manayunk.com - Recreation (http://www.manayunk.com/content/view/16/28 - broken link)

http://www.fow.org


Bala Cynwd is on the eastern edge of the Mainline towns which are some of the oldest suburbs in the USA. Suburban Square in Ardmore is a couple towns to the Nwest of Bala, excellent food court if you get hungry. Except for a few exceptions such as Villanova- you could Hop on and off the R-5 and hit a walkable town with lots of restaurants/shops/bars etc.Bryn Mawr,Ardmore,Narberth,merion,Haverford, all the way west to Wayne.

Here is a Septa Rail Map which might be of help.

SEPTA

If you are renting a car check out Valley Forge National Historic Park and the King of Prussia Mall(second largest mall in the usa) West Chester is a cool little town with a few micro breweries if you have the time.

Good luck

[bryson662001]

This thread has some info for you.

//www.city-data.com/forum/phila...laces-see.html

[BPP1999]

If you are staying in Bala, check out the Barnes Foundation. They require advance tickets, but it has the largest collection of Cezanne, Matisse, Renoir outside of Paris (supposedly). Also has lots of Picasso and Modigliani. The Barnes Foundation

[tremontpa]

I would recomend visiting the Kimmel Center and 30th Street Station.