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Old 03-31-2010, 10:10 AM
 
Location: Nova
486 posts, read 1,662,056 times
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My husband and 3 yr old child are coming to Philadelphia for a day. We will be there for about 5 hours and I'm wondering what some of the best tourist things we should do and see while we're there. There is so much history, but I'm sure we can't see everything.
We will be staying near Society Hill.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
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Old 03-31-2010, 10:27 AM
 
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Most of the tourist stuff (Liberty bell etc.) is on the east side of Market st. There is good shopping, and touristy stuff pretty much all throughout Market east area of center city. On the west side of Market st. is more business/college(Drexel U.) oriented.
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Old 03-31-2010, 11:09 AM
 
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To clarify, Society Hill is but walking distance to the Historical District. You should generally be able to find most of the major historical landmarks on Chestnut, Market and Arch Streets between 4th and 6th Streets. In five hours, you can probably see things like the Liberty Bell, Independence Mall, the Betsy Ross house and Elfreth's Alley (the oldest street in the country). If you're visiting on a weekday (before the summer), you have a minor chance of queueing up behind school groups at some of these places as opposed to the weekend when more visitors are likely.
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Old 03-31-2010, 01:44 PM
 
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Just ask for Directions to the Independence National Historical Park Visitors Center at 6th and Market Streets http://www.independencevisitorcenter.com/here and go from there.
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Old 03-31-2010, 02:48 PM
 
Location: Nova
486 posts, read 1,662,056 times
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I guess I'm wondering from people who live there, what are four or five absolute tourist must-sees? What is worth seeing in our timeframe and what shall we skip for another trip?

Not really interested in looking at a guide book/or visitor's center and sifting through all there is to see. Just hoping you locals would have better insight.

Much thanks for the responses.
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Old 03-31-2010, 03:40 PM
 
Location: Richmond, VA
2,309 posts, read 2,290,952 times
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When we lived there we loved going to SOuth Street to eat and just walk around.
You could go to Gino's or Pats and get a cheesesteak-VERY tourist thing to do. (my husband swears the Reading Terminal has the best though)

Have fun! We actually lived in Bucks County and I could give you a ton of stuff to do there but we didn't go to the city that often. But when we did this is what we did-cheesesteaks, lol!
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Old 03-31-2010, 06:54 PM
 
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If it is today, I'm already late. If it's tomorrow or soon, and you want something offbeat yet very interesting, check out the Macy's Flower Show in the Center City Macy's (Wanamaker Building) at 13th and Market Street (few blocks west of where you are). The Flower Show runs thru at least the coming weekend, I believe. And the building itself is so beautiful. And if you get there around noon, you can also get to listen to a recital of the Wanamaker Organ, the world's biggest musical organ or musical instrument of any type. And while there, of course, you can also do some shopping! hehe
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Old 03-31-2010, 11:16 PM
 
Location: South Philly
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The historic/touristy neighborhoods are Old City and Society Hill - they meet up on Walnut St.

If I were you, if this is your first time in Philly, I would hang around Independence Mall for an hour, snap a few pictures (all the big attractions are within 3 blocks of each other) and be done with that garbage. This is an old town with a lot of old buildings. Half of the buildings in Independence Park are replicas built in the 60's anyway.

If it's a nice day grab a map and wander past the sites. http://www.moon.com/files/map-images...ciety_Hill.jpg

There are so many great hidden courtyards, pedestrian paths, narrow cobble-stoned streets, etc you should just get out and enjoy yourself. Society Hill in particular has a great warren of pedestrian paths (St. Joseph's Way and Lawrence Court Walk among them) that can take you from the 2nd Bank of the US via the rose garden all the way over to 3rd & Pine without having to listen to traffic.

Better still, get away from all of that and get over to Rittenhouse Square, get up to the Art Museum, go have lunch at Reading Terminal Market, check out Bella Vista and the Italian Market.

The stuff to see and do in and around Center City is in a compact area. There's so much texture and history on almost every block here that walking is really the only way to experience it. If your feet get tired cabs are everywhere and cheap.
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Old 04-01-2010, 07:04 AM
 
Location: Nova
486 posts, read 1,662,056 times
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Excellent... we aren't heading there until the weekend. Thanks for the recommedations.
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Old 04-01-2010, 11:15 AM
 
1,113 posts, read 1,235,906 times
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"If I were you, if this is your first time in Philly, I would hang around Independence Mall for an hour, snap a few pictures (all the big attractions are within 3 blocks of each other) and be done with that garbage. This is an old town with a lot of old buildings. Half of the buildings in Independence Park are replicas built in the 60's anyway. "

That's BS, way to promote Philly's top attraction and UN World Heritage site solibs, the birthplace of the US is not "garbage" and the main buildings are NOT replicas. Of course there was some restoration and a few new buildings added but the important buildings are authentic, shame on you for promoting an urban myth.
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