Okay, Philly Dopers. I’m going to be in your town for some meetings and I’m going to have (part of) one day free. I haven’t been to the city since junior high school, so I want to see a few good sights, but obviously I’m time limited.
If you had just one day, 8-9 a.m. till 3-4 p.m. to sightsee in your town (with access to a car, though public transportation is fine if you think it’d more practical) where would you go?
And (with risk of creating a holy war here :eek: ) if one member of my party was dying for an authentic Philly cheesesteak, where should he go? Locations as well as names would be appreciated so that we can plug them into Mapquest or something to know just how to get there. This man must have cheesesteak, poor soul.
Guide me around your city, Philadelphians! I am completely open to all of your suggestions. Send me to the best and brightest spots in the City of Brotherly Love!
The Franklin Institute, the Art Museum, Betsy Ross House, Liberty Bell, the Phila Zoo, all come to mind. Sadly, I know how to drive to all of these places, but street addresses escape me.
A non-Philadelphian who spent 2 years stationed in Philly chiming in here.
If I remember correctly all of the above, except maybe the zoo, are located just off Market Street (the main east/west artery) easily accessible by public transportation. Also throw Independence Hall in there within a short walk from the Liberty Bell.
I must take exception to the mention of Pat’s Steaks however. They always reminded me of just another fast food joint (Steak-Ums on a bun so to speak). The absolute best cheesesteak I ever had was from Oregon Steaks on Oregon Ave. Just ask a cabby to take you there and don’t forget the cheese-fries .
Just realized that it has been 18 years since I’ve been there so MAYBE things have changed . I doubt, however, that Pat’s Steaks have gotten any better, YMMV.
Best cheesesteaks in the city: D’Allessandro’s, on Henry Avenue in the Roxborough section. Pat’s and Geno’s aren’t great steaks, IMO. As you drive there from Center City, check out Boathouse Row on the Schuykill River (if you have one day in Philly, some large portion of it will be in Center City).
All the previous suggestions are good ones. Do you have particular types of interests? Are you an art museum person, for example (Rodin Museum, Woodmere Museum, Barnes Foundation)? Do you like to window shop at the “hip” spots (South Street, Main Street in Manayunk)? What do you like to do? There’s all kinds of stuff going on in Philly. It is, after all, the greatest city in the world.
You must, of course, jog up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art a la Rocky. I think that’s a law or something.
Spend the morning there. Then head down to Geno’s and Pat’s. Grab a cheesesteak from each and compare. Try and settle the argument for which is best once and for all. Feel your blood vessels harden and slow within minutes!
Then head down to South Street for shopping and wandering around.
I think that would pretty much be a good Philadelphia primer. Of course, try and hit Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, as well.
Independence Hall, etc. You can get a carriage ride around this whole area.
Penns Landing, if there is a festival of some sort going on. Plus they have a riverboat tour and you can go through the USS Olympia and Becuna.
Funky shopping on South Street, or if you’re a little older, Manyunk. Or take a trip to King of Prussia Mall.
Try going when they have the bicycle race (don’t remember the “official” name now, it used the be the Core States) in June. The route goes thru Fairmont Park, Manyunk, Roxborough, and it’s like a big carnival all along the route.
Plus all the other places mentioned above. You won’t want to leave after only one day.
It’s been a couple of years since I lived there, but you can go to the Visitors Center at 16th and Market? (help me out here Philly Dopers) and get all the directions and information you want plus you can get a SEPTA day pass for around $20.
If you want more suggestions, let us know. There’s still the Main Line, Chad’s Ford, Brandywine Valley, New Hope, the Shore, and more.
If you’re doing the Independence Hall/Liberty Bell lap, take 15 minutes and walk down to Ben Franklin’s house, on Market around Third Street (I’m trying to remember if it’s between 2nd and 3rd or 3rd and 4th). Very cool.
If you’re in center City at lunchtime, definitely hit Reading Market – Basset’s makes mindblowing Italian hoagies.
(BTW, D’Allesandro’s fans, I’m in East Falls – five minutes away, and a big selling point whenever I’m having work done on my house “hey, you guys can go to D’Allesandro’s for lunch!”)
I thought about this. Due to lack of funds, the Mummers’ Museum is somewhat small. It can only hint at the glory that is the Mummers. For a full Mummer experience, visit the museum, put on a dress and clown make up, get blind drunk and march down Broad.
Personally, I like Jim’s Steaks - there is on one South Street if you are going to be in that area (there is also another in West Philly).
And if you’re going to bother to run up the Art Museum steps, try and stop in for a least a minute and check out the Impressionist Room. My favorite painting in the whole world is there (I won’t tell, in case you don’t like it).
Don’t bother with the Phillies - it’s June, which means it’s the suck part of the season. But go back in September, when they will inexplicably ROCK!!
I second the Franklin - it’s a great museum. If you go, though, you MUST walk through the heart, because otherwise, it just doesn’t count as a visit to the city.
Skip Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. If you’ve been there once, it’s the exact same. (Note: I might be a little bit jaded, having taken no less than 7 field trips there in 11 years of education).
Or, for rather negative results, you could combine two Philly classics: the mummers experience (clown costume and lots of alcohol) and the Rocky experience (running up the art museum steps). Toss in the third Philly staple (horribly greasy cheesesteak) and you could probably get some good vomit out of it, too.
I’m sorry, that’s a really bizarre post. I’m tired.
I, too, will be in Philly for a few days next month, and while I have the daytime all covered, I was wondering what night and weekend events that a single, late-30s partying manly-man such as myself should partake in.
Please note that I have been to Philadelphia several times over the past two decades, the most recent two times with (two different) girlfriends, and so we did the usual South Street (which was quite interesting)/Franklin Science Museum (since I have walked [climbed] through the heart with 2 different ladies, I will pass this time…)/Japanese Garden/Boat House Row stuff.
Failing good suggestions, is there a local ‘Alternate’ weekly listing different types of events, and where could I find a copy (Arriving in San Francisco for the first time, I found a copy of a weekly right off the bat, and within an hour ended up at a Men-at-Work/Howard Jones concert…see, you never know).
I don’t feel like navigating the hideously organized Septa site. But las time I checked, they did have a Phlash section. For information badly presented, organized, and not cross referenced check out the official septa site www.septa.org
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. I doubt, however, that Pat’s Steaks have gotten any better, YMMV.