Philadelphia - getting there and getting around

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m going to be in NYC this summer and I was thinking about taking a bus down to Philadelphia since I’ve never been there (and I’ve been to NYC multiple times). My tentative plan is to go NYC -> Philadelphia -> DC (and then back to NYC to catch a plane to London).

Has anyone taken a bus between any of these cities? I’ve only taken the DC - NYC bus, which was pretty decent, but I’ve heard some horror stories about the cheap Chinatown buses.

Also, is Philadelphia easy to get around without a car? What area is the most convenient if I want to be close to the main touristy stuff?

2

I’ve taken Chinatown buses between NYC and Baltimore, and they were always fine. Cheap, usually on time, and the passengers were generally a mix of Chinese people, overseas backpacker types trying to save money, students, and working-class people who didn’t want to pay Amtrak prices. I don’t remember any shady characters or unpleasant experiences, except the time when a combination of a closed tunnel and rush-hour traffic meant getting stuck in Manhattan traffic for two hours at the start of a trip. I assume there are Chinatown buses that run between NYC and Philly.

Of course, if you don’t mind spending a few extra dollars, Amtrak really is a nice way to travel. The seats are comfy, plenty of legroom, and it’s a pretty fast trip. Not sure exactly how much the NYC-Philly trip costs, because the reservation and ticketing section of Amtrak’s website is currently down.

Another option, which might be a good compromise between the convenience of Amtrak and the cheap price of the bus, is regional transit. You can get from New York to Philadelphia using the New Jersey Transit system from NY-Penn Station to Trenton, and then get on a SEPTA train from Trenton to Philly. Check out the SEPTA and NJ Transit websites. I believe that, when you get on the NJ train in New York, you’ll be able to buy a ticket that takes you all the way to Philadelphia.

You can plan your NJTransit/SEPTA journey here. You want to leave from NY-Pen Station, and arrive at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. I just checked it out, and it takes about two and a half hours, and costs $12.50 one-way.

In Philadelphia itself, much of the main tourist stuff is perfectly easy to do without a car. Basically, most of it is in the Market/Chestnut/Walnut Street corridor that runs east-west between the Delaware River and the Schuylkill River. Map here.

In this area, you’ll find much of Philly’s historic stuff, including the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, City Hall, the Second Bank of the United States, etc., etc., as well as some lovely old houses and pretty streets. Wander a few blocks further south to South Street, and you’ll find some interesting shopping, bars, restaurants, and the ubiquitous Philly Cheesesteak. If you go north-west along Benjamin Franklin Drive from City Hall, a 30-minute stroll (or a short bus or taxi ride) will take you to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which is one of my two or three favorite art museums in the United states. The collections are fantastic, and as a bonus you can run up the front steps and raise your arms in an imitation of Rocky Balboa from the movie.

All of this stuff is easy to do without a car, and there’s a pretty decent subway line that runs east-west right along Market Street and will get you back to 30th Street Station when your visit is over. This area is also, in my experience, generally pretty safe. Of course, Philly is a big city, so you should be a bit cautious when walking around after dark, but i’ve never had any problems in any of these tourist and historic areas.

3

What he said.

Once you’re there, you can get a SEPTA day pass which gives you total bus and subway access. When I did a similar excursion a few years ago, the day pass was like six bucks. The nice thing about that kind of pass is that you don’t have to give a shit about bus schedules – point yourself in the right direction, grab the next bus that comes along, and if it turns before you want it to, just get off and grab another one.

And I can’t emphasize enough how walkable all the revolutionary-era sites are. They’re all in very close proximity.

I also have had no difficulties with the Chinatown buses (never taken one to Philly), but if you can afford to take the train, the train is the thing to take.

–Cliffy

4

When I go to NYC, I always take the Chinatown bus – $20 roundtrip, which is a third or a quarter the price of Amtrak, though I believe Amtrak has lowered their prices somewhat to become more competitive.

Let us know when you’re coming, we’ll set up a Dopefest for you. Also let us know specific interests (history, art, performing arts, food, oddities, shopping) and we can make more specific recommendations about where to go/what to see.

Definitely worth a visit, though!

5

Also look into the Bolt Bus. A bit more expensive then the Chinatown buses, but nicer and free WiFi.

6

Thanks guys. :slight_smile:

My plans are still tentative, but I’m aiming to be in Philadelphia June 20-24 (Sunday to Thursday). I think I’ll fly in directly to Philly and take Amtrak to DC - turns out it’s only $35.

I love doing all sorts of stuff - museums, gardens, weird exhibits, eating, drinking … :smiley: I think I might try taking the food tour while I’m there. I wanted to take a Context Tour but the only one available is at 2pm on the day I’m leaving, which would be a little hard to squeeze in. I might do a Duck Tour my first day just to get my bearings.

I wouldn’t mind going to see a concert or any sort of performance, if anything good is on while I’m there. I kinda want to go see the zoo, but I’m only there for three full days. I might go on Wednesday depending on how I feel.

So far this is my list of things to see:
Philadelphia Art Museum
Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts
Rodin Museum
Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin’s house
Franklin Institute
Mutter Museum
Poe’s House
Academy of Natural Sciences
Constitution Museum
Barnes Museum
Elfreth’s Alley
Philadelphia Magic Gardens

Have I missed anything important? I dunno if I’ll get to do all of these while I’m there, I’ll probably end up whittling the list down a bit.

I’m torn between staying at the Alexander Inn and the Apple Hostel. A private room at the Apple Hostel is $86 with tax while a room at the Alexander Inn is probably around $137 if you include tax ($119 before tax). I’m staying four nights so that’s a difference of over $200. Which isn’t HUGE, but it’s certainly not insignificant, especially considering my other travel expenses this summer. Sigh.

7

Never heard of Philadelphia Magic Gardens, and I’m a garden person.

Check now if you want tickets to the Barnes – it can be hard to get in.

Poe House is a bit of a walk out of your target area, but not the other end of the universe. If you’ve got a SEPTA pass, no biggie.

Of the art museums, definitely hit the Art Museum – I think the current Picasso show will be there all summer, but their permanent collection is pretty damn good also. They also have a new annex across the street in a really nice building (interesting renovation of an insurance company HQ) with several small, very focused exhibits at any given time. PAFA’s permanent collection is small and nothing to write home about (though the building is utterly wonderful); they have a second building with the temporary shows, the last two I’ve seen there have been great (ended up reviewing one, actually). Haven’t been to the Rodin Museum since I was a kid, but if you like Rodin it’s worth a visit.

The Mutter is fun, albeit bizarre – if you’ve got time, go, but it’s not a must-see. Haven’t been to the Academy of Natural Sciences since I was a kid – it’s across the street from the Franklin Institute (now, oddly, just “The Franklin”), which is a big science-and-technology museum. The zoo is nice, worth a trip if you get a nice day.

8

Make your Barnes Foundation reservations now if you want to see it. There will be some periodic closures of the museum while its being moved to Philadelphia. Its also going to be a pain in the ass to get there without a car.

I think the Constitution Center is a waste of $14. You spend some time sitting through some film. Upstairs there is lots of interactive bullshit for kiddies, not a ton of meat or history. Some people like it, some people don’t. I would rather go to the US Mint.

Not sure what kind of concerts you are interested in. The TLA is right on South Street and they have good shows and decent prices sometimes. The Kimmel Center is on South Broad and you might have classical, jazz or other thngs going on there.

Try Priceline on the hotel. You can get decent deals in Center City.

9

You’re going to want the Market-Frankford line for East-West travel, although after 8th & Market it heads north as much as east. For North-South, you want the Broad Street line. Although if you’re staying close to Center City, you might find the buses more convenient .

This URL helps you plan a trip via SEPTA.

http://airs1.septa.org/bin/query.exe/en

The Franklin Institute is great if you have kids - lots of displays with buttons to push.
Academy of Natural Sciences has some neat dinosaur displays. Also lots of dioramas that appear not to have been updated in decades.
The Art Museum is a must. You can even have your picture taken in front of the Rocky Statue if that’s your kind of thing.

Lately there have been several flash mob incidents involving kids running rampant at the Gallery on Market Street and on South Street. I’d expect these to continue through the summer as kids finish up the school year. The mass transit system is being called a factor in these incidents, and I’d expect that to mean mostly the Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines rather than the buses.

10

It’s not really a garden, I think it’s supposed to be a collection of art murals and sculptures and such. http://www.philadelphiasmagicgardens.org/ It looks somewhat insane.

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I’ll try to cut down my list so I’m not running around the whole time I’m there.

I’m too apprehensive to try their name your price thing, and the best deal I got on there was a $109 hotel that has mediocre reviews. :frowning: I’d rather pay $10 more for the Alexander if it comes to that.

I’ve discovered a B&B site for the city though, so maybe I can stay somewhere nice for around $100, which would be a nice compromise between a hostel and a boutique hotel.

11

Oh, him. Make sure you check out the documentary made by his son before you do that.

12

Try the Megabus. Ridiculously cheap (I’m seeing one-way trips to Philadelphia for $8*) and very clean an well maintained. They also go to DC.

*The prices start low and increase as seats are sold. The further in advance you can go, the better the deal, but even if you want to go the next day, it’s probably cheaper than anything else.

13

I’ve used the Chinatown buses many times with nary an issue. They are clean and the people on them are usually skinny and practically comatose.

Philly is easy to get around in without a car. Just double check before you come that SEPTA is not on strike again.

Have fun!

14

Innnnteresting. I’ll try to get my hands on that.

Thanks for the advice everyone. :slight_smile: The trip is still three months away but I’m having fun planning ahead.

15

Where do you find out about the Chinatown buses?

16

Just google your route (for example, “new york to philadelphia bus”) and usually they show up on the first page.

My friend and I took the Chinatown bus from NYC to Boston. Their movie choice left much to be desired but it was a cheap ride and not even close to the sketchiest bus I’ve ever been on.

17

The Walnut Street Theatre will be in the middle of their production of Fiddler on the Roof at that time. If you’ve never seen that show, you might want to check it out. I don’t know yet who will be starring in the show, but I’ve seen several of their recent shows and they have all been fabulous quality productions with some very talented performers. The Walnut Street is the oldest theatre in America, they just celebrated their 200th anniversary last year!

I always take NJ Transit to Trenton & the SEPTA R7 line when coming down from NYC. It’s very easy, you can buy the tickets together in one go at an automated kiosk in Penn Station.

18

Thanks for the tip, Eyebrows! I’ve never seen it performed on a stage. I’ll definitely keep that in mind.

19

You’re very welcome! I saw Oliver! and Les Miserables there (a friend was starring in both) and both were definitely Broadway quality. There was no skimping on sets, costumes or size/quality of casts!

A tip to keep in mind, they have day-of-show tickets that are sold at the box office for $30, as long as the performance is not sold out. A great deal if you decide at the last minute you’d like to go!

20

I do not recommend the Apple Hostel. I just got back from judging a moot court competition in Philly, and I stayed there for the weekend. It’s not a bad place for the price, and the location is excellent - a hop, skip and jump to the 2nd Street Blue Line station. But, at least in the male dorm, it just wasn’t that clean - the dorm smelled pretty bad. The bathroom wasn’t very clean either. That said, the private room may be better.

Also - are you a student? The Apple Hostel really wants students, international travelers, and Hosteling International members to be the only ones staying there. I’m neither a student nor international, so I was initially told I’d need to buy an HI membership. Not a big deal, because it’s still dirt-cheap, and they ended up letting me stay without the membership. But it’s a much younger crowd than some other hostels I’ve stayed it - you’ll feel a bit awkward, possibly.

Of course, money you save on housing is money you can spend on food, drink, and merriment. :slight_smile: And being smack-dab in the middle of the Old City is fun.

BTW - while you’re in the city, you should definitely take a walk through University City - the district that the UPenn and Drexel campuses live in. It’s a fun neighborhood, with good independent bookstores and coffee-shops.