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#1
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What To See On A Day in Philadelphia??
Hi,
We will be traveling this weekend and discovered we will be passing through Philadelphia on our way home. We have never been and am considering stopping for the afternoon to sightsee. The only problem is we are not sure where to begin. My research seems to say we should park somewhere in "Center City" and roam that area first, but otherwise we are lost and want to make sure we don't waste time when we arrive trying to fiqure out where to go. Any ideas on things one should really see with an afternoon in Philadelphia? Thanks! |
#2
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What To See On A Day in Philadelphia??
"Ryan" wrote in message oups.com... Hi, We will be traveling this weekend and discovered we will be passing through Philadelphia on our way home. We have never been and am considering stopping for the afternoon to sightsee. The only problem is we are not sure where to begin. My research seems to say we should park somewhere in "Center City" and roam that area first, but otherwise we are lost and want to make sure we don't waste time when we arrive trying to fiqure out where to go. Any ideas on things one should really see with an afternoon in Philadelphia? Thanks! Tough call since I don't know your tastes. Most people would consider a trip to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell an integral Philadelphia experience. Nearby is the National Constitution Center which I've heard mixed things about. http://www.nps.gov/inde/ http://www.constitutioncenter.org/ Visit the corner of E. Passayunk and 9th Street for two of Phillie's most famous cheesesteak joints, Pat's and Geno's (others will most certainly barrage you with recommendations for better steaks in the area, but this is the corner where it all began). http://www.genosteaks.com/ http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/ Philadelphia has a wonderful art museum if that's your bag. http://www.philamuseum.org/main.asp For something a bit more offbeat, check out the medical oddities at the Mutter Museum. http://www.collphyphil.org/muttpg1.shtml |
#3
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What To See On A Day in Philadelphia??
On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 20:10:28 -0800, "bamawama" wrote:
tp://www.patskingofsteaks.com/ Philadelphia has a wonderful art museum if that's your bag. http://www.philamuseum.org/main.asp Also the excellent Rodin museum just down the Parkway from the Art Museum. The Reading Terminal Market is always fun, and the Italian food shops on South 9th St. are top-notch. And for two more excellent places to eat; Monk's Cafe for terrific Belgian food (mussels, frites) and wonderful beer; and Jack's Firehouse, not far from the Art Museum and near the prison (which also offers a strange but interesting tour). -- Larry |
#4
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What To See On A Day in Philadelphia??
"pltrgyst" wrote in message ... On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 20:10:28 -0800, "bamawama" wrote: tp://www.patskingofsteaks.com/ Philadelphia has a wonderful art museum if that's your bag. http://www.philamuseum.org/main.asp Also the excellent Rodin museum just down the Parkway from the Art Museum. The Reading Terminal Market is always fun, and the Italian food shops on South 9th St. are top-notch. And for two more excellent places to eat; Monk's Cafe for terrific Belgian food (mussels, frites) and wonderful beer; and Jack's Firehouse, not far from the Art Museum and near the prison (which also offers a strange but interesting tour). -- Larry And Cannoli's from Termini's Bakery on S. 8th. |
#5
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What To See On A Day in Philadelphia??
On 17 Nov 2005 19:52:18 -0800, "Ryan" wrote:
Hi, We will be traveling this weekend and discovered we will be passing through Philadelphia on our way home. We have never been and am considering stopping for the afternoon to sightsee. The only problem is we are not sure where to begin. My research seems to say we should park somewhere in "Center City" and roam that area first, but otherwise we are lost and want to make sure we don't waste time when we arrive trying to fiqure out where to go. If you exit from I-95 at the Historical Area exit, and head south on 2nd street, you will eventually come to a city parking garage on your left a bit south of Chestnut St. This has reasonable rates and is convenient for the historical sites. This web site has good driving directions: http://www.gophila.com/Go/TravelTool...irections.aspx Across from the garage is City Tavern, which is run as a concession of the park service. They have wait staff in period costumes and menus featuring typical colonial fare. If you don't want to take the time for lunch, you could at least have a hot cider by the fire. I only ate there once, and it was about 10 years ago; the food was quite good, although a bit pricey. Here is a good map of the historic area: http://www.gophila.com/Go/TravelTools/historicmap.pdf Turning onto Walnut St and walking a few blocks west, you will arrive at the main historical park area. Independence Hall is a block or two west and a block north of City Tavern. There is a good tour of Independence Hall, and even if there is a line, it moves pretty quickly. Continuing north, you can see the enclosure where the Liberty Bell is kept. You have to take a tour to see this also. These two things may occupy a good part of your afternoon. The Art Museum is worth seeing, but it's not particularly near this area. There is a tourist shuttle bus which visits a lot of the historic sites and also the Art Museum. It costs either $1 per trip or $4 for an all-day pass: http://tinyurl.com/dmd27 The route of this bus in the historic area is marked on the map I gave a link for above. If you want to stay in the general historic area, there are a few more things worth seeing. If you return to 2nd St. and continue walking north, in the direction you came in, you will see Old Christ Church on your left, just north of Market Street. This is the church where many of the founding fathers worshipped, and their pews are marked. A bit further north, on your right, is the entrance to Elfreth's Alley, which is billed as the oldest continually inhabited residential street in the US. (Note how many qualifiers they have to add to make it unique.) In any case, it is a colonial street that has remained almost unchanged for 300 years. Most of the houses are still privately owned and occupied, but a few are open to visitors, and are interesting to see. On Arch St. between 3rd and 2nd is the Betsy Ross house. Although there is no evidence that she really made the first American flag, the house and attached workshop are interesting to visit, to see a typical colonial business and the residence of the owner. Franklin Court is interesting, especially if you're interested in 18th century scientific discovery and inventions. If the weather is nice, the entire area from Chestnut to Pine, and between 2nd and Broad Street (where 14th would be), is interesting to walk around, a pretty residential neighborhood with little shops, including lots of antique shops, especially on Pine Street. Any ideas on things one should really see with an afternoon in Philadelphia? You could easily spend a day or two, but you should be able to see quite a lot in one afternoon. Someone mentioned the 9th St market; it's no where near as interesting as it once was, as a lot of the merchandise now is cheap junk, and anyway it's at its best on a Saturday morning. The Reading Terminal market is also moderately interesting, and does have some good food. -- Barbara Vaughan My email address is my first initial followed by my last name at libero dot it. |
#6
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What To See On A Day in Philadelphia??
I used to work in downtown Philly, though that hasn't been for almost 20
years... but did use to live within about half hour of the city for years. If anyone is headed towards Independence Mall, where a cluster of historical sites are -- such as the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross house, Ben Franklin grave, etc... there's a place nearby that's also worth visiting. There's the U.S. Mint at 5th and Arch Streets. One of the larger office buildings in the U.S. and occupies an entire city block. Used to be the top-producing single mint of U.S. coinage -- don't know if still true. They make billions of coins a year, and has free self-guided tour around the mint's interior where you see coins being made, as well as a very impressive and very complete collection of U.S. gold coinage on display. An interesting and tragic story about Peter the Eagle (bird) there from 1792 is told; don't know if it's an urban legend or not, but certainly an interesting story. (The official U.S. coinage began in 1793.) -Dan |
#7
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What To See On A Day in Philadelphia??
Dan Foster wrote:
There's the U.S. Mint at 5th and Arch Streets. One of the larger office buildings in the U.S. and occupies an entire city block. Used to be the top-producing single mint of U.S. coinage -- don't know if still true. They make billions of coins a year, and has free self-guided tour around the mint's interior where you see coins being made, as well as a very impressive and very complete collection of U.S. gold coinage on display. I just checked their web site, by the way, and the Mint has resumed their self-guided tours (which had been suspended for a few years for security reasons). (We couldn't tour the Denver one when we were out there.) However, restrictions may apply. Check http://www.usmint.gov/mint_tours/index.cfm?flash=yes&action=philadelphia for details. -- Evelyn C. Leeper A passionate commitment to social justice is no substitute for knowing what the hell you're talking about. --Thomas Sowell |
#8
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What To See On A Day in Philadelphia??
In article .com,
"Ryan" wrote: Hi, We will be traveling this weekend and discovered we will be passing through Philadelphia on our way home. We have never been and am considering stopping for the afternoon to sightsee. The only problem is we are not sure where to begin. My research seems to say we should park somewhere in "Center City" and roam that area first, but otherwise we are lost and want to make sure we don't waste time when we arrive trying to fiqure out where to go. Any ideas on things one should really see with an afternoon in Philadelphia? I work near Center City. In fact, I plan to visit the historic area tonight after work. A good starting point is the Visitors Center at 5th and Market Street. You can find tons of info there, then spend the afternoon seeing sites that are all within a brief walk of the Visitors Center, such as the Ben Franklin Museum, lunch on Saturday at the Reading Terminal Market, Independence Hall, the National Constitution Center, Liberty Bell. You could easily spend a weekend wondering around that area; I have done it many times. Parking in the area of 5th and Market Streets this weekend should be pretty easy. There are numerous parking garages for Saturday parking. If you get there early on a Sunday, you should be be able to find free street parking because the parking meters in that area do not need to be fed on Sundays. If you prefer a different kind of experience, head up to the area around 21st and the Ben Franklin Parkway. Parking is a bit more of a challenge in that area, but its not too bad. In that area, there are several interesting museums, including: The Ben Franklin Science Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum, and the Free Library of Philadelphia (which has a lot of museum qualities). Unfortunately, only the library is free, but the Art Museum allows free admission on Sunday mornings before 1:00pm with a donation requested. |
#9
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What To See On A Day in Philadelphia??
On 11/17/2005 10:52 PM Ryan contemplated the inner meaning of Buffalo
Wings then said: Hi, We will be traveling this weekend and discovered we will be passing through Philadelphia on our way home. We have never been and am considering stopping for the afternoon to sightsee. The only problem is we are not sure where to begin. My research seems to say we should park somewhere in "Center City" and roam that area first, but otherwise we are lost and want to make sure we don't waste time when we arrive trying to fiqure out where to go. Any ideas on things one should really see with an afternoon in Philadelphia? Thanks! If you'd like something a little off the beaten path from the usual, visit one of Philly's Gay neighborhoods. It's roughly located in the area of Locust, Camac, Chancellor and Spruce. It's a very open area and there's some really fine gay run restaurants in the area. I like an ice cream parlor that's open for breakfast and lunch only. They also serve the usual breakfast fare and at lunch the deli sandwiches an burgers are great. The William Way Center is nearby where you can learn something about the community and it's struggle for equality. Chinatown is a short walk to the east. If you are a fan of the "Rocky" movies you'll want to park in the Art Museum's south parking lot and use the steps to the south entrance which were featured in the first of the series. I can't help but hum the "Rocky" theme when I climb those steps. -- ________ To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address. Brian M. Kochera "Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!" View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951 |
#10
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What To See On A Day in Philadelphia??
Many good replies already, including the detailed one from Barbara (as
usual!). I work right on Independence Mall, across from the Constitution Center, and get to enjoy walking around the area every day. I'll echo others in saying that for one day (or part of a day), focus on the historical area and "Old Town," centered roughly between sixth street and the waterfront and between Race Street and Walnut Street. There is a parking garage literally right under the National Park/City visitor center, with entrances on both 5th and 6th streets between Arch and Market streets (6th street is one-way to the south, 5th is one-way to the north). It's about $10 to park all day, depending when you get there. Philly is, above all, a great walking town. After the obligatory visits to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall (get free tickets at the Visitor Center), spend some time just walking around the streets nearby (heading toward the river). The cemetary containing Ben Franklin's grave is now open for visiting; it's run by a local church and has a $2 entrance fee. (The cemetary had been closed to visits since 1976, and only reopened last year.) You can see Ben's grave from outside the walls, though, as there is a gate nearby. I'd plan to start the day at the Visitor's Center, and let them point out interesting places on their free map. The historic district will more than keep you busy for an afternoon, and is easily accessed from the major highways (I-95, I-76, etc.). |
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