Trip to Philadelphia

[zoebartlett]

My husband and I are going to Philadelphia for a wedding in the spring and we're just beginning to plan our trip. The wedding is in the Chestnut Hill area of the city. I was wondering if any Philadelphia-area PSers had any recommendations of places to see and things to do (historical sites and other places of interest). Other than wedding-related things over the weekend (I'm in the wedding), we have the rest of the week to plan. We can stay as long or as short of a time as we'd like since we'll drive our own car down. How many days would you suggest we dedicate towards site seeing?

We also have family in PA Dutch country (Lancaster County) who we're going to visit, hopefully. I think it's about a 2 hour drive from Philadelphia. What would you recommend we see and do? How many days would you recommend spending there?

Thanks for any recommendations!

 

[Anastasia]

Hi Zoe,

Sounds like fun. Chestnut Hill is a beautiful area.

I would recommend doing all of the "touristy" things. http://www.theconstitutional.com/tour.php is a really comprehensive list of things to see.

I would be sure to see the following:

National Constitution Center - they have a very moving live performance about the constitution.
Liberty Bell
Independence Hall - be sure to get tickets for the tour, I think they are free, but it is timed admission with a tour guide
I like Franklin Court - a lot of people don't know about this, but it is interesting (#20 on the list)
Betsy Ross house - a new definition of "living in tight quarters"

South Street/Headhouse Square - Fun/quirky bars and restaurants
Penn's Landing - Check to see if there are any concerts or festivals while you are here
Franklin Institute
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a must see. It is a great museum, has the "Rocky Steps", and the best view of the city from the top of the steps.

I'll add things if I think of them, but this is a good start. I'm looking forward to seeing other's ideas.

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks so much for your recommendations, Anastasia! I appreciate it.

The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall is already on our list. It's funny, my family went to Philadelphia when I was younger and I know we must have gone to see the Liberty Bell, but I can't remember a thing about our trip. It's a shame because I know we saw so many of the historical sites and I didn't appreciate them at the time. I think I'll get much more out of it this time around.

How many days would you say we should spend touring the city? 2-3 days? More than that? Any recommendations of places to stay? My friend will most likely put together a list for guests attending her wedding, but it can't hurt to begin seeing what's out there. We'd like to stay somewhere that's convenient to the sites in the city, as well as Chestnut Hill, where the wedding will be.

Thanks again!

 

[iheartscience]

I think Anastasia covered the main spots! I have a few more to add:

The Magic Garden is super fun to visit, especially if it's nice out! http://www.philadelphiasmagicgardens.org/

Longwood Gardens is outside of Philly but is gorgeous, and might be worth the trip: http://www.longwoodgardens.org/

The Barnes Foundation art museum just opened in the city and is fantastic: http://www.barnesfoundation.org/

Depending on when you'll be here, the International Flower Show is very cool. Only runs about 10 days in March, though, so it'll just depend on when you're coming: http://www.theflowershow.com/

Oh and Caleb Meyer is in Chestnut Hill! http://www.calebmeyer.com/about_caleb_meyer_studio.php They were great and there are a lot of cute shops in the area.

And I have a ton of restaurant recs! Some of our favorites are:
Han Dynasty (amazing Szechuan food): http://handynasty.net/
Amis (delicious modern Italian): http://amisphilly.com/
Tria (great wine/cheese bar): http://www.triacafe.com/
Capogiro (BEST GELATO EVER and their coffee is amazing): http://www.capogirogelato.com/

And if you wanna meet up for a drink or gelato, let me know!

 

[iheartscience]

Oh and where to stay...hmm. Chestnut Hill is outside the city, although you can take the train in from Chestnut Hill. It would probably be more fun to stay in the city, though. There are several near Independence Hall that are also near restaurants/shops in Old City. (That's where the Betsy Ross house and other attractions are.)

 

[Autumnovember]

Ahhh, my city!

You're staying in a really pretty area!

Suggestions:

1. Naval ship on the Delaware - you can go inside and tour it! It's really pretty cool. Navyyard.org

2. Rittenhouse square - Tons of great restaurants and AWESOME shopping, make sure you go to the park there too, lots of cute dogs if you like that kinda thing

3. http://www.philadelphiasmagicgardens.org/ Magic Gardens is really, really cool. Check out the site - its located on South Street which is a cool area. Check out Head House Square (I got married there and my friend owns his own compounding pharmacy there) too which is right next to South Street. If you go to Head House Square, next to my friends compounding pharmacy is a good place to eat called The Twisted Tail.

4. Franklin Institute - This is a science kind of place but super cool and interesting to check out - you can spend two hours or five there...really up to you.

5. Betsy Ross House - historical to Philadelphia and really brings you back in time.

6. National Constitution Center - My HS's prom was there and from the looks of it, it looks like a place worth checking out. It ALWAYS has visitors whenever I pass by.

7. http://www.collegeofphysicians.org/mutter-museum/ This is located in Rittenhouse Square. Not everyone is into this kinda stuff but if you are....you should absolutely go!

If you need a list of places to eat, I've got a TON!

Also, if you're going to Lancaster for just a day trip...I would stay in Philly for 4 days. Especially if you're really trying to do a lot.

I know I'm forgetting places but I'll come back and update as more comes to mind.

capigiro, as Thing suggested, IS the best gelato. If you're into coffee...try Caffeination, located in Rittenhouse.

Lastly, if you could give me a price range for the hotel, I can give you a list of good hotels. I've stayed at many ever since we had to move out of our apartment in Rittenhouse.

 

[Anastasia]

Zoe,

I'm assuming that the bride will make some suggestions on where to stay to be close to the wedding festivities. There is the Chestnut HIll Hotel, right in Chestnut Hill, but there are no chain hotels in Chestnut HIll (that I know of). http://www.chestnuthillhotel.com/

You can stay in Center City and take a train to Chestnut HIll if you don't have a car. City Line Avenue is an area right between Chestnut Hill and Center City, and there are a number of chain hotels there. I think you would have to take a bus if you stayed there, maybe someone else can chime in on whether there are other Public transportation options. Taxis would certainly be an option also, but might get a little pricy.

I would think that 2 days for the historic sites is enough, and then a third day for the Franklin Institute and Art Museum. You could also check out the Italian Market in South Philly for a little local color.

I don't know a whole lot about PA Dutch country, but make sure to stop at King of Prussia Mall on the way there!
http://www.simon.com/mall/king-of-prussia-mall It's ginormous.

I'll keep thinking...

 

[Anastasia]

Apparently all of the Philadelphians are on at once!! Lots of good suggestions above.

 

[iheartscience]

Apparently all of the Philadelphians are on at once!! Lots of good suggestions above.

Ha, seriously! We still need to have a Philly GTG! The last one got rained out and we never rescheduled!

 

[Autumnovember]

Zoe,

I'm assuming that the bride will make some suggestions on where to stay to be close to the wedding festivities. There is the Chestnut HIll Hotel, right in Chestnut Hill, but there are no chain hotels in Chestnut HIll (that I know of). http://www.chestnuthillhotel.com/

You can stay in Center City and take a train to Chestnut HIll if you don't have a car. City Line Avenue is an area right between Chestnut Hill and Center City, and there are a number of chain hotels there. I think you would have to take a bus if you stayed there, maybe someone else can chime in on whether there are other Public transportation options. Taxis would certainly be an option also, but might get a little pricy.

I would think that 2 days for the historic sites is enough, and then a third day for the Franklin Institute and Art Museum. You could also check out the Italian Market in South Philly for a little local color.

I don't know a whole lot about PA Dutch country, but make sure to stop at King of Prussia Mall on the way there!
http://www.simon.com/mall/king-of-prussia-mall It's ginormous.

I'll keep thinking...

Shame on me for forgetting that! I do have to warn you though, it is a dangerous place

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks so much for chiming in, Thing2 and AN! I was hoping the two of you would see this thread and reply. I know you both live in the city. Thing2, my husband LOVES Asian food and Italian's my favorite. We'll definitely check out those two restaurants you mentioned. We'll keep the others in mind, too. Oh and gelato?! Yes, please! I'll comb through the other suggestions of places to see with my husband this weekend. Thanks so much! Of COURSE I'd like to get together, if possible! We'll see if we can make that happen. I'm rarely on FB and it's not my main acct. but if you do some searching, you can find me. Same av and I'm friends with Mara, Alj, Skippy, Kaleigh, etc. I'll drag my husband with me if you don't mind, or maybe I'll send him off on his own for a few hours.

Hmmm, I know it's early to make firm plans regarding hotels. My friend hasn't thought that far ahead, so I have no idea what she's planning on doing to block rooms anywhere. It would be a pain to change hotels, but I was thinking maybe we stay in Chestnut Hill for the wedding (for convenience sake those days), then the day after (or two days after, whatever), move to a hotel right in the city so we'll be close to all the sights. That will probably be more expensive but it would be worth it, right? We'll have our car but I don't want to drive in and out each day if we stay in CH the whole time. That doesn't make sense. We could do public transportation to get in and out of the city, but I think I'd ideally like to spend the majority of our time right there. Less hassle. Ok, no, maybe we stay in the city the whole time and just drive to the wedding. We'll figure that out. See, this is why I can never become a travel agent. I would suck at it. I'm a huge planner but this always stresses me out.

Oh, and AN, hotel budget... No clue. Um, maybe $125 per night? That's realistic, right? Cheaper would be awesome but I don't think that's doable in the city. We're on a budget but we want to enjoy our stay, if that makes sense. Nothing fancy but nice and safe, obviously. We could go higher to $150 if that's more realistic.

Thanks for recs about the amount of time to spend in the city. We want to check out the historical sites and we want to get an overall feel for the city in general.

We'll probably go see my family in Lancaster Cty on the last leg of our trip before we head home. My aunt will most likely want us to stay with her but my husband would rather stay in a hotel, if we stay anywhere at all out there. It might be more than a day trip but maybe not.

Good Lord, I've written a novel. Thanks so much for the great recommendations, everyone!

 

[iheartscience]

Zoe-yes, let's definitely get together! I can't wait to meet you and your husband! If you wanna make it a double date I can bring along my husband, too! I'll do a little searching today and hunt you down!