"Philadelphia Freedom I love love love"

OLD CITY--American history buff heaven: Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Carpenters Hall, Betsy Ross House. READING TERMINAL MARKET--uniquely Philadelphia, cuisine from around the world, soft pretzels with mustard in Amish/Mennonite section! SOUTH ST.--funky/alternative fashions, good restaurants, shopping, more late teens/early 20s but fun for all ages, fab people-watching. RITTENHOUSE SQUARE (Walnut St.)--upscale shopping, people-watching. Chi-chi fun. CHINATOWN--Vibrant! first sizeable one going north up the East Coast. PHILADELPHIA ART MUSEUM--steps from Rocky. Top-notch museum. Rotating exhibits and period rooms. 12th AND 13th ST. (btwn. Market and South)--café life, vibrant Gay community.

Quick Tips:

RESTAURANTS: Philly has some top-notch ones. check out www.zagats.com for the best in Philly restos. MAP: Streetwise Philadelphia is fold-out, laminated and small (inconspicuous); includes Philly public transit. I carry with me at all times.

Best Way To Get Around:

I always arrive by Amtrak. With Amtrak ticket stub you can take SEPTA for FREE from 30th St. Station to Market St. E station; once exited Market St., I recommend walking. Center City is very wakable; by foot is the best way to explore the city. Buses seem frequent and taxis are everywhere. The subway goes to UPenn and Center City from 30th St. Station. Don't know the fare. There is parking apparently on 12th and Chestnut, but I don't know much about that, since I never bring a car. One SEPTA (R2?)train I hear goes out to Philly Airport.

I tremendously enjoyed this Washington Square West area restaurant. The decor was very 90s urban chic as were the waiters, waitresses and bartender. We soon learned that to get a seat outside the bar area, you need to make reservations.

The service was exceptional, enough so that my friend and I decided to leave over a 20% tip to our knowledgable, eloquent waitress. The food was incredible; my pan-fried flounder was cooked to perfection; the seasonings made it the singular best flounder I've ever had. The accompanying rice and salad were equally tasty. My friend also enjoyed her seafood fettucine. As a complimentary appetizer, there were baguette pieces and pita bread with an olive-oil vinaigrette for dipping; mouth-watering fresh red seedless grapes compliments of the house were a nice touch for dessert.

As soon as we walked in the door of this dim sum establishment, the maitre d' seated us immediately. Within 30 seconds of sitting down, trays were whirling by our table, tempting us with anything from dumplings to spring rolls to jellyfish to a Hong Kong spinach crepe specialty.

Since I can't get dim sum in Baltimore, I was pleased to find it at this establishment in Chinatown. For those who have never had dim sum before (such as my friend), the experience can seem intimidating, with trays always bombarding with a bazillion choices. It certainly will seem a change for those used to your standard American-style Chinese restaurant. This restaurant is instead predominantly patronized by many Hong Kongers and others who wish to have enjoy the dim sum experience. I highly recommend travellers to go to try at least once the ambience of dim sum; H.K. Golden Phoenix is a good choice and is very popular.

The pork and shrimp dumplings were delicious as was the spinach crepe. My friend appreciated these but was happy to get spring rolls also to satisfy her more American palate. The tofu pudding was an interesting warm dessert with a flavour that might not necessarily appeal to those with more Western taste buds.

One of Philly's oldest Gay bars/dance clubs. Downstairs is a restaurant--standard American fare. My Chicken Caesar was delicious as was my friend's chef salad. On afternoons/early evenings, the clientele is mostly older (30s-60s). There are 3 bars; two downstairs, one upstairs. The crowd is more conservatively dressed at the bars. Saturday night is apparently THE night to go. While quiet until 11:30pm, things really picked up and the place was packed at Midnight. The music was some really kick-a** house/techno music (with some NYC influence), some with more Latin beats. The music and ambience could be described as electric at times; I found my feet and body just moved to the rhythms naturally. Some around me were also quite good dancers, who also seemed to appreciate the music. Not cheesy commercialized music that you find in bars in many cities (although of course there was Madonna's requisite 'Music').

The crowd was like no other Gay bar in North America I'd ever been to...50% black/Latino, with the rest a mix of Asian, Arabic and various people of European extraction. Very macho crowd on the whole, not much in the way of femme. More snazzy dressers than in the bar section, which is quite casual. People were quite sociable; it seemed like the place for friends to gather. I had a blast.

This past trip I went with my friend Michael; he'd only driven through Philly before, so he had the impression that the city was really ugly. Arriving into the city on Amtrak, he kept signing to me (he's Deaf) 'very ugly', 'DC's waaaay better'. I admitted the view of the city coming in by train is not the best. I remembered that I too before this past year had dismissed Philly similarly as urban blight. Many people on other travel forums see the bad neighborhoods and come to the same conclusion. That's a shame but maybe it's not the end of the world because it keeps the rental prices down (I want to move here now).

Anyhow, we arrived in the gorgeous 30th St. Station and took a SEPTA commuter train for free (with Amtrak ticket stub) out to Market St. E station. My first stop (always) is the Reading Terminal Market, a Philadelphia tradition since the 1890s. This place is brimming with character. You can get anything from sushi to Mexican to local produce. I always get a soft pretzel there (always with mustard!) from an Amish/Mennonite stand served by a traditionally-dressed bearded man or kerchiefed woman.

Our 2nd stop is Chinatown, where I went to Chung May's supermarket to get a sweet bean curd delicacy I can't find in Baltimore. The Chinatown area is so authentically vibrant with many restaurants/stores. In my opinion, it's the first decently-sized Chinatown going north up the east coast.

Afterward we went to Old City. I had been before to a tour of Independence Hall, where the park ranger was incredibly helpful with my history questions. I highly recommend going for those interested in the birth of America.

Michael was starting to think the city was fine but wasn't willing to concede that I was right (I had told him the night before that even though I like DC all right, I preferred Philly over DC. He signed to me, 'no way'). See in my South St./Washington Square West post if he concedes!

continued from 'Arriving/....'. I really wanted to convince my friend that Philadelphia was a fab place, so I thought South St. would do the trick. I love the funky vibe of this street, with rave kids, alternative crowd (lots of unnatural hair colors) mixed in with a few mainstream folk. The people-watching is not the only draw here. There are also many great restaurants and clothing, record and knick-knack stores. While there definitely is a preponderance in late teens/early 20s crowd, I do believe this street is fun for all ages. Jim's Cheesesteaks is on this street, which my coworker says is THE place to get cheesesteaks... unfortunately every time I go, there's always a long line. I assume it must be good!

I signed to Michael, 'there's nowhere like South St. in DC.' He signs back 'No. Georgetown's like this.' I sign in response 'No. Georgetown's more conservative.' He signs 'I like conservative.' I sign 'so that's my point. there's nowhere like this in DC.' He then signs 'DC's waaay better. People are weird here' again just to irritate me (succeeding). I sign 'You're closed-minded! That's the whole point! I like DC too, but admit this is something you can't find in DC.' We don't communicate for a few blocks.

After South, we walk up 11th St. from South up toward Market St. 11th, 12th and 13th St. are all charming narrow streets with more than a few beautiful colonial rowhouses. There are more than a few cafes on these streets, with many people sitting outside. A charming neighborhood all in all; my friend comments 'HERE is nice.'

We then walk down Walnut, cross Broad (passing beautiful City Hall). This area has many upscale boutiques and lots of fashionably-dressed people milling about, enjoying life and shopping. We buy some things at Bath and Body Works and my friend drags me into Gap and we visit a few other clothing stores. After shopping, Michael admits 'I like Philadelphia; it's a really nice city.'

Located just a few blocks south of the hustle-and-bustle of South St., the South Philly Italian Market is an outdoor market that has an earthy, more working-class charm that draws people from all over the city for the often high quality produce. Certainly, the more yuppie Center City indoor Reading Terminal Market is quite popular, incredibly charming and definitely worth a visit as well, with equally high quality produce. Nevertheless, in order to truly get a feel for what life in Philadelphia has to offer, I think checking out the outdoor Italian market is a must. I suspect some of you who appreciate a deal will respect the very reasonable prices.

I went on a relatively cold winter's Saturday and was surprised to see that the area was still very lively, with vendors displaying their produce on tables in front of various stores. I enjoyed watching a 50-year-old Italian-looking man throwing a pizza high in the air and twirling it in an artistic manner. For those cold days, there are also stores one can enter to browse and warm up.

The Italian Market is located on 9th St., with a majority of stores between Christian St. and Washington St. It is about a 5-minute walk from South St.