Focus on Philly

Independence Hall & park (including Liberty Bell)
Philadelphia Art Museum
South Street
Olde City & carriage rides
Fairmount Park (including Kelly & West River Drive)
Italian market & South Philly in general
restaurants & clubs
Suburban areas: New Hope, Peddlar's Village, Valley Forge, Washington's Crossing

Quick Tips:

You cannot do everything in 1 day. We may not be New York, but we are large, eclectic and worth a better look. Try to do the historic things your first day. Be sure to watch the movie in the tourist center first to give you an idea of what you'd like to see.

Best Way To Get Around:

Philly is large but the bulk of the tourist area is a walkable distance & it's the best way to get to know the city (not to mention that finding on street parking should be an Olympic sport). There is also the Philly Phlash, a small bus that hits all of the "hot spots" and is inexpensive.

Hidden among buildings that could have been taken from bombed out Dresden is this 2 story pub. Though called a taproom, it has none of the negative connotations associated with that word and is much closer to what most of us think of as a pub. Dark wood, local beers on tap and a mix of neighborhood and "downtown" clientele, The Standard Taproom has reasonable, delicious food and the most eclectic jukebox I have ever come across (Velvet Underground, local group Marah & Dean Martin to name a few). Some of the local brews include Yards (stout & ale) and General Laffayette (pilsner & Kolsch, I recommend the Kolsch if you like a lighter beer)most for about $4/pint. The menu included Duck salad, squid, hamburgers and a delicious grilled vegetable sandwich with great french fries (most for $6). The crowd was a mix of ages and backgrounds. If you go, don't let the neighborhood deter you, just park nearby and stop in for a drink &/or dinner.

Do NOT get sucked in to going to Pat's steaks for the best Philly cheesesteak. Just because it was in "Rocky" about a million years ago, does NOT make it the best. The best (and this includes ambience) is Jim's. You can smell the sizzlin' steaks from blocks away. Best time to go is on a weekend night. Stand in line "Soup Nazi" style & give your order; Provolone cheese/fried onions etc. and move right. There are small tables downstairs but I recommend going upstairs so that you can watch the rabble out on South Street. Great food and a show you can't get just anywhere!

Beautiful and well-known for Rocky's climb up the front stairs, the Art Museum also has an interior to match. Large stone stairs gracefully lead to the second floor. Their collection includes something for everyone. Roman sculpture, paintings by Matisse and even a Japanese tea house. The exhibits are especially good to view on Wednesday nights when the museum is open late and there are a number of "extracurricular activities". There is a theme for each Wednesday night that includes food (not included in the ticket price), music, tours and a movie. These listings can be found at Philamuseum.org People sit on the grand staircase and watch the entertainment and/or listen to the music.

The museum's special exhibitions are world class. The most recent being portraits by Van Gogh. The art museum is affiliated with the Rodin museum across the street, containing "The Thinker" (not the original). Sundays are free and a good day to bring the family.

The largest city park in the world, Fairmount Park weaves and nestles itself all over the city. Which part of the park you'd like to visit depends on where you are and what type of surroundings you'd like to have. The Kelly and West River Drives (near the Art Museum) run alongside of the Schuylkill (skoo-kill) River. Several miles of blacktop make either path perfect for running, blading etc. The West River drive is even closed to cars on weekend mornings. Walkers etc. can be treated to the sight of scullers practicing along the river. This section of the park also contains old homes that are open to visitors. Lemon Hill and Mt. Pleasant are just two (most are beautifully decorated for Christmas and evening tours are given through the holidays).

Pennypack Park, part of Fairmount and located in the Northeast section of the city, has paved and unpaved paths winding through trees, Pennypack creek and waterfalls. A hot dog stand awaits you at the end on Pine Road. Wissahickon is located in the northwestern part of the city and also contains paved as well as unpaved paths. Forbidden Drive (no cars)is dirt-covered and leads to a covered bridge. For lunch and brunch, you can stop at the Valley Green Inn right across from the Wissahickon creek. Bike several miles,have a picnic, or enjoy brunch in an old inn, there is something for everyone in Fairmount Park.

About 30 miles north of Philadelphia, just off the New Hope exit of I 95 is an eclectic little town called New Hope. The ride there is a wonderful trip. As you drive north on Route 32 (River Road), you will twist and turn alongside the Delaware River and then the Delaware Canal (and then the River again). You will pass Bowman's Tower which is worth a climb to see the surrounding countryside (or what has not been developed yet)of Buck's county.

New hope itself is lined with stores of all shapes and sizes. There are artisan shops with handmade jewlery and crafts,an Indian apparel shop with saris and beaded blouses. Further along you may pass the witch's shop and a shop for sexual apparel and aids. If you've been hunting for that Partridge Family lunchbox you used to own, there is a retro shop here for you!

The restaurants range from $$$$ to pubs with live music. There are haunted house tours, a barge ride along the Delaware canal, ferry rides along the Delaware Riverand a local theater. Outside of the center of town are loads of antique stores and a few wineries.

Overall, New Hope has a little of something for everyone and well worth the ride from Philadelphia.

The Rock Lobster on Delaware Avenue falls into both the dining and activities category. A restaurant/nightclub that sits right on the Delaware River, you just can't beat this place on a sunny afternoon. Rock Lobster has a tented dining area and bar with additional tables out by the water. The food ranges from appetizers like Jalepeno Poppers to sandwiches and fish entrees (though not inexpensive, prices fall well within the downtown range). The bar begins filling up for Happy Hour and stays filled long into the night when local bands play. There is a medium sized dance floor and bands playing R & B, pop, or whatever their flavor, keep the place hopping.

Rock Lobster sits right by the Ben Franklin Bridge and if you stay into the evening, you can watch the bridge lights come on and the New Jersey high speed train race towards the city. On nice summer afternoons, nothing looks better than the sailboats bobbing along the Delaware.

Rock Lobster is open from May until October. There is parking across the street (as of this writing, parking is free for customers).