27 Hours in Philly

Well, the Madonna concert was of course, our favorite part of the trip. She was AWESOME. People from all walks of life came together for her first U.S. performance in 9 years. First Union Center was a great place to see it!

There seemed to be many cool and interesting restaurants and bars in the Historic District and it was so neat to walk around in! The old brick buildings, cobblestone streets, AWESOME weather, guys dressed up as revolutionary war soldiers...

Of course, the historical value of Philadelphia is amazing. We only had a chance to visit a few major sights (the U.S. Mint, Penn's Landing, Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross's house, and the Hard Rock Cafe :) ), but I highly recommend you visit the places where our country was founded!

South Street was definitely a nightlife experience I won't forget. Lined with people, cars, shops, restaurants, and bars, it is one busy crazy street! We went down there after the concert to check out a couple of bars and had a lot of fun! I'm not sure how "safe" the street really is, but it seemed ok to us.

Quick Tips:

I'm sad we missed it, but I would have liked to see the LOVE statue in the fountain in the art/museum district. You should go see it!

Subway Safety: During the day, we took the subway from Center City back to our hotel, and there weren't that many people down there on a Sunday, and it seemed safe, until (what we think) a guy tried to grab my purse. He didn't, and was gone before we realized what he was trying to do. (My precaution: Don't stand near the exit gates...gives thieves a quick-grab-and-getaway)

Best Way To Get Around:

On the way to our hotel from the airport, we took a taxi. There is a law (we heard ALL about it from our driver) that they are not allowed to charge more than to/from the airport to anywhere in DT Philly, so that should be your fare.

A taxi ride to anywhere else is .60 initial fare, with .30 for every 1/6 of a mile driving, and .20 for every minute spent waiting. It was to go from our hotel (in the historic district) to First Union Center.

The subway: We heard it was unsafe, but after talking to policeman, he assured us it would be safe for us to take it from First Union back to our hotel. We were charged a person. Not bad, but we found out later, that they were overcharging (there was police investigating in the subway tunnels)! It should have been .60 for 2 people. Oh, well. So, we felt safe until we had to interchange closer to DT Philly. Then we didn't feel so safe.

Also, walking almost anywhere in Philly is easy, cheap, and safe!

Arriving by cab from the airport, we pulled into the circular driveway that the hotel wrapped around, and were greeted by the bellhop opening the door to our cabs. From the outside, the hotel looks simple and small, but elegant. We walked into the open lobby (all the doors to the rooms open up onto balconies overlooking the lobby) filled with chairs, tables, lush greenery, and a running fountain. At night, there were many people hanging out in the lobby. Also in the lobby was an upscale restaurant, a small bar, and a gift shop. There was also a concierge desk that was pretty helpful: free maps and brochures, helped us find a place to eat dinner nearby (don''t use that computer near the desk unless you have a car... all the restaurants in it are too far to walk!), and allowed us to check our bags for the day after we checked out.

Check-in was very easy (being a member of Sheraton''s Starwoods club helped). We were given a non-smoking room on the 3rd floor of the 4 story hotel. The indoor pool and health club were also on our floor.

Our room was a fairly good size, with two very comfortable double beds, a table and chairs, a huge armoir with several drawers, a 20" TV, and a coffeemaker. The bathroom was nice and clean with plenty of towels and toiletries. There was also a mirrored closet - important for 6 girls trying to get ready at the same time.

The hotel was located in the best possible location from all I saw about Philly. We were blocks from most of the historical monuments, and South Street; yet it was a nice, clean, safe area of town and there were neat restaurants, bars, and shops within a few blocks. (Go out hotel entrance, turn Right onto 2nd Street and there''s all kinds of stuff!)

As for parking, the valet parking at the hotel was $22 a day, or $16 a day to park yourself.

Meandering north on 2nd Street from our hotel, we peered into the windows and at the displayed menus of various restaurants looking for a good, fairly cheap, place to eat. Confused by the apparently typical style of Philadelphia restaurants - bar in the front part near the street, narrowly leading back to the restaurant tables, we eventually decided upon a small friendly-looking place called "Nick's." We entered the "bar," getting stared at/oggled/cat-called by several males sitting at the bar, and finally made our way to the back tables, where we were promptly seated.

The atmosphere was bar-like, with plastic cloths on the tables, cheap stackable dining chairs, and cheap pictures/paintings of things like dogs playing pool.

The menu consisted primarily of sandwiches, pizza, burgers, and various snack foods (nachos, fries, onion rings). The "Famous Nick's Roast Beef Sandwich" was offered proudly at the top. However, this was our first meal in Philly, and being on huge time constraints, we knew it may be our only opportunity to try an original Philly cheesesteak. So, all six of us ordered cheesesteaks (some w/ onions, some without) and a couple baskets of wedge fries for the table.

The waitress brought us a round of soft drinks and waters. Soft drinks were about $1, but refills were $1 also. A short while later, our food arrived. Nice warm cheesesteaks. I am a big fan of spicy mustard on my cheesesteak, which was provided on the table. However, a couple of the other girls wanted Ranch dressing (it's a Texas/Southern thing, we know). They did not have Ranch dressing. We realize that this place is not the place to get cheesesteaks, but we all agreed that they were just average. Nothing special. The fries were pretty good though!

With one waitress for all 10 or so of the tables, the service was pretty bad. We had a hard time getting refills on our waters, and anything else we needed.

It was too bad that they rest of our trip did not provide another opportunity to try an original Philly cheesesteak, and we were left with a semi-dissappointing version. Maybe someday we'll come back and go to Jim's or one of those other notorious places!

This hip little restaurant fits right in with the atmosphere on 2nd Street. We were at first enticed after dinner by the hand-written sign advertising "Happy Hour - All drinks $2." Being three hours from the concert of our lives (Madonna), my friends and I decided we needed a drink to "take the edge off" and relax us for our big night.

When you walk in, you are at the bar, with a mirrored liquor-bottle lined wall. As we approached the bartender, I noticed that the place seemed rather empty for 6 PM on a Saturday night. We ordered our drinks - a Cape Cod, margarita, and 2 Crown-&-Cokes and the bartender quickly made them. However, to pay for our drinks, the manager had to come up to the front, because, as the bartender confided in us later, the manager doesn't trust anyone to use the register except himself(?). We found that strange, especially since it seemed like such a well-to-do established restaurant. However, we enjoyed our drinks and chatting with the bartender while watching people walk by on the street outside.

The next morning, we were once again drawn to this place for breakfast. We were seated immediately in a nice window booth (I think the smoking booths were in the back). From here, we got a better view of the restaurant. It was decorated very nicely and we could see into the kitchen from where we were seated. An large open grill and a real "chef"-looking guy cooking back there with his helpers. You could tell they thought cooking was a serious business. It took a while for our waitress to take our drink orders and bring menus and to eventually bring our food, but I think that may be blamed on the fact that our table was rather secluded and cut off from the other seating area.

The menus were huge, offering up any and every kind of food you could imagine in any style you wanted. It was the largest breakfast menu I have ever seen and the prices were really affordable! After much deliberation, we ordered.

When our food did arrive, what I had ordered was delicious. Out group of six had ordered all kinds breakfast foods: Belgian waffles, eggs, toast, bacon, omelets, pancakes, etc. I think some were a little dissapointed with the omelets, but I really thought my belgian waffle was really good.

Overall, I think the atmosphere was awesome at this little place, and I did enjoy my food - I would definitely go back if I was in the area again, if only to see what they cook up for dinner!

Approaching First Union Center on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, you could feel the apprehension in the air. In front of the stadium, there was a dance floor blasting Madonna's 80s music with many people away the afternoon for the circle of onlookers. The six of us could not wipe the smiles off our faces as we watched - everyone around us and inside that stadium were there with one purpose and love – Madonna!

Inside, we stood in line to buy merchandise. T-shirts ranged from $35 to $150, posters @ $10, and little buttons @ $2, programs @ $35, the prices were a little much, but it's Madonna. Once we found our seats (3 pairs of seats in 2 adjacent sections on the second level, bought on eBay months before), we were able to scope out the crowds. There were lavishly dressed gay men, the infamous drag queen dressed as Madonna, and fans of all ages, shapes, and sizes.

With no opening act, the concert started at precisely 8:23 (just like all the websites said). The show started with Madonna dressed in a tartan kilt and a black leather-and-mesh shirt to the song "Drowned World." The dancers were all decked out in punk, and numerous flat screen monitors displayed colorful images, especially during "Beautiful Stranger." During this part and throughout the show, Madonna showed off her newly acquired guitar playing skills.

The next portion of the concert, Madonna came out in her "Geisha" girl attire: a black wig, and a red & black kimono with a 52 foot wingspan. There was a fight with a samurai, during which the whole stadium was cheering for Madonna as she "fought" him off and flew aroud the stage.

In the next scene (my personal favorite), Madonna came dressed in "Wild West" attire: Rhinestone-studded jeans and matching denim jacket. She began the set with an acoustic guitar, playing "Don't Tell Me" and later on performed a wonderfully choregraphed dance sequence with her dancers. (Unfortunately, this was also the part where Madonna performed some "Funny Song" country & western style). She ended that set atop a mechanical bull - only Madonna!

For the "Latin" part of the show, she sang a spanish version of "What it feels like for a girl" and a slowed down version of "La Isla Bonita" complete with flamenco dancers and what was made to look like an impromptu street performance. Madonna and her backup singers & dancers seemed to be having the most fun during this song.

The show ended with her in a black "Mother" on one side "F*cker" on the other t-shirt, singing "Holiday" and then the encore - "Music" with images flashing in the background spanning her entire career. It was an awesome end to a truly amazing show!

However, the consession stand lady said it best "Please don't tell me you came all the way from Texas to see Madonna!?!" Yes, we did. And it was worth every penny.

Being Fat Tuesday's afficionados, we tend to at least have a drink or two there in whatever city we're in. The crowd is usually good and friendly (and 21 and up), and we can ask the locals that hang out there where to go to next. I've been to a lot of Fat Tuesday's, but this one was a little bit darker, a little bit dirtier, and the bartenders were a little bit ruder. I guess it goes with the whole South Street/Philly attitude.

Walking through crowds of people standing around on South Street, we were suprised at the lack of bars, considering South Street is known for its nightlife. South Street was mostly chain stores (Foot Locker, Gap, Blockbuster), dirty sidewalks, and cheesesteak/pizza restaurants. We knew Fat Tuesday's was in the center of South Street. Eventually, we found it, nestled back in the strip of buildings along South Street with a balcony looking out onto the street. The uniformed officer standing outside pointed us through the wrought iron gate up the stairs to a bouncer. I overheard some Philadelphians say that they couldn't believe how crowded it was - it's usually dead. We waited about 5 minutes, until a group of people left, and we were allowed in. There was no cover (this seems to vary at all FT's).

Inside, it was pretty crowded, and we pushed our way to the bar to get drinks. The bartender seemed mad-at-the-world, so I just quickly ordered a $5.50 large frozen "Hurricane" daiquiri, a "Mardi Gras Mash" daiquiri (tasted similar to a Hurricane), and a $3 bottled beer. One thing we found strange was that of the 20 or so daiquiri flavors, they did not have the standard "White Russian" or "Mudslide" Khalua-Bailey's concoction that they have had at every FT we've ever been too. Two of my friends LOVE this flavor and won't drink anything else, so they were dissappointed.

We found a standing spot in the center of the place, with three big screen TVs behind us playing a MLB game. Just like every FT's, the theme is "Mardi Gras," complete with the gold-green-purple walls, posters, lights, beads, and neon signs. A few minutes later, a drunk frat boy-type started talking to us in a semi-rude manner, and we decided to quickly finish our drinks and leave, but not before posing for a picture that some nice-r boys offered to take for us with our camera. We asked these nice boys where we should head to next. They suggested "Abilene" next door, but when we found out there was a cover, we went elsewhere.

Overall, FT-Philly was just a dirtier version of most other FT's. Basically, a FT with a Philly spin.

After experiencing a couple Philly bars, we were just looking for a nice place to sit back and relax and not deal with any attitude or staring or drunk guys. "The Blarney South" was calling our name from across the street. Looking in, it looked like there were a few people inside, but not too many. So, we went in. No cover - yay!

As we were quickly learning, most places in Philly seem to have the narrow bar in the front, and the larger, more open space with tables in the back. As was the case with this place. The "people" we saw were actually about 8 guys, sitting and drinking at the bar. The bartender was really friendly and nice and made a very good cosmopolitan. The drinks were reasonably priced at $3-5. Being an Irish bar, they, of course, had Guinness and Bass on tap.

Past the bar, we immediately walked past several empty tables and straight to the large booth in the back. The "room" in the back consisted of a vinyl-lined booth that surrounded the whole room and then tables next to them and chairs on the outside of the tables. The decor was all green, shamrocks, irish flags, irish beer signs, 70s mirrors, and a broken cuckoo clock. You could tell the bar was initially designed in the 70s with the vinyl booths and mirrors, but the other decor had been added recently (probably a bar that changes names a lot). Also, the whole bar was really well-lit.

We ended up meeting a large group of crazy, fun people and having a really fun time, and the bar kind of filled up with people looking for a place to unwind. Most everyone there was dressed up, but it wasn't because their initial plan was to come there. It was obviously a "hey, how 'bout that place?" kind of bar.

Overall, we had a really good time there. It may have been the nice bartender, it may have been the good drinks, but I'm pretty sure it was my friends and the people we met that made it really fun, which should be true of any bar.