Philadelphia
It’s been almost nine years since I graduated from college and moved away from Philly, but I still love the city and put this together 8/1/09 when some friends were going and looking for tips. I’ve forwarded it a bunch of times since but it makes much more sense here.
SEE AND DO:
If you want to take a few hours just walking through the city, I’d recommend walking from Penn’s Landing, wandering through Old City (say between Front and 6th St / Spruce and Market) for a bit then west along Walnut. Hang a right on 9th and walk north about 5 blocks and wander around through Chinatown. Don’t miss Reading Terminal Market at 12th and Filbert / Arch. Look at the sculptures, gargoyles and detail under City Hall, maybe look at the Academy of Music / Kimmel Center, grab some oysters and a beer at Sansom Street Oyster House (b/w 15th and 16th on Sansom) and then relax in Rittenhouse Square.
There’s also a new neighborhood, named after I moved, called Northern Liberties. It’s just north of Old City so it might make sense to start that walk there but I don’t know enough about the neighborhood to vouch for it yet.
If you don’t want to just walk around for hours, here are my favorite things to see and do:
Philadelphia Museum Art - this is where the Rocky steps are
Walk Society Hill / Old City / Liberty Bell, etc. Favorite architecture in the city.
EAT:
Favorite deli / sandwich / food in Philly: Koch’s. My favorite is the Penn Special but I don’t think you can go wrong with anything on the menu.
Favorite cheesesteaks: Tony Luke Jrs (by Rittenhouse, now called “Tony Jr’s”) and Dalessandro’s in Roxborough. Note: Dalessandro’s is closed Sundays. If you can do it at night, a drive along the Schuylkill on the west side to see the lit up boathouses would be good (West River Drive / Martin Luther King Drive) to get there is perfect. The original Tony Luke’s is great but there’s probably nothing close to it to make the trip worth it compared to Tony Jr’s which is right where you’ll want to be. My favorite thing to do
Favorite pizza: Tacconelli’s: 2604 E Somerset St (northeast philly) you have to call ahead and reserve a dough, pretty out of the way, but worth it.
Less famous places to eat:
Dahlak: Ethiopian food, 47th and Baltimore Ave, gritty neighborhood, dinner only
Rx: American, 45th and Spruce, I just went back here last fall and it was excellent
Lee How Fook: most authentic Chinese I’ve had in the US, 11th St and Spring in Chinatown
Monk’s: Belgian, 16th and Spruce, best beer in the city, usually very crowded.
YOU:
What did I miss?
