lcuy

I finally decided to go to Philadelphi for the graduation of my good friend's daughter at Swarthmore.

I will be in town for 7 days; discounting graduation activities and a day trip to NYC on June 2, I'll have 3 days on my own.

Now I'm thinking about food and activities for the 3 days I have free.

I'll have a car for the days I'm solo, and I'll be staying at a hotel by the airport. My friends are staying there as well, and they are a LOT cheaper as the graduation takes place over Memorial Day Weekend.

I really enjoy gardens, museums, and art, so Longwood Gdns, and the Barnes museum are on the top of my list. I've been to the liberty bell, Constitution Hall, and out to Lancaster & Amish country in the past.

Anything else you can recommend?

On my dining list so far is Monks Cafe (I love mussels), and possibly a family dinner at Morimoto. Casual, ethnic or foodie hot spots are all good for me

I know it is a popular weekend in Philadelphia, so I'm thinking I might need to make some reservations now, especially at the Barnes, which is closed on Mondays.

Thanks in advance!

Cyanna

*Pride* Good for your friend's daughter, Class of '10! No finer group of alumni/alumna -- ;-) And in fine weather, watching Commencement in the outdoor amphitheater there is lovely. Be sure to take a walk in "the Crum."

I always have one breakfast/brunch at the Reading Market's Penn. Dutch restaurant, downtown Philly. Hot grapefruit is great, as is scrapple (just don't ask about ingredients).

Take a hat or parasol to Longwood Gardens - it's always either beastly hot (or freezing with rain) for Commencement/reunion weekend! Chadds Ford isn't that much beyond Longwood, and the Brandywine (Wyeth_ museum there is wonderful http://www.brandywinemuseum.org/.

bachslunch

I would definitely make reservations ASAP at the Barnes if you plan to see it. My understanding is that they offer a limited number of tickets per day, and only so many per time slot. It's a wonderful museum, too -- a must if you like Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings. And the gardens and grounds are first-rate.

If you like visual art and haven't been, would recommend the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and Rodin Museum; the former is large, the last two of more manageable size. The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is also well worth a visit.

For food, there are several good threads on the subject here. Any particular type of food you're interested in?

annael

The Reading Market is a great place for a quick bite to eat- a wide variety of food options to choose from but I would suggest the Roast Pork sandwich from DiNicks.

Vttraveler

For lots of food ideas
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...iladelphia.cfm

In addition to the Brandywine River Museum and N.C. Wyeth House and Studio in Chadds Ford mentioned in another post, the Winterthur Garden and Museum (estate of Henry Francis du Pont) is near Longwood Gardens

artstuff

When you go to the Barnes Museum, try to hook up with one of their free docent tours. It will make your visit to the museum much more poignant. You'll have a better understanding of why Dr. Barnes chose to group certain paintings and objects together. Check their website for information on the free tours.

Two other museums to be found in Philly are the Mutter Museum

http://www.collphyphil.org/MUTTER.ASP

and the Eastern State Penitentiary

http://www.easternstate.org/

Enjoy your stay.

Robyn

E_M

I don't know how long the exhibit is running, but Winterthur is sponsoring something called "Lost Gardens of the Brandywine." That looks like it would be right up your alley.

Amy

For Philadelphia itself, this post has a lot of good ideas: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-itinerary.cfm

The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is one of my favorites; unlike other city sites, it's a bit more conducive to car travel. If you're going into Center City, though, I'd suggest that you leave the car behind and come in via the R1 airport line train.

Definitely agree on the Art Museum, PA Academy of Fine Arts, and Rodin Museum; the walk on the Parkway between Rodin and the Art Museum is quite nice, too, or explore the Waterworks area/Kelly drive behind the Art Museum. (The Azalea Gardens will be over, but there might be scullers on the Schuylkill!)

Happy travels!

DebitNM

It was a long time ago, but Warmdaddy's was wonderful. Great authentic southern food and great jazz too!

http://www.warmdaddys.com/

We had southern fried chicken, candied yams and St Louis ribs. YUM!

The jazz was wonderful as well.

DebitNM

I agree with Reading Market, a great place to wander and nibble your way through.

No one suggested a Philly Cheesesteak?? Geno's or Pat's??

http://www.bestcheesesteaks.com/cheesesteaks/pa.htm

Cyanna

No one suggested a Philly Cheesesteak?? Geno's or Pat's??

Neither. The around-the-corner Ma and Pa places are better, but you have to have Philly friends to direct you or you can scroll through DebitNM's linked website and find a place that sounds nearby and apt.

MLTimes

Warmdaddy's moved to Delaware Avenue a few years ago. It's not a bad location, but just be ready to see a few strip malls and strip clubs in the vicinity. Another option for soul food, since you have a car, is DeBreaux's, which is at the Overbrook train station. You hear about the Sixers players going there if they've just had practice at the PCOM gym.

For ethnic food, we can't rival NY or DC but there are standouts for Cypriot (Kanella), Burmese (Rangoon) and Chinese (Han Dynasty) here, and no shortage of good Italian as well. For mussels, I am no longer a fan of Monk's after a few too many bites of grit. Fortunately most of our gastropubs have them on the menu -- try No. 3d, for example.

Birdie

I'm going to start a riot here and claim that no true Philadelphian would recommend a Geno's or Pat's steak.

Amy, have you been able to park near the UPenn museum? I would think it would be very difficult since it is near CHOP and HUP. You could try east of Market by Drexel and walk over but I think it would be easier to use public transit.

I second the Winterthur recommendations. Its a beautiful place.

Amy

Birdie, you have a point there, but there's a parking garage right next to it and lots of meterer/lot parking in the area--probably easier on weekends than weekdays, and afternoon rather than morning. There's actually a page on their website about it: http://penn.museum/directions-and-pa...7-parking.html

Of course, I'm an advocate of public transportation anyway! It's a nice cross-campus walk from the el train, for instance, or if they're starting out from the airport area, the R1 stops almost right there at the University Station.

And yeah, definitely not Pat's or Geno's, except for the experience.

nanabee

Hey lcuy
Justin suggested the food market near Independence Hall and the city's famous art museum (the same on where the movie character Rocky Balboa trained on the steps of the musuem).

Have fun!

nanabee

You might also consider the Original Bookbinders Restaurant. We went there a gazillion years ago (in the mid 1980's) but it was a lot of fun.

Amy

Well, unless things have changed very recently, Old Original Bookbinders is no more.
...It's not pinin'! It's passed on! This parrot is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker! This is a late parrot...er, restaurant...(It died before, though, in 2001, and was resurrected in 2005.)

Closed in 2009, from what I understand, due to "mechanical emergencies": pretty tough to run a restaurant without electricity, and the unpaid bill was about $70,000.

Birdie

Good to know, about the parking, Amy. Its been ages since I've been to the museum. About as long as it's been since I've eaten at OO Bookbinders.

schmerl

The "Cleopatra Exhibit" is scheduled to open at the Franklin Institute on June 5th. You may want to look into getting tickets for that.
http://www.fi.edu/cleopatra/info.html

nanabee

Hi Amy - Interesting about Bookbinders. We had a fun time there.