rainking

we are planning to be in philadelphia 4th of july weekend. what are some cool parts of town to check out, good places to stay near downtown or where the action is. thanks

KeyGal

Sheraton Society Hill and Hyatt Penns Landing are both on the Delaware River for fireworks and walking distance to historical area (Independence Hall & Constitution Center etc.), close to South Street, where all the teens & 20-somethings meet, close to the new restaurant row on Market Street (very active at night), and close to Olde City, another young/hip/artistic area. I gather you're relatively young so this is the area I would recommend to you.

Kuroda

Another nice place to stay in Old City is the Omni Hotel. Rittenhouse House Sqaure is also a great place for nighlife and restaurants. Some of the hotels that I recommend are the Latham, Sheraton Rittenhouse, Radisson. On South Broad St. (Avenue of the Arts) there's the Doubletree, Park Hyatt, and the Ritz Carlton.

The Parkway/Museums area is quite convenient to the Art Museum, Franklin Institute, Rodin Museum, and The Academy of Natural Sciences. In that area I'd look into the Embassy Suites, Windsor, or the Four Seasons. Also, the fireworks will be on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in front of the Art Museum. Get there early for a good viewing spot.

Fo a bohemian expereince you can't go wrong with the hip South Street area from about 7th St. to 2nd St. I also really like the Italian Market on South 9th St. between Christian and Washington. It's open every day from 9-5PM except on Sunday it closes at 1PM

Check out www.gophila.com for more information.

Cher

I second the recommendation for the Omni ... nice hotel in a great location for seeing the city (it's right near the Liberty Bell and Old City) ... I like this location better than Rittenhouse Square (although that's a good too). Sheraton Society Hill is also in a nice location. For a great dinner be sure to check out Budakan on Chestnut. (If you stay at the Omni you can walk there.) We also ate at Cuba Libre in Old City ... you can also walk there from the Omni.

South Street is fun, although a little cheesy ... lots of teens down there at night. I would also recommend going to Manayouk (?spelling) for strolling through shops and there are also some good restaurants there. Be sure to go to the Reading Market (right downtown near the Marriott) on Saturday morning if you can ... I think this is different from the Italian Market.

If you need something to do indoors to beat the heat for awhile, I would also recommend the Art Museum, definitely world class and not to be missed.

Yardley

I second the recommendation for Main Sreet in Manayunk. Germantown Avenue in the Chesnuthill neighborhood is similar. I also like the Italian Market as well. I find it to be less touristy and a better value than Reading Terminal Market.

Findley

Another reakky cool hotel os the Loews Philadelphia Hotel at 12th and Market. The decor of the restaurant and bar (Tellers) is different and interesting. Old City and Rittenhouse Sqaure are the best areas of downtown for nightlife. Pick up a free copy of the Philadelphia Weekly on any streetcorner, bookstore, or cafe for a listing of clubs, concerts, etc. going on during the time you are there in Philly.

lila5583

See the Mummers parade on the 4th before the fireworks! I think it starts at 6PM/ Also, see South Street. I think the constitution center will be way overcrowded

BigBadTea

If you do go to Manayunk. Check out this one coffee shop. It's called CoffeeThoughts. I'm not sure if it has opened yet, but I was reading about it on the internet, it sounds like its going to be a cool place to hang out with live jazz bands and other stuff like that.