Philly on a funky, fun houseboat

We spent 3 nights on the houseboat, right on the Delaware, almost under the Ben Franklin Bridge. It was our first boat experience, and he had our dog. We thankfully kept him on the boat and out of the water- which was a challenge! (Pegasus was the boat, booked @ sleepafloat.com, reviews read on VRBO.com)

First impression was that the marina was a bit shabby. The condos above were well kept, but the docks etc were overgrown & had many things floating in the harbor. Make sure you're not in Pier 3 - we were too far down the marina on our first try looking for the boat. It is right across from the Comfort Inn, next to Race Street Pier. Parking out front for unloading is simple and the lot you have a pass for is Penn Landing. We walked the dog in that area a lot - it was 5 minutes away.

The boat was fun - the bathroom is a unique experience - everything else was perfect. If you need a plush bathroom on vacation, this is not the rental for you. The bathroom is very small - we thought we were prepared for that as we own a camper! It is true you shouldn't flush the toilet at low tide - twice a day. Not a huge ordeal and b/c all the boats are sitting on the bottom of the harbor, you will know when low tide is. There's a handy chart in the guest binder listing the times.

Keurig coffeemaker included was useful, we brought our own flavors as well. Bed is a full, and it is wicked comfortable! 2 walls of windows let you oogle the bridge while you lay in bed, neat light shows until 10 or 11pm. The decks (3) and furniture are great perks for relaxing.

Use the Penn Landing stairs to Market Street, that's the best way to get into the city & we tried a few different routes. We didn't do many tourist stops, we just walked and walked since doggie was with us. We had planned to kennel him for a day, but never needed to. Restaurants w outdoor seating always welcomed him, and he usually got served a drink before we did!

We had amazing eats - Panini, Plough & Stars (outside with dog) both about Market & 3rd...

City tavern - great food, clumsy, tacky waiter who complained about the prices all night cheapended the overall experience. At least go for drinks, you can try beers brewed in the 1700's tradition. For the price and accolades we expected better, but did enjoy ourselves.

Fork was a win - as I had read it would be. It's mostly seasonal/local ingredients. The dog was given a beatiful porcelain water bowl and we were treated just as wonderfully. Seasonal Butternut soup and mushroom risotto wowed us!

Pats and Genos each won one of us on the cheesesteak test. Reading Market was great, as was a general driving tour a friend gave us to see the big/main sights - museums, city hall, etc. Otherwise we walked old city & Market district for 3 days, just exploring.

http://www.elfrethsalley.org/visiting is a must see, and yes, real people live there. We saw a group accost a homeowner and badger him for awhile. I'm not sure I could live on a street w hoards of tourists every day!

Great trip overall - I think the boat was expensive for what we got, tho I have no true complaints.