xyz99

We will be there for 1 night (weekend of Oct 23). We are going to a wedding on Sat (some Philly suburb), and hope to do some sightseeing on Sun.
We will be driving from NY, but never been to Philadelphia before.
We will not use Priceline, and our budget is around $100-150 for the night. What area should we look for, downtown? Historical center? Any hotel recommendations?
Any 'must see/do' in Philly on a Sun morning? Can you also please recommend a nice place for lunch? I know...nice is so subjective...so please don't grill me for that. All the help is appreciated, thanks.

Scarlett

Last spring we stayed a weekend in Philadelphia at the Penns View Inn.
Really pretty hotel, in a perfect spot. The area is perfect for walking on a Sunday, having brunch in one of the many restaurants along that street. You can walk over to the Liberty Bell and the lovely park where it resides. And Christ Church is about 2-3 blocks away, beautiful!
so I recommend the Penns View Inn, 14 North Front Street, Philadeplhia~.

elle

The Penn's View Inn is very nice. There's also an Omni, a Best Western, and a Sheraton in that neighborhood.

Farther uptown, I like the Loew's and Sofitel, but I think they're both out of that price range unless you can get a special deal. Check out www.gophila.org to see if you can get any deals.

Here are two options for Sunday morning--walk around the historic district and Old City, then have lunch at Washington Square, a relatively new (but rather good) restaurant in an Art deco building on Washington Square.

Or, spend Sunday morning at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (it's "pay-what-you-want" on Sunday a.m.) and have lunch at a nearby restaurant such as Figs or London. You would need to drive or take other transportation to this neighborhood from the Penn's View Inn area.

yk

If you want to be in the "scene", go to Rittenhouse Sq and have breakfast/brunch at either Rouge or Bleu. I heard Bleu has a pretty decent brunch buffet. By Oct 23 it would be chilly, so I doubt they will still have tables out on the sidewalk. But you might be able to grab a table by the window, and look out to Rittenhouse Sq and people-watch.

yk

Regarding hotels- around Rittenhouse would be nice too. There's a Sheraton right at Rittenhouse Sq. Sofitel is nice as well, which is a few blocks from Rittenhouse Sq. Since you'll have a car with you, be prepared to pay $20-$30 for parking at the hotel overnight.

schmerl

Be sure to visit the Constitution Center. They have some great exhibits and interactive displays. You can walk along and visit the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. The Franklin Institute is also a grea museum and lots of fun.

tudorprincess

We usually stay at the Courtyard Marriott at 13th & Market St. across from the Courthouse and Lord & Taylor and the Marriott. If you check Marriott's website they usually have specials for Philadelphia on the weekend for anywhere between $89-$109 sometimes with breakfast.
Be aware that everything opens late on Sunday, around noon. We paid $28/day for parking at the Marriott. You're only 8-10 blocks from Independence Hall,Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross'House if you stay in that area.

xyz99

Thank you all - this is really helpful. Too bad that 'everything opens late on Sun', but hey, what can you do? We'll make the best of it, thans again for all the suggestions.

Mycuppajava

Would it too hard to see what Philadelphia has to offer if we flew into the city and didn't rent a car? Dod they have means to see the city without the car? We are two ladies, 60, and are interested in the Amish, Hershey's and things of that order. I see hotels that are favorites are...Omni, Best Western, Sheraton..

tudorprincess

mycuppajava, if you're talking about getting to Lancaster or Hershey you need a car. If you mean central Philly you can use public transport.
You can get the train from the airport.

Jeangail

I stayed at the Sofitel and thought it was a great hotel in a convenient location. We walked everywhere. We got a rate of $159 including a fabulous full breakfast. We did have to pay for parking (about $25-30) but there is street parking if you get lucky. We just missed a spot down the street.

Mycuppajava

Tudorprincess, if you were going to Pa for the first time where would you spend your time and how long at each place? I just want to get the general idea to what the area is like...Thanks for posting.