Hi texasjo. I agree that Longwood Gardens can be seen in 3 hours or so. With no traffic it is about 45 minutes from there to the airport, but you should definitely count on some traffic.

I think the Hampton Inn would be fine.The Convention Center does plenty of business and lots of those folks stay in the area. Would you want to be out after 11 or midnight? I think I might be a little nervous very late but I'd be fine there otherwise.

Thanks GBC and Suki. Trying to keep budget under $200 night w/pking and still stay "in" Phila rather than out in burbs, and I'm having a difficult time. We've had good luck with HampInns thru the country for that price range type of hotel. Just not sure about this one's location although the price is great. Would you all say subway in that area OK? I know some cities, we've been advised to avoid certain areas/stops.

GBC, we will be visiting Falling Water. I've got to determine the route we're driving before I know when we will be there. But it's a must on our list.

The hotel is at 13th and Race, not really a problem at all if you're at all conversant with cities, which it sounds as if you are. I was in the general area a couple of weeks ago (doing Flower Show setup) and while it isn't particularly busy later at night there was nothing alarming. You're also close to lots of good cheap eats in Chinatown. (I like Imperial Inn, myelf, on 10th Street.)

Have fun in Philadelphia! (and the rest of your trip. By the way, on your way west you could also stop in Altoona area and see the World Famous Horseshoe Curve, just to add to your choices.)

Amy, thanks for Imperial Inn suggestion. From other boards, I had picked up Shiao Lan Kung. Another decision :)

While you'd probably be Ok, I would suggest that you use cabs to get about rather than the subway. If you're at a restaurant late at night, ask them to call one for you. The distances are not large and the fare shouldn't be either. If this is a biggie, perhaps you could get more details with a separate posting asking about the PHIL. subway. We live in the suburbs, traveling in/out of the city by auto so I'm not current on the subway.

Imperial Inn is great in Chinatown. Joseph Poon, in my opinion, is even better.

If you are still planning to visit Gettysburg and Fallingwater, I would suggest travelling between the two through Maryland via I70 to I68 and then up PA/MD Route 40 to Fallingwater. I currently live in the Pittsburgh area, but I am originally from the Gettysburg area and my husband is from Philadelphia. This is our preferred route for a few reason. The road conditions in Maryland are much better, and there aren't tolls. The trip takes about the same amount of time as travelling the PA turnpike and is much less stressful. Our policy is to avoid the turnpike whenever practical.

I would try to spend a night in Cape May rather than just a couple of hours. You don't mention the time of year, but many of the historic inns and b&b's can be quite reasonable off-season. Once you arrive in Cape May, you won't want to leave in four hours! I'm not a fan of AC, but since you want to check it out, you can do that quite easily from Cape May and spend the night there as well. I'm not quite sure if this makes sense, but what about a Cape May, AC, New Hope loop?

As far as the trip to Pittsburgh, the PA turnpike is BRUTAL. The suggestion for taking the route through Maryland is probably a good one.

I have never travled the east-west route through MD from Philadelphia, but it sounds quite nice. I have traveled the PA turnpike many times and I don't understand how it could be characterized as brutal. The George Washington Bridge through NYC, I-95 through Wash DC or parts of CT, these I might consider brutal, but the Pa turnpike is OK driving as far as I am concerned. Not much in the way of a pretty drive, but traffic flows nicely and is not very intense.

Just to clarify my earlier post. If you are travelling directly from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, the PA turnpike is unfortunately the most direct route. Travelling through Maryland is most practical if you are are leaving from the Gettysburg area. Travelling that route from Philly requires taking I95 South to Baltimore, then picking up I70, as that is really the only major east-west route in MD. One of the biggest pros to choosing this route is that Fallingwater is quite a bit south of Pittsburgh, right off of Route 40, which you would take to go back into PA. A word of warning, there are several exits for variations of Route 40, you want Exit 14, just a few miles before entering West Virginia. If you would like to travel in the northern part of the state, I would do so on the way back to Philly.

First, again, thanks to everyone! Our thinking now is we will hit Falling Water and Gettysburg on the return to Phila. The Maryland route from FW to Gtsb looks like the way to go. How long is that drive, rhleone? And, what route would you take Ptsbg to FW? There are several scenic routes indicated on the maps but may be too much out-of-the-way. We prefer those if we have time. I guess all that area is considered Laurel Highlands?

From Gettysburg, guess we'd come back via Lancaster (can't miss chance to have early lunch at Good-and-Plenty again) and then on to airport for return (6 pm flight). Guess Longwood won't fit in this time, but think we can make CapeMay/AtlCity/WashCross/New Hope loop after Phila before we head out to the west. Didn't know about New Hope, appreciate the suggestion.

The trip from Fallingwater to Gettysburg should take just about 3 hours. The route from PGH to Fallingwater varies greatly depending on where in the area you would be staying. Feel free to email me at [email protected] for more specific info.

We decided to go with the Hampton Inn and now have all the Phily things confirmed. Will have the next few months to firm up the rest, including resv for Fallingwater. Thanks so much everyone!

A hope you write a full trip report when you return.

Hi texasjo,
Because I'm working on a trip into the city with my grandsons another thought popped into my head that hasn't been mentioned so far.
I don't know if it is your type of thing but Philadelphia is recently known for the mural art programs there. They are quite unique. In your travels about the city you are sure to come across some of them because they are located throughout center city on the exposed walls of various buildings. They are worthy of note and a little study on the website before your trip will get you up to speed. Best of all, you can do them anytime of day and they are free when you walk or drive by. To learn more visit www.muralarts.org where you'll find a little background, descriptions, and a map outlining a tour of the sites.