Neutral place to stay near Philly
 

We are driving across the country and have mapped our trip. We are going to visit DC, Philly, the Amish country of Penn, and Hershey PA. We want a neutral site to get a hotel room that would allow us to go to all these places. Not interested in staying in downtown Philly. We have young ones so would like a nice, clean and safe place/<BR>Thank you for your replies.<BR>Oh, also, in Philly....which is the "required" place to visit for a true philly cheesesteak?<BR>Thanks again

I am not quite sure what a neutral place to stay means, and I would not stay in one place to visit all these sites since it means so much more time in the car, but if that is what you sre set on, I suggest staying in Chester or Lancaster County in PA. You woulde be within an hour of Phila, close to Amish country and Hershey, and maybe 2 -1/2 hours from DC. The Sheraton Great Valley in Chester County is nice. In Lancaster County, there are many nice hotels and motels. You could probably do a search on this site.<BR>There is controversy over the best cheesesteak in Philadelphia, but the most often mentioned are Pat's in South Philly and Jim's. Near the Sheraton I mentioned is a really good cheesesteak place named John's (on Rt 30 in Frazer, PA).

We're planning on visiting all those places and figured it might be easier to get a "central location" hotel. Knew it was a couple hours to DC but figured it might be cheaper to stay outside the area (safer too)

Melanie, I live very close to the above mentioned Great Valley Sheraton, and it's a LONG drive to DC. 2.5 hours, plus, and NOT a pleasant drive. I think you're being overly concerned about safety. You'll enjoy your trip more if you stay closer to the sights you want to see.

The Marriott Courtyard has two locations in the outskirts of Philly that are nice and on the "Lancaster side" of Philly. They are in Valley Forge and in Devon. I agree about moving to a hotel near DC. Look in the Tysons Corner area of the suburbs for a good location.

Your right. That's the "mother" in me. :-)<BR>Will look into that area near DC and then maybe find a central location in PA for us to visit the other 3 places. What'cha think?

Melanie,<BR><BR>Actually Downtown(Center City) Philadelphia is very safe and clean. You may want to stay there since you can take public transportation and walk to the sites in Philly. If you drive in from the outskirts, you will have a difficult time trying to find parking in Center City. You can get some great rates at priceline.com. I got a $50 a night rate at the Crowne Plaza at 18th and Market which is centrally located in the downtown area. <BR>As for the best cheesesteak in Philly, I would definitely go with Geno's at 9th and Passyunk in South Philadelphia about a block south of the Italian Market. The Italian Market is a great place for fresh produce, meats, and cheeses.

Actually, Tony Luke's has "the best" cheesesteak ever in Philly. Their address is Old Philly Style Sandwiches<BR>39 East Oregon Avenue.<BR>Lisa