Nine days in Philadelphia...
 

We'll be in Philadelphia for nine days in August while my husband attends a convention. We'll be staying at the Wyndham at 17th & Race. I plan on going to the Art Museum, doing some boutique type shopping at Manayunk and Olde City, and I'm sure I'll be taking a city tour. Any recommendations for good restaurants and shopping within walking distance of the hotel? We love old homes. Is Old City and Society Hill within walking distance? Are there any particular historical homes we should tour while there? And, one more question. What would be a unique place to have brunch on Sunday?

On Race, I don't know of any restaurants, but you have dozens of options (for shopping as well) at the nearby Reading Terminal Market, including the Down Home Diner and Salumeria. For brunch, I've heard Fountain (at the Four Seasons, if you want to pretend you're rich), Le Bus at Manayunk, and the jazz brunch at Zanzibar Blue are good. The PMA's restaurant also offers Sunday brunch.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinat.../philadelphia/

This site has good maps and info on Philadelphia. Being there for 9 days you will be able to see so much at leisure! We were there for the weekend in the spring and loved it, cannot wait to go back!
I am not sure how close Race & 17th is to the Old City, but that is where we stayed, at Penns Inn. There are so many great restaurants there. Christ Church, the old neighborhoods..it is a great city to just walk around. Do go to the Quaker Meeting House.
My restaurant recommendations are:
Fork
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Continental
The Plough & Stars
Restaurants I would like to go to..
Alma de Cuba
Buddakahn
Stripped Bass
While waiting for suggestions, try putting Philadelphia into the text search, that is where I got my lists:)
Have a great time~

www.gophila.com also has lots of great information on Philadelphia.

Most of the good restaurants are in the Rittenhouse Square area (Walnut from Broad to 19th St.), Avenue of the Arts (South Broad Street from City Hall to Spruce St.) and in Old City.

I agree with Scarlett's restaurant recommendations. To her list I would add:

Italian:
Spasso
Upstares at Varalli

Seafood:
McCormick and Schmicks
Philadlephia Fish and Company

Indina:
Cafe Spice
Passage to India

French:
Bistro St. Tropez
Brasserie Perrier

Steak:
Morton's of Chicago
Davio's

Upscale Mexican:
Tequilas


For a great tour of Philly the Philaldelphia Trolley tour is great.

www.phillytour.com/

Also would look into the Big Bus double decker tour as well. I have never taken this one sonce it is relatively new.

http://www.bigbus.co.uk/phila/html/phila_home.html

I agree that the Four Seasons is a great place for Sunday brunch as welll as Zanzibar Blue.

There are lots of old homes in Rittenhouse Sqaure and Society Hill. Society Hill is a little bit of a hike from the Parkway area. I would advise taking the Market-Frankford subway eastbound and getting off at 2nd St.

With 9 days you can explore quite a few areas. Take the Paoli local train out to the Main Line. If you get off at the Ardmore station there is a nice shopping plaza there. The Barnes Foundation art museum is a great collection of Impressionist paintings in an old house. It is on the Main Line, maybe in Wynnewood? Call for directions and hours. In the past you had to have reservations. The museum is in the middle of a huge controversy now but it is a collection worth seeing.

Yes, I second the Barnes Foundation!
You do have to have reservations and we were too late to get ours..a good excuse to go back for a longer stay:)

My two suggestions are that you should definitely check out Rittenhouse Square park. There are always a lot of people there and there are shops and places to eat all around it. Also, Society Hill is a cool place, I think its called South St., but I'm not sure, is a very cool street with lots of shops. Also, make sure to eat a Pat's cheesesteak, they are good. have a great time.

Since you enjoy historical homes, you really should make the effort to visit the Rosenbach Museum & Libary (www.rosenbach.org) on 2008 DeLancey--a townhouse mansion that holds one of the greatest book and manuscript collections in the world (also some great furniture). It's one of the gems of Philadelphia, but is often overlooked by visitors. DeLancey is one of the most elegant residential streets in Philadelphia and work exploring on its own.
Chestnut Hill is also wonderful for walking and easily reached by train (about 30 minutes from Center City by Chestnut Hill West or Chestnut Hill East lines). It has many beautiful homes (from quaint townhomes to huge mansions), one of a kind shops, and some good restaurants/cafes.

If you don't find enough to do for 9 days in Philadelphia, you could take a train into NY for the day.

For shopping and rest. near your hotel, walk down to Walnut St. (the Rittenhouse area), where you'll find Striped Bass, Le Bec Fin (if you have money to spend), Alma de Cuba, Susanna Foo's, Brasserie Perrier, Rouge (good for people watching), Pasion, and Vetri... for starters! Some def. need reservations.

Old City and Society Hill are about a half hour walk from your hotel, or an inexpensive cab ride away. Of note is the Besty Ross house. For an interesting brunch in that area, try Cuba Libre or Azafran.

To go along with Leona, Washington DC is less then two hours away by train.

Sounds like you are in for a nice time. There is a little restaurant on Lombard Street (Italian) called Cafe Romano. I don't know what anyone else thinks of this place, but I've consistently had great service and good food. It is reasonably priced, too.

I understand many hotels have shuttles that will take you to the Franklin Mills Mall. I am a shopper and love to hit that place when the mood strikes.

Enjoy your stay.

PS: Did anyone mention visiting the Philadelphia Zoo??

Independence National Historical Park comprises quite a few properties (not just Independence Hall). They include Franklin Court, the Bishop White House, and the Todd House, all of interest to old house fans. Go to the park's visitor center at 6th St. between Arch and Market for information -- some properties are only accessible by signing up at the visitor center for a guided tour.

I agree w/ the above posting -- www.gophila.org is a GREAT site for Philly activities. Buddakan is awesome, and Cuba Libre is pretty good. Go to Reading Terminal market for lunch one day -- a great taste og the Phila area all in one place. Wissahickon Park is great for walking/biking along the river. Good luck, and write us back after your trip!

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions! From the sounds of it, I'll be able to keep busy during the days while my husband is working and there will be plenty to see, along with some great restaurants at night. I especially appreciate the info about the historical houses. It's sometimes harder to find information about them. Thanks again!

The Constitutional Convention Center is now open. You should definitely plan a visit there

Since you like historic houses, You may want to consider renting a car for a day and heading south to Wilmington, Delaware for the Winterther (sp?) museum. It is a mansion of the DuPont family. It is less than an hour from Philadephia. I would second the vote for Buddakan restaurant (Asian Fusion). A very nice upscale steak house is the Capital Grill. Philadephia has several theaters and you may want to see what is playing during your visit to catch a Wednesday matinee while you husband is at work.

You gotta visit the Battleship New Jersey across the river in Camden. Awesome! ((b))

For an afternoon, take the R-5 SEPTA commuter train to the Wayne train station and walk through the town--it's quaint, pretty, and there's enough to keep you busy for a few hours. Also, there are beautiful formal gardens near by--Chantecleer--that you can tour. Also, you must check out Elfreth's Alley!

I have lived in Phila. for many years. If you love old homes, do contact the Phila. chapter of the Amer. Institute for Architecture, which has an amazing series of walking tours. The little streets of Phila. tour is fabulous, but every tour I've take was excellent and very interesting. Ca. 2 hours long, not very strenuous.

If you can get there, try to see the Barnes Foundation in Lower Merion (just outside the city -- your concierge should be able to help). You'll be blown away by this collection of Cezanne, Matisse, El Greco, lots and lots of Renoir. Barnes was an eccentric and the future of the museum is very much in limbo (it may move), so try to see it. Also the Mutter Museum is an 'unusual' treat. Biological curiosities a la 19th century world view and a very beautiful medicinal herb garden. Also close to your hotel. For shopping, check out Old City (north of Market Street and on 3rd and 4th streets), lots of art galleries, interesting shops and many of the restaurants recommended by other posters. Also, I believe you can go to the top of William Penn again in City Hall (Broad and Market streets, very near you) and get a great view of the city and it's free. You need to go during the week. City Hall is very beautiful and they have free tours. It's the a vey grand 2nd Empire building with an elaborate architectural ornamenting throughout, and just refurbished. Have fun. It's a very walkable city, and lots of outdoor art.