NYC & Philly for Spring Break
 

We are heading to NYC & Philly for Spring break with our 14 and 11 year olds. We have 7-days and are trying to figure out how to divide our time. The plan in to fly into Philadelphia on a Saturday and stay until Tuesday. We then plan on taking the train to NYC arriving there on Tuesday evening and staying there until Saturday. That will essentially give us 3-days in Philadelphia and 3 and 1/2 days in NYC.

I have been to New York on business but my family has not. They really want to go to NYC. I thought it would be neat to visit Philadelphia so we can check off 2 boxes with one trip.

I am wondering if we should do 2 & 1/2 days in Philly and give an extra day in New York? There are lots of things to see and do in New York. I am not sure how long it reasonably take to see the sights in Philly.

Miscellaneous:

If anyone can recommend centrally located accommodations in Philadelphia. In New York we chose the Hotel Sofitel. Also, we thought we would take the train from Philadelphia to NYC. Is that the best option or are there others we should consider. Thank in advance for any input!

Yes, generally the train is the best option.

I'm in Phila a lot but rarely stay at hotels, so I can't give a rec that would be up to date. You probably should provide your budget.

Hard to say how to break up your time. I suppose you could see the highlights of Phl in 2 1/2 days. The historic area is fairly compact -- Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, etc. So you can cover a lot on foot. Also recommend the Constitution Center and the little-known Liberty Museum.

You can head over to the Art Museum for the mandatory run up the steps.

I really like Philadelphia, but if I were allocating time between the two, I would definitely allocate more to NY. I would recommend taking a late train out of Philadelphia on Monday, or at the very least, a very early train on Tuesday (the train ride is only 1-1/2 hours, so you could easily be in Manhattan by late morning on Tuesday)

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like a good idea to leave Philadelphia on Monday night which would essentially give us 2 and 1/2 days to see the sights. Our budget is in the $200.00 to $300.00 range for a Philadelphia hotel or vacation rental.

Agree that while Philly is charming NYC has way more to see and do and your kids re old enough to really enjoy so many things in NYC. I would get them started looking at info on the sights so they are more involved and can be sure not to miss their must sees.

We did this with DDs the first time we took then to London and Paris at the same ages and there were things they put at the top of the list that we might not have included - as well as specific activities that were must dos.

If you let us know your - and their - special interests we can make recos. (Our DDs were so mad for ballet we went twice in paris.)

There's a Sofitel in Philadelphia too but it's a bit far from the historical sites. It is in a great neighborhood of restaurants and shops, though. In the historical area, is the Monaco Hotel which I like. Are your kids girls, boys? If both are girls they'd love the "Alice in Wonderland" fun decor of the Monaco.

I think Philly is a great tourist town for families. It's easy to get around and there are so many cool things to see and places to visit. In addition to the obvious Liberty Bell and Independence Hall there is:

The Constitution Center
Franklin Institute
The UPenn Museum of Archeology and Anthropology
The Mutter Museum
Magic Gardens
Chinatown
The Art Museum and the Rocky steps
The Barnes Institute
Carriage rides through the historic area
Eastern State Penitentiary
Philadelphia Zoo
Etc etc
I'm sure you'll have a great time whatever you decide to do.

We stayed at the Omni Independence Hall, which was down the block from the Monaco, and (needless to say)across the street from Independence Hall. It was a great location. We walked to the Barnes (a good distance), stopping at Reading Terminal Market on the way back for lunch, and visited all the neighborhoods near the hotel on foot (we were there for a wedding, but had time to wander the last day).

This Philly resident ABSOLUTELY recommends you spend more time in NYC than in Philly. Two & a half days will be plenty for a first time visitor to our fair city.

Before your kids stand in front of the Rocky statue and do the Rocky Run, make certain they watch the movie. Observe his first run up the steps, and then watch his triumph in his second run. It will make the kids' Rocky Run all the more meaningful, and can actually be a teachable moment about perseverance.

Also, your kids are old enough to understand the difference between authentic history and fake history, so explaining that Betsy Ross had nothing to do with the first U.S. flag would be another excellent lesson.

Philadelphia hotels can be surprisingly expensive in the spring when there are a lot of conventions. There are quite a few hotels in City Center, which puts you within walking distance of Reading Terminal Market and Independence Hall (well, that's a somewhat longer walk, but doable if the weather is good). I've stayed at the Loewes, and it's nice. The Marriott is also right there but is in my opinion drastically overpriced for a big convention hotel. The Residence INn would be a better choice for a family since it would give you more space and a kitchenette.

I tend to agree that 2-1/2 days is enough time to see the main sights, but there's enough to keep you occupied for many more days. You'll find Philadelphia to be considerably cheaper than NYC in March and April. Hopefully the weather will be pretty good.

The Philadelphia Flower Show starts on March 5 and runs through Sunday March 13. http://theflowershow.com/plan-your-visit/show-info