Philadelphia
 

This is our first time to Philadelphia. Could anyone give me suggestions as to a nice hotel that would be around $100 a night (clean) and within walking distance to various attractions, restaurants, etc. Also, how to get to NYC?? Any information on going there for the first time would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

When will you be there? How many beds do you need?

There are several ways to get to NYC. Bus, Amtrak or SEPTA to Trenton, NJ and then NJ Transit.

I recommend you get a guidebook and start reviewing it. You can get them free at the library.

We went to Philadelphis after spending a few days in NYC.

We took the train. It was very conveient at both ends.

we are going July 21-26, 2010. Can you give me ideas as to hotels ($100 or less) that are in a good location for walking to different sites, etc. Also, which train (Amtrak or?) did you take from NYC? Also, what did you do and see in Philly and where did you stay?

$100. is VERY low for a big city, and again:
HOW MANY PEOPLE?

You will want to pick a place to stay within the downtown area, bounded roughly by I-676 to the north, South Street to the south, and the water to the east and west. This would include areas such as Old City, Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square West, Society Hill, and Penn Center.

You will likely find it really tough to get a room in the price range you want, though. The cheapest place I've found to stay in this general area is the Alexander Inn.

For food and attractions, please do a site search here. There's a ton of good info on this city to be found on this forum.

For transportation between NYC and Philly, AMTRAK is a good option, as are buses such as Megabus, Bolt Bus, and Greyhound.

Check out the Holiday Inn Express at Walnut and 13th Street. Great location.

To get to Manhattan take the Amtrak from 30th Street Station to Penn Station.

And, yes, you can take a bus to NYC from the bus station in Chinatown.

Thin

http://www.gotobus.com/busstation/142411.html

Thin

My husband and myself are going (2). Is the Center City West and East an area good to stay at? I can possibly get through Hotwire.com the hotel Club Quarters? Do you know how that hotel is and if the location of that hotel is good? how far is reading terminal market? within walking distance in the Center City areA? Thanks.

Reading Terminal Market is in Center City.

I live in Philly and I have no idea what Center City West and East means.

And how would we know if you can get a hotel through Priceline? Why don't you try it and see?

Did you bother to look at the map I provided you above? If you did you would see the area that is known as Center City. Look at the map to see where your hotel is.

It ain't that difficult, sweetie.

Thin

We recently returned from a long weekend in Philly, & we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn, which cost us $134.00 per night. The room was clean, comfortable & the hotel is in a great location, right next to Reading Terminal Market.

For eating, I recommend breakfasts and/or lunches at Reading Terminal Market. We had DELICIOUS blueberry pancakes at the Amish Restaurant in Reading Terminal Market. Please note, the Amish food restaurant & food stalls are open from Wed - Sat. We had lunch at Beck's Cajun Restaurant in the RTM, too. I also recommend Cuba Libre in the Old City neighborhood for dinner.

Sightseeing: we had a tour of Independence Hall, saw the liberty bell, Rodin Museum, Morris Arboretum & Franklin Science Museum. We did a lot of walking through the various neighborhoods. Went to the Italian Market.

We didn't have time to see the Philadedelphia Art Museum.

Hope this helps.

We are planning on going to Philadelphia around the 4th of July. Is it going to be insane busy or is this a good time to go. We don't mind crowds, but we don't want to wait forever to see anything.

Try going to www.visitphilly.com

As for the 4th of July...the Penns Landing area will be packed since there are all sorts of activities and fireworks there for the 4th.

If your budget is around $100 I recommend you try Priceline and bid in that range or possibly Hotwire. Otherwise, as a previous poster mentioned you may have a difficult time finding a nice hotel in that price range.

Hi blu

I've practically walked from one end of Center City to the other, so I think if your hotel is in Center City, you'll be within walking distance of the Reading Terminal Market, which is in Center City. If you're tired of walking, public transit options in Center City abound; plenty of taxis ply the streets in a pinch. Find Rittenhouse Square and Independence Hall on a map... anything there or in between (and let's say up or down five streets) will be perfectly central for walking.

Have a great time! Philadelphia's quite the enjoyable city! Daniel

We stayed at the Penns Landing Comfort Inn a few years back. Not in the heart of everything & (definitely not $100) but reasonably close enough to Independence Hall areas if willing to walk. Closest attraction is probably Betsy Ross House. We purchased a 3 day Philadelphia Pass which helped being able to budget both time & $$. They did have a shuttle which took you within a certain radius which could also be an option getting further to town.

Blu,
As far as what to do in Phila., go to the site I listed above.
One of your first stops should be the Visitors Center. There you can get a free timed ticket to visit Independence Hall. That way you can plan your other activities around the time on your ticket. That is if you are interested in the historical sites.
The Constitution Center is right there too. The Historical district is very easy to navigate. There are several different walking tours too.

Can someone tell me the best zipcode to put in for Hotwire.com for a great location of a hotel which would be within walking distance of most things I would like to see.

Also, is Philadelphia a "non-smoking" city? i.e, bars, restaurants, hotels, etc? Thank you.

19103, 19107.

Pennsylvania has a no-smoking law for all restaurants and for bars that receive less than 20% of its revenue from food service.

Thin

Sorry, that should be >bars that receive MORE than 20% of its revenue from food service.<

Thin

Philadelphia is a very walkable city, but a good location for the historic sites is the Holiday Inn at 4th and Arch. It's rather depressingly 70's on the outside, but the inside has been renovated and it's reasonably nice. Your price, though, would be determined by when you go; I got it for around $100 between Christmas and New Years, but am guessing it's higher in the summer season.

Here are some good ideas for what to do/where to go:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-itinerary.cfm

and don't miss the food thread:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...iladelphia.cfm

Enjoy your visit!

Fx - we're from NYC and had a great time in Philadelphia last July 4th (see my TR). We're going back again this 4th. More art than historic sites. And lots of great food. This time we're including Longwood Gardens.

Does the Amtrak and the busses take you right into the heart of Manhattan from Philly? Also, how long does a bus take to get there and where is the bus terminal in comparison to the Downtown Marriott? Does anyone know the price of the bus and Amtrak from Philly to Manhattan?

Being our first time in NYC, what should we see if we can only spend one day there?

"Does the Amtrak and the busses take you right into the heart of Manhattan from Philly?"

Yes. If you look at the bus websites you will see the locations where the bus drops you off

which bus would be best to go into NYC fromPhilly?

I usually take Boltbus - it stops at central locations in both NYC and Philly. https://www.boltbus.com/

Don't know if it's too late for the original poster -- but for others reading this thread ... I just got the Radisson Warwick Hotel -- 17th & Locust -- on Priceline for $68/night. That location (near Rittenhouse Square) is perfect for the museums and the Reading Terminal Market -- and about a mile from the historical sites (i.e., Independance Hall, etc ...) I enjoy walking so that's perfect for me -- but one could easily jump on the subway or take a bus or taxi.

i got the Mariott on priceline for $75?

Are you asking us or telling us?

Which Marriott?

the DT Mariott on Market st. Is that a good location?

Leaving tomorrow for Philly. We would like to know some inexpensive, but good places to eat in Philly and also New York?

does philly have any good italian that is inexpensive place to get some good spaghetti?

Off the top of my head, am thinking you're most likely to find red sauce Italian eats in the Italian Market area. Haven't eaten at any of them, so I can't make a specific recommendation.

Food options in Philly and NYC are extensively well covered on this board, and a search should yield good results. Also take a look at the chowhound.com website.

The classic red sauce Italian place in Philadelphia is Ralph's Italian: http://www.ralphsrestaurant.com/

There are a bunch of traditional Italian places, as well as a few chains.

For Philadelphia food, check this list: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...iladelphia.cfm A lot of the inexpensive food is in places like the Italian Market, Chinatown, the Reading Terminal Market, and street carts.

The downtown Marriott is a good location, right at the Reading Terminal Market (great eats and food shopping) and within easy walking distance (unless it's 95 degrees, in which case you might want to take the El train) to the historic area.