Philadelphia Questions
 

Hi... I'm planning on taking a weekend trip to Philadelphia in December (early).. Where is a good place to stay? Where exactely is the shipyard located (or wherever it is they commission ships)? Any other information would be great..

Hope you enjoy your trip. A few suggestions. <BR> <BR>The shipyard is in S. Phila on the Delaware River <BR>Don't stay near there. <BR>I'd recommend staying downtown around the holidays for the feel of the city & the best hotels. <BR>For a real nice boutique hotel at a good price ($90 w/AAA disc.) try The Latham downtown. It's near everything & in a good neighborhood. <BR> <BR>Some atypical places to go/eat: <BR> <BR>- Mutter Museum @ College of Physicians (quirky stuff) <BR>- Italian Market in S. Philly (Stallone ran thru in Rocky I & has the best Italian food you'll ever find.) <BR>- Best coffee = La Colombe near Rittenhouse Square (a great place to peoplewatch in good weather) <BR>- Best REAL cheesesteak or hoagie= Johnny Barrell's or Tony Luke's in S. Philly (T. Luke's pork w/greens may be even better) Generally, anyplace in S. Philly will be better than anywhere else on earth in this dept. <BR>- Best REAL "water ice" = Pop's @ Broad & Oregon in S. Philly- there is no substitute. <BR>- Best soft pretzel = Federal Bakery or most sold at any street corner cart <BR> <BR>Let me know of any particular interests & I'll be happy to oblige. Watch yourself in N. Philly & S.W. Philly especially.

Christian is correct about the Shipyard but I am not in awe of So Phillie market. <BR>Visit the Reading Terminal Market, across from the new Marriot and the Convention Center. Go at lunch time. See a cross section of Philadelphia area folks and farmers and vendors and cuisine. Get your coffee there at Old City Coffee and an almond croissant from Metropolitan bakery. <BR>*Rocky’s personal triumph was his celebration on the steps of the Phila Museum of Art. <BR>It’s a world class museum. <BR>*After your “Grossed at the Mutter Clinic” head north two blocks to the ICA Institute of Contemporary Art at 36th & Walnut or East two blocks to the University of Pennsylvania Museum if Anthropology and Archeology moves you. <BR>There are a lot of excellent eating and sightseeing choices within any budget. <BR>*Log on to http://www.phillynews.com/ and or http://www.phillylife.com/ for up to date info and suggestions. <BR>Enjoy yourself. <BR>Philadelphia is cool. <BR>NC <BR>

So far, the suggestions have been great. A couple other things to consider... <BR>* On the First Friday of every month, Old City (between Chestnut & Vine and Front & 5th) keeps all of its galleries open late and it usually draws people in droves, there's a lot of great restaurants in this area which makes for a great night out. <BR>* You didn't really explain why you want to go to the navy yard, I'm not sure how much there is to really see there? If you're interested in naval history, you might also want to check out the Seaport Museum at Penn's Landing. <BR>* Philadelphia has also invested a lot of money in the Avenue of the Arts project which encompasses Broad Street, mostly south of City Hall. There are a number of theaters and the orchestra hall. In December the Philadelphia Ballet puts on an excellent production of the Nutcracker. <BR>* For the holidays, you could also check out the light show they put on at what is now Lord & Taylor's (but every Philadelphian still calls it Wanamaker's). <BR>* As far as hotels go, I'm not sure I can help too much, but definitely try to get something centrally located (the Latham and Marriott are). Philadelphia is a pedestrian town (from it's colonial routes), so you can walk pretty much anywhere. University City is a bit out of the way (west philadelphia). <BR>* Definitely go to the Reading Terminal Market (they're closed on Sundays); places I like there: LeBus (apple,cherry,walnut bagel), Down Home Diner (Jack McDavid's other place), Salumeria (great hoagies and pasta salads), DiNic's Roast Beef, 12th St. Cantina (excellent authentic mexican), Termini Bakery (get a canoli!), and don't forget the PA dutch stuff. <BR>* Oh yeah, the history, if you have time, I guess you should probably see the Liberty Bell and everything... sadly, a lot of Philadelphians take it for granted... <BR>* One other website for local happenings is City Paper - www.citypaper.net. <BR>* There's also the Art Museum, the Rodin Museum, the Franklin Institute and of course the Mutter (don't go on a full stomach). Skip the Norman Rockwell Museum, it's more of a gift shop if you ask me, but if you get a chance, peak your head in the window of the building it's in - The Curtis Publishing Company (6th & Walnut by Independence Hall)... Inside is Tiffany Mosaic wall mural that is unbelievable. <BR>* Oh yeah, South Street (btwn 9th and Front)... some people love it, some hate it. Weekend nights it's teeming with teens, but during the day it's a little more subdude and a lot of the interesting shops that make it what it is are more likely to be open. <BR>* Tourist traps you may want to avoid: Bookbinders (don't believe the hype - there are much better places to eat), the Betsy Ross House (kind of boring), any pizza/steak place that has a liberty bell on it (your in Philly, eat Italian). <BR> <BR>Philadelphia's a great town (that's why I live here), it's a big city with a little city feel. Hope you have a good time and try to make it 3-day weekend. If you have anymore questions, post them! <BR> <BR>-Mark

If you have the chance, try to have dinner at Azafran (on South 3rd between South Street and Bainbridge). My husband and I had dinner there during a weekend getaway in February and it was excellent! No liquor license, so you'll have to bring your own bottle -- but the food was amazing! <BR>

Recommend the Penn's View Inn, across from Penn's Landing. A little pricey (somewhat cheaper on weekends), but good location for the historic area. Also, it has the best wine-bar I have seen. Hundreds of wines by the glass in an excellent Italian restaurant.