annimal

I am flying out of Los Angeles tomorrow (Friday) evening on a red-eye flight to Philadelphia. My family has already booked and paid for rooms in Atlantic City for this holiday weekend as we are planning to drive there from Philly. After reading up on AC, it's apparent that there's not much there to do, so I am thinking of spending most of the day in Philly on Saturday, after our very early arrival in the airport. Then I thought we could drive along the coast from AC down to Cape May on Sunday. We will be renting a car from the Philly airport when we arrive. Can anyone give suggestions on where to go around AC/Cape May and also help plan out how to see the following sights in Philly (and what not to bother with)?

- Benjamin Franklin National Memorial?
- Elfreth's Alley
- Fairmount Waterworks
- Franklin Court?
- Independence Hall / Liberty Bell
- Italian Market
- Kelly Drive
- Mummers Museum?
- Physick House
- Reading Terminal Market
- RiverLink Ferry
- Shofuso (Pine Breeze Villa)?
- Chinatown
- Tyler Arboretum?
- drive by Veterans Stadium

Thanks!

tpatricco

Hi annimal, what ages are in the group you'll be travelling with? This will help us guide you better.

Most folks go to Atlantic City for the Casinos. Beyond that there is good dining & the beach of course. You could also drive south of AC to Wildwood where there's a boardwalk on the beach with amusements & rides good for kids. Cape May is also a nice area with many B&B's, quaint shopping & nice lighthouse.

annimal

Hi tpatricco, thanks for responding. The youngest in our group is 22 and the oldest, my father, is in his mid 50's. We figured we'd play a little in Atlantic City, but we don't want to rely on gambling as our only source of sights and entertainment. We like to mix a bit of sightseeing, time to relax and entertainment. I am interested in seeing the boardwalks, but I am a little concerned about the beaches because of Hurricane Frances. Will the swells be high in NJ this weekend?

tpatricco

From what I can tell, it doesn't look like we'll be getting the remnants of Frances until Tuesday, and the weather is supposed to be absolutely beautiful this weekend. Perfect beach days. Unless you're a serious ocean swimmer (Atlantic is not so nice anyhow) I wouldn't worry too much about it. Walking in the surf and wading in up to your neck is probably ok. Lifeguards on the beach will be able to let you know if there's any danger.

I don't know Philly too well, so maybe some others can help with that part. One thing to definitely do is go to Pat's or Geno's for cheesesteaks! http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/ http://www.genosteaks.com/

luvthebeach

Vetrans Stadium has been knocked down-nothing but a pile of concrete. The other stadiums are in the same vicinity.

Here are some must do's
Liberty Bell
Elfreth's Alley
Independance Hall
Constitution Center
Ben Franklin's grave

These are all in the same area so walking to these places would be fine!

Afterwards I would head to South Street to see an electic side of Philly. There I would have a "Famous Philly Cheese Steak" at Jim's.

I would not bother with any of the other places mentioned being that you only have 1 day.

Make sure you leave to got to AC later on Saturday (evening time). You will hit tons of traffic.

I would not go to Wildwood unless you want lots of rides, instead try Ocean City. They have a wonderful clean boardwalk that is much nicer than Wildwood's!

Good luck-oh and definately check out the Borgata-the younger crowd will like that Casino the best.

luvthebeach

Just saw my post-I apologize my grammer is horrible! That is what happens when you rush!

annimal

Luvthebeach - thanks for your input, especially about Veterans Stadium. Would have hated to drive by nothing but concrete remains. Will definitely be checking out the Borgata -- my folks like to check out newer casinos. As for the philly cheesesteaks, we're lined up to hit Geno and Pat's (my sister will get one from Geno's any my husband will get one from Pat's and compare!) Plus, we'll probably stop by Jim's too as my husband can pack in a lot of those sandwiches!

tpatricco - glad to hear about the weather. Should be nice to be able to wade in the water. It's been in the upper 90's and 100's here in Los Angeles, so even the slight drop in temperature should be nice for us.

artstuff

annimal -

You can drive the "Seagull Drive" from Atlantic City to Cape May. This drive hugs the coastline and takes you through all of the shore towns. Be sure to have lots of change for the tolls (usually 50 cents) at several of the drawbridges. There are several state parks you can stop at and walk along the dunes. Be cautioned, most beaches require a beach tag in New Jersey, so check before walking on the beach. Strathmere, which is just north of Sea Isle City, had free beaches, but no lifeguards (at least last year). Cape May is beautiful....be sure to look for Cape May Diamonds on the beach. Wildwood has a kid/young adult oriented board walk - we prefer Ocean City, which is more laid back. BTW, Ocean City is a "dry" town - no alcohol sold within it's city limits. Shriver's has the BEST Salt Water Taffy and Fudge (9th & Boardwalk, I think).

Enjoy your time at the shore....ah, for summer's past....Peace. >-

Robyn

lesliec1

annimal- luvthebeach's advice is excellent! Philadelphia Magazine just reviewed all the area cheesesteak places and both Geno's and Pat's scored very, very low. Jim's Steaks is better, but still not the best. The best in the city by far! was Cosmi's Deli, which is just around the corner from Pat's and Geno's at 1501 S. 8th St. Sometimes, it's better to skip with tradition and go for quality, as anyone who ever ate at original Bookbinders found out. To see all the sights in the Independence Historical Park area, you will either need a lot of quarters for parking meters, or else find a parking lot. You can walk from there either to the waterfront area (if you like boats, tour the old USS Olympia and the old submarine there, eat at Moshulu restaurant) or south to the funky South Street area (Pink Rose Cafe- 4th or 5th and Bainbridge Sts. for desserts--yummy!). You'll probably want to drive down to the south philly area for the steak sandwiches. You can park for free there, if you hunt long enough for a space, or follow South Philly tradition and just leave your car anywhere, even in the middle of the street, and go about your business. Do not ask me how people get away with this, but for some reason they do--but only in this area! Cape May is a charming victorian town, lots of B&B's, good restaurants, and nice shops. Do not worry about Beach Tags if all you are doing is walking along the beach. They are only allowed to require tags if you are lying/sitting on the beach. That's why you will never see the tag checkers asking people at the surf's edge for tags. If you are driving back to Phila. at the end of Labor Day Weekend, be prepared for a LOT of traffic! Hurricane side-effects are not forecast to arrive here until Monday evening. Have a great time!

annimal

Thanks Artstuff and Lesliec1 for the additional info. I will look into Jim's and Cosmi Deli for those cheese steaks! Seagull Drive sounds good and I will keep an eye out for those Cape May Diamonds. Which city is Shriver's in? AC or Ocean city? I got confused.

Finally, just how much time should I plan for the drive back to the Philadelphia airport from AC?

artstuff

annimal -

Shriver's is located in Ocean City, although I believe they have subsidiary stores in some of the other shore towns. My mouth is watering just thinking about their fudge.....

The "Seagull Drive" is marked by little highway signs depicting a seagull. Since they are so small, sometimes you might not see them and miss a turn, but it's pretty hard to get lost - just remember if your travelling south the ocean will be to your left (duh). I counted 4 tolls along the Seagull Drive, but there are also several along the Atlantic City Expressway and Garden State Parkway, so be sure to have plenty of change, quarters mostly.

If the traffic is flowing smoothly, you should be able to drive from AC to the airport in about 1 1/2 hours.

lesliec1 - I never knew that about the beach tags - not needing them for just walking in the surf. That's good to know since that's usually all we do when we "go down the shore". Now, if I can only find a beach in southern NJ that allows doggies.

>- Robyn