Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Philly Trip Report

Just got back from a terrific weekend in Philadelphia. It was our first time visiting Philladelphia and I really loved the city. We were there October 7 -10 - lucky to have perfect weather - its was warm and sunny everyday . This is a great city to walk in. We fly down on Southwest out of Providence Rhode Island (we livein the Boston Area but love flying out of Green Airport) The flight was about 1 hour - quick and easy. Took a taxi into the city $20 one way - took about 20 minutes to get to our hotel. We stayed at the Sofitel which is a great hotel. I would describe it as urban contemporary - but warm. The staff are so friendly and helpful. Our room was a jr.sute - two room that were spacious with a large bathroom. with all sorts of nice bath amenities like R & G soaps etc. Our daughter slept in the living room on the sofa. The suite has two t.v.s and the bedroom and living room have double doors that separate them. The bath also had doors from the bedroom dressing area as well as the hallway from the living room. It was an amazing room! The standard rooms are nice as well. Weekend rates are really good. The location of the hotel was perfect for going everywhere! The first night we got in about 7 pm. and walked over to the Rittenhouse Square area - it is very pretty - a very upscale area with all sorts of shops and restaurants - many with outtdoor seating. We ate at the Marathon Grill - a cozy place that had great simple food - sandwichs and salads, omelets etc.
Friday - we spend the morning at Independence Park - seeing Independence Hall, Liberty Bell and all the tourist historical things - I had made reservations through the National Parks Service for that morning - which you need to to go into Independence Park. The Afternoon we took the Trolley Tour that went all around the city to give us an overview - it was alot of fun - towards the end we got off on South Street - and went to Jim's to try Philly Cheesesteak - I had a line down the street. It is an experience but honestly - it did nothing for me. If I am going to eat meat - I will take a great burger or steak anyday over a Cheesesteak. After we walked back through the Society Hill area - the homes and streets are so quaint. That night after going back to the hotel for a bit of a rest we had diner at Jones - it is a hip happening comfort food place - it was fun and our daughter who is 10 loved the fried chicken and waffles!! Atmosphere is very Brady Bunch Californian.
Saturday - we walked over to Reading Terminal - which was a bit of a disappointment - seemed very tired - but it was interesting to see the Amish working there. Loved the ice cream at Basset's and they have a Metropolitan Bread there - which is bread to die for!!! After we headed to the Logan Circle area and did the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Franklin Institute of Science Museums - both were terrific. I was especially impressed with the Franklin - they had great exhibits while we were there - the Heart Challenge etc. Two museums and we were exhausted - headed back to our hotel for a rest before an early dinner at Lombardi's. It was right around the corner from our hotel - small cozy but really great New York style thin crust pizza - but the cannoli was awful. That night we had 8:30 pm reservations for the Lights of Liberty Show - it was a fun touristy thing to do! We recommend it if you haven't done it. That night we while back in our hotel room we turned on the 11 pm. news and we were on t.v. - there must have been a local news camera - it had us walking down the Avenue of the Arts on our way back to our hotel! It was funny to see ourselves on t.v. right before the weather forcast!!!!
Sunday our last day - we had breakfast /brunch back at the Marathon Grill - it is a popular place - had great thick sliced challa french toast with ricotta cheese and blueberries - enough for 2 people! Then we went to th Art Museum of Philadelphia which is in a gorgeous setting - my daughter ran up the stairs singing the "Rocky" theme - like most tourists. It is a beautiful museum. The highlight was our early evening meal at Buddakan - located in the old city which is a great area many boutiques, art galleries and restaurants - it is an experience - Buddakan has truely great food and unique atmosphere. We had a flight home at 9 pm. We can say we really enjoyed the highlights of Philly and can't wait to return - there is still alot more to see.