Short trip to Philly - what to see and where to eat?
 

I'm going to be in Philly for 3 dinners, one lunch and one breakfast (it's not a crazy weight-loss method, the rest of the meals are provided for). I will also have basicly one day for sight seeing.

My questions: Where can I get the best cheesesteak? What should I go see? Where should I go for some good, well priced meals?

BEST breakfast...Sabrina's Cafe, 910 Christian St, 215 574-1599.. or
Morning Glory 735 S. 10th St. 215 413-3999. On weekends you will have a very long wait, get up early and go, you will not regret it !!!

Best cheesesteak: Pat's or Gino's in south Phila or Abner's (38th and Chestnut) near the Penn campus in west Phila. Any cab driver can take you there.

Sights: Take the city bus on Chestnut St. to 5th and walk around to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall....Betsy Ross house....lots of history in that neighborhood.

Have fun!

For one day of sightseeing, do the following:

1) right at 8:30 in the morning, be at the Visitor Center to get timed tickets to visit Independence Hall.
2) depending on how long you have to wait, wander around the area until you enter the Liberty Bell Pavilion (security is like getting on a place, so do NOT carry any knives or anything that would be confiscated at an airport).
3) after visiting the Liberty Bell and Independence hall, wander over to Franklin Court and get a post card stamped by a replica of the stamp Franklin's used when he was postmaster.
4) the story that Betsy Ross sewed the first flag is an obvious hoax by social climbing descendants, and whether she lived at the house called the Betsy Ross House is disputed. HOWEVER, if you MUST visit a place with almost no historical value whatsoever, drop on by.
5) after you grab you cheese-steak lunch, visit the Art Museum. Have your photo made by the film prop, uh, statue of Rocky Balboa near the base of the steps. Run up these steps, and imagine you're the first person to hoist your arms, a la Rocky, at the top. You MIGHT also want to visit some great art there.
6) finish the day be wandering on South Street and the Avenue of the Arts. Have dinner at any of a dozen 4 to 5 star restaurants.

For one day of sightseeing, do the following:

1) right at 8:30 in the morning, be at the Visitor Center to get timed tickets to visit Independence Hall.
2) depending on how long you have to wait, wander around the area until you enter the Liberty Bell Pavilion (security is like getting on a place, so do NOT carry any knives or anything that would be confiscated at an airport).
3) after visiting the Liberty Bell and Independence hall, wander over to Franklin Court and get a post card stamped by a replica of the stamp Franklin's used when he was postmaster.
4) the story that Betsy Ross sewed the first flag is an obvious hoax by social climbing descendants, and whether she lived at the house called the Betsy Ross House is disputed. HOWEVER, if you MUST visit a place with almost no historical value whatsoever, drop on by.
5) wander around City Hall, having your photo made in front of the "Love" Statue. There's also a work of art OFFICIALLY called "The Embrace," see if you can guess what the locals call it.
6) after you grab you cheese-steak lunch, visit the Art Museum. Have your photo made by the film prop, uh, statue of Rocky Balboa near the base of the steps. Run up these steps, and imagine you're the first person to hoist your arms, a la Rocky, at the top. You MIGHT also want to visit some great art there.
7) finish the day be wandering on South Street and the Avenue of the Arts. Have dinner at any of a dozen 4 to 5 star restaurants.

Philly for me is Rocky! you can walk his famous jogging route and see the best Philly site along the way, like the Italian market and the art museum. See http://philadelphia.citysearch.com/roundup/40876 for the route and sites.

Check out www.gophila.com for some great suggestions. They will list any activites going on while you're in Phila.
While you're in the historic area, also visit the Constitution Center. The city offers several different walking tours that are wonderful.

Forget Pat's and Geno's, they're the bottom of the barrel. If you want the best cheesesteak go to one of these:

John's Roast Pork
Tony Luke's
Steve's Prince of Steaks

Pat's and Geno's are tourist places. The ones I've named, as a native Philadelphian, are the ones that locals go to.

Forgot to mention...try the roast pork Italian at John's or Tony Luke's. Get it with broccoli rabe and sharp provolone, you'll never have a better sandwich.

Agree with the above poster -- Pat and Geno's are for tourists.

My favorite cheesesteak is at Jim's on South Street (at 4th street). You'll wait in a line wrapped halfway around the building, but it goes FAST because of the soup-nazi-style service.

Pugsly has it right. And, Pug, I share your feeling re roast pork and broccoli rabe, but dontcha think broccoli rabe is an acquired taste that might not suit out-of-towners?

Pat's over Geno's if you are heading to that area...although Pat's is a tourist attraction I have been a fan for 20 years. Jim's is much more of a tourist spot in my opinion but delicious as well. Try out Monk's at 16th and Spruce for some delicious mussels and fries as well as an incredible beer selection.

sorry, for breakfast I highly recommend brunch at Cuba Libre if you are there on a weekend.

The rabe can be overly bitter but the good news is that you can always take it off if you don't like it.

By the way, now that it's getting warmer, John's has started to open on Saturdays. As some of you may know, they don't have regular closing times. They just shut down when they run out of rolls.

Thanks for the great suggestions! My schedule is a little odd - I arrive at 5pm on a sunday night and have free time until 2pm the next day.

Any advice for where a 24yr old can go to get rowdy and have fun on a sunday night. I'm thinking drinks and fun, but easy to get back to my hotel near the U.

Three main areas for getting rowdy: the waterfront, Old City, and South Street.

The waterfront has two main bars -- Tiki Bob's (cheesy) and the Irish pub next door (McFaddens, I think? I'm never entirely sober when I'm there).

Old City is the most popular place to go (near Chestnut, Market, etc). You'll find trendier clubs here. South Street is more of a Mardi Gras atmosphere -- a little seedier, louder, rowdier.

If you're staying in any of these areas, you'll find plenty of places within stumbling distance ;)

everytime i'm in philly, i make a stop by pat's. you're making me hungry now...