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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Anyone been to Philadelphia?
We're wanting to take a little trip to Philly in August but we've never been up there before. Few questions...
Best way to get around? (taxi, bus, subway, etc)
Best places to eat (we're all about food on vacas)
Best way to get there (fly or drive)
Great/inexpensive places to stay (preferably close to downtown)
TIA!!!
Re: Anyone been to Philadelphia?
We just got back from Phili. I've been many times, my husband is from outside of Pottsville home of Yuenling beer & brewery.....
1. Best way to get around: We had a rental car every time I've been, but we've also taken Taxi's. A friend did one of those big red bus tours and used the bus as a taxi to get around the downtown area. Once you buy a pass it's good all day as long as the buses are running. (They close at 6ish if I remember correct)
2. To eat...Geno's or Pat's cheesesteaks of course! There is an ongoing battle of which one makes the best sandwich and they are right across the street from each other. For 'real food' there's Moshulu which is a boat docked right on the water- it's good for a drink or two or apps and is withing walking distance to South Street a street filled with tons of little places to eat and shop. Or finally, the best food I've ever had IN MY LIFE: the Continental by Steven Starr on Market Street (make resos) - even better, the ice cream shop next door was featured on the food channel, the name escapes me, but very good!
3. We fly....
4. Other places to see: Liberty Bell (free!), the US Mint (make sure it's a day that its producing coins-free and kinda cool!), if you're into art, there is a Renoir exhibit that just opened at the art museum (it's where Rocky ran up the stairs.) There's also Manyuek a cool little Mt Adamsesk area of town right outside downtown, they even have beer tasting at their own brewery and other cool little shops. And there's the Philly's baseball team the fanatic mascot is hilarious.
As for hotels, we stayed at Marriot downtown w/ a family and friends discount. We found the hotels ran $150-200 before discount. (On a side note there are numerous 'downtown marriots' so be careful if you use them!)
Phew.... enjoy! Follow up and let us know how the trip was!
We went there a few years ago. We had a rental car and had very little problem parking.
There are lots of free things... http://www.nps.gov/inde/index.htm
But.. if you want to go to Independence Hall, you have to get tickets early in the morning. They're free, but depending on the time of year they go quickly.
DH and I ate at Bookbinders, which was delicious. Unfortunately, I think they've closed. That being said, I'd try to find somewhere that serves turtle soup...
We lived outside of Philly for a couple years. I can't provide much help from a tourist's standpoint since I managed to live there without ever visiting the Liberty Bell, but I can give you a couple tips.
Definitely fly.
DH took mass transit into Philly once and vowed to never do it again. I never took any form of mass transit the whole time I lived there. We lived in the suburbs, though. It might be better if you're already in the city. MIL lives in Philly itself and uses mass transit sometimes. It's definitely not on par with NYC or Chicago, though. Philly isn't a particularly safe city. If you go the mass transit route, be careful where you're walking after dark.
If you're looking to get out of the city for a little while, definitely hit up the King of Prussia Mall. It's the second largest mall in the nation outside of the Mall of America. It's crazy packed in the summer (although not as bad as the Christmas season), but it's a truly great mall.
To the NE of Philly is Bucks County. New Hope is a cute little town with lots of little shops. Bucks County also has a ton of covered bridges and a few cute little wineries.
I'm just a lurker around here because I'm mostly on the Knot. But I had the opportunity to help someone out so couldn't resist replying. My FI grew up 18 years in Philly so here's what we have to say about your questions:
1. Getting around will depend on where you want to go. If you're mostly downtown, consider taking the bus/train/subway and walking between stations. The local public transportation system is known as SEPTA. Driving is possible; it's not as traffic-clogged as Chicago or NY, nor are the drivers as crazy as in Boston, but parking can be difficult as is the case with most large east coast cities. How difficult or easy going places will be will vary depending on whether you are spending most of your time inside or outside the city.
2. For people who have never been to Philly before, they have to get a cheesesteak. Pat's and Geno's are probably the most famous ones due to their rivalry, but they are generally overrated. I have heard good things about Jim's Steaks on South Street, which is a cool place to go for shopping anyway. Just make sure to order it properly; you can have it with Whiz (cheese sauce, as in Cheese Whiz) or without Whiz. I would definitely suggest making a stop to Reading Terminal Market, which is like a giant farmer's market under a roof. There are lots of great things to eat and plenty to buy if you're in the mood for shopping.
3. Flights come in at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), which is right next to I-95, convenient for getting to other places. It's not too bad of an airport, either. Driving or flying will depend on the nature of the trip, how many people are going, etc. Driving into the city during morning rush hour is not recommended, nor is leaving the city during evening rush hour. Having a GPS will help, as the roads can be narrower and less straight than what people are used to. Bring a load of quarters for metered parking if you plan on driving between destinations inside the city (assuming you find a parking spot).
4. We can't recommend places to stay since we stay with FI's family when we're in town.