Good afternoon everyone!

I'm heading down to Philadelphia on sunday (on business) for three days and will be staying downtown.

I was wondering if anyone could help me plan my visit by giving me some tips, identifying some "must-sees", and such?

Of course, my interests are much broader than survival and EDCs . I'm not looking to party (no clubs/bars) but to see interesting things and landmarks. I have a limited budget and am in no way afraid to walk but I am open to shelling out a bit of cash for cabs or bus.

One thing I had in mind was to do a guided tour on a Segway machine (I-Glide tours), sounds like a fun way to visit the area! That goes for 69$ for 2.5-3 hours.

Thanks a lot!

i don't have anything to say about philly, i'll leave that to the others.

but, i would highly encourage you to do the segway tour! we did that in paris several years ago and had a great time. instructions / practice took about a half hour. and then we took off like a flock of ducks - one behind the other following the leader. great way to see the sights.

I'm on the outskirts of Philly... You should probably do some of the basics such as the Liberty Bell, Independance Hall, etc... There is the Old City Walking tour for about $15... Go to Philadelphia Tours for a bunch of tours. They do have a Segway tour as well.

Another popular one is the Ducks... DUKW Amphibious vehicle... Ride The Ducks of Philadelphia

Depending on what you are looking for, there is the Franklin Institute (currently hosting a pirate exhibit) or the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

A good amount of things are definitely within walking distance... What hotel are you staying at? You can look at a map and mark off what is in a comfort level of walking.

Go to Geno's or Pat's for a Philly Cheese Steak! Cross the river to Camden NJ to visit the USS New Jersey WWII battleship.

The original Bookbinder's restaurant is a great evening stop

Good call on the battleship and Pat's... Wit or witout wiz?

Wit

wit wiz, witout onions... ugh..

Uh, liberty bell, USS New Jersey definetely. The Liberty bell is a whole building comples with Independence Hall and some other buildings. A few blocks north of the bell is an old/original neighborhood, Ben Franklin's gravesite. On 5th (ish) and Market is one of the US mints, I think they have tours. No free souveniers

Strolling along south street can be fun. There's a jewlery district around 10th and Market (and south for a few blocks).

The baseball stadium is BEAUTIFUL. Take the subway directly to it, avoid parking and traffic.

Lancaster is where the Amish run around in carts. OK wineries there too. Bout an hour outside Philly. There's also some state park known for bald eagles an hour west of Philly

I'm looking forward to going back at the end of the month.

Lots of wineries close by: Chaddsford, New Hope, Mount Hope, Cloverhill (I think)... All about 45 mins from Philly. Definitely would need a car.

Lancaster is a bit more than an hour from Philly, considering the traffic... It usually takes around 30-40 mins from center city to King of Prussia.

I know about Hawk Mountain, not sure about the bald eagles tho.

Oh, the Philly Zoo is also ok...

Great! Thanks for these recommendations... I remember doing a tour in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada), with a WWII-era amphibious vehicle and it was pretty fun.

Sounds like i'm pretty set... unless someone living in Philly feels like giving me a private tour?

Ttyl folks, thanks!

Forget Geno's and Pat's go to Tony Luke's at Front & Oregon (not a bad cab ride from Center City). Much better steaks and a very good menu of other sandwiches.

Ever seen Rocky?
Don't forget the art museum steps from the Rocky film; they used to have his statue there, but I heard they moved it. Get a photo of yourself doing the same pose on the steps and title it "the next Stallone."
Also, the art museum itself is nice, and if you like Auguste Rodin (the "Thinker" statue) they have a small building devoted to his work about 2 blocks from the main building.

If you are still there and check in before you go, I recommend a trip to Tony Luke's for a Roast Pork Italian sandwich. On one artery clogging day a few years ago, a good friend and I had cheesesteaks from Pat's, Geno's and Jim's. We found Jim's to be the best cheesesteak, although I cannot say any one part was better than the parts at the other two. However, we had Tony Luke's Roast Pork Italian that night, and it was better than any of the cheesesteaks.

When in Philly I always plan on stopping my Macy's to hear the Wanamaker Organ... An absolutely amazing pipe organ (google it!!!)

I'll add my vote to Jim's as the best cheesesteaks. And, I'll be sure to try Tony Luke's Roast Pork Italian sandwich.

Here I am, back from my trip to Philadelphia! A short list of things I did:

Had a cheesesteak (provo wit) down at Steaks On South (SOS). I wanted to go to Pat's or Geno's, however I realized I was too far east while walking on South street so I just decided to get it over with, besides they had that NBC survey posted on their door that says that 57% of the people prefered their cheesesteaks so..,;

Went on a tour (Ride the ducks) with the WWII-era amphibious vehicule (fun);

Walked around quite a bit, basically covered every possible steet between Arch and South (N-S) and 17th and Front (W-E);

Had General Tso's chicken at Four Rivers, VERY basic decor but the food was great!

Went for sushi at Haru's (corner or 3rd and Chestnut). That turned out to be a HUGE disapointment. First, the lady mumbled something about a drink she wanted me to try, possibly because I looked really sweaty with all this walking : turned out to be a 11$ drink! It was just vodka with watermelon juice, what a rip-off! Then, I had a sushi plate that cost 19$ but wasn't that big... Boooo Haru;

Last but not least, went for a tour with I-Glide tours, on a Segway! I had a BALL! Some group that was supposed to be there in the morning canceled because of the heat, so I ended up alone with the tour guide. He unlocked the Seg (12 mph limit instead of 6) once he saw I was able to control it, and off we went! I highly recommend this Segway tour in you're in Philly and never rode a Segway.

I didn't care much about the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and other historic landmarks since I was mostly looking to walk around and feel the city, not wait in line and/or stand in overcrowded places waiting for people to move over.

There! Thank you everyone for your replies to my original message.

Take care,

"...vodka with watermelon juice..."

Yuk! That sounds worse than raw fish! What a waste of vodka!!!

SARbound,

Glad that you had a good time... My mother-in-law rode the Ducks and said it was a fun time. The Segway tour seems like it would be fun as well!

So, overall, sounds like a fun trip.

Mike