after living in dc for 13 years, i still haven't explored philly (other than last fall's madonna concert which really doesn't count). beau is treating moi and louis to a weekend in philly saturday and sunday. tres excited!
we've already gotten tickets to the cezanne exhibit at philadelphia museum of art, booked a tiny room at a pet-friendly hotel, perused fairmount park online, and gotten excited about the rodin museum (get to see the thinker). i plan to visit white dog cafe (owned by a philanthropic entrepreneur that i admire).
philly readers or visitors: any additional suggestions? do tell!
10 comments:
a few weeks ago i spent an extended weekend in philly with a friend who lives there, i had a great time exploring! the warsaw cafe is a delicious polish restaurant - http://www.warsawcafe.thekalon.com/
the cezanne exhibit is really wonderful.
have fun!
You will love Philly! A few things to check out:
Def go to the Art Museum steps (Rocky ran up). There is a lovely mini-view of the Philadelphia skyline and City Hall.
City Hall has an observation deck for a wonderful panorama view of the city.
The Reading Terminal has every kind of food imaginable. I always get a smoothie to wash down some decadent treat from the Amish bakery.
Take Louis to Rittenhouse square and browse the upscale surrounding boutiques.
Do enjoy...and take lots of pix!
White Dog is awesome - imagine 18-year-old Amanda living across the street in a dorm room... (I went to Penn, which is a block away). Your itinerary sounds great. Only other suggestions:
1) Koch's Deli, a take-out shop west of Penn's campus. (Jordan in particular feels it's morally wrong to let someone go to Philly w/o telling them about Koch's.) For Tim: a reuben. For you: chocolate milkshake. To die for. WORTH IT.
2) There's a fun little town just 10 min. or so outside of Philly called Mannyunk - depending on your itinerary might be fun to stop in before heading home Sunday. When I was in school there were lots of fun little shops and it was lot of fun to explore - worth investigating.
Have fun! :)
Additional Suggestion: Hop skip and jump across state to Pittsburgh!
You should get a picture of yourself running up the "Rocky" steps wearing your pink boxing gloves!
If you still have not had your fill of art, and enjoy Monet and hinges, visit the Barnes Foundation (http://www.barnesfoundation.org/).
It is an exclusive collection that is soon to be moved (after a long, protracted court battle). You will need tickets in advance as parking is very limited.
The Cezanne exhibit is a real treat! I just saw it a couple of weeks ago and haven't stopped talking about it since. It's wonderfully curated, full of visual delights, very inspiring.
Depending on how much time you might also like to see another exhibit at the museum- in the Perelman galllery annex- Henri Matisse and Modern art on the French Riviera!
Oh! I'm from the Philly suburbs. Sounds like you have a great list of to-dos! White Dog is great! Check out the store next to it, Black Cat! Great stuff to buy there. Also, South Street. It is a bit touristy, but hey you are a tourist! There are some interesting shops there. Another great museum is the Mutter Museum (http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp). It is museum of science and medicine--creepy, gross, and small, but amazing!
New Hope, PA is in the 'burbs outside Philly, along the Delaware River waterfront. Great town, great shops, great scenary!
And you could always check out the yoga studio I go to, YogaLove in Yardley. ;)
Any questions, feel free to ask.
Have a wonderful time in Philly. I spend most of my weekends there visiting my boyfriend and will be moving there this year.
My recommendations:
--I second Reading Terminal Market. It's a foodie's paradise.
--For a delicious and decadent brunch, MiLah Vegetarian Restaurant is phenomenal. Right off the bat, you get a plate of muffins and scones and fruit and cake. Delicious! www.milahvegetarian.com/
--The Rittenhouse Square (www.rittenhouserow.org/) area is full of shops (including Anthropologie (http://www.yelp.com/biz/anthropologie-philadelphia) and Barnes and Noble, which are right next to each other!!! That B&N is also where I purchased Hip Tranquil Chick), a lovely park to take Louis to (you can't miss it; across the street from B&N), and the best gelato/sorbet EVER at Capogiro (Rittenhouse Square
117 South 20th Street--Corner of 20th and Sansom). This is a nice walk to or from the museum area.
--If you think you'll have time to treat yourself to a spa treatment while you're in town, I cannot say enough wonderful things about Juju Spa. They use all organic products and will give you a yummy vanilla rooibos tea in a gorgeous cup or water in a glass goblet right when you walk in. Everyone is super friendly and warm and the space is lovely and relaxing (http://www.jujusalon.com).
If you try any of these places out, I'd love to hear how it turned out.
I just made my first trip to DC last month and totally fell in love (three words: Sticky Fingers Bakery). It's great that DC and Philly are so close to one another! I'm going down to DC again at the end of May.
Check out Pine Street...it's a narrow street not far from downtown that is considered "Antique Row". Great little shops and small galleries there!
Also check out "Gallery Row" in downtown Old City. Most galleries can be found between Front and Third, and Market and Vine Streets. If you are taking your sojourn during the first weekend of a month, check out "Frist Fridays" where all the galleries in this area are open late and you can literally check out artwork from at least 15 galleries within the Old City area. Great restaurants (try Buddakan, a popular Asian Fusion restaurant!) too!
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