FAQs

Question

Where should we eat?

Answer

There are dozens of excellent restaurants in Philly! Here are a few of our favorites... For lunch: Reading Terminal Market (an amazing food hall in Center City) Angelo’s Pizzeria (in the Italian Market) Shackamaxon Pizza (in Fishtown) Any cheesesteak spot (our recommendations are Joe’s Steaks in Fishtown, John’s Roast Pork, Angelo’s, or Jim’s on South Street) Farina di Vita (incredible sandwich shop in Queen Village) For dinner** (close-ish to Welcome Drinks!): Bastia (inside the Hotel Ana & Bel, highly recommend!) LMNO (Mexican by Stephen Starr) Kalaya (excellent thai) Pizzeria Beddia (fancier pizza) W.M. Mulherins & Sons (fancy pizza & pasta) Middle Child Clubhouse (sandwiches and upscale bar food) Urban Village (pizza and American food at a brewery) Murph’s (Italian at an Irish Bar!) Izakaya Fishtown (sushi) Loco Pez (casual Mexican) Cedar Point Kitchen (casual American) Olea (contemporary, close to the Monaco and Renaissance) Tuna Bar (sushi, close to the Monaco and Renaissance) **Note: Our wedding venue is mediterranean food – specifically Israeli, Palestinian, and Lebanese cuisine – so we left off options that are very similar.)

Question

What should we do between the ceremony and the reception?

Answer

We anticipate you will have about 2.5 hours between the end of the ceremony and the reception. The ceremony should conclude by 3:30pm, and shuttles will depart from Hotel Monaco and the Renaissance Hotel around 5:30/5:45pm. Between those events, you can return to your hotel or Airbnb to change or freshen up – or you can continue to explore Philadelphia! Our recommendation would be to walk through the Italian Market from St. Paul (the church is located in the heart of the Italian Market). You can explore Di Bruno Bros. famous cheese shop, get an espresso (or cannoli) at Anthony's, or stop for a slice at Angelo's. You can walk up and down 9th Street, enjoying local shops and cafés before turning east (right) on South Street, Lombard Street, or Spruce Street. You'll find yourself walking through Washington Square Park, past Independence Hall, and you'll finish at your hotel!

Question

How should we travel to all the events?

Answer

On Friday, we recommend you take ride share, a taxi, or public transit to the Welcome Drinks. Street Parking is also available, though you may have to circle the block to find a spot. On Saturday afternoon for the ceremony, you can take ride share or a taxi, drive (there is a small parking lot on Christian St. across from the church), or even walk (it's 1 mile from the wedding hotels). On Saturday evening, shuttles will depart the wedding hotels in Old City at 5:30pm. One shuttle will depart from the corner of 5th St. & Chestnut St., and the other will depart from the corner of 4th St. & Chestnut St. After the reception, the shuttles will be available to take you back to the hotel (departing at 10:30pm and 11:15pm).

Question

What time are the shuttles from the Monaco and Renaissance hotels?

Answer

Shuttles will depart both hotels en route to the reception at 5:30pm. There will be two rounds of shuttles returning to the hotels. The first will depart the reception at 10:30pm and the second will depart the reception at 11:15pm.

Question

Can you tell me a little about Philadelphia?

Answer

I’m so glad you asked! Founded in 1682 by William Penn – who also founded the Province of Pennsylvania one year earlier – Philadelphia was planned and laid out to be the largest and most influential city in British America. The streets in Center City and Old City are laid out in a grid around five public parks, with numbered north-south streets and east-west streets named for different types of trees. As a result of his Quaker background, Penn established Pennsylvania – and Philadelphia, as its capital – as a place of religious tolerance and understanding. One of four commonwealths in the United States, Pennsylvania attracted a wide range of immigrants from different backgrounds and faiths, including Quakers, Germans, Scots-Irish, and Jews. Philadelphia hosted the First and Second Continental Congress – where the Declaration of Independence was adopted – the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and served as the first capital of the United States until it moved to Washington, D.C. in 1800. Since then, Philadelphia developed into an industrial powerhouse in the 19th century and has been home to important scientific, cultural, and political developments. Pennsylvania was the first state to pass a resolution abolishing slavery in 1780 – the first act of law to abolish slavery in America and widely regarded as the first slavery abolition act in the course of human history to be adopted by an elected body. Philadelphia is home to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the National Constitution Center, the oldest African Methodist Episcopal congregation – Mother Bethel AME on 6th Street – and countless other national treasures. Today, Philadelphia is the 6th largest in the country, home to some of the best restaurants, major Fortune 500 companies, top tier arts and culture, and unquestionably the best sports culture in the world. Like any big city, Philly has its challenges – but its grit, communal spirit, and record of innovation are unlike anywhere we’ve been.

Question

What is Fishtown?

Answer

Fishtown is a neighborhood in Philadelphia along the Delaware River between Front Street and E York Street. Founded in the 1720s by Captain Anthony Palmer, an Englishman by way of Barbados, the neighborhood derives its name from the occupation of its early settlers. Today, Fishtown is an attractive mix of young people in their 20s, young families who take their kids for walks on the weekend, and long-time Fishtown residents. Along the row home-lined streets, the neighborhood has some of the best bars and restaurants in Philadelphia.