Cannot wait to see you on Saturday!
Great place for a local beer near the venue!
Famous indoor farmer's market offering diverse fare, housewares & area specialties since 1892. Originally, the train shed overhead was for commuter trains and for trains to NY. When Philadelphia got the money to move the train lines underground, the market was salvaged as part of the creation of the PA Convention Center. If you enter the Convention center across the street, you can go upstairs to see the space that once was where thousands gathered for their trains. It was also a setting used in the movie Twelve Monkeys. Highlights include: Beiler’s Bakery - PA Dutch stalls only Fri-Sat. You can watch sweet rolls made from scratch. Termini Brothers Bakery – Fantastic cannoli and treats. Olde City Coffee – Great espresso and other coffee drinks. Bassett’s Ice Cream – The BEST. Try the banana, cinnamon, pumpkin (in season), vanilla, chocolate – really anything. The Down Home Diner – An institution when Hannah and Leah were little! Many years ago it was in an actual rail car.
Our go-to for the most authentic Philly experience. Highlights include: DiBruno’s Brothers Cheese Shop - 9th St south of Montrose, take in the smells, taste whatever you want among the city’s best collection of cheeses, and pick up assorted specialty items. Ask for our favorite cheesemonger, Rico. Claudio's Specialty Foods – North on 9th from diBrunos, Jeff’s go-to for calamari and imported Italian pesto and a terrific selection of dried pasta. South Philly Barbacoa - 9th below Washington. This little place is a treasure for real barbacoa. Fante’s Kitchen Shop – 9th St south of Carpenter St. A terrific place to grab an espresso, coffee beans, or almost any cooking tool, pot, or gadget you can think of. Biederman’s - On Christian between 8th and 9th. The perfect smoked fish. Shot Tower Coffee – 6th and Christian. Jeff’s go-to for a perfect espresso and any other coffee drink, along with a good snack. This is the place to try if you proudly consider yourself a coffee snob.
There are a host of authentic eating places. For a piping bowl of great Pho, consider Vietnam Restaurant at 221 North 11th street (the corner of 11th and Spring), or if you are near the Italian Market, try Pho Ga Thanh on 11th street just south of Washington.
Have a beer from taps flowing since 1860.
December is a month with an R in it so go a slurping at Oyster House. Happy hour may well have ‘buck a shuck’ and accessible Philly beers such as Kinsinger.
Vegetarian paradise!
A Philly Cheesesteak – a classic grilled in Philly working-class tradition, we could debate where the best are, but if in center city, try Jim’s Steaks at 4th and South Street. The classic order is ‘Whiz whit’ meaning a steak sandwich on an Amoroso’s roll with Cheese Whiz and fried onions. Feel free to ask for provolone instead of whiz, and mushrooms enhance almost any cheese steak.
Beer Gardens bloom in Philly but check out what is open in early December.
You know this is Leah’s go-to whenever she arrives back in Philly. The closest to the Independence Park Hotel is just 3 blocks west, at 150 S. Independence Mall West. Leah recommends a cheese quesadilla and Corinne recommends the diet lemon iced tea by the gallon.
A tribute to Ben Franklin and science that followed, this has some wonderful hands-on exhibits, a planetarium, and lots to explore. See if you can find where a scene from National Treasure was filmed, both inside and outside
Now a part of Drexel University, if you like dinosaurs and other species, this is a wonderful place to visit
An incredible collection of impressionistic paintings and so much more. Philadelphia’s newest museum, this is a rare treat if you love art.
One of Jeff’s personal favorites. This small building set back from the Parkway, houses many of Auguste Rodin’s most famous castings, including The Thinker, Gates of Hell and the Burghers of Calais.
Climb or run up the same steps as our native son Rocky did back in the late 70s and then explore an amazing collection of modern, impressionism, and more ancient art. Unique is the exhibit of Japanese Teahouse and Garden and the Arms and Armor gallery. Behind the Art Museum are wonderful grounds of the Azalea Garden, Fairmount Water Works and then Boat House Row.
The Liberty Bell at 5th and Market https://www.nps.gov/inde/learn/historyculture/stories-libertybell.htm Independence Hall at 5th and Chestnut. https://www.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/independencehall.htm Elfreth’s Alley, between 2nd and Front streets at Cherry street. https://www.elfrethsalley.org
This is a unique treasure in Philadelphia, devoted to understanding the meaning of the constitution and the freedoms and responsibilities it gave us.
The country’s oldest, has wonderful outdoor and indoor exhibits. You’ll likely need to drive or Uber/taxi here.
A great place to be outside and get a little holiday shopping in. Head across the street to City Hall and Dilworth Park where there may be ice skating available. Grab a coffee at La Colombe Coffee Roasters at 1414 S. Penn Square, the street that circles City Hall.
The best view of the city, day or night, is from the top of the Comcast Center, where the Four Seasons occupies the top floors and where you can head up to the Jean-Georges Restaurant and admire the decor and look out of the floor to ceiling windows at all of Philly. Nighttime is special.
Originally Southwest Square – located between 18th and 19th and between Walnut and just south of Locust. Some of the most expensive real estate surrounds this park. There is a great farmer’s market on Saturdays.
Originally Southeast Square – enter at the corner of 6th and Walnut, this square is also home to pricey real estate and a great people-watching spot.
Originally Northwest Square – between Vine and Race streets and 18th and 20th streets. In the heart of Ben Franklin Parkway, the road that feels like Paris, Milan or Madrid. The glorious Swann Memorial Fountain (by Alexander Calder) might be off in December but this was a special spot to enjoy in any season, and for younger kids, the main branch of the Philadelphia Free Library is across a street or two at 19th and Vine.
More of a rectangle, this is a terrific open-air market located between Lombard and South Streets at 2nd Street.
The largest urban park in the country stretches along both sides of the Schuylkill River heading west. You can rent bicycles behind the art museum off Kelly Drive and pedal down the Kelly Drive, over the Falls Bridge and back on the Martin Luther King drive.