Mid-Atlantic - Philly hotels? Which Priceline zones or don't bother?

I've got a trip to Philly for about 4 days at the end of this month, as a tourist. I've never been to Philly before and am unsure where to stay. I'll on taking a bus or train from NYC to Philly and don't plan on renting a car. I hope to depend on public transportation and a minimum of cabs.

I haven't figured out what I'm going to see yet, but I will go through the list at http://www.frommers.com/destinations/philadelphia/23_indattr.html in descending order of stars.

I've had reasonably good luck w/Priceline before (I'm very familiar with the advanced free re-bid algorithm). What zones should I pick or avoid based upon the above or should I not bother and just stick to sites like Expedia? I'm not looking for lap of luxury (places like La Quinta, Marriott Courtyard, Holiday Inn and their Express hotels are fine) but value, personal safety and proximity to public transit are important.

To save time, here's screenshot of Priceline's zones.
http://img255.imageshack.us/i/phillypricelinezones1.jpg/

You definitely want to be in what looks like Zone 3 which is Center City (downtown). Zone 8 is the University City neighborhood where Penn and Drexel are located. Zones 1, 4 and 5 are all in Jersey and would require a car to get into the city.

Center City is close to all the historic areas and the museums (Art Museum, Rodin, Franklin Institute, etc.). You will have to take public transportation or a cab if you want to go to the Barnes because it's out in the suburbs. It's a fabulous museum and will be moving to the Art Museum district in Philadelphia I think next year or in 2012. Be sure to reserve tickets ahead of time because it has limited hours open and limits the number of people who can be in there at one time.

If you're looking for less expensive, but nicer hotels, I would suggest the Hilton Garden Inn next to the Reading Terminal Market, or the Holiday Inn Express on Chestnut Street. They're both in walking distance of everything you want to see. You should also look into Club Quarters on Chestnut Street near 16th Street. I checked the prices there recently for a weekend in the city with my husband (we're out in the Philly suburbs) and it was $89/night. It's in a good location as well.

Hope this helps and GO PHILLIES!!!!

The information in the post above mine is 100% correct and accurate. If you decide to bid on Priceline, I'd try to stick with zone 3. I had a friend who used to bid on weekend stays in Center City all the time. He would usually get the Crowne Plaza at 18th and Market, or the Sheraton at 17th and Vine. Of those two, the Sheraton is the much better hotel, but the Crowne Plaza is in a good location.

If you are willing to stay in more of a B&B style hotel, you might consider the Alexander Inn at 12th and Spruce: http://www.alexanderinn.com/
It has a pretty good reputation and good rates.

Yup, the above posts are on the dot.
You want to be in Zone 3 if you want the touristy stuff.

Thanks, rittenhouseq and snod8 for your compliments. I lived near the Art Museum for 15 years, but then I got married and am out in Montgomery County now because my husband didn't want to pay city wage tax.

Cwerdna - have a great visit to the City of Brotherly Love. You might be here during the World Series, so I would book a hotel ASAP.:D

Cwerdna - have a great visit to the City of Brotherly Love. You might be here during the World Series, so I would book a hotel ASAP.:D
Hmm... I don't know jack about baseball, but my flight is schedule to depart Philly on 10/27, so it looks like I might be ok.

I originally planned my trip to be Seattle > Boston > NYC > Philly > Seattle, but the hotel room situation seems terrible (expensive) in NYC, so I might swap NYC and Philly. I can change my return flight to depart from NYC w/o any consequences... That would definitely make me clear of the World Series.