Mid-Atlantic - 7 1/2 hours in Philadelphia

I have a stopover of about 7 1/2 hours in Philadelphia (from DFW arr. 10.35 dep. 18.20 sunday 12/4/2011), I've checked SEPTA website, it takes 30 minutes from PHL to city center. Is it worth going downtown for more or less 4 hours? What must I see there? I have a USA passport, also if I live abroad, so I imagine no problems leaving airport.
Thanks alot for any suggestions!

I have a stopover of about 7 1/2 hours in Philadelphia (from DFW arr. 10.35 dep. 18.20 sunday 12/4/2011), I've checked SEPTA website, it takes 30 minutes from PHL to city center. Is it worth going downtown for more or less 4 hours? What must I see there? I have a USA passport, also if I live abroad, so I imagine no problems leaving airport.
Thanks alot for any suggestions!

If you are arriving from DFW, there is no passport check on arrival.

Yes, four hours is plenty of time to get out of the airport to center city Philly.
Plenty to do, lots of places to eat.

Tell us what you would like to do (particular cuisines? history stuff? other activities?).
Suggest you get off Market East Station. Walk on market street to the Independence Hall area. See the Bell. Then walk back on Chestnut Street.
Lots of nice restaurants on that street. have a nice lunch.
See City Hall.
Get back to airport from train at Suburban Station (near City Hall) and get to airport.

Or if you want, you can visit Little Italy...a little further away.
etc.

it will likely be cold that time in Philly. Have enough winter wear.

Snod08, thanks for your response. I'd like to taste a cheesesteak sandwich or/and a hoagie, so I'll have more time to visit the city.

Philadelphia person here: as snod08 mentioned, get off at the Market Street station. It's the last stop in Center City (what we call downtown Philly) after 30th Street Station and Suburban Station.

If you want to get a taste of everything historic, I would suggest taking one of the hop-on, hop-off bus tours because they will take you outside of the historic district and down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the museum district (Art Museum, Natural History Museum, Rodin Museum, Franklin Institute, etc.). If you want to visit Independence Hall (which I highly recommend), you need tickets to get in. They're free and you can get them by going to the Independence Visitor Center. I would suggest reserving them in advance because tickets are usually gone by noon. It costs US$1.50 to reserve the tickets, but it's worth it if you want to be sure you can get it. You can reserve them here: http://www.nps.gov/inde/independence-hall.htm

Right now, they're predicting nice weather for next weekend: sunny and high temperature about 49F; a little cool, but not unpleasant.

You have to try all the Philly foods: cheesesteak, soft pretzel, and water ice.

Enjoy your visit to the City of Brotherly Love!

In addition to any suggestions you get here, check out the following:http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-airways-dividend-miles/958317-us-guide-phl-philadelphia-airport.html

+1 for Independence Hall; would be shame not to visit.

The National Mint is also around the corner and might be worth a look, to see all the coins roll off the lines.

Alternate suggestions: on a visit a few years back I popped up the City Hall Tower (think you need to reserve in advance?) and Eastern State Penitentiary was also interesting, if you like that sort of thing.....

I had a decent cheesesteak in Reading Terminal Market just by Market St station, at Rick's, but I gather this may now have closed?

Thanks again for all the information, I had a pleasant afternoon in Philly!

No problems. But spill the beans; what did you get up to in the end?

drscoop: Rick's closed in the Reading Terminal Market due to a lease dispute.

During the day, I think it would be worth a trip to Reading Terminal market near Market East station, one of the 3 main train stations airport train will go to. From there it is a short walk to Independence Mall and Hall, and the historic area as well.

http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/

During the day, I think it would be worth a trip to Reading Terminal market near Market East station, one of the 3 main train stations airport train will go to. From there it is a short walk to Independence Mall and Hall, and the historic area as well.

http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/

For those who see this thread in the future, the Airport SEPTA line stops at Market East, which is 1 block from Reading Terminal Market. The Amish merchants for the most part are open only Wed thru Sat, but the market itself (including a number of food options) is open 7 days.

Going to Philly in 2 weeks time with work - will be staying in lansdale around 20 miles outside city I believe - have some downtime on the sunday so am thinking of going into the city that day.
What are your suggestions/
Also can someone explain about the Eastern State Penitentiary - sounds bizzare to be able to visit a penitentiary - what do you see there - I am intrigued!!.
I fly home on late flight to LHR on the thursday at 22;00 hours - I will have the whole day - would it best to head into Philly city centre the night before from lansdale to stay in there - will be finished work around 7pm or so. - if so can anyone recommend a nice city centre hotel or district that is best to stay in as it will be my first time in Philly
^

Going to Philly in 2 weeks time with work - will be staying in lansdale around 20 miles outside city I believe - have some downtime on the sunday so am thinking of going into the city that day.
What are your suggestions/
Also can someone explain about the Eastern State Penitentiary - sounds bizzare to be able to visit a penitentiary - what do you see there - I am intrigued!!.
I fly home on late flight to LHR on the thursday at 22;00 hours - I will have the whole day - would it best to head into Philly city centre the night before from lansdale to stay in there - will be finished work around 7pm or so. - if so can anyone recommend a nice city centre hotel or district that is best to stay in as it will be my first time in Philly
^

Cant help with the penetentiary.

however, the best thing to do would be to move to Philly City center the night your work gets over. Lansdale would be inconvenient for you that last day,
Stay around the City Hall area. Plenty of hotel options. And most of the main attractions in walking distance....or you can buy a ticket for that trolley ride (I think 5$ for unlimited rides (pickup/dropoff) at the main attractions.

Once you are done, you can take the train from Suburban Station straight to the airport terminal...its a 25 minute ride.

Hope you dont get snow at the time of your visit!!!

Thanks for info - esp about the snow warning!!! - I never even thought of bad weather. Just looked weather up on weather.com and its -4 deg celsius currently in Philly. I have just assumed with the fab mild weather we are enjoying in Ireland at the mo that the whole world is experiencing the same!!!

Thanks for info - esp about the snow warning!!! - I never even thought of bad weather. Just looked weather up on weather.com and its -4 deg celsius currently in Philly. I have just assumed with the fab mild weather we are enjoying in Ireland at the mo that the whole world is experiencing the same!!!

good luck!

stick to center city for your one day trip.

Take a tour of City Hall. Mon-Fri at 12:30. I think it lasts about an hour. Beautiful building and you can take the elevator up to the statue of Ben Franklin, largest statue on a building anywhere (or so I've read).

Definitely move to the city. Depending upon your interests consider visiting the PA Academy of Fine Arts; Philadelphia Museum of Art or you could visit the University of Pennsylvania Museum and/or the Institute of Contemporary Art adjacent to the University of Pennsylvania in west Philly. If you opt for west Philly, be sure to eat lunch or dinner at the White Dog cafe on Sansom Street close to the Institute of Contemporary Art. Septa Trains to the airport leave from 30th Street station or the Penn station (not sure of its exact name) near the University of Penn Museum.

Also can someone explain about the Eastern State Penitentiary - sounds bizzare to be able to visit a penitentiary - what do you see there - I am intrigued!!.


........ - if so can anyone recommend a nice city centre hotel or district that is best to stay in as it will be my first time in Philly
^

I stayed at the Marriott by the convention center and Reading Terminal Market. It's steps away from city hall and walkable to the penitentiary, but it is a bit of a stroll. It's also close to El Vez, which is a pretty good Mexican restaurant and great for people watching. (Grab a house Maragrita, chill and watch!)

As for the penitentiary, it's worth noting this is an old disused facility which used to hold Al Capone. If I recall correctly, it was the first hub-and-spoke pattern prison inthe world. Look out for the red ironworks etc, which show the various escape routes used over the years. Have a peek at www.easternstate.org. (I also have some photos from my visit here (http://www.thejordans.org.uk/stochastic/arch/arch-gal.htm).

Would also recommend Independence Hall and the surrounding area. At the risk of being controversial, as a Brit it's interesting to see where the (then) British declated independence from, erm, the British! :D (Only kidding!)



Hope this helps! Post back if you want more info.

I agree with drscoop regarding eating at El Vez. The food is great.

Also can someone explain about the Eastern State Penitentiary - sounds bizzare to be able to visit a penitentiary - what do you see there - I am intrigued!!.eastern state is a great idea. Not sure I would walk to it from City Hall, though.

. Septa Trains to the airport leave from 30th Street station or the Penn station (not sure of its exact name) near the University of Penn Museum.

SEPTA trains to airport stop at Market East Station, Suburban station and 30thStreet station.
Suburban is closest to city hall.; Market East just a shade further.

Septa Trains to the airport leave from 30th Street station or the Penn station (not sure of its exact name) near the University of Penn Museum.
University City would be the Septa station closest to the museum. link (http://septa.org/schedules/rail/pdf/air.pdf)

Going to Philly in 2 weeks time with work - will be staying in lansdale around 20 miles outside city I believe - have some downtime on the sunday so am thinking of going into the city that day.
FYI Lansdale to City Center is a minimum 1 hour by road or transit. It isn't so much the distance as the roads; much of the trip would be on local, slow roads. And try hard to avoid Broad Street if you're driving into the city, I know google maps and most GPS systems send you that way, but it's a slow, congested city street with suicidal pedestrians who stroll against the light, in front of 4 lanes of oncoming traffic, and magically expect it all to stop for them. 309 to Easton to Lincoln to Ridge to Kelly is the nicest route from you're staying.

http://www.visitphilly.com/ has a calendar of events for the area.

Take a tour of City Hall. Mon-Fri at 12:30. I think it lasts about an hour. Beautiful building and you can take the elevator up to the statue of Ben Franklin, largest statue on a building anywhere (or so I've read).



It is the largest statue on top of a building but it's William Penn. I think the tour stopped going to the lookout area at the base of the statue after 9-11.

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0g0ngXydkXbKy/340x.jpg

It is the largest statue on top of a building but it's William Penn. I think the tour stopped going to the lookout area at the base of the statue after 9-11.


I was able to get up to the gallery on the tour back in Summer 2007; not sure if this is still the case.

It is the largest statue on top of a building but it's William Penn. I think the tour stopped going to the lookout area at the base of the statue after 9-11.

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0g0ngXydkXbKy/340x.jpg

Oops, my mistake, tks for the correction!

Going to Philly in 2 weeks time with work - will be staying in lansdale around 20 miles outside city I believe - have some downtime on the sunday so am thinking of going into the city that day.
What are your suggestions/
Also can someone explain about the Eastern State Penitentiary - sounds bizzare to be able to visit a penitentiary - what do you see there - I am intrigued!!.
I fly home on late flight to LHR on the thursday at 22;00 hours - I will have the whole day - would it best to head into Philly city centre the night before from lansdale to stay in there - will be finished work around 7pm or so. - if so can anyone recommend a nice city centre hotel or district that is best to stay in as it will be my first time in Philly
^

I would go in the night before. There is a commuter rail line from Lansdale into Center City Philadelphia that takes about 40 minutes. You can get off at either Suburban Station (16th and Market) or Market East (12th and Market). The former is in a better area, but both are fine. Market East is near the Convention Center and adjacent to the historic Reading Terminal Market (great place to get Philly comfort food) and closer to the historic district. Both have lots of good hotels cloe-by (Westin, 4 Seasons, Rittenhouse, Sofitel, Kimpton near 16th) (Loews, Marriott near 12th). Better shopping near Suburban Station on the Walnut Street betweeen 15th and 19th. When going to the Airport, you can take the train to the airport, about 25-30 minutes.

I's agree with the suggestions to head into the city the night before.

If you're into microbrews and you have a car, on one of your evenings in the area, you might want to consider driving out to Downingtown to visit Victory Brewing and have a beer or two, along with some munchies.

May I revive this thread?

We're going to Philadelphia for a few days in July - have never been and have an earnest interest in its historical relevance so will visit Independence Hall for sure. Have also heard quite a bit of clamor about the Barnes Collection so will plan to see that.

Four Seasons there seems to have iffy reviews so we reserved at the Rittenhouse. Is that a good move?

We'll be there three or four nights and we're looking for good restaurants. Many of the highly rated ones seem to be BYOB's which strikes me as a bit odd and as visitors we won't know where to go to buy wine so I think we're looking for full-service restaurants. We will have a car but unless there's a compelling reason to get in it, we'd probably rather go to places within walking distance.

Appreciate any suggestions.

We'll be there three or four nights and we're looking for good restaurants. Many of the highly rated ones seem to be BYOB's which strikes me as a bit odd and as visitors we won't know where to go to buy wine
Pennsylvania's bizarro liquor laws and the difficulty of getting a liquor license in Philadelphia mean that the city has a disproportionate number of excellent BYOs. I would look at this as an opportunity rather than a disadvantage--you can eat a lot cheaper this way.

Buying wine is pretty simple, as you can do it only in one place: a state store (http://www.finewineandgoodspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/FindStoreView?catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&langId=-1&latitude=undefined&longitude=undefined). The one closest to the Rittenhouse is two blocks from the hotel at 1913 Chestnut St.

The Philadelphia board on Chowhound (http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/80) is quite active and should be a good source of ideas for you. Don't be afraid to leave the immediate vicinity; taxis and public transit are pretty easy, and a lot of the best restaurants are in the more up-and-coming areas, not the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood.

May I revive this thread?

We're going to Philadelphia for a few days in July - have never been and have an earnest interest in its historical relevance so will visit Independence Hall for sure. Have also heard quite a bit of clamor about the Barnes Collection so will plan to see that.

Four Seasons there seems to have iffy reviews so we reserved at the Rittenhouse. Is that a good move?

We'll be there three or four nights and we're looking for good restaurants. Many of the highly rated ones seem to be BYOB's which strikes me as a bit odd and as visitors we won't know where to go to buy wine so I think we're looking for full-service restaurants. We will have a car but unless there's a compelling reason to get in it, we'd probably rather go to places within walking distance.

Appreciate any suggestions.

You'll be staying about two blocks from me, so I certainly know the neighborhood. The Rittenhouse Hotel is an excellent choice with amazing personal service, and the location right on the Square can't be beat.
Regarding dining: There are so many choices within a few blocks of your hotel. French Food? Go to PARC - right across the Square from your hotel. Also great place for an afternoon cocktail outside.
The Dandelion Pub, about two blocks away (at 18th and Sansom) is a surprisingly authentic British Pub.
Italian? La Castagna, on the 1900 Block of Chestnut (again about two blocks) serves good northern Italian food.
For a really good BYOB, I'd recommend Audrey Claire at 20th and Spruce Streets.

As a poster above noted, you can get wine on the 1900 block of Chestnut; it's open until 9:30 M-Sa and 5PM on Sunday.
There are so many other options and the concierge at the Rittenhouse can help you out.
All the best shopping is on Walnut Street, from your hotel heading east toward Broad St.
Enjoy this wonderful neighborhood!

Thank you both so much for the suggestions.

I did make a note of Parc when I was looking through restaurants on TripAdvisor so I'll make a reservation there. And knowing where there's a nearby place to buy wine is very helpful!

Really looking forward to soaking up a bit of history in Philly!