Ross Sutherland

Hi there.

I'm currently in New Orleans visiting friends and I'm returning to Scotland via PHL on Sunday August 5th and yep you guessed it, I have a layover... Of 7 hours and 45 minutes which would be a source of frustration and dismay to many but I want to make the most of it that I can, And yes I want to be the cliched tourist

I'm trying to do some research on the best way to go about this, so far I've established that it will cost me $14 to get from the Airport to the city and back.

Here's what I've come up with so far...

Get the train to Suburban station, from there walk to Art Museum ( Rocky steps lol ) then walk back down Ben Franklin PKWY and make my way towards the Liberty bell.... Obviously I wanna eat a cheese steak, I mean what tourist doesn't and I think I've narrowed it down to Geno's or Denic's... Other than this I'm clueless as to what else I can do.

Any help would be massively appreciated ^ Cheers

bitburgr

good for you! And if do all that walking, you will be tired for your trip home.

Some things to do listed in this thread...http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-ai...a-airport.html

There is a cheesesteak thread in this forum. Haven't heard of De Nics. But if you are walking to Genos, I would suggest walking through the Italian Market (I think Rocky ran through it on as part of his training run).

Also, if you go to Genos, you could go across the street to Pats and try both.

sushanna1

Depending upon the day and the time of day, if you take the train to Suburban Station, you can stop in Reading Terminal Market before or after returning to the airport. See http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/

rittenhousesq

If you are going to Reading Terminal, better to get off the train at Market East Station (next stop). This is where Dinics that the OP mentions in their post is located (and if you go expect to wait in a long line - but totally worth it!).

Back to the OP: You can walk from Suburban Station to the Art Museum in about 20 minutes, but to go to the Liberty Bell from the art museum you might want to consider grabbing a cab or taking the EL (subway a.k.a Blue Line that runs under Market St.).
Or of you have time, after the art museum, walk back down the parkway to Logan Circle to check out the fountain and then walk south on 19th St to Rittenhouse Square (beautiful urban park in the city's most posh neighborhood). From there you can walk back two blocks to Chestnut St., and catch a bus (they run every few minutes) down to the Liberty Bell.

Also going from the Liberty Bell to the Italian market area (where the most famous Cheese Steak places are located) is not really walking distance either, probably best to grab a cab - have them drop you off at 9th and Washington - explore the Italian market and then walk to Genos or Pats. As an alternative, try Jim's Steaks on South St.

travelmad478

Are you aiming to actually go into the Art Museum, or just walk up the steps? If you are into the museum thing, then I would urge you to take in the Barnes Foundation (instead of the Philly Art Museum). It's recently moved to Philadelphia from the suburb where it used to be, and by all accounts the new facility is fantastic. The collection is absolutely unmatched.

Ross Sutherland

Thanks for all the advice, I'm really physically fit and active so unless there's any specific reasons not walk (ie) safety then I'm quite happy to do so.

I'm open to all suggestions I'm just trying to figure out what order I should do these things in. I'll have a good 4 hours to enjoy Philly so I'm pretty open to any further suggestions.

Again thanks ^

Philatravelgirl

A bit late to the game here all of the above are great suggestions -Philly is a great walking city- with the anticipated weather and your time, I'd suggest train to market east, reading terminal lunch, get a cab to the art museum steps run up/down the go to the Barnes collection it's fantastic! cab to the liberty bell (you can see it from outside if you don't want to wait in line) then walk to constitution center and then walk back to market east (12th/market) back to airport with a stop for gelato at Capogiro on 13th/sansom or back to the market for a Bassett turkey sandwich and Amish treats for the flight home - Cheers!

CDTraveler

I realize you land in Philly later today, but just in case you're checking FT before you get here:

1. The weather is currently vile. Very hot, very muggy and a forecast of thunder showers for the afternoon. Walking down the the Parkway from the Art Museum to Independence Hall would be a misery in this weather, and much of the way is just not that scenic. Yesterday (August 4) our neighborhood had 45 minutes of intense rain, and tomorrow will likely have a similar shower.

2. 4 hours is not enough to do what you suggest if you walk. I'd change the order to start at Market East, get food, stroll to Independence Hall, transit to Art Museum and then enjoy the steps, the plaza area and the fountain as you walk back to Suburban Station for SEPTA to airport. There are 4 (5?) museums in the immediate area, so if the rain hits, any of those would be a time filler. However the Barnes Museum may still be requiring advanced ticket purchase due to crowds.

3. On SEPTA, ask for an Independence Pass - unlimited rides for one price - if those are valid to the airport. You can buy it from the conductor. $11, I believe.

4. My experience of the Reading Terminal Market food is that it is better earlier in the day than in the late afternoon. YMMV.

mhnadel

If you like to walk and the weather is nice, I recommend continuing up Ben Franklin Parkway past the Art Museum through the gardens and Boathouse Row. That's one of the nicest urban walks in the U.S. in my opinion.

If you have time, I also highly recommend the Magic Garden on South Street. This is a mosaic project, not a garden per se, and is an amazing work of art. There are ways to make it cost something, but you can see a lot for free.