PHILADELPHIA-Got 48 hours to explore
Philadelphia? Reuters correspondents with local knowledge give
tips on how to make the most out of a short stay in one of
America's most historic cities.
FRIDAY
6 p.m. - For a pre-dinner beer or two, check
out the Nodding Head Brewery and Restaurant in Center City. It's
one of a number of independent local breweries that is helping
to restore Philadelphia's reputation as a center for craft beer
making.
8 p.m. - The Tin Angel, a cozy second-floor
live-music venue near the busy corner of Second and Market
Streets, regularly hosts nationally known artists. Past acts
have included Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, and Richie
Havens. It's joined with the Serrano restaurant.
SATURDAY
10 a.m. - Time to see the sights. The Liberty
Bell is Philadelphia's most famous historic landmark. The
cracked bell was rung on July 8, 1776 to summon the people of
Philadelphia to a reading of the newly written Declaration of
Independence. It's in a special pavilion on Independence Mall,
the center of Philadelphia's historic area.
11 a.m. - Independence Hall. Within walking
distance of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall was where the
Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776 and the
US Constitution drafted in 1787. The National Park Service
provides free tours on a first-come-first-served basis. At the
other end of Independence Mall is the National Constitution
Center, housing a permanent exhibition on the US Constitution.
1 p.m. - Reading Terminal Market. It is a
bustling city-center food emporium where you can buy anything
from bagels to brisket to bananas, as well as prepared food from
many nations. Grab lunch in the no-frills food court and watch
the world go by.
2 p.m. - South Street. A potpourri of some
300 shops and around 60 restaurants, cafes and bars, this street
between Front and Seventh claims to have something for everyone,
and is lively day and night. It also has fringe theater and live
music venues.
4 p.m. - Time to try a cheesesteak.
Philadelphia's most famous culinary offering consists of a
torpedo roll filled with shredded beef and melted cheese and is
served by many long-established restaurants that all claim to
make the authentic steak. They include Geno's in South
Philadelphia which has drawn national attention, and some
criticism, for its sign instructing customers to speak English
when ordering.
6 p.m. - Make room for dinner and take a
walking tour of the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia's main classical
music concert hall beneath its distinctive glass roof. A few
blocks away, on one side of the elegant Rittenhouse Square, it's
worth looking into the ornate lobby of the Curtis Institute of
Music where some of the world's most talented young musicians
are trained. Students sometimes give free concerts.
7 p.m. - Dinner time. Choices in a famously
foody city include - Pod: a futuristic restaurant on University
of Pennsylvania campus in West Philadelphia. You may be able to
choose your own "pod" (alcove) or eat in the main restaurant
serving "contemporary pan-Asian cuisine"
Le Bec Fin: venerable, elaborate, expensive
French restaurant that is consistently near the top of the
ratings in Philadelphia restaurant guides.
9 p.m. - Head to Warmdaddy's, a renowned
blues club and restaurant that has recently moved from its Front
Street location to a new space on Columbus Boulevard at Reed
Street. Taste the southern cooking while listening to a
selection of blues and soul.
SUNDAY
10 a.m. - For brunch try the Marathon Grill,
a popular deli/coffee shop chain with five locations in central
and west Philadelphia. It serves eggs, sandwiches, salads and a
range of brunch fare.
11:30 a.m. - Fairmount Park's Japanese House.
Amid one of America's largest urban park systems, the house is a
replica of a dwelling that would have been occupied by an
aristocrat or senior official in the 16th century. If the
weather permits, take a walk around the nearby gardens.
12:30 p.m. - Visit the boat houses, the homes
for the city's many rowing crews, which are lined up on the east
bank of the Schuylkill River a short way north of the Art
Museum. Stroll past and take in sweeping views of the river and
its rowers that inspired the 19th-century painter Thomas Eakins.
2 p.m. - Take a tour of City Hall. This
national historic landmark is the world's tallest masonry
building, and with almost 700 rooms, the largest municipal
building in America.
Its ornate style, dating from 1871, stands
out from the bland modern office buildings and hotels that
surround it at the very heart of the city. With its statue of
William Penn on top, it was the tallest building in Philadelphia
until 1985 when a nearby skyscraper broke a gentleman's
agreement that no building in the city should be higher than
Billy Penn's hat.
4 p.m. - Philadelphia Museum of Art. One of America's largest
art museums, it contains some 225,000 works of art including
paintings, sculpture, textiles and metalwork. From the top of
the front steps you can look out over Benjamin Franklin Parkway
with City Hall at the other end. -Reuters
