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What is the best walking tour of Philadelphia?

Walking-around recommendations for downtown Philadelphia?

  • Walking-around recommendations for downtown Philadelphia? I'm going to a four-day conference at https://maps.google.com/maps?q=pennsylvania+convention+center&fb=1&gl=us&hq=pennsylvania+convention+center&cid=0,0,5666902858699612134&t=m&z=16&iwloc=A in Philadelphia. Events end daily around 5ish, and I'd love some recommendations for things to do within walking distance, especially: Quiet coffeeshops for reading Chill bars for a quiet drink, local beer Sushi, Indian food, bakeries, awesome local food I've not visited the area before, so any tips or suggestions are welcome. I will not have access to a car, is public transportation easy to use?

  • Answer:

    Man, I used to take everyon who came to my house for a walking tour of Philadelphia that went right by the convention centre. If we rotate things a bit, then the first stop is Reading Terminal Market which is right there. From there, you will head east on Market into old city, taking note of the Constitution Centre and peering in through the window at the Liberty Bell Museum (seriously, you can see it through the window, don't stand in line. Directly to the south, clearly visible across the commons, is Independence Hall. There is an optional detour at this point where you can keep going east. There is a pretty neat (and free) Benjamin Franklin museum at the site of his old house at 3rd and Market. After taking that in, you can walk down 2nd Street to Walnut and take in the strangeness of a club district in the middle of old city, one of the most historical sites in the USA. go east on Walnut to Front St. and then Down Front to South, admiring still more of old city. South Street, you will take west from Front to 7th. This was once the coolest part of Philly, though it has started to lose its shine. Even so, there are plenty of pubs and tattoo shops and record stores and whatnot and it's still pretty cool. Heading north on 7th, you will run into Washington Square park, which is one of the four big parks marking the original boundaries of the city. Thousands of unidentified soldiers from the revolutionary war are buried in unmarked graves under this park and so it has a reputation for being haunted. There is an eternal flame which warrants a moment of silence. Exit the park through the north East corner and head up 6th street to Chestnut. Independence hall will be on your right. Detour over. Take in Independence hall, and admire the statue of whatshisname the commodore who founded the U.S. Navy. From here you will head south one street to Sansom and then west on Sansom Street, passing through the oldest diamond district in America and then past many of the trendiest dining and drinking spots in the city. You will cross Broad Street, being sure to look north and take in the majesty of City Hall, and then stop in for a pint of microbrew at the Nodding Head (15th and Sansom). At this point you will head north one street again and find your self on Chestnut. Walking west along Chestnut, you will pass though some very upscale boutique shopping areas before eventually finding yourself at 20th street. You will stop there and get a sandwich at Primo Hoagies. It is the only real hoagie and surely you are tired after all that walking. If you want, you can buy a can of beer at the takeaway next door and then eat and drink on the steps of the church one block west. Keep going west two more block to 22nd street. Head north and seriously consider stopping in at the Mutter Museum (on 22nd between Chestnut and Market). If you only see one museum in Philadelphia, this is the one to see. Continuing north up 22nd will bring you to Benjamin Franklin Parkway in the perfect position to admire the stunning architecture of the Art Museum. You're not going to the Art Museum today though, not after all that walking. If art museums are your thing, it needs at least a day on it's own. Instead, turn southeast and walk back towards City Hall. Take note of all the great sculpture, fountains and statuary along the international way. Soon enough you will find yourself at City Hall. It's really something. Walk into the courtyard, admire the masonry. Then head out the east side and, what do you know, you're back where you started. It's been a good day.

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Oh and I should second Monk's, which is awesome if beer is more your thing than cocktails; ditto for Tria for wine and cheese. (And I see I should give supercres credit for mentioning the Franklin and Capo Giro first as well! Clearly I am redundant,)

mlle valentine

Public transportation is easy enough to use (still token based, as Philly is in the dark ages) but the subway is pretty limited in where it goes. At the convention center, you will be close to Chinatown, where the only restaurant I can speak for is http://www.eatatvietnam.com/vietnam_restaurant.php, which I quite enjoy. You will also be right at http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/about/, which is a definite Philly highlight. If you're interested in the history part, you will also be close to the Liberty Bell/Independence Hall/Constitution Center, etc.

pitrified

I work in center city - can't help too much with specific coffeeshops and bars but I'll try and orient you to the neighborhoods around the Convention Center. Hopefully others will have more specific suggestions. Convention center is at 12th and Arch, more or less. Definitely go to the Reading Terminal Market during the day, great place for lunch. After 5 PM, these are the 3 areas I'd try that are close by. 1) I'd suggest walking a few blocks south - cross Market St. and Chestnut St., you're not going to find too much there. After that the streets will be Sansom, Walnut, Locust, Spruce. You should find a lot of places in that area, from 13th, 12th and continuing to around 10th or so. There are some Indian restaurants along Walnut and maybe Locust but I can't vouch for how good they are. 2) A little longer walk (but less than a mile) is the Rittenhouse Square area already mentioned. This starts around Broad St to past 19th St. from Walnut and continuing south several blocks. Lots of restaurants, bars, and coffeeshops all over the place. 3) Another slightly longer walk (but also less than a mile) is Old City. Go to Market St and head east (the numbered streets get lower heading East). Lots of bars and restaurants are concentrated in this area from about 4th to 2nd St., a few blocks on either side of Market. There's an Indian restaurant I like at 2nd and Chestnut called Karma. You can't go wrong with taking a walk in any of these areas - you should stumble on some great places. In all these neighborhoods I'm always seeing cool looking coffeeshops but since I'm not a coffee drinker I can't remember exactly where. Oh, and as someone mentioned - you'll be very close to Chinatown, which begins just a block or two from the Convention Center. And yes, public transportation is easy to use if you wanted to go a bit farther. There's a subway line that runs under Market St and good bus service. Google "Septa" for some maps, that's the name of the transit system.

daikon

That is not a good area after 5. (Just not much to do.) You should go to another area and cab back. (Vietnam is the best walking-distance restaurant I can think of. Hop Sing Laundry just opened in Chinatown and is supposed to have good cocktails. Probably crowded though.) Northern Liberties is good, but getting a little bro-ish on weekends. The can't-go-wrong bar there is Standard Tap. Meets all your bar requirements. Make sure you sit upstairs for the ultimate in relaxation. North Third is good too. I've never heard of the one Sara C mentioned but I haven't frequented NL in a while. Avoid Old City on weekends (basically gets annexed by Jersey), but on weeknights, National Mechanics is great. Han Dynasty is amazing Sichuan. Eulogy has uncountable beers and solid Belgian pub grub. Center City is not terribly large, but bars are hit-or-miss. Monk's is a definite hit. Franklin Mortgage has amazing cocktails. Village Whiskey (a Garces joint) has great burgers and copious whiskey. Tria is a good wine and snacks bar, with a few excellent beer selections. I went to its West Philly sibling today for dinner. Make sure you have some Capo Giro gelato. I find Stephen Starr restaurants to be overrated. Any bar is going to be pretty relaxed on a weeknight but bustling on the weekend. Lots of coffee shops serve La Colombe coffee. The actual La Colombe shop is usually quite crowded. Ultimo has arguably displaced it for great beans, but that's way out of your way. For Indian I like Indian Restaurant (yep, really) and Tiffin. Neither especially close, but both will prob deliver to you. Karma is good too. If you venture to West Philly (bus or trolley is your best bet, but be sure to plan your return in advance; SEPTA website or Google maps are indispensable) Local 44 and Dock Street are great. Dock Street have their own brews and Local 44 has an attached bottle shop now. Avoid cheesesteak Vegas (Pat's/Geno's). Not worth it. I would also avoid South Street, but that's just me and I'm a misanthrope.

supercres

http://thefranklinbar.com/ makes the best cocktails in Philly in my opinion. Pretty quiet (speakeasy-style) but could be a wait. http://capogirogelato.com is the best for gelato and you can also sit at a table with coffee. I have become really fond of http://nookbakeryandcoffee.com/ for a relaxing coffee or tea and pastries. Reading Terminal is really the best place for pastries though--check out Flying Monkey, for instance. Walk around Chinatown for the food; my friends are fond of http://www.phillychinatown.com/rangoon.htm.

mlle valentine

(Ah, but it was worth it for the Rangoon mention, which I somehow forgot. I don't get up the way as much as I'd like!)

supercres

Reading Terminal, definitely! The http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/merchants/view/40 (Amish, obviously, not low-country) is cheap and great. Mmmm, the homemade butter.

supercres

usonian

Coffeeshop: http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-colombe-philadelphia, Rittenhouse Square. Chill Bar: I loved http://www.yelp.com/biz/liberties-philadelphia in Northern Liberties, but it's not really walking distance from the Convention Center. But it was super relaxed and authentic with old dark wood fixtures and super-cheap beers. Including a lot of interesting local stuff. I believe they also had the Phillies game on when I was there? The cheesteak burger (blasphemy, I'm sure) is one of the best cheeseburgers I have ever had in my entire life.

Sara C.

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