Hey guys, I'll be in Philly for the first time this weekend (Flyers and Eagles games) and I was wondering what's a good thing to do on the Saturday and maybe a cool place to eat, to go out as well. And being a huge tourist, where do I go for THE Philly cheesesteak?
if you'll be in center city, you might want to take in some of the historical sites and the like ... independence hall, the liberty bell, the constitution center, etc. there's a cool restaurant called Jones - http://www.jones-restaurant.com/ - at 7th and chestnut, which coincidentally is near all the historical stuff, or Triumph Brewing Company - http://www.triumphbrewing.com - which is on chestnut between front and 2nd streets. now, for the preeminent philly cheesesteak, head on down to pat's and/or geno's which are both in south philly near 9th and wharton.
You can watch Arsenal hang a 5 spot on ManUre at the Dark Horse on Sat morning at 7:45am. It will be a full house and a good place to get the hair of the dog going early in the AM... Their brekkie is tops. http://www.darkhorsepub.com/ Tony Lukes has great cheesesteaks too and more convenient to the sports complex... http://www.tonylukes.com/ But if you do go to Pat's & Geno's it's tradition for first timers to eat one steak (order it: "wiz-wit") from each place in a sitting. They are across the street from each other.
You can also check out the world's most famous set of stairs... www.philamuseum.org Visit the nations oldest zoo... www2.philadelphiazoo.org/ Check out a creepy place... http://www.easternstate.org/ Lose your appetite... http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp And Tony Luke's is probably the best cheesesteak.
Chink's is the best cheesesteak, but you won't be near it unless you come to the big SoB Independence playoff game this weekend Ditto what everyone else said...but if you're into beer I can make a few more suggestions. Eulogy is a great Belgian bar across from the aforementioned Triumph, or their sister bar Beneluxx on 3rd between Chestnut and Market has tons of beer, wine, cheese and chocolate for sale by the ounce, great way to try a bunch of stuff.
If you have a taste for the bizarre may I suggest the Mutter Museum of Medical Oddities located at 19 S. 22nd Street near downtown. They are open from 10 am to 5 pm every day and their phone number is 215-563-3737 ext 211. As for cheesesteaks, I would go to Jim's on South Street and I suggest that you eat their either some time way before or after you go to the museum.
Skip the overrated cheesesteak and head to Reading Terminal Market. Walk to the middle of the market, find DiNic's, and get a Roast Pork with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe. Get a whoopie pie (only a buck!) for dessert from Beiler's Bakery in the PA Dutch section of the market. If you hate dainty desserts and want stuff that'll stick to your ribs (and gut) then Beiler's is the place. If you are here on Saturday morning go to the Dutch Eating Place in the market for breakfast. Try Capogiro (2 locations in Center City) for some exceptional gelato. I 3rd the recommendation of the Mutter Museum.
Valley forge is just a little bit outside of philly if you have the time. if you are going ot the eagles game there are is a friendly tailgate that i'll be at. (if you are wearing giants garb expect to be teased a little bit) PM me and i'll let you know how to contact me. and they are friendly. i am a loudmouth cowboys fan and they accept me without any violence tony lukes is great, pat's and genos are tourist traps. wiz sucks!
DEFINATELY gotta make it to the Dark Horse if you're a real fan. I got there 30 mins prior to kick off last year thinking I beat the crowd, boy was I wrong. Hopefully the result is just as satisfying as last years last minute draw. Come on you Gunners!! PS- Habs suck! =D
Wait a sec, wasn't he coming from Montreal? That's French Canadian territory. He couldn't have gone to Geno's, Joey Vento wouldn't have let him order in his French-Canadian accent.
Thanks for all the advice. Quick summary: - Arrive late on Friday and say in Cherry Hill drinking by the riverside (kinda cool) - Saturday: walk around downtown, coffee at La Colombe, Mutter Museum, museum steps, cheesesteak at Pat's (Geno's was trying too hard - even googling "Pat's Cheesesteaks" returns Geno's) - Flyers game = ass, but cool bar at the WC - Out on South Street, at Fat Tuesday's, which was ridiculous, yet awesome - Breakfast at Friendly's on Sunday, followed by tailgate (epic), Eagles game (honestly, a bit blah), tail-tailgate and Cheerleaders (viva those 1$ bills, but the lapdances are too expensive!) 22 guys, no fights, one arrest and a lot of mayhem. Well done Philly.
dammit. we didn't warn you away from fat tuesdays...sorry. next time i'll make an effort to not be sick and to show you better bars on south st.
better bars on south street? that's a stretch ... i mean, MAYBE he could've gone to manny brown's and/or tattooed moms, but he should've gone to headhouse square and the dark horse/kildare's/the artful dodger/etc.
South Street is teh_ suck, unless you're in high school, are/were really, really into your frat/sorority, or have no sense of culture.
JC Dobbs!!! (Right after I go to Zipperhead to buy a black/white checkered pin for my stone washed jean jacket.)
What can I say? It was a trashy weekend. A local pointed us to the pub strip downtown, but there was too great a number wanting to keep it "safe" by going on South St. And I tell tourists in MTL to avoid the tourist strip, but they invariably have fun, so...
actually that's exactly what i was thinking (minus kildare's. it's just too trendy for me) i love tatooed moms. and don't forget mako's. there's nothing like a bar that you can smell blood and sweat in. i always take people to south st. and we always have a lot of fun. i love doing bar crawls along the st. you get to make fun of some very interesting people.
Apparently, with NBA attendance #s coming out, going to a Sixers game isn't something to do in Philly.