TheAgitator.com
Philly Bleg
Monday, January 26th, 2009The Agitatrix and I will be spending a weekend in Philadelphia next week.
We have tickets to see Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt one night. But any reader ideas for restaurants, neighborhoods to see, good spots for photography, etc., would be swell.
You all usually come up with some terrific ideas. Thanks!
if you want to get a beer, these are the two best places:
http://www.bridgids.com
near the art museum
http://www.monkscafe.com
center city
it depends where the show is and / or where you’re staying
I haven’t lived there in a while, so I’ll hope others make better specific recommendations, but I would say:
1.) I liked the US Consitution museum/Nat’l Constitution Center
2.) Go to one of the great BYO restaurants. Bring your own wine, small or no corking fee. Philly is the best mid-range pricing restaurant city I’ve ever seen. There are so many layers of graft to get a liquor license that this pretty customer-friendly custom has evolved.
OK here goes: Monk’s Cafe has absurd numbers of great Belgian beers and great fries. Fergie’s is not too far away and also a cool pub. Both are walkable from Kimmel Center.
My wife and I visited Philly last fall (first time for both of us) and really liked it. Eating, we enjoyed Distrito and Lolita. Due to PA’s strange liquor law regime, you can’t buy alcohol at the latter, but you can buy a bottle of tequila at the liquor store around the corner, bring it in, and they will serve you one of several (fresh) margerita mixes to have with it. Also, there’s a great chocolate shop called Naked Chocolate right around the corner (from Lolita) for desert.
The Nodding Head is a good place to meet people and get tips on where to go (that’s how we found out about Lolita and Naked Chocolate).
The Mutter museum is worth an hour if you are into that sort of thing (medical oddities).
One tip: if you are relying on SEPTA to get around, make it a point to keep small bills handy. The token purchasing infrastructure is vintage ~1950 or so as far as I can tell. Some stations don’t even have vending machines, the manned booths (IIRC) don’t give out change, and there is NO WAY to get on the train with a debit card. You can buy subway tokens from some news vendors and bodegas, but by no means all of them (and it isn’t terribly fun to keep going in and out of them looking for tokens when you need them.)
On a foggy night, City Hall is hard to beat for a great photo.
Balko – you seem to be a fan of “urban decay.” Go check out Eastern State Penitentiary while you’re in Philly. It’s not your typical touristy B.S. It’s a 180 year old maximum security prison that was abandoned in 1971. It’s an awesome tour.
http://www.easternstate.org/
Allow me to touch off the cheeseasteak debate…I say Jim’s on South Street.
I’ll second Eastern State. Also, you can hit a 5-iron from there to Brigid’s. Art Museum – also close by – used to be free on Sundays and is really very good.
I third Eastern State. If you are out that way the Bishop’s Collar (on Fairmont) has good burgers. Monk’s Cafe has great beer and food. D’Mitri’s (3rd & Catharine) is a good Greek BYOB – New Wave Cafe is also good and across the street. 2nd Street in Northern Liberties has several good bars/restaurants. Around 9th & South there is a sculpture garden constructed out of scrap. If you’re down there you may want to get a cheese steak at Jim’s (I think it’s better than Pat’s or Geno’s).
Former Philadelphia resident here (though I moved 4 years ago).
Cheesesteaks: Tony Lukes in South Philly. Best in town. By far.
Definitely go to the US Constitution Museum. You get to write messages to put up on the wall at the end. Reading some of them can be mighty depressing though. Also go to Eastern State Penitentiary.
Bring an iPod, play the Rocky music, and run up the stairs of the Art Museum. Just because.
Old City is beautiful. Not sure how you’re getting up to Philly… if you’re going Amtrak from DC, just take any SEPTA train to Market East station and walk from there. The SEPTA trains are easy to get around on. Subway is too,
City Hall is pretty from the outside, though otherwise it’s only fun to imagine what you could get the Mayor to do with the money in your wallet. Though I’ve heard Mayor Nutter isn’t quite as bad as Mayor Street was in that respect.
And of course, take the Broad Street Line subway to its southernmost stop and step out into the great sports complex, home of your 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies. And your NFC Championship loser (:cry:) Philadelphia Eagles. Witness what a billion+ of taxpayer money gets you!
As a beer geek, I second Monk’s Cafe. I recommend their burger with goat cheese paired with their Flemish Sour Red Ale. It can get pretty damn busy on weekend nights, but what good place isn’t?
From a former Philly native.
In addition the the Eastern state penitentiary, check out the Mutter Museum. It’s a collection of medical oddities and surgical instruments/procedures. Absolutely worth it. (http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp)
As for the cheesesteaks…….Pats (though you wouldn’t be disappointed in Tony Lukes either)
My wife & I moved away from Philly in July. For at least a month we thought about Capogiro gelato every day. You have to go there at least once. Locations at 13th & Sansom and 20th & Sansom. Pricey but worth it.
and the art museum is free on sunday if you get in there before 11:00 am.
I lived in New Jersey as a kid and loved it when I got to go to Independence Hall.
If you have the time and ability to get out of Philadelphia proper, Washington Crossing Historical Area (in PA) and Washington Crossing State Park (NJ) are really cool, too.
Granted, they might be less cool now than they were to me when I was in elementary school :-)
You should see the “Dream Garden,” a stained glass mural by Tiffany and Maxfield Parrish. There was quite a controversy a while back when Steve Wynn proposed buying the piece and moving to Las Vegas. www dot gophila dot com/SEG/Dream_Garden/146.html
The Reading Terminal Market is worth visiting as well. Always abuzz with activity, lots of great food, and interesting wares available. I also enjoy Philly’s Chinatown, which is near the Reading Market.
Now that I’m at a computer instead of my phone, I can add some more:
The Franklin Fountain is also good for frozen treats, but I believe they close from January through March. Check them out if you’re in Philly in warmer months.
If you go to the Italian Market, Claudio’s has great fresh Mozzarella and Talutto’s has incredible fresh or frozen ravioli.
I’ve heard the Ben Franklin Museum is fun, but I haven’t been.
If the West Philadelphia Orchestra is playing, you might check them out. They play Balkan and Gypsy music, both brass-band and string styles. If you like Taraf de Haidouks or Kocani Orkestar, you might like WPO.
There are a lot of popular brunch places that tend to have huge lines. I say skip them and head to A Full Plate in Northern Liberties. They’re great for dinner, too. Soul/comfort food (but made by white Northerners) at reasonable prices.
Being vegetarian, I know nothing of cheese steaks (but you can still trust me on A Full Plate; the carnivores I’ve been there with have always enjoyed it).
Living in/around D.C., you probably don’t need to go out for Ethiopian food when traveling, but if you have the urge, try Abyssinia at 45th and Locust. Slow service, delicious and reasonably-priced food.
The Free Library often has great author appearances, and Rittenhouse Square or Fairmount Park’s Kelly Drive are good for people watching, weather permitting.
Tony Luke’s is the best. If you don’t feel like leaving South St. Jim’s is good, too.
I would check out Old Town. There is a punk/irish bar with good beers, great old school punk music and awesome bartenders. I cannot remember the name of the street or the bar but it is where all of the bars are in Old Town.
Not sure if it’s still there, but I dug Alma de Cuba when I ate there a few years back. Their ceviche’ is fantastic.
For beer, Eulogy is another good option. Lots of Belgians and right in the heart of old downtown.
I went to Philly last May and became a big fan of National Mechanics. It’s a funky dive-y bar with good food.
http://www.nationalmechanics.com/
I really liked going down to the waterfront across from the battleship, it’s a nice relaxing place to just read and watch the jogger people.
Have fun out there!
Suggestion: In a fair race, if your wife can run as fast as you, be certain she is wearing high heals when you go out at night.
Whatever you do…do NOT go to Pat’s or Geno’s for cheesesteaks. You can literally get a better cheesesteak at a pizza joint. Jim’s on South is good, and South St. has other funky places to walk and see. But Tony Lukes is worth the trip for the Roast Pork Italiano…get it and see. Reading Terminal is great. Indpendance Mall is wonderful as well as are the other options mentioned above (Art Museum & Old City). If you want history, Valley Forge NP is amazing, but a bit outside the city. The Art Museum, Boathouse Row and Kelly Drive are all great, but a bit cold in winter!
Since I went to undergrad in the area, I’ll take a shot at this:
1) Pats > Genos. “Wiz wit” — and don’t listen to those “Tony Lukes” or “Jim’s” people, they’re nuts.
2) Old City is always interesting.
3) Run up the steps of the art museum. Every tool who visits Philly has to do this. Make sure to dance around like Rocky when you get to the top.
4) The guy who mentioned Capogiro is spot on. Go there. Definitely.
Oh. Snap. I forgot about ice-skating at Penn’s Landing. Awesome. It’s an outdoor rink, they put in right on the river.
The agitatrix will think its romantic and stuff.
with John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett as the main course, I don’t think you can screw this weekend up…
Go to the Masonic Grand Lodge. 1 North Broad Street. The most beautiful building you’ll ever see.
Also on Market, about a block from city hall is the old John Wanamaker’s. It is now a Macy’s but they have the world’s largest pipe organ in it. Played twice daily!!
Radley,
I want to echo the encouragement you have recieved about going to a great BYOB place. The little Italian spots are amazing, and you’ll be blown away with how cheap it is. There’s a few good ones on (seemingly) every corner in the southwest part of center city.
The other spot I would reccommend is “The Good Dog Bar” http://www.gooddogbar.com/. It’s literally a 3 minute walk from city hall in the middle of town. Get the grilled cheese sandwich. This might sound weird, but it comes with cooked apples inside and it’s TREMENDOUS! They also have tons of PBR.
And speaking of PBR, there is a place called “Bob and Barbara’s” that is one block west from Broad street on South street (in the 1500 block). They have great live jazz AND…. they have literally 300 pieces of PBR paraphenelia all over the bar, including old timey magazine ads featuring Gregory Peck and Bob Hope endorsing delicious, yummy PBR.
I miss Philly.
When you go to Reading Terminal Market, stop by Fisher’s Pretzels in the Amish section. Put both mustard and Cheez Whiz on your pretzel. Eat. Repeat.
I spent two of the worst years of my life in Greater Philadelphia, but the thought of a Fisher’s pretzel fills me with joy.
I completely second Monks at 16th & Spruce (post #1) … besides great beers, their fries and steamed mussels are incredible. The same people do good work here (closer to U City):
.: http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=8163
And if you’re looking for casual, but swank (at fair prices), try either one of Tria’s two locations, or even better is Twenty Manning off of Rittenhouse Square; both places — in Center Center — serve up a great wine selection & good bites.
Agree w/ recs to try a BYO (as the Freakonomics blog recently pointed out) . Divan Turkish Kitchen used to be one of these; now they’ll sell you wine or charge a $10 cork fee. Great food. Also wanted to third the recommendation for Capogiro.
For consistently amazing Indonesian home-cooking, although lost in the depths of South Philly and certainly nothing to look at, is Hardena. Should not be missed.
Other popular choices (google searchable I’m sure): Pif, Marakesh, Figs, Audrey Clare, Lolita. Morimoto’s for the high rollers. Couple of Italian places around I really liked, but I forgot the names. Stay away from Monks – despite the excellent mussells, burgers, and beer list, it’s jam packed full of chach-balls. Good Dog (as someone else has pointed out) has better burgers, but is also pretty crowded (though it’s a better sort of crowd). You can get a quieter beer with the bike messengers at Doobies or Grace Tavern. You might catch TB though.
Probably forgetting things. Comparative disadvantages: Japanese, Chinese, Indian food.
cheesesteak debate
pats/geno: people love them if they have been eating them their entire life, they love it, because its what they’ve always had
jim’s or tony lukes if you are not from philly, its the better steak if you arent marinating it in nostalgia
I’ll also 2nd or 3rd Monk’s, The Nodding Head and Bridgid’s, all of which are great. But the best meal I’ve had ever was at Amada (www.amadarestaurant.com) If you want to go there, make a res now. The chef/owner (Jose Garces) won on Iron Chef a couple months ago. He also owns Tinto (www.tintorestaurant.com) and Distrito, which someone mentioned earlier. Tinto is great, I ate there last night, and it may be easier to get a reservation. I prefered Amada, but they were very similar.
Also, there are two good jazz clubs, Chris’ Jazz Cafe (http://www.chrisjazzcafe.com) and Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus (http://ortliebsjazzhaus.com). I prefer Ortlieb’s, but I did just see from the calender that a guy I went to Temple U with is playing on Friday at Chris’. He’s a very good piano player and a nice guy.
Oooo your so luckey! Lyle Lovett!
Philly native and all the memories are making me hungry. :) Second Ortlieb’s and 2 more recommendations.
1.) Head to Reading Terminal for the Amish breakfast. It’s heart-clogging deliciousness.
2.) Italian South Philly BYO: Mezza Luna was the best when I left a couple years ago.
Monks is great, but my personal fave is The Khyber Pass Pub, aka the Khyber.
I second the recommendation for the Dream Garden if you like pretty landscapes. It’s 15′ x 45′ of hypnotic stained glass mosaic.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art has plenty of Monets that you can see up close and personal.
Food: Kabul (Afghan) and Rangoon (Burmese).
I second Naked Chocolate– great chocolate, happy customers.
I disrecommend Pat’s. I had a cheesesteak there when I first came to Philly (having loved cheesesteaks in Newark, DE) and the meat was so awful I’ve scarcely had a cheesesteak since.
More South Philly: Franco and Luigi’s Pastaria– very good Italian food with intermittent opera singing.
Cosmi’s Deli. Wonderful take-out subs/heroes/hoagies. Good meat, good bread. They also do cheesesteaks– due to the traumatic experience above, I haven’t checked them out, but I obviously need to.
DiBruno Brothers– mostly cheese, with wonderful selection. Little shop and takeout food in the Italian market. Gigantic temple of cheese and other good food at 1730 Chestnut.