doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Philadelphia things to see?

I think Becuna is also still at Penn's Landing with Olympia if you like crawling around subs. Battlewagon New Jersey across the river in Camden NJ; also NJ Aquarium. 35 mi. southwest Brandywine River Museum--3 generations of Wyeth art, landscapes, American illustration. Jamie Wyeth's Union Rags just won the Belmont Stakes.

A couple more - just walking around the Old City/ Society Hill between Market and South, Broad to the Delaware, is worth the time and effort. Lots and lots of lovingly restored old buildings and historical markers everywhere. You name the Revolutionary Era history event and there's something that happened in Philly to go with it. Half streets and quarter streets just wide enough for a one-horse wagon. Betsy Ross' house. Add the Barnes Foundation collection (in its, grr, new home) to the list of museums. Also see if there's anything at Symphony Hall (right next to the Union League Clubhouse - nice architecture).

It's a great city for just walking - one of the best in America in that regard.

If you go, do make a point of seeing the Olympia b/c there's talk of scrapping her as she's just deterioriating to nothing.

Also, if you want to get out into the green, go up the Schuylkill past the boathouses into Wissahickon Park and to the Arboretum. The Chestnut Hill neighborhood is a nice one for walking, too, though it's more residential and less dense than Old City/Society Hill.

Also, the Phils ballpark is a very nice place to see a game and you can take the subway to the game.

One could spend a week there and not see it all.

And have some Italian Ice. You'll need it to cool off.

One more thing - 30th Street station - where Amtrak stops, used to be part of the Pennsylvania RR. Beautiful old building. And the memorial statue to those employees of the PRR who died in WWII will break your heart.

"They weren't bad, just nothing to get excited about. I think I can find a better "Philly cheesesteak" sammie in a lot of other places."

Chuck, you are right.Those steak sandwiches are a thing of the past. Still, you have to try one or both if you are there.

My son rents a townhouse in the Italian section, which they are in, talk about food. Most of the eaterys there are set up in old homes, and the food is something else.

"Also, if you want to get out into the green, go up the Schuylkill past the boathouses into Wissahickon Park and to the Arboretum."

Boathouse row is neat to see at night, all lite up.
There are some very nice places to see as mentioned, but there are also some places that are very bad and some you have to go through to get to them. Even scary during the day.

David,
I understand the food traditions and honor them. I had to try them. I may even go back someday. Here in LA, we have Philippe's French Dip. We took a trip downtown for these sandwiches a couple years ago. Not an especially memorable sandwich, but it's the founding place of the French Dip sandwich. I try to hit the historic food joints when possible.

I will say that the Peking duck we had in the supposed founding restaurant in Bejing was excellent.

NY pizza...just ok. Eastcoast Italian in general, the best I've ever had.

Stallones if you are going to be there a couple of weeks a trip to Gettysburg should be on the list. It is just about 2.5 hours away. PA turnpike to Route 15 South, easy as pie to get there.

and then there is Downey's on south street...where the brass plaque on the wall reads:

"God created whiskey to keep the Irish from ruling the world".

an bein from texas, you gotta try the phillie barbeque...mostly pork and chicken...not as good as texas beef, but still very good!

Reading Terminal Market, which is located below what is now the Convention Center. An overwhelming number of food vendors and many of them quite good. The Rodin Museum, which is on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Barnes Museum, also on the Parkway, has what is probably the finest collection of Impressionists and post-Impressionists in the U.S. and an interesting history. Valley Forge is 35 minutes away (except at rush hour) and Washington's Crossing about 1-1/4 hour north on I-95.

Forgot all about the Reading Terminal - you can get real food - raw or prepared - sold to you by real Amish. Speaking of which, if you want to go out into the countryside toward Lancaster, you can see something of their world. It's not like it used to be - a lot of the farms have gone b/c of sprawl and the Amish moved on - but it's still there. Also, come July and August you can get some of the best canteloupes you will ever have from locals out that way. Little honor-system stands at the ends of farm lanes where you can smell the canteloupes as you drive up. There's something about the PA climate that yields fabulous melons and 'lopes.
When you go to Valley Forge - remember that during that winter, that was the second-largest city in America. You can feel the history.

I'll second that about Lancaster County and the Amish community. I had the best meal I have ever eaten there. All good home produced stuff. Perfect. Lagopus.....