I love the City of Brotherly Love! I’ve had a couple of lease-signing stints there, so when a relative recently emailed me to recommend places to stay, it inspired this “36 Hours” rip-off post. My list has a half-assed geographical order to it, but you could easily skip or combine any of them into a manageable itinerary. Here’s what I would do if I were spending 3 days in the city.

 

The Basics: The entire city is enormous, but Center City (don’t call it downtown) isn’t. If you’re a walker, this is the city for you. If you aren’t, it’s well served by SEPTA’s buses and subway, as long as you have exact change (it’s $2.25 a ride), tokens, or a pass.  Center City’s streets are laid out on a grid and the two main drags, Market and Broad, cross at City Hall—a big old granite building that, apart from being three different shades of white due to too-high cleaning costs and a statue of William Penn on top, would not look out of place in any European capital.

Day 1: Start in Old City, Front and Market 

History nerds, rejoice. You’ll find the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, The Betsy Ross House, and a whole bunch of other early Americana on either side of Market up through 6^th Street in this tidy ‘hood. Before you see any of these biggies, head north down 2^nd street and take a stroll to Elfreth’s Alley to see how people live on the country’s oldest residential block. In addition to the mainstays, I’d take time to see where Ben Franklin lived at his museum on 3^rd and Chestnut just to see the ghost house,  and also his grave in Christ Church Cemetery because it is so peaceful.

Northern Liberties and Fishtown If you have time, head north on 2^nd or 3^rd street towards Spring Garden and beyond to Northern Liberties for a different vibe and some good eats, fun bars, and good coffee. If you like what you see here, keep going north to Fishtown to see what’s going on a few blocks north. For a complete change of pace, try your luck and hit the Surgarhouse Casino on Delaware Ave.

Day 2: Go Dutch at Reading Terminal Market 

Once you’ve had your fill of Old City, head west on Market to 12^th street, take a right and walk a block to Arch, and go inside Reading Terminal, the city’s infamous food hall. Let the sights and sounds sink in. If you are there on a Wednesday through Saturday, make your way to the Dutch Eating Place and get an apple dumpling.  Instead of paying tons of money for artisan doughnuts, head to Beiler’s where you can get a cider one sprinkled with sugar for under a dollar.  Then just walk around and eat whatever you want. On your way out, make sure you get a cookie at Famous Fourth Street Cookie  because chances are good they’ll be nice and toasty as the cashier places them in your happy hands.

The Gayborhood

Walk off all that food by checking out City Hall as you head south to 13^th and hit the Gayborhood! It’s also known as Midtown Village, it’s totally boring, no-doubt-real-estate-influenced other nickname. There are great shops and killer restaurants around here. El Vez  has an infamous brunch and their guacamole is good anytime of day, you can get a gelato at Capogiro,  or regular ice cream and a huge slice of cake at More than Just Ice Cream.

Maybe you’ll see Mummers in South Philly…

South Philly If you have time, keep going South and check out South Philly. It’s humongous and deserves its own post – you could spend tons of time in this part of the city. Dueling cheesesteak purveyors Pat’s and Geno’s are right across the street from each other on 9^th and Passyunk. Go at night and let your eyes drink in the neon.

Rittenhouse Square

If you are into shopping, this is your area. Walnut and Chestnut Streets are jammed with plenty of places where you can blow your money. If you aren’t, take a spin through the park because it’s just really pretty. Or eat more good food! Three of my favorite food places are here. The first is Dizengoff,  an Israeli Humus joint on Sansom Street near 17^th that is just incredible. If fried chicken and donuts are your thing, Federal Donuts  is just down the street. You can eat the best burger of your life at Village Whiskey on 20^th and Sansom,  and my favorite coffee place and bakery, The Nook, is on 20^th between Market and Chestnut.

Class and grace: the Dr. J mural on Ridge Avenue

Murals No city does public art like Philadelphia. If you walk around, you’re bound to see any of the stunning murals that dot the city in unexpected places. The Dr. J mural off Ridge Avenue is my favorite, the collage of Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, and George Foreman at the Blue Horizon is a close second. The city’s Mural Arts Program offers tours if you want to learn more about this slice of the city.

Day 3: The Art Museum Area, Fairmount/Benjamin Franklin Parkway

This was my old ‘hood, and you could easily spend all three days in this part of town. Walk down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to see all the flags, and make sure you pause so you can see how it connects City Hall to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where you will of course run up the steps before your visit. If the Art Museum seems too daunting, hit the Rodin Museum on 20^th and the Parkway instead. It’s a gem of a place, and features the largest collection of Rodin’s work outside of Paris. The Barnes Foundation is also worth a trip, but the collection is vast and almost overwhelming, so research each place before you make your decision. There are a ton of restaurants nearby, as well as a Whole Foods on 20^th and Callowhill. Enjoy your visit!

The haunting Divine Lorraine on North Broad Street.

Go running Fairmount Park If you run, grab your gear and hit the path along the Schuylkill river behind the Art Museum. It’s awful pretty no matter what time of year. If running’s not your thing, just walk around and check out the area. There are great restaurants on Fairmount and my all-time favorite Italian restaurant outside of Italy is on Broad, right near the Divine Lorraine hotel, one of my favorite buildings in the city.