Seanchai

Are you taking applications for additional nephews/nieces? If so, where should I send mine?

No, no, 5-8 total. I may be crazy but I'm not THAT crazy I've heard Matyson is great but can we piece together dinners for the kids?

Hey all. I'm planning a trip in a couple of months to visit some relatives in Philly and you guys have been very helpful for visits past. We'll be there from Thursday through Saturday and of course I have all of our meals lined up. Lunches at Distrito and RTM, dinner at Standard Tap, snacks and everything else at the Italian market. The meal I can't nail down is Friday night dinner. I'd love to go to a BYOB, but we'll be a party of 5-8 people with 2-3 kids and it seems most won't take reservations for a party that big. I know dinner for us will have to be very early out of deference to the other diners, but does anybody have any ideas about a good dinner spot where we could walk-in 5-6 p.m. or make a reservation? Kids are 6 to 8 years old and FAIRLY well behaved. TIA.

If you stay away from the Tex-Mexy menu items, the food can be pretty good Mexican. The Chile verde and Tacos el pastor in particular are bueno.

Thanks to all for the fantastic feedback. Another question: The subway maps I've studied in my guidebooks are tough to figure. Can we take the subway back from Citizen's Bank Ballpark to Center City? Do we pick it up right at the stadium or do we need to walk up Broad St.? Are cabs a feasible option after the game? The water ice seems very tempting after a few ballpark beers... I'm a city boy myself having grown up in NYC and lived in DC, but it's always good to know the parameters of where it's generally safe to walk and where you REALLY have to keep your head up. The advice of not walking in the dark too much outside the main downtown areas is well taken. I've been out all night walking in NYC, but always where the crowds are. I'm really looking forward to this weekend, thanks in no small part to your encouragement!

My wife and I will be staying in Philly near the convention center from Sunday to Wednesday but will walk vast distances as that's how we like to explore cities. Alas, we are of somewhat modest means, so the high end recs (while read for vicarious pleasure) don't really work for us. I've already made plans to go to a concert Sunday night at World Cafe Live, drinks Monday night at Standard Tap and the Phillies- Yankees game Tuesday night. Also, we want to hit a BYOB for lunch, Tria for "Sunday school" and the Reading Terminal Market for lunch. As you can tell, we don't mind a full schedule. Any thoughts/suggestions on suitable daytime entertainment would be greatly appreciated. We may be poor, but we're also snobby in that we're not interested in the tour bus stuff but rather really interested in what makes Philly a great city. What should we eat, drink and experience, in short? Couple of random questions, geography/safety wise. Is South Philly between Center City and Citizens Bank Park safe for walking day or night? Also, same question goes for the walk between CC and Northern Liberties. Thanks again for all help and I promise to report back on our experiences!