Next Stop on Great Cities Tour-Philadelphia

[Seanchai]

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!

Edited June 15, 2006 by Seanchai (log)

[MarketStEl]

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!

←

First off: This is a pretty big city in terms of territory as well as population: Philadelphia County encompasses 156 square miles, and some of the interesting off-the-beaten-path sites worth visiting (e.g., the Wagner Free Institute of Science in North Philadelphia, which is doubly interesting both for its collection of natural artifacts and its unaltered 19th-century display methods, in a building designed by the same man who designed Philadelphia City Hall) are either a long trek from Center City or in areas where I would not recommend that two visitors randomly walk about (the Wagner, at 17th and Montgomery Avenue, is in one of those latter neighborhoods). I would suggest that you consider plunking down $11.50 for two SEPTA DayPasses for one day of your visit and use them to hit some of the further-out sites. (As its name implies, the Wagner charges no admission [voluntary donations are encouraged], which would make it a good stop for penny-pinching travelers.)

Another of those further-out sites is the Wissahickon Valley of Fairmount Park. As you two love to walk, you can get a full day of nature in by getting there via the park's own pedestrian paths, which provide an almost unbroken path from Center City (via the Ben Franklin Parkway) to the northwesternmost corner of the city. Tricky spots for you to negotiate on foot will be the area near Eakins Oval, where you will have to cross Kelly Drive at some point to reach the ped/bike path on the Schuylkill's east bank, and the area where Kelly Drive, Lincoln Drive and the City Avenue bridges meet, where you may have to dodge some traffic to get from the path along the Schuylkill to the one along the Wissahickon Creek next to Lincoln Drive. It would probably be easiest for you to cross Kelly Drive at Midvale Avenue, walk up Midvale to Ridge (and maybe have lunch at Johnny Manana's, a fun, not-too-expensive Mexican place right at Ridge and Midvale in East Falls, while you're at it--or maybe check out the other dining options in the area), then follow Ridge up to the Wissahickon and the footpath along it. Midway along Forbidden Drive--the gravel path that parallels the Wissahickon once it veers away from Lincoln Drive and runs all the way to the northwest city limit at Northwestern Avenue--is the Valley Green Inn, an 18th-century tavern that today houses a restaurant and refreshment stand. Unfortunately, I don't think that the Fairmount Park information center in the "spaceship" at LOVE Park will be open by this weekend, but you may be able to obtain park maps and information at Lloyd Hall, the large recreation facility at the beginning of Boathouse Row. A roadway leading into the valley from the north* at Valley Green will take you into Chestnut Hill, where you can catch either the R8 Chestnut Hill West Regional Rail line at St. Martins station or the Route 23 bus on Germantown Avenue to get back into the city if you're not up for walking back.

As for the walks you asked about: Center City to Northern Liberties is a perfectly safe hike. Thanks to the fact that the Vine Expressway is on a raised embankment in this area, your path choices between the two districts are somewhat limited (I'd recommend using 2d Street), but it's not difficult to do. You will pass through a light industrial/office/warehouse zone in between Old City and NoLibs. If you like good jazz at all, a visit to Ortlieb's Jazzhaus (847 N. 3d, in the former Ortlieb's brewery) is an absolute must. This is where Philly's rising jazz stars and hometown faves play, and the food's not bad either--the menu is mainly Cajun/Creole.

Center City to Citizens Bank Park is also an okay walk, but your path choices are limited to Broad and 7th streets south of Oregon Avenue--the Walt Whitman Bridge approach blocks off just about everything else and most of the area south of the bridge approach is either enclosed residential districts or the vast acres of parking lots and warehouses that surround the sports facilities. I haven't run into much trouble walking anywhere east of Broad in South Philly after dark.

For a good walk through South Philly with plenty of opportunities to munch, I would suggest you route your trip to the sports complex as follows: Via 9th Street from South Street to Passyunk Avenue--this takes you right through the heart of the Italian Market; do this on Saturday and you will see the market at its busiest--then down East Passyunk Avenue from "Cheesesteak Corner" to Broad Street at Snyder Avenue. (One block further west on Passyunk Avenue, at 15th, is the Melrose Diner, a legendary local landmark where "everybody who knows" has gone for more than 60 years.) Follow Broad from there to the stadia and arenas. You might want to make a side trip down Washington from 9th Street to "Two Street" to check out the Mummers Museum, the only permanent display devoted to Philly's homegrown New Year's folk tradition; along the way you will pass several very good Vietnamese, Korean and Cambodian eateries, including Pho Ba Le, one of the city's better places to get pho (a noodle soup that is a meal in itself) and bahn mi ("Vietnamese hoagies," which are spicier, heavier on the veggies and less expensive usually than the traditional Philly variety; someone correct me if Ba Le, which is also a bakery, does not serve bahn mi).

There is also a very good Vietnamese hoagie shop, Ổ Sandwiches, right next door to Geno's Steaks on 9th Street. (Geno's has been much in the news lately for a request its owner has made of its patrons. Archrival Pat's has the better cheesesteak, and both are bested by other places, including the place I mention below.) Next door to Ổ Sandwiches is La Lupe, one of several authentic, inexpensive Mexican eateries that have sprung up in and around the "Italian" Market over the past several years.

Since you're going to pass Oregon Avenue at some point in this trek, you should probably also hike all the way over past Front Street to Tony Luke's at 39 West Oregon Avenue. Besides not caring what language you order in, TL's also serves the best hot sandwich in the city--their roast pork Italian, with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe, is a truly transcendent work of art.

I'm sure others will chime in with their suggestions about what to see, do and eat in Philly. Enjoy your visit!

*Edited to add a note about compass points. A co-worker gently chided me yesterday for what she referred to as my "Midwestern" habit of referring to directions with cardinal compass points ("that place is south of City Hall"...). As much of the city is laid out in a grid whose north-south axis is a mere 5 degrees E of true north, this is not an egregious mistake for many local locations, but as this grid sometimes bends to follow old local roads, and does not exist at all in our irreguarly surveyed suburbs, it can be less than helpful, especially when--as in the case of this street--the direction I perceive the street as running clashes with its orientation on the city street numbering grid. In Northwest Philadelphia, two thoroughfares that run northwest-southeast--Ridge Avenue to the west of Wissahickon Creek and Germantown Avenue to its east--are the "north-south" axes of the local address grids, and the streets that cross them run east-west. Since the sun seems to rise and set across, not along, the "east-west" streets in Germantown, Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill, I perceive them as "north-south," hence my reference to a street entering the Wissahickon Valley "from the north."

Edited June 15, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)

[Vadouvan]

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.

Daytime......sure.

Nightime.....um...No

WAIT...let me think...NO

Cheesesteaks from multiple places, I like Johns and Cosmis

Reading Terminal Dinics sandwiches, amish pretzels.

Matyson serves Lunch...

Other than that, your plans are right on.....

have fun.

To Clarify, the hoods in themselves arent unsafe but there are "sketchy" dead zones in between.

The Broad street line can take you to the ballpark, pretty long walk.....

and you could go down spring garden to Nolib.

Edited June 15, 2006 by Vadouvan (log)

[MarketStEl]

Another off-the-beaten-path place to visit if you like Civil War history is the Grand Army of the Republic museum at 4278 Griscom Street in Frankford. It's not as well known as the Civil War Museum and Library in Center City, and it's open by appointment only (call 215-289-6484 for info), but it has an interesting collection of Union artifacts and letters. This is another place that you should save for the day you use your DayPasses, as there is neither a good nor a safe walking route from Center City to Frankford, in the lower northeast part of the city. It's not far from Margaret-Orthodox station on the Market-Frankford Line.

Edited to add detail about hours and exact street address.

Edited June 15, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)

[Woods]

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!

←

Go with out fail to the Italian Market. Its down around 9th and 22and if I remeber my streets. Chinatown is funky but worth going to if your at Reading. I'd eat there rather than the market. Walnut and Chestnut are nice for just walking.

I agree with the other opinion-night walking is not safe. Daytime you are OK. Have fun.

[MarketStEl]

I guess I'm in the distinct minority here as far as walking after dark is concerned, and if you want to take the subject up with me, I'd be happy to discuss it on Phillyblog, but I'll repeat that I haven't had much trouble, nor have I felt particularly uncomfortable, walking after dark in the area of South Philly that includes my recommended walking route to Citizens Bank Park. (Edited to add: And that includes more than a few trips back to my Wash West apartment from the 10th and Reed Acme lugging a cart full of groceries.)

If you want to know what I look like, I resemble my avatar strongly. Most of the people who live in South Philly east of Broad do not look like me.

Edited June 15, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)

[wkl]

dmitris's at 3rd and catherine for dinner.can be done inexpensively.bustling,small, neighborhood place, serving grilled whole fish, calamari,shrimp, etc. small plates, salads, may be making gazapacho by now. really good hummus with grilled pita. it's byo.put your name in and head across street to new wave cafe for a beer and they'll come get you when your table is ready.

[mrbigjas]

it really depends on where east of broad you're talking about--if it's down around 5th & tasker or where 7th & moyamensing cross, things get mighty sketchy mighty fast. or, for that matter, around 13th & fitzwater. but if you stick to 10th/11th street, that will take you from center city to the stadium without a hitch, safety-wise.

to keep it food-related, and specifically philadelphia food: if you go to a game, when the game is over walk back up 11th street to shunk (about six blocks) and hang a left. on the northeast corner of 12th & shunk is italiano's water ice, home to the best water ice in town. get the mango. it's fantastic--it tastes more like mango than mangoes do. black cherry is great too.

water ice and a pretzel with mustard--afternoon snack of champions, and you'll definitely be getting to a local part of philadelphia that most tourists don't see. there's not much else to recommend that neighborhood right there to tourists; it's mostly residential. but italiano's... man oh man. i think i'll head down there tomorrow.

(actually i'm not sure how late at night italiano's is open, but i'm relatively sure it's open after baseball games)

[rlibkind]

Since you're staying near the Convention Center, you've properly scoped out the Reading Terminal Market for lunch. But don't forgo a breakfast at the RTM -- either the Pennsylvania Dutch Eating Place (that's it's name; it used to be Stolfus's) and/or the Down Home Diner. And get a side of scrapple with your eggs or pancakes. Or just grab a cuppa at either Old City Coffee or the Tea Leaf and a pastry or croissant from one of the bakeries: Metropolitan and LeBus for artisinal breads and some sweet things (I frequently go for the veggie foccacia for breakfast at Metroplitan), cupcake or brownies or breakfast brioche from the new Flying Monkey Patisserie, or old fashioned stick to your ribs (and fingers) sticky buns from Bieler's, the Pennsylvania Dutch bakery. (Note: Since you'll be here Sunday-Wednesday, you should be aware that the RTM is closed on Sundays, and the Pennsylvania Dutch vendors are there only from Wed.-Sat.)

Chinatown has already been mentioned, since the convention center was basically plunked down in the western part of Chinatown. But also consider Chinatown for a dim sum lunch.

On Sunday or Tuesday (not Monday) I'd recommend a walk along the Benjamin Frankilin Parkway. Why not Monday? Well, because the two art museums are closed on Monday, the Rodin Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. From your convention center hotel, find your way along Arch or Filbert Street to City Hall and Love Park, which is just NW of City Hall. From Love Park, just continue to walk NW and you're on the Parkway. Stop and enjoy the recently refurbished and replanted park around Swann Fountain at Logan Square (which is actually a traffic circle), visit the Free Public Library (there are often interesting exhibits in the rare book collection). Also suurrounding Logan Square are the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Franklin Institute, which are open on Mondays.

The Rodin Museum is just another two blocks up the Parkway, on the north side. Just look for The Thinker outside. You can spend five minutes or 50 inside this small museum, but either way it's a gem. Don't miss Balzac's head.

If you're ready for lunch, any number of good eating places are just a short walk away. Most are within one or two blocks of the corner of Fairmount Avenue & 23rd streets, about a three-four block walk north of the Parkway from the Rodin Museum (which is at the Parkway & 22nd). Around the corner from the Rodin Museum on 20st Street is the Whole Foods market, where you can buy a reasonably inexpensive but decent lunch in a supermarket setting. For finer, but certainly reasonbly priced lunch, there's London Grill at Fairmount & 23d, Jack's Firehouse on Fairmount just east of 22nd, Rembrandt's at 24rd & Aspen (just one block north of Fairmount), Illuminare on Fairmount between 23rd and 24th, Bishops Collar at Fairmount & 24th. This conglomeration of restaurants is only about two blocks away from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

If you're continuing on along the parkway to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (and I hope you do), you could go to the cafeteria or restaurant at the museum, both operated by Restaurant Associates. The cafeteria is reasonable value for reasonable food, but certainly no destination eatery; the restaurant is overpriced for what it is. The museum's art, however, is priceless. The Andrew Wyeth exhibit is featured through mid-July, but be sure to take in some of the permanent collection.

If you've entered the museum by climbing up the Rocky steps from the Parkway, exit via the west portico and go down the hill to Fairmount Park's azalea garden and Boathouse Row along the Schuylkill River.

A museum ever so slightly off your route but very convenient to the convention center area is the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, at Broad & Cherry Streets. One of the nation's finest museums dedicated to American art, and housed in a landmark Frank Furness building. Like the PMA, it is also closed on Mondays.

Some other eating spots within easy walks of the convention center:

Happy Hour at various center city establishments. The best deals this summer are on Wednesday nights, but any happy hour offers bargains. Half dozen blue point oysters or live clams on the halfshell for $5 at Sansom Street Oyster House, lots of different cheap options (two-drink minimum) at the respectable chain McCormick & Schmick's are just two examples.

Make sure to walk over to Rittenhouse Square. Grab a sandwich or tube steaks from a cart and dine al fresco; great people watching. Matyson BYOB is only a block and a half from Rittenhouse.

Around Sansom and 13th are another small conglomeration of restaurants. Two Mexicans are catty-corner: Stephen Starr's El Vez and BYOB Lolita. On the corner is also Capogiroi Gelato. Just up Sansom Street is Ludwig's Garten: decent German fare, better beer list. A couple blocks east on Walnut Street you'll find Caribou Cafe for some French brasserie style vittles.

Walk from 13th and Sansom over to Rittenhouse Square and you'll pass many other reasonably priced (cheap to moderate) spots for a meal, including Chris's Jazz Cafe between Broad and 15th, Happy Rooster at 16th; Sansom Street Oyster House between 15th and 16th; Marathon Grill at 16th; La Creperie between 16th and 17th.

Enjoy your visit.

[philadining]

I have to say that I'm with the V on this one, re where and when to walk: Philly is a very walkable city, and you certainly should do that within reason, but it is a big city, and especially as a visitor, you should err on the side of caution...

Like Sandy, I've been walking all over the city, after dark, for years, in my case over 20 years. And although I only ended up in the hospital that one time, that was enough.... and there have been plenty of times that I've avoided trouble by knowing what routes to take and what ones to avoid, which is not always easy for visitors in an unfamiliar town.

The biggest problems in the routes you describe aren't with "bad" neighborhoods, but with empty ones. The odds are small, but running into someone with bad intentions is MUCH worse when there's nobody else around...And additionally, although central Philly is very walkable, there are some stretches that are just long enough, and not especially interesting, that you'd be well-served to just hop on the subway, or in a cab.

This is just my opinion, but I'd suggest this: for the sake of scale and safety, you should have no reluctance to walk anywhere in the real center of center city, between front street and 24th in the east-west dimension, and between South Street and Vine in the north-south dimension. Of course there are plenty of areas outside of that which are just fine, you don't have to stop at those borders, but just keep your heads-up once you cross them. In fact keep your head up all the time. It's pretty safe in center city, but it's still a big city...

As mentioned above, through South Philly, on 9th or 10th, or on Passyunk, you're in pretty good shape. You could probably feel pretty good walking all the way up or down Broad street, the question is whether you want to bother, when you can whip down to the stadium on the subway, unless there's something in particular you wanted to see along the way. It's not an impossible walk by any means, but it's long....

Up around the Art Museum, and Fairmount in the 20s, you're pretty good. In Northern Liberties, around the Standard Tap, that immediate vicinity is pretty mellow, but walking up there is just a bit tedious, if not overtly hazardous. There's just a whole lot of nothing between Spring Garden and Race, that makes the hike a little boring, and maybe hazardous late at night.

Again, it's not as if society stops functioning outside of the areas mentioned, you won't be attacked by bands of raiding Vikings if you step over the borders I mentioned. I'm quite sure you could walk safely through the vast majority of the city, especially if staying on major streets. You don't want to avoid particular neighborhoods, but you do want to avoid sparsely-populated stretches between them, especially after dark. And it may be hard to predict where those are, as visitors. And more to the point, hopping on public transit is just going to make sense occasionally, as opposed to wearing yourself out with especially long hikes.

Edited June 16, 2006 by philadining (log)

[mrbigjas]

And more to the point, hopping on public transit is just going to make sense occasionally, as opposed to wearing yourself out with especially long hikes.

←

agreed with this part. when you go to italiano's, continue up shunk to broad, and get the subway back to center city.

[Seanchai]

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!

[Diann]

I definitely second Vadouvan's recommendation of Matyson for lunch. GO. Dinner isn't extremely expensive, but lunch is a bargain, as far as I recall.

On Wednesday, if you have time, get yourselves back to Reading Terminal and have a hot soft pretzel, dripping with butter, from Fisher's! I am not a street-corner pretzel lover -- Fisher's are what pretzels are meant to be.

And I admit I just scanned this topic, but I don't think anyone mentioned it: please do try to get to Tony Luke's for a roast pork sandwich (do a roast pork Italiano -- that's with broccoli rabe and sharp provolone) and compare it with a cheesesteak. Both great, quintessential Philly sandwiches, in my opinion.

[I_call_the_duck]

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 can see how you're confused by the map, but for all intensive purposes, there are only three subway lines in Philly. The rest are commuter rails. The Broad Street line (the one in orange) will take you to the stadium. The stop closest to your hotel is City Hall. Take it (south) towards Pattison Avenue to the last stop, and follow the crowd. It's a short walk from the subway to the stadium.

I agree with all the other recommendations up there.

Have fun!

Edited because I missed something upthread before.

Edited June 15, 2006 by I_call_the_duck (log)

[mrbigjas]

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...

the park is about 1/2 mile down a very crowded ballpark-y kinda street (pattison ave) from the final stop on the southbound broad street line. when you leave the stadium, hoardes of people will be walking back to the subway, and several trains leave in rapid succession.

in short, yes, you definitely can get the subway back to center city, and should--it's the quickest way, esp. if you get an express. cabs will be harder to come by down there, and will get caught in traffic.

if you go to italiano's, you're going to get it one stop up from the end, at oregon ave. i hope it's open at night...

[mrbigjas]

Walk from 13th and Sansom over to Rittenhouse Square and you'll pass many other reasonably priced (cheap to moderate) spots for a meal, including Chris's Jazz Cafe between Broad and 15th, Happy Rooster at 16th; Sansom Street Oyster House between 15th and 16th; Marathon Grill at 16th; La Creperie between 16th and 17th.

i agree with bob here about walking around the rittenhouse square area. in general it's a beautiful place to sit and have an outdoor lunch.

here's a little two-hour eating/hanging thought: for a midmorning coffee, la colombe at 19th & walnut. then down to dibruno's at 18th & chestnut for cold cuts and cheese and bread and whatnot. walk back to rittenhouse square, and have lunch outside. when you're done, head up to 20th & sansom for capogiro for a little gelato dessert, becuase it's gonna be hot next week.

from there it's an easy walk up the parkway to spend your afternoon at the art museum, natural history museum, etc. if that's what you're into. or you can walk straight up locust (passing some nice old townhouses on the way; you could go along spruce as well to see more of old philadelphia architecture) to the schuylkill river and walk up to the museum area and into fairmount park along the new river path.

[MarketStEl]

Modifying my own prior posts to add further info about SEPTA:

As the rapid transit network in Philly is skeletal, many of the places you might want to visit will require a bus ride. As you said you and your wife enjoy "walking vast distances," I didn't say much about the buses, as I assumed you'd enjoy a stroll, but even the hardiest of walkers gets tired sooner or later.

Unfortunately, the wonderfully detailed city street and transit map SEPTA produces is very hard to come by these days, as it hasn't been updated since the mid-1990s. You can find information about all SEPTA services, including route maps and schedules, at SEPTA's Web site.

For instance, you could hop the Route G bus from Oregon station on the Broad Street Line eastbound to get to Tony Luke's.

[philadining]

I'll agree with some of the above posts, if it's a nice day, wandering around Rittenhouse Square, and maybe getting something to eat in the park is a nice idea. You can certainly get provisions and assemble something yourself from DiBruno's (or they'll make you a nice sandwich) and DiBruno's is a good foodie stop no matter what. But also keep in mind that a few blocks west on Chestnut is Primo Hoagies, for a very Philly kind of sandwich.

(Yo Mummer, what's the address? Oddly their website doesn't list that one!!)

[Tim Dolan]

You can kill two birds with one stone when you're at the Phils-Yanks game; Tony Luke's (imho, sorry Dinic's!) has the best roast pork sandwich in the city and they have a stand INSIDE Citizen's Bank Park. It's in centerfield in Ashburn Alley. Once you're inside the Park you won't miss it. Everybody knows about the famous Philly cheesesteak, not many "outsiders" know about the phenomenal roast pork sandwich that Philly sports. It's a must-have if you're looking for a real local favorite.

[percyn]

Seanchai,

You already have some good advise from some very knowledgeable people. If an attempt to persuade you to at least swing by Reading Terminal Market, I submit a link from my blog on RTM, which has some pics of the place.

Hope you enjoy your stay.

Cheers

Percy

[Mummer]

...But also keep in mind that a few blocks west on Chestnut is Primo Hoagies, for a very Philly kind of sandwich.

(Yo Mummer, what's the address? Oddly their website doesn't list that one!!)

←

Primo's is on the north side of Chestnut in the 20xx block.