4 days in Philadelphia....

Your suggestions welcomed!

I will be traveling witha group of 6 adults to Philly in late August. We all havent been to the East Coast. We are first timers. Our base (hotel) will be in Philly and planning to see as much as we can in the 4 full days. I have been reading that DC and NYC are a mere 3 or so hours away driving. Although I know that these will be full and long days,

-can day trips be done to these cities?

- Do you recommend taking public transportation or renting a van?

- Eteries that serve the best Philly Cheesestake or NYC pizza are a must visit also- can you please recommend.

-can someone suggest an itinerary? We really want to experience the tourist sites, such as Liberty Bell, White House, Statue of Liberty! Not really there for clubs or partying - more so for the sight seeing...

Any advice will help. Thank you in advance.

4 days in Philadelphia....

You really can%26#39;t do any of the cities justice in the time allowed. DC and NYC can both be done as day trips from Philadelphia. I would suggest AMTRAK. It would be expensive, but it is the most efficient way to get from place to place. Driving can be difficult, as there is a lot of traffic as you get near (and in) NYC and DC. Also, if you don%26#39;t know your way around DC, you will get lost.

I prefer DC to NYC. It%26#39;s much prettier, most attractions are free, and it%26#39;s fairly easy to get around by metro (subway). You will need reservations to get in to see The White House. Contact your Congressman%26#39;s or Senator%26#39;s office.

NYC is NOT the pizza capital of the world, BTW. Cheesesteak- you have two or three choices:

Campo%26#39;s, 2nd %26amp; Market; Jim%26#39;s 4th %26amp; South, and a possible new addition if the plans go as advertised- Tony Luke%26#39;s in Reading Terminal Market (11th %26amp; Market).

Itinerary (others will have different lists) :

In Philadelphia:

Independence Hall

Liberty Bell

Constitution Center

Betsy Ross House

Reading Terminal Market

Lights of Liberty Show (Evening)

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Ride The Ducks and/or Big Bus Tour

(don%26#39;t take horse carriage ride)

DC

Depends on your interests:

Required: Vietnam Memorial (bring tissues)

The Smithsonian would easily take a week to see each museum.

The main ';don%26#39;t miss'; is the Air %26amp; Space Museum.

Museum of American History (if it is open)

National Gallery (new wing, if not all)

National Archives

Lincoln Memorial

NYC

Times Square (at night)

Empire State Building

Statue of Liberty (don%26#39;t know if you can get to it from NY)

If you like small but excellent art museums, The Frick

Central Park (South End)

Upper West Side (Columbus Avenue around 82nd Street) - good food in this area

BTW, August is the hottest, most humid, and most uncomfortable month in each city. The term ';oppressive'; is often used. Carry water.

4 days in Philadelphia....

Driving 3 hrs each way is 6 hrs on the road each day which doesn%26#39;t leave much time for sightseeing. You would probably be better off lodging in each city as you hop around. Although DC and NYC should be separate vacations, this would give you some exposure to each location. Also, you can lodge outside the cities at lower rates. Parking will always be an issue, so you%26#39;ll need to pick parking options for each day%26#39;s itinerary.

The other option is to stay in Philly:

1 day for historic area

1 day for Franklin Museum and Tut exhibit or other attractions

1 day drive west to Lancaster, Gettysburg, or Hershey, PA

1 day to other historic locations (Valley Forge, etc) or to Atlantic City or more Philadelphia....

See Lights of Liberty show one evening.

';Once Upon a Time'; has other activities.

For historic area, go to visitors%26#39; center when it opens, get timed tickets for Independence Hall, take guided or self-guided Constitutional Walk, then go back to enter selected buildings.

Seems like every other post for philly includes discussions on cheesesteaks. Search cheesesteaks here or see:

tripadvisor.com/鈥?891480

I thank you both for your immediate response. Most likely, we will pick either NYC or DC to do for a day or two so we are not all over the place. Thank you for the tips, they will sure come in handy.

I think that the AMTRAK to DC is a great idea -but since you obviously drive in Los Angeles, if you decide to drive to DC it will be okay. You can park your car at Union Station and take the metro all over town from there. I would make sure you see the Vietnam Memorial, the World War II memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial. This is a full day but all within walking distance of each other. As for museums, see a Smithsonian(any that interest you) and possibly the new National Portrait Gallery. It is great. DC is a beautiful city and if you have never been there, I think it would be a fun day. If you take the train or drive, Union Station at the end of the day will provide plenty of food options before heading back to Philadelphia. BUT...it will be very hot and humid so dress properly and take water.

Owlyn and LG covered the ';things to do'; list very well. Although I normally advocate mass transit, for purposes of the six of you getting from here to DC or New York, for a day trip, I would suggest driving as it would be less expensive and a ';walk in the park'; compared to stereotypical LA commutes. :)

Then again, there are other options to get to NYC. Check this out:

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i1506-Getting_I鈥?/a>

Owlyn listed the consensus here on the best cheesesteaks. I happen to be partial to Campo%26#39;s. But even one served by a street vendor will be better than 98% of what you will find outside the city.

Tony

Two suggestions:

- use one or more days to hang out in the Historic/Olde City/SOuth Street area - visit Independence Hall, the Constitution Center, the Liberty Bell, and whatever other core Historic Area buildings/attractions you want to see (Carpenter%26#39;s Hall, Betsy Ross House, etc.) and walk the area (which is lovely), shop/eat in Olde City, etc.

- use one day to take one of the guided tours - the doubledecker bus, the trolley, etc. or one of the specialty tours (murals, etc.) for an overview of the city, and check out the Parkway museums.

Regarding day trips to either NY or DC: although I love Washington, I%26#39;d advise choosing NY if you%26#39;ve never been there. Partly because well, it%26#39;s NY, partly because in late August it%26#39;ll be a little more bearable than DC, and partly because it%26#39;s closer - a little over an hour vs. almost 3 hours travel time. And if you choose NY, you have a ton of transportation options. Take an early morning Greyhound out of Center City for $30 and you%26#39;ll be in Manhattan by the time the tourist attractions open. One note - the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island tour takes up a considerable chunk of time for a day trip. It%26#39;s a great choice and well worth the time, but it will leave you less time for other options.

Thank you to each and every single one of you. We are all getting very excited for our trip. We will take lots of pictures and hope to post them here.

I think alot of it depends on your interests. If your a history fan moreso than the fast paced glitz and glamour of NYC, I%26#39;d choose the DC daytrip instead. I don%26#39;t find the metro DC area quite as bad to drive as I do NYC. And there are lots of tourist spots to hit for the history buff. Personally my one don%26#39;t miss down there is the Holocaust Museum. It%26#39;s an experience, not just an attraction. You won%26#39;t come out of there the same as you went in. It%26#39;s not thrilling or exciting, but it%26#39;s moving in a way that few things I%26#39;ve ever experienced are. Not for the faint of heart though.

Being from LA, I don%26#39;t see you needing to see the Jersey beaches at all, they%26#39;re no different than yours. And Atlantic City is a low rent version of Vegas.

In Philly, make sure to have a drive by Boathouse Row at night, it%26#39;s fabulous! Penn%26#39;s Landing in the summer is quite lively as well. And South Street and Old City are great places for after-the-sun-sets activities.

When you do get to DC, all those museums close at 5 pm. And most of the rest of the city it seems.

The Smithson. Amer. Hist .one is closed right now for renovations but some of their fave sights are elsewhere (the Ruby Slippers eg). Visit their websites.

The Lincoln Mem is open till late in the night %26amp; it is very moving, and quieter, at night. I%26#39;d go there after dark. Vietnam Mem also open all night--it%26#39;s all outdoors---but you can%26#39;t see it as well.

DC a solid 3 hr from Philly.

Excellent pizza can be had in nearly any NJ or eastern PA town---don%26#39;t drive to NYC to get a pizza! Ask around %26amp; be prepared for the thin crust vs thick crust debate. NJ also has the best subs in the world. Not ';hoagies';.

Statue Lib./Ellis Is. is nearly a full day trip if you give it justice. You%26#39;ll be happier if you drive to Lib. St Park on the Jersey side %26amp; take the ferry to both Liberty %26amp; Ellis Islands. Easier than from NYC side of river. Use the NJ Turnpk., takes you straight there. Print yourself Google Maps in advance of your trip for everything %26amp; you will find all much easier.

When in Philly don%26#39;t miss stuff like the (reconsructed) house Jefferson wrote the Declaration in, and try lunch at the City Tavern--also rebuilt to be just as when the Cont. Congr. ate there.

DC is a far drive from Philly for a day trip - and there is plenty to do here to fill your days. If you feel you must go somewhere else - I would recommend Baltimore. It%26#39;s a very easy and not-too-long drive and there is plenty to see in Inner Harbor. I would not be too concerned with Atlantic City - we live here and spend 5 hours flying to Vegas every year - what does that tell you about AC?

Hershey Park is a great day trip as well - a great park for kids and adults and choc-o-holics of all ages.