Hi,
My travel plan to Philly next week is as follow:
1. Wed (8/29) am - arrive PHL, catch an airport cab/shuttle to Penn, unload my daughter%26#39;s stuff at her dorm, then ride a bus/call a cab (depending if it is getting dark) to check into my hotel, Club Quarters
2. Thur (8/30) am - rent a car, pick up my daughter from Penn, pick up a package from Bed Bath and Beyond, go shopping at Target, Wal-mart, Costco, Best Buy, etc. Unload the stuff at her dorm, return the rental car, and walk back to the hotel.
3. Friday to Sunday (8/31 to 9/2) 鈥?I will be free to explore Philly all by myself using public transportation (except that I need to be at Penn%26#39;s Rhodes field at 7pm Friday, and 1pm Sunday to watch my daughter play soccer :-)
4. Labor Day Monday 鈥?depart PHL (8am flight).
Questions:
1. Where are good places to buy tokens/Day Pass (at the airport, Penn, downtown)?
2. What taxi do you recommend to call to get around Philly after it gets dark?
3. How do you get to the airport in the early morning? Is it safe walking to a train station and catch a train to the airport, or what number do you recommend to call for a taxi/airport shuttle to get to the airport?
4. There are some cheap eats in the West Philly area I found from some blogs (e.g., Kabobeesh, Saad Halal, Fu-Wah @ 47th and Baltimore, Brown Sugar Bakery %26amp; Cafe, etc). Are these places within walking distance from Penn? Is it safe walking around in that area by myself in the daylight?
5. We had visited the historic area during our last visit (i.e., we drove around New England to visit colleges). The other places I am interested in exploring are cheap eats %26amp; shopping in the University City area, the Reading Terminal Market, China Town, the King Of Prussia Mall, etc. What are your recommendations for my transportation and schedule from Friday to Sunday to visit all these places and not missing the soccer games on Friday night and Sunday afternoon?
This will be the first time I travel all by myself. I am a little nervous going around Philly by myself. Thanks for any advice to help me explore Philly, have fun, and be safe :-)
Exploring Philly %26amp; Penn (Transportation %26amp; Safety)
Congrats on your daughter%26#39;s accomplishments!
I live just over the bridge from UPenn%26#39;s campus ~ You should have no problems finding cabs at any time of the day. If you do get stuck for some reason, we rely on Liberty Cab ( 215.389.8000). They are all very good though. I would also use Liberty to get back to the airport. It will be just a lot easier for you. You can purchase your tokens at the subway station ~ no need to purchase in advance.
The general vicinity of UPenn is well lit at night, plus there is a strong security presence. There are definitely more students around now. I drove through the campus late last Thurs night and there were plenty of students walking around.
I personally have not been to any of the eateries listed, however, another TA Member might have and will be able to comment. My favorite cheap eats in the area are: Abners Steaks, Lee%26#39;s Hogie Shack and the Philly Diner ( huge pancakes). There is a Greek resturant next to the Ben %26amp; Jerry%26#39;s that is always crowded!
Also, not sure if you know the lay of the land on Columbus Blvd were the assorted stores that you mentioned are ( if you are in fact going there). If you need any help with that ~ let me know. We spend plenty of nights down there running errands.
Last, do you have any preference for the places mentioned that you would like to visit on certain days?
Exploring Philly %26amp; Penn (Transportation %26amp; Safety)
Questions:
1. Your best bet is probably the U of P Token Machines, 3601 Walnut. The SEPTA ticket booth at 30th Street Station is also good. The subway station at 34th %26amp; Market also has them. Here is a link to all the locations in West Philadlephia (where Penn is located):
septa.org/fares/鈥est_phila.html
AFAIK, you can%26#39;t get them at the airport.
2. You can usually flag one down easily. While there are many taxi companies, most are ultimately owned by the same person, and call service is fairly equally ';okay';, not great, especially if the weather is bad. The easiest one to call has the easiest phone number, which I can give you from memory right now 215-333-3333. This is not an endorsement or a critique- it%26#39;s just really easy to remember.
3. You can catch the train easily enough from either 30th Street Station or University City station (depends where you will be staying). Labor Day is a Sunday as far as SEPTA is concerened, but the R1 airport trains start early enough. here is a link to the schedule. Scroll to the right to get to the ';TO'; the airport times:
www.septa.org/service/sched/r1_sat_sun.html. Or, you can grab a cab for about $26.
4. There are some cheap eats in the West Philly area I found from some blogs (e.g., Kabobeesh, Saad Halal, Fu-Wah @ 47th and Baltimore, Brown Sugar Bakery %26amp; Cafe, etc). Are these places within walking distance from Penn? Is it safe walking around in that area by myself in the daylight?
Penn itself is pretty safe during the day, but it is bordered by some iffy areas. That being said, daytime is probably fine. Still, the Penn area does suffer from muggings, but they tend to come in spurts, and it is usually the same perp(s) until they are caught. I would not venture past 40th Street after dark unless you have company. Everything is walking distance if you like to walk. 47th %26amp; Baltimore starts to be a bit far, but it is do-able.
5. Well, you may as well check out the U of Penn Museum. Great Egyptian artifacts. You can take any bus on Chestnut Street to get into town (and Walnut Street coming back). You can take the Market-Frankford El as well, but it is underground, and there is nothing to see. You can get to King of Prussia Mall by taking the 124 or 125 bus from north side of Market Street, just past 30th Street Station (there is some construction there now, so the bus stop may be hard to find). You will need a token plus an extra couple of dollars each way. But, it is just a really big mall (though nice). Same stores as any other mall except for maybe Nordstrom%26#39;s.
Not sure how cheap is cheap, but I recommend eating at the New Deck Tavern on Sansom St. and Cavanaugh%26#39;s on 39th Street (both University City).
Not sure if it qualifies as a completely ';cheap eat'; but the bar menu at the White Dog is reasonably priced great food.
Suzanne
I live about twenty minutes from Penn in the Western suburbs. My son will begin his second year at Penn next week.
The other posts offer good advice.My son likes Boston Market,Chilli%26#39;sand Greek Lady. There are many order in places. Fresh Grocer has healthy reasonable food. New Deck is good and just a little more expensive.Pod is pricey with sushi delivered by conveyor belt. It was mobbed with parents of freshmen last year.
There is some good shopping near campus. The Penn book store is great. There is a Ann Taylor Loft and other stores.
The King of Prussia mall is near Costo so I would visit it with the rental car. It is not on a train line. You would have to take a bus.My son takes cabs to get around town and the subway to get to sporting events.
Penn is a wonderful school. Your daughter must be talented to get into Penn.
Roxy ~ Is Greek Lady the Greek restaurant next to Ben %26amp; Jerry%26#39;s?
If you are not sure about an area, feel free to ask the U Penn Police. They are always about and VERY helpful. Also, your daughter can call to request an escort back to her dorm at any time (at least I think they still do that).
I%26#39;ve taught and taken a few classes at Penn (adjunct teaching only, not undergraduate), it%26#39;s a world class school.
One question came to mind, how are you going to get all of her dorm stuff onto an airplane :)
Oh, and for your flight, I would suggest a cab, just given the time of the flight and the fact its a holiday.
MALLS AND SHOPPING IN GENERAL. While TA members in Pennsylvania take it for granted, clothing prices and inventory tend to be better in the Philadelphia area than many visitors experience in their home cities. This helps to explain why many visitors express an interest in shopping.
In the Philadelphia area, I generally have little trouble finding sizes, there are lots of discount stores and sales-- as well as a number of speciality stores--PLUS Pennsylvania%26#39;s sales tax does NOT apply to clothing, shoes and to most food bought in stores. (I am not sure about bedding). I live in Michigan and our 6% sales tax exempts food, but not clothing, shoes, etc., making even non-discount/non-sale items in PA cheaper every day.
Thanks for everyone%26#39;s very helpful advice! Especially the URL for the SEPTA sales locations! I am taking notes and try to visit the places you recommended. I do not have any preference for the places mentioned that you would like to visit on certain days. But Wednesday I will be on campus all day, and Thursday will be driving crazy and shop all the dorm stuff all day (I think my daughter probably have to pack most of the stuff and put it into summer storage till next school year).
After visiting the SEPTA website, I found out that Suburban Station (16th %26amp; JFK Blvd) or SEPTA 15th Street Store (15th %26amp; Market) seem to be the closest stations to my hotel Club Quarters (17th %26amp; Chestnut). However, I was surprised that they have discontinued the Day Pass and replace it with ';The One Day Convenience Pass'; with lots of restrictions (see P.S.), and it also has a new fare schedule (http://www.septa.org/fares.html), effective July 9, 2007. It was pretty confusing for a tourist trying to use its trip-planning tool too ... I probably will just call its customer service and ask them how to get around, or call a cab :-) By the way, how much is the cab fare from Center City to University City now?
Also, I found a very good website about University City%26#39;s transportation: http://www.ucityphila.org/getting_around
One last question: does anyone know if ';The One Day Convenience Pass'; valid to travel on LUCY (i.e., The Loop Thru University City)? THANKS!
P.S. http://www.septa.org/fares/daypass.html
The One Day Convenience Pass, on sale for $6.00, is valid for eight rides on any bus, trolley, or subway route in one calendar day. It is not valid for travel on Regional Rail. It is not activated until the first use.
One-Day Convenience Passes are available at SEPTA Sales Locations and online through Shop.SEPTA.org.
Greek Lady is at 222S 40th Street.
I have called the University of Pennsylvania to get the answers to some of my questions. They have been helpful.
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