First time to Philly

We will be taking a train from Cranford, NJ to Philly in October(8-10). I was thinking of staying at The Ancestry Inn for two nights. Any comments on this place? Looks like it is in the old town area. We are looking for things to do and see, history and museums. We don%26#39;t mind walking or taking busses or trains to where we need to go. Will not have a car. Then we will need to get to the airport. What%26#39;s the best way to do that?

First time to Philly

If you don%26#39;t have a car, I would not recommend the Ancestry Inn. According to the map I just looked at, its located in Germantown, which is not particularly close to Center City (which is where all the museums and shops are), its been a while, but I don%26#39;t recall a lot of food in walking distance, etc.

There is a train into center city from there, the station is one block away, but it is regional rail, which off peak does not run as robust a schedule as I might like. The estimated time to city from Station is 33 minutes, the station is not manned and small. Off peak, the train runs about once per hour. Schedule can be found at: www.septa.org/service/sched/pdfs/R8.pdf

If you are set on a B%26amp;B, you might want to consider La Reserve, or the Columns on Clinton (note, I have not stayed at either, and have not checked to see if they have TA listings) At a higher price level is the Pennsview hotel, which I have put people at and is VERY nice. All of these are centrally located.

If a B%26amp;B/small hotel is not a must, I%26#39;d check hotwire. You can often get good prices at the Hyatt Penn%26#39;s Landing or the Sheraton Society Hill.

What train are you coming in on? Amtrak? NJT?

As to the airport, depends on how many people and how much luggage. If travelling light, the R1 from Market East station is convenient, if 3 or more people with luggage, I would go with a cab or shuttle.

First time to Philly

Thank you for all that great info. I will look into staying somewhere else. It is just two of us with one bag each. I think we are taking the NJT train from Cranford to 30th Station in Philly. I haven%26#39;t got that set yet.

Loonbeam is right on, as usual. Wherever you stay, make sure it is somewhere in Center City (downtown). You will not need a car, and can in fact walk just about everywhere.

Scout ~ No direct route from Cranford to Philly. You will have to take the NJT Raritan Valley Line three stops to Newark to get a train down to Philly. The quickest and easiest thing to do would be to hop on an Amtrak train.

If you are on a budget, then take the NE Cor Line to Trenton ( definitely try to catch the express) then hop on Septa. Alot cheaper, but can be a huge hassle at times.

There%26#39;s another option, from Trenton can take the RiverLink to Camden then the Ferry into Philly. If you choose the Pennview I would definitely consider that option.