first timers w/ 3 days in philly, suggestions welcome!! :)

Hi!

My husband and I will be in Philly for the first time the weekend of Sept 7th...We are staying at the Westin in Liberty Place and will have a rental car.

We%26#39;re in our late twenties, but are not dance club or jazz/blues people, but we are night owls that like to be out where people are walking around. We like coffeeshops that are open late and wouldn%26#39;t mind listening to acoustic performances. Any suggestions for low-key hangouts in the evenings?

We love great restaurants. My husband has a finer palate than I, but we love all types of places. We would like to 1 or 2 nicer restaurants for dinner while we%26#39;re there. We love Pizza, Italian, American (BBQ), Chinese and Mexican Food. My husband loves seafood, I don%26#39;t, but as long as there is something else that is non-seafood on the menu I%26#39;m just fine.

What is the best place to get an infamous philly cheesesteak?

We are going to the Phillies baseball game on Saturday...any suggestions for sights/dining in that area?

We love aquariums and science centers. We can pass on art/sculptures, unless there is a must-see exhibit.

Is there a great park with shops near by with great people watching?

Any feedback would be much appreciated!! Thank you in advance!

first timers w/ 3 days in philly, suggestions welcome!! :)

My first suggestion is to lose the car, unless it%26#39;s absolutely necessary. You can get everywhere by walking, cabs or public transit and parking can be expensive.

I believe there are numerous posts debating the best cheesesteak, so just do a forum search for suggestions. Regarding your other questions:

The stadium area has 2 arenas, football stadium, baseball stadium, associated parking lots and not much else in the immediate vicinity. Inside Citizens Bank Park, however, there are numerous food vendors, selling anything from your usual ballpark fare, to cheesesteaks, to pizza, to barbeque. You could visit their website ahead of time to check out the list of food vendors.

You could head across the river to Camden to visit the Adventure Aquarium and visit the Franklin Institute (a science museum) on the Ben Franklin Parkway.

Rittenhouse Square is a nice spot for people watching and there%26#39;s a lot of shopping in that area.

I usually stick to more casual restaurants and/or bars, so can%26#39;t help with other questions.

first timers w/ 3 days in philly, suggestions welcome!! :)

For people watching: South Street, Rittenhouse Sq, 2nd Street in the evening/late night hours, 7th Street%26#39;s Washington Sq Park.

Food %26amp; people watching: The Continental -sit outside at 2nd and Market and watch the people go by.

Food: A treat yourself meal - The Mushulu,

Good Italian: Ralph%26#39;s at 9th %26amp; Catherine and there is another near 3rd or 4th street near Market Street with the word Gliouttione or something similar. Check the restaurant guide, I can%26#39;t remember the spelling.

Bars: Sugar Mom%26#39;s, (if your back is facing the Continental, walk across Market Street, first blocked off cobblestone street on your left turn there. On your right handside you will see a window with lights in the rear of a parking lot. That%26#39;s Sugar Mom%26#39;s. You can also get there from 3rd street. Or the Belgian Beer Bar at 2nd %26amp; Chestnut called Eulogy.

If you like coffee, there are a few great coffee shops near 5th and South -you can people watch from there too.

For a steak sandwich, you can either drive to Pat%26#39;s or Geno%26#39;s or just stay on South Street and go to Jim%26#39;s at 2nd %26amp; South.

Aquariums - Camden Aquarium is huge. Franklin Institute has a King Tut exhibit for $ 35 until 9/30/07

Hope that helped.

Based on what you are looking for in a resturant ~ I would rec. some place either near Washington Square Park or Rittenhouse Square. These are also great spots for people watching.

Washington Square

www.washingtonsquare-restaurant.com

Rouge

Devon Grill

http://www.devonseafood.com/

The stadium has so many great places to eat inside, that I would stick to that. There are several famous Philadelphia establishments that have stands set up in the stadium. Crab Fries, PIzza, Cheesesteaks, Hoagies. There are also some good restaurants to watch the game at. We love grabbing a table at Harry K%26#39;s for a couple of innings. It is outside, has great views of the field and good table serve. What about doing a tour of the stadium before hand?

thanks for your suggestions everyone!! i know we%26#39;re going to have a great time with your help!

Good timing - you%26#39;ll be in Philly for a First Friday. On the first Friday of each month the galleries and shops in Old City stay open in the evening. People stroll around socializing, stop for food or drink, and check out the art.

Cheesesteaks - since you%26#39;ll be at the game you can get a steak at Rick%26#39;s in the Stadium. He%26#39;s the grandson of Pat (Pat%26#39;s Steaks). However, my personal favorite is Campo%26#39;s on the 200 block of Market. Very good quality sandwich.

Great people watching - the Reading Terminal Market (readingterminalmarket.org), and while you%26#39;re there you can get my favorite Philly sandwich: roast pork w/ provolone and greens at Dinic%26#39;s.

Great restaurant with diverse menu - Fork on the 300 block of Market. See forkrestaurant.com for more info.

Lynn

Those are some GREAT suggestions... here are some of my favorites:

For cheesteaks I like Jim%26#39;s Steaks (mentioned above)

For Italian food I like Porcini

philadelphia.citysearch.com/profile/8949792/

For Chinese I like Sang Kee Duck House (I always order the Peking Duck and Snow Pea Leaves... yum!)

http://www.phillychinatown.com/sangkee.htm

The Tin Angel has live music and the restaurant downstairs (Serrano) is very good too.

http://www.tinangel.com/

I%26#39;m surprised and pleased with Northern Liberties as an area for hip night life. It%26#39;s getting nicer all the time!

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wrinkles