DINING IN PHILADELPHIA

Take something as ordinary as food.  In Philadelphia, it’s not ordinary.  There are more good restaurants per capita here than anywhere on the planet.  The Zagat Survey found 872 worth mentioning.  Saveur Magazine voted Philly #1 Food Town in 2003 and Philly's very own Stephen Starr was named Restauranteur of the Year 2005 by Bon Appetit Magazine. And if you like hoagies and cheese steaks, watch that waistline.  Ours are the best.

Below is but a sampling of the many great eats that Philly has to offer. Come discover the joy of Philadelphia dining for yourself.

Cuisines

Only in Philly | Latin | American | French | Italian | Eclectic | Asian | Mediterranean

Only in Philly

Pat's King of Steaks
Price Range:  $9
Address: 1237 E Passyunk Ave
Tel: (215) 468-1546
The birthplace of the cheesesteak.  One day in 1930, Italian Market hot dog vendor Pat Olivieri got tired of his usual frankfurter lunch.  He threw some beef on his grill with onions and put the meat on a bun.  A passing cabbie sampled this concoction and offered Olivieri the most sound business advice he ever received: "Forget about the hot dogs!  Sell these."  Philly's most famous food was born.

Geno’s Steaks
Price Range: $9
Address: 1219 South 9th Street
Tel: (215) 389-0659
Geno's counter staff can be brusque, so be sure to order correctly.  First, state your cheese of preference (Provolone, American or Cheez Whiz, the classic option) and then whether you want it with or without griddle-fried onions.  Be forewarned: Any pause in delivering your request can get you a stiff reprimand.  You'll end up with a meaty tradition that oozes greasy goodness.  Add a side of crispy extra-fried fries and experience old-time, fast-food nirvana.  This all-night take-out joint shines with fluorescent force at the south end of the Italian market, diagonally across the street from its main competitor, Pat's King of Steaks.

Sarcone’s Deli
Price Range: Under $10
Address: 734 South 9th Street
Tel: (215) 922-1717
Sarcone's bread is famous in Philly.  It is soft, dense and chewy – perfect for sopping up flavors exuded from sandwiches doused in vinegar, oil and dried Italian herbs.  The menu calls them hoagies, but these local delicacies aren't your typical corner-store subs.  Try hefty combinations that go by names like "the Booch," (roast beef, asparagus, sharp provolone) or "the junk yard special," (turkey, prosciutto, spinach, roasted red peppers, sharp provolone, fresh mozzarella).  Not so different, but somewhat holy, is the "Ave Maria," tuna salad with roasted red peppers and sharp provolone

Reading Terminal Market
Price Range: Under $10
Address: 12th & Arch Streets
Tel: (215) 922-2317
Mouth-watering aromas.  Produce fresh from the field.  Amish specialties. Fresh meats, seafood, and poultry.  Unique, hand-made pottery, jewelry and crafts from around the world.  The hustle and bustle of a multitude of diverse people.  It's all here in Philadelphia's historic farmers market, Reading Terminal Market.  An exhilarating selection of baked goods, meats, poultry, seafood, produce, flowers, ethnic foods, cookware and eclectic restaurants are peppered throughout the Market.  We invite you to explore this unique and extraordinary historic farmers market in Center City Philadelphia.

Italian Market
Address: 9th Street and from Wharton Street to Fitzwater Street 
The Italian market, the oldest open-air market in America has side-walks congested with produce stalls, rickety tables of dusty secondhand treasures, butcher stores, and shops selling roast pork and stewed tripe sandwiches.  Don’t miss Fante’s Kitchen Wares Shop, founded in 1906; DiBruno Bros., known for its cheeses; Claudio’s, a deli hung with provolone the size of full-length punching bags; D’Angelo Bros., the game meat store; and Sarcone’s Deli, for hoagies.

The Book and The Cook Culinary Festival
Address: Throughout Philadelphia
The basic philosophy of The Book and The Cook is that great chefs + great cookbook authors = great food and great fun.  In late March, over 65 restaurants, each hosting a different cookbook author.  It’s in the great scents and sounds that permeate the Culinary Market & Showcase, with cooking demonstrations and book signings by Ming Tsai, David Rosengarten, Lidia Bastianich and over 30 cookbook authors plus over 140 exhibit booths housing vendors of specialty foods, cookware, wines and appliances.

Latin

Alma de Cuba
Price Range: $50 per person (dinner)
Address: 1623 Walnut Street
Tel: (215) 988-1799
Co-owned by Douglas Rodriguez (known for Pipa and Chicama in Manhattan) and the incomparable Stephen Starr (Buddakan, Morimoto, Pod), Alma de Cuba turns out a highly eccentric rendition of Central and South American cooking in a fashionable modern setting.  Mr. Rodriguez has built a reputation on his liberal interpretation of tropical cuisine, often teasing diners with radical juxtapositions and brazen condiments -- anyone for grilled whole red snapper with green rice, chayote-and-shaved calamari salad in lemon dressing sprinkled with cumin chili praline?

El Vez
Price Range: $40 per person (dinner)
Address: 121 South 13th Street
Tel: (215) 928-9800
The glittery, jumping Mexican restaurant at the corner of Sansom Street.  Slowly revolving above the bar is a glass, chrome and neon-lighted low-rider bicycle, a distinctive Mexican-American art form.  Servers wheel avocado-laden low-rider carts to your table, where they prepare fresh guacamole to order.  The slow-roasted spiced lamb, wrapped in banana leaves and served with frijoles charros and corn tortillas, is a good bet.

¡Pasión!
Price Range: $55 per person (dinner)
Address: 211 South 15th Street, between Locust and Walnut
Tel: (215) 875-9895
This Caribbean motif'd restaurant specializes in ceviches, with five new ones featured daily.  Sample the tender grilled baby octopus over a cucumber-and-black-olive salad; thinly sliced sea bass sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds along with tasty little rice croquettes and pickled seaweed salad; and rare-seared salmon strips with a wonderful cumin-coriander sauce. You can pair them with some delightful South American wines.  They also serve killer caipirinhas.

Los Catrines/Tequila’s
Price Range: $40 per person (dinner)
Address: 1602 Locust Street
Tel: (215) 546-0181
One of Philadelphia's longtime Mexican favorites, Los Catrines, recently moved a few doors down from its original home to a baronial downtown mansion with dark mahogany walls, a 20-foot ceiling and a fine old bar.  A long rectangular back room is more casual.  I had heard that Los Catrines served an excellent mole poblano, and indeed it does: inky and thick, redolent of cloves and almonds, and just hot enough to keep you coming back.  I had it ladled around two pieces of chicken breast the size of maracas.

American

Bleu
Price Range: $35 per person (dinner)
Address: 227 South 18th Street
Tel: (215) 545-9318
A cheerful, mural wrapped American bistro that serves dishes like sweet steamed mussels, various composed salads, burgers and the like.  Great for people watching on the Square. 

Fork
Price Range: $45 per person (dinner)
Address: 306 Market Street
Tel: (215) 625-9425
Fork is a renowned American bistro owned by a Wharton alumnus in an old dry goods store in Old City. Any visit includes a must try – a spicy, warming Thai vegetable coconut curry.

Sansom Street Oyster House
Price Range: $30 per person (dinner)
Address: 1516 Sansom Street
Tel: (215) 567-7683
Straightforward seafood, exotic oysters and reasonable prices reel in diners again and again.  The oyster stew is divine; so is the smooth and hearty New England clam chowder.  Want a Philly classic?  Try chicken salad with fried oysters.  The same lightly battered mollusks appear in a plain but perfect po' boy.  When it comes to fish, (bluefish or brook trout, salmon or halibut), Sansom Street lets unadorned main ingredients stand on their own – except for old-fashioned sides of cole slaw and pickled beets.

Warmdaddy’s
Price Range: $35 per person for dinner. $5-10 music charge.
Address: 4 South Front Street
Tel: (215) 627-2500
 A ''culture of a Southern kind'' – beef ribs, honey-dipped fried chicken and cornmeal-crusted catfish, served with collard greens and, nearly every night, live jazz and blues.
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French

Rouge
Price Range:  $45 per person (dinner)
Address: 205 South 18th Street
Tel: (215) 732-6622 
Located right on Rittenhouse Square.  Menu carries everything from foie gras with red grape verjus (have it with a house Riesling or a moscato d’Asti) to grilled salmon with lobster fried rice.

Lacroix at the Rittenhouse
Price Range: $60, $69 and $78 per person prix fixe dinner
Address: 210 W Rittenhouse Square (Rittenhouse Hotel)
Tel: (215) 790-2533
World renowned chef, Jean-Marie Lacroix, has composed a menu of adventurous French cuisine that, like the restaurant's interior, is modern and unstuffy.  Dinners include roasted wild boar loin, skate and rabbit.  The veal breast with braised leeks and a salad with shallot vinaigrette is highly recommended.  

Le Bec Fin
Price Range: $120-155 per person prix fixe dinner
Address: 1523 Walnut Street
Tel: (215) 567-1000 
Suitably florid setting, served by a crew of ceremonious waiters - and, if your tastes run to the opulent, there's still no show like it in town.  The $120 prix fixe menu (or $155 if you want the 11-course marathon) started with a rich, almost mousse-like crab cake, sweet and flavorful, with a crown of osetra caviar, ringed by caramelized onions.  Living up to the restaurant's name, the desserts promise a memorable finale to your dinner.  The three-tier dessert trolley is so populous that you could repair to the restroom, make a few phone calls, and return to find the captain still reciting the selections.  ''Most diners like to taste three or four,'' our waiter pointed out with a smile.

Brasserie Perrier
Price Range: $50-75 per person (dinner)
Address: 1619 Walnut Street
Tel: (215) 568-3000
Opened by Georges Perrier, the owner of Le Bec Fin, the Art-Deco style Brasserie Perrier serves a moderately priced international French menu.  Favorite dishes include the city's best steak frites (a bargain at less than $20); lemony escargots with spinach; duck crepes drizzled with nutty maple syrup; delicate and herby daurade; and rich gnocchi with lobster in red pepper pistou.  Not-too-sweet desserts are as flawless as entrees--don't miss the chocolate tart or cappuccino cake.

Italian

Vetri
Price Range: $75 per person (dinner)
Address: 1312 Spruce Street
Tel: (215) 732-3478 
A soul-warming rustic Italian cuisine with contemporary fillips.  The snug 35-seat dining room has a countrified feeling with saffron stucco walls, wide-plank wood floors and bucolic faux window murals.  The staff could not be more accommodating, and easygoing Chef Mark Vetri occasionally appears in the dining room to take an order, clear dishes or refill wine glasses.  Hands down, the best dish was Mr. Vetri's roasted goat, which he prepared by simmering the meat in milk to impart a rich flavor, then roasting it until the skin was blistered and almost caramelized.

Pietro’s Coal Oven Pizzeria
Price Range: $20 per person (dinner)
Address: 1714 Walnut St  and 121 South St
Tel: (215) 735-8090 and (215) 733-0675 
Great pizza and copious amounts of pasta make this a local favorite.

Eclectic

Carman’s Country Kitchen
Price Range: $10-20 (breakfast & lunch)
Address: 1301 South 11th Street
Tel: (215) 339-9613 
If you are visiting town with children, or simply like to check out the less trodden parts of town, hop into a cab for a five-minute ride into South Philadelphia and Carman's Country Kitchen, a wacky cafe-cum-diner that is famous for its wagon-train breakfasts and the affable antics of the owner and chef, Carman Luntzel.  With its eight-stool counter, 20 cramped seats, and bric-a-brac galore, you can't help but be intimate with everybody in the place.  Aside from omelets and specialties like cornflake-crusted challah French toast, she offers brunch dishes like seared tilapia in parsley and white wine sauce.  The cafe serves from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday to Monday.  It's advisable to call ahead.  Thing is, Carman loves to travel.

Asian

Morimoto (Japanese)
Price Range: $80 per person (dinner)
Address: 723 Chestnut Street
Tel: (215) 413-9070 
It's a light show.  It's modern art.  It's a Japanese restaurant.  Most of all, it's totally impressive.  Just beyond neon chartreuse glass doors, Chef Masaharu Morimoto's elongated culinary theater welcomes diners to a daring here and now.  There are undulating bamboo ceilings, booths that change color, and, best of all, the Iron Chef himself presiding over a bustling sushi bar in back.  Morimoto utterly transforms even the simplest sushi, serving eel so lightly sweet, salmon so subtly buttery, soft shell crab so perfectly crisped, you'll forever forsake pre-made maki from the supermarket.  Food just doesn't get better.

Shiao Lan Kung (Chinese)
Price Range: $20 per person (dinner)
Address: 930 Race St
Tel: (215) 928-0282 
Located in the heart of Chinatown, this unassuming restaurant is a hidden gem, set apart by its very fresh ingredients and swift service.  The lavender walls add a soothing charm to this tiny place that fills up quickly each night.  Go with a big group, sit at a round table, and order a bunch of dishes to share.

Mediterranean 

Dmitri’s
Price Range: $30 per person (dinner)
Address: 2227 Pine Street
Tel: (215) 985-3680 
A plain, 35-seat BYOB joint serving simple Greekish fare like frilled whole fish, marinated octopus, and fried smelts with skordalia.

CITY ATTRACTIONS

Of course, Philadelphia has history.  Lots of it. Suffice it to say that one of the greatest experiments in democracy started here, so the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and other treasures and landmarks are where you can see them, in the middle of Old City. You’ll find Elfreth’s Alley here, the oldest residential street in the country in continuous use.  Walk through the Old City area and you’ll cover the same sidewalks, tread the same cobblestones and cross the same streets as did the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Things to Do
Tours | Historic Sites | Museums | The Arts | Local Neighborhoods and Hangouts | The Zoo | Excursions | Specials

Tours

Historic Philadelphia Walking Tour
Price Range: Free (admission to sites extra)
Address: Constitutional Foundation, 226 West Rittenhouse Square, Suite 1006
Tel: (215) 525-1776 
The self-guided, three-mile tour, the Constitutional, features more than 30 historical sites, including churches, museums, former taverns and old hospitals. Besides traditional tourist stops like Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, the itinerary introduces other significant locations from the Colonial and Revolutionary period near Independence Mall.  An example is the First Bank of the United States, on Third Street between Chestnut and Walnut Streets. Chartered by Congress in 1791, the bank moved into this classical building, the oldest bank building in the country, in 1797.

Audio Walk and Tour
Price Range: $10 for one person, $14 for two people, $16 for three people and $20 for four people
Address: Independence Visitor Center (Sixth and Market Street)
Tel: (215) 965-7676 or (800) 537-7676.
Hear the spirit of history come alive with a 74-minute narration, self guided and leisurely walking tour of historic Philadelphia.  This easily navigated audio tour is available for rent here at the Independence Visitor Center.  The tour includes a lightweight CD player and a detailed map that includes 20 important historic sites and 64 narrated segments.

Big Bus
Price Range: $25, $15 children under 12
Address: 437 Chestnut Street
Tel: (215) 965-7676 or (800) 537-7676
Hours: First bus leaves at 9:00 am; last bus leaves at 6:00 pm. Buses leave every 1/2 hour 
The world's largest operator of Open Top Double Decker Sightseeing Tours.  The tours of Philadelphia are 90 minutes long with 20 stops throughout the city including Old City, Society Hill, Penn's Landing, Center City, Independence Mall, The Art Museum, Fairmount Park, The Zoo, University City and 30th Street Station. Buses run throughout the year.

Freedom Ferry
Price Range: $6, $4 for children (Available at the terminal)
Address: Penn’s Landing Ferry Terminal (Philadelphia) or Wiggins Park Ferry Terminal (Camden)
Tel: (215) 926-LINK
Hours: 9 am to 5:40 pm daily, departures every 40 minutes.  
Riding the Freedom Ferry on the Delaware River offers a 12-minute picturesque view of the Philadelphia skyline and colorful attractions in Camden. Express Service is available up to two hours before all outdoor Tweeter Center concerts and Camden Riversharks baseball games after the last regular ferry run at 5:40 p.m.

Philadelphia Trolley Works
Price Range: $20, $5 for children
Tel: (215) 925-TOUR
Hours: 9 am – 4 pm daily
Step aboard the beautifully restored Victorian Trolleys to experience Philadelphia's past, present and future.  The 90-minute City Tour includes 20 convenient stops located throughout Center City.  Informative tour guides will entertain you with historical facts and tales that helped create our nation.

Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation Neighborhood Tours Network
Price Range: $32, $22 for children under 12
Tel: (800) 537-7676 or (215) 599-2295
Location: Departs from Independence Visitor Center, 6th and Market Streets
Hours: Saturdays at 10 am and return at 1 pm 
Enjoy the rich history and diverse culture of Philadelphia through Philadelphia's Neighborhood Tours featuring an authentic experience with ethnic food samples, interactive demonstrations by local artists, social history lessons by neighborhood guides and shopping.

Ride the Ducks
Price Range: $20, $11 children under12
Tel: 1-215-227-DUCK
Location: 437 Chestnut St., Suite 910
Hours: 9 AM – 7 PM daily
The tour provided by Ride The Ducks will be an entertaining and interactive adventure through real world Philadelphia.  The unique land-to-water tour will take passengers on a scenic journey through Old City, the Historic district and South Street, before plunging into the water for a floating tour of the Delaware River along Penn's Landing.  The closed loop tour (without stops, exiting or boarding en route) lasts about 80 minutes, including a 20-minute cruise along the Delaware River.  The landside portion of the tour will include Old City Philadelphia, the Historic District including Independence Mall, Society Hill, and of course, vibrant South Street.  After plunging into the Delaware River just North of the Ben Franklin Bridge, the water tour along Penn's Landing will include a spectacular view of the Bridge and the city skyline.

Spirit of Philadelphia Cruise
Price Range:  $40-60
Tel: 1-866-211-3808
Location: Columbus Blvd at Lombard Circle
Hours: Saturday brunch 11 AM – 1 PM; Sunday brunch 12 noon – 2 PM; Dinner daily 7 pm – 10 pm
Cruise, Dine, Dance.  Sightseeing cruises sail the Delaware River with buffet meals, cocktails, live entertainment and dancing.

Historic Sites 

National Constitution Center, Independence Mall
Price Range: $6, $5 for ages 4 to 12
Address: 525 Arch Street
Tel:  (866) 917-1787
Hours: 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM daily
On July 4, 2003, the elegant, two-story National Constitution Center opened its doors to an estimated one million visitors a year.  Located on the third block of Independence Mall and serving as the northernmost anchor of the Mall complex, the Center tells the story of the U.S. Constitution through more than 100 interactive and multimedia exhibits, photographs, sculpture, text, film and artifacts.

Independence Visitor Center
Price Range: Free. Tickets for Independence Hall are free but there is a fee for advance reservations of $1.50 (800-967-2283 or Online)
Address: Sixth and Market Streets
Tel: (800) 537-7676
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
The center is the place for information about all of Independence National Historical Park and other Philadelphia attractions, as well as for the free timed tickets necessary to enter Independence Hall.

Graff House
Price Range: Free
Address: Seventh and Market Streets
Hours: noon to 2 PM daily
Graff (or Declaration) House is a plain brick row house at Seventh and Market Streets where Thomas Jefferson lived when he wrote the Declaration of Independence.

Carpenters' Hall
Price Range: Free
Address: Chestnut Street between Third and Fourth Streets
Tel: (215) 925-0167
Hours: 10 AM to 4 PM, except on Monday
Carpenters' Hall is one of the great treasures of historic Philadelphia.  The Hall has been owned and operated by the Carpenters' Company of Philadelphia, the oldest trade guild in America, since 1770.  The Hall has been home to a host of firsts including the First Continental Congress.

The Liberty Bell
Price Range: Free
Address: Market Street between 5th and 6th Streets
Tel: (800) 537-7676
Hours: 9 AM-5PM daily
The new Liberty Bell Center offers a video presentation and exhibits about the Liberty Bell, focusing on its origins and its modern day role as an international icon of freedom.  Taped presentations about the history of the Liberty Bell are offered in a dozen languages for the convenience of foreign visitors.  The Liberty Bell itself is displayed in a magnificent glass chamber with Independence Hall in the background.

Christ Church
Price Range: Free
Location: Second Street between Market and Arch Streets
Tel: (215) 922-1695
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m and after noon on Sunday
Christ Church was established on 15 November, 1695, and for 66 years was the only Church of England parish in the city of Philadelphia.  The present building was started in 1727 and completed in 1744.  The tower and steeple, financed in part by lotteries managed by Benjamin Franklin was completed in 1754.  The building is an outstanding example of colonial architecture in the Georgian spirit.

The Christ Church Burial Ground
Suggested donation: $2-adult, $1-student. 35-minute tours at 10:15, 11:15, 12:15, 1:15, 2:15, $3-adult, $2-student.
Location: Fifth and Arch Streets
Tel: (215) 922-1695
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 AM – 4 PM, Sunday noon - 4 PM weather permitting 
Interred at Christ Church Burial Ground are hundreds of Colonial, Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary notables.  The most famous of whom is Benjamin Franklin.

Valley Forge National Historical Park
Price Range: Free
Location: Valley Forge, PA
Tel: (610) 783-1099
Hours: 9 AM-5PM daily
Of all the places associated with the American War for Independence, perhaps none has come to symbolize perseverance and sacrifice more than Valley Forge.  The hardships of the encampment claimed the lives of one in ten, nearly all from disease.  Despite the privations suffered by the army at Valley Forge, Washington and his generals built a unified professional military organization that ultimately enabled the Continental Army to triumph over the British. 

Eastern State Penitentiary
Price Range: $9, $4 for ages 7 to 12. Children under 7 not admitted.
Location: 2124 Fairmount Avenue
Tel: (215) 236-3300
Hours: Opens at 10 AM. Wednesday through Sunday, with last entry at 4 PM
Opened in 1829 as part of a controversial movement to change the behavior of inmates through "confinement in solitude with labor," Eastern State Penitentiary quickly became the most expensive and most copied building in the young United States.  It is estimated that more than 300 prisons worldwide are based on the Penitentiary's wagon-wheel, or "radial" floor plan.  Some of America's most notorious criminals were held in the Penitentiary's vaulted, sky-lit cells, including bank robber Willie Sutton and Al Capone.  After 142 years of consecutive use, Eastern State Penitentiary was completely abandoned in 1971, and now stands, a lost world of crumbling cell blocks and empty guard towers.

Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Price Range: $8, $5 ages 6 to 18
Location: 19 South 22nd Street
Tel: (215) 563-3737
Hours: 10AM - 5PM daily
The Museum's collections include over 20,000 objects, including fluid-preserved anatomical and pathological specimens, medical instruments, anatomical and pathological models, items of memorabilia of famous scientists and physicians, and medical illustrations.

Museums

Academy of Natural Sciences
Price Range: $9, children under 12, $8.
Location: 1900 Ben Franklin Parkway
Tel: (215) 965-7676 or (800) 537-7676
Hours: Monday – Friday, 10 AM – 4:30 PM; Saturday & Sunday, 10 AM – 5 PM
The Academy of Natural Sciences has four floors of exhibitions and activities centering on the environment and its diverse species.  Stroll among live butterflies, pet a live snake or hissing cockroach, learn about the importance of water, and much more.  The Academy also houses 17 million specimens of plants, animals and other organisms, including rare library holdings that document scientific discovery from the 1500's to today.

African American Museum in Philadelphia
Price Range: $8, children under 12, $6.
Location: 701 Arch Street
Tel: (215) 574-0380
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM; Sunday 12 noon – 5 PM
Found in 1976 as the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum in celebration of the nation’s Bicentennial, the Museum was the first institution funded and built by a major municipality to preserve, interpret and exhibit the heritage of African Americans.  Throughout its evolution, the Museum has objectively interpreted and presented the achievements and aspirations of African Americans from pre-colonial times to current day.

Philadelphia Museum of Art
Price Range: $10, $7 children 18 and under
Location: Benjamin Franklin Parkway and 26th Street
Tel: (215) 763-8100
Hours: Tuesday, Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays, 10 AM – 5PM; Wednesday & Fridays, 10 AM – 8:45 PM 
Known as the Parthenon on the Parkway, this temple of art houses over 300,000 objects in a half-million square feet of space.  The collection has depth in Asian and Near East art, works from a millennium of European history, and a significant collection of Impressionist and Post-impressionist paintings.  Most of the masters of the 20th Century are represented, including rooms devoted to Duchamp and Brancusi.

Rodin Museum
Price Range: $3
Location: Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 22nd Street
Tel: (215) 763-8100
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The museum, which opened to the public in 1929, houses 124 sculptures, including bronze casts of the artist's greatest works: The Thinker, perhaps the most famous sculpture in the world; The Burghers of Calais, his most heroic and moving historical tribute; Eternal Springtime, one of the most powerful works dealing with human love; powerful monuments to leading French intellectuals such as Apotheosis of Victor Hugo; and the culminating creation of his career, The Gates of Hell, on which the artist worked from 1880 until his death in 1917.

Franklin Institute
Price Range: $12.75
Location: 222 North 20th Street
Tel: (215) 448-1200
Hours: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM daily
The Franklin Institute is one of the most highly regarded museums in the United States.  Founded as a tribute to the life work of Benjamin Franklin, the Institute shines through a dizzying array of hands-on exhibits, which encourages visitors to participate rather than merely stare at the exhibits.  Please bear in mind that the museum is absolutely gigantic, so it is advisable to have some sort of plan before you arrive.  Set aside plenty of time to explore the institute’s many, many displays; you can definitely spend a whole day here.

Barnes Foundation
Price Range: $5
Location: 300 North Latch's Lane, Merion, PA 19066
Tel: (610) 667-0290 (reservations), then press option 5
Hours: Please call.  Reservation must be made in advance for all visits. 
The Barnes Foundation collection is unsurpassed in breadth, quality and depth in Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.  It is enhanced by Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities, Chinese painting, African sculpture, retablos from New Mexico, Native American works and American decorative arts.  Juxtapositions of objects from different cultures, periods and media are intentional and provide exciting resources for teaching and viewing the world from a diverse perspective.

Please Touch Museum
Price Range: $9
Location: Memorial Hall in Farimont Park
4231 Avenue of the Republic (Formerly N. Concourse Dr)
Tel: (215) 581-3181
Hours: 9 AM – 5 PM M-S and 11 AM – 5PM on Sundays
All of the interactive exhibits here create education opportunities through play for children ages one to seven.  Learn about transportation with "Move It" by "driving" a bus and "sailing" a boat.  Film your favorite made-up stories at "Me On TV".  Get a look at farm life with "Barnyard Babies".  And enter "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" through a life-sized version of the story.

The Arts

In the arts, Philadelphia is undergoing a renaissance that's transformed and rejuvenated a considerable stretch of South Broad Street into The Avenue of the Arts.  The Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadelphia Opera Company and Penn. Academy of Fine Arts are here, and so are plenty of theaters, galleries, jazz clubs, poetry readings and more.  Plus rarities like the Rosenbach Museum and its collection of rare manuscripts (James Joyce’s Ulysses, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and others) are equally astonishing.

Kimmel Center
Location: 260 South Broad Street on the Avenue of the Arts
Tel: (215) 790-5800
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts includes Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, Innovation Studio and the Merck Arts Education Center.  Kimmel Center, Inc. also manages the Academy of Music, owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association.  The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Academy of Music serve as home to eight Resident Company performing arts organizations, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, American Theater Arts for Youth, PHILADANCO, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Peter Nero and the Philly Pops®.  Kimmel Center, Inc.’s mission also includes arts in education, community outreach and a rich diversity of programming through its Kimmel Center Presents and Citizens Bank Broadway at the Academy series of performances.

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Price Range: $5, $3 for ages 5 to 18
Location: Broad and Cherry Streets
Tel: (215) 972-7600
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 AM – 5PM; Sunday, 11 AM – 5 PM
Throughout the year, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts presents special exhibitions, an outstanding permanent collection, and work by some of the region's most talented contemporary artists-all in the historic landmark building designed by Frank Furness and George W. Hewitt.

Rosenbach Museum and Library
Price Range: $8, $5 students
Location: 2008-2010 Delancey Place
Tel: (215) 732-1600
Hours: 10 AM – 5 PM daily, except Wednesday (10 AM- 8 PM) 
The brothers Rosenbach, Dr. A.S.W., a rare books dealer, and Philip, an art and antiques dealer, lived in this Victorian townhouse between 1926 and the mid-1950s.  They filled the place with significant French, English, and American furnishings – and a world-renowned collection of rare books and manuscripts.  The original manuscripts of Ulysses, The Pickwick Papers, and Lord Jim are just three of the highlights

Jazz in Philadelphia
You might be surprised by the list of all of the great jazz musicians who have come from Philadelphia or have come of age here.  Philadelphia has always represented quality in American jazz music, beginning in the 1930s, when Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti emerged from South Philadelphia, to the ascendancy of greats such as Philly Joe Jones, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane, in the 1940s, '50s and '60s, to the '70s, when Stanley Clarke, Shirley Scott and Grover Washington Jr. fused soul and rock with jazz, to the age of present-day young turks such as Orrin Evans, Farid Barron, and Jaleel Shaw.  Some of the world's best established jazz musicians come from, and remain, in the Philadelphia region.  And there are strong venues in this city, such as Zanzibar Blue, North by Northwest, ThePainted Bride Art Center, and the venerable old Clef Club, now in the new millennium transformed into an Avenue of the Arts attraction

Local Neighborhoods & Hangouts

Chestnut Hill
This is a must-see suburb within the city limits boasting cobblestone streets, quaint shops and wonderful restaurants. Stroll along Germantown Avenue past historic homes, colorful gardens and galleries to experience another side of Philly.  

Chinatown
Let the gates at 10th and Arch welcome you to the city's center of Asian culture.  Whether you need a midnight study break or crave a taste of another world, here's the spot.  

Fairmont Park
Philadelphia encompasses Fairmount Park, the largest landscaped park in the country at 4,180 acres, all of it in the city. It’s the granddaddy of all municipal parks.  A river runs through it – the Schuylkill (pronounced SKOO-kill by most locals), the banks of which include some of the flattest and prettiest jogging and biking paths anywhere, an 8.6-mile loop that starts and ends at the art museum.  The park, largely unchanged over the past century; is also the home of the college rowing crews and regattas, and under one of the river’s bridges you can see where Thomas Eakins painted his sculling studies.  The crew boathouses, quaint Victorians outlined with decorative lights, show their reflections in the river, a treat for commuters driving the Schuylkill Expressway.

Italian Market
Take South Philadelphia’s Italian Market – block after block of stalls and pushcarts and small shops that, started by immigrants, haven’t changed much since the beginning of the 20th century.  The prices and selection are often incredible, drawing shoppers and gourmet cooks from all around the city.  On a good day you might get 12 ears of corn or three pounds of grapes for a buck. 

The Main Line
On Philadelphia’s Main Line, old money maintains historic mansions and sprawling estates.  The setting for the classic Hepburn/Grant/Stewart film “The Philadelphia Story,” the Main Line smacks of Boodles Martinis and freshly pressed schoolboy blazers.

Manayunk
Nestled along the banks of the river, this is where young Philadelphians live, shop and dine.  This 19th century mill town has been dubbed "Fun along the Schuykill."  You can also rent bikes here and ride along the canal into the city or as far out as Valley Forge National Historic Site. 

Old City
On the first Friday of the month, Old City – Philadelphia’s more low-key version of SoHo – hosts First Friday.  Crowds throng the stress and the neighborhood’s art galleries are open late. 

Penn’s Landing
Penn’s Landing offers many tourist attractions and celebrations, often in context with national holidays and fireworks as well as restaurants, museums, chili cook-offs, outdoor dancing, light shows and the chance to say hello to passengers and crew from faraway places whose ships dock right here. 

Rittenhouse Square
Surrounded by some of the city's most stately manors, this area doubles as a big off-campus residence and student hangout.  Drop into La Colombe (19th & Walnut) for a cappuccino and strike up a conversation with a student to get the scoop on Philly.  The square's many great restaurants, cafes and bookstores are also reasons students flock here.

South Street
South Street, “the hippest street in town”, block after block of boutiques, bookstores, record stores, restaurants, clubs and hangouts.

University City
With over 40,000 students from the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, students definitely rule.  This neighborhood mixes urban life with tree-lined streets and historic Victorian homes, and it's quickly becoming the Harvard Square of the Mid-Atlantic.  Located just across the Schuylkill River from downtown,  University City is home to the Institute of Contemporary Art, Annenberg Performance Center, and Penn's Archaeology Museum.  U City also boasts top restaurants, like Pod, Rx, and The White Dog Café, as well as a dizzying array of ethnic eateries offering up the true flavors India, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Valley Forge
Not all student shopping is done on the net.  Many drive to King of Prussia (home of the East Coast's largest mall - don't forget there's no sales tax on clothing in PA!).  Others grab their mountain bikes and head for Valley Forge State Park or pack their charcoals

 
The Zoo

The Philadelphia Zoo
Price Range: $16, $13 for children under 12
Location: 34th Street and Girard Avenue
Tel: (215) 243-5233
Hours: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM daily 
The Philadelphia Zoo, oldest in the country, itself big enough to get lost in.  Its state-of-the-art animal exhibits and health-care facilities, award-winning education and conservation programs, recreational opportunities, guest services, scientific accomplishments and historically significant venue make the Philadelphia Zoo one of the world's most renowned zoological societies and gardens.  The Zoo is also the Philadelphia region's leading family attraction, welcoming more than a million visitors a year.

Excursions 
Philadelphia’s terrific, but suppose you want to get off, really far off, campus?  Fortunately we’re centrally located.  Never seen an ocean?  The Atlantic’s shore resorts are an hour or so away.  Want to go skiing?  Hit the Pocono Mountains.  Do day trips to New York, Baltimore and the nation’s Capitol, or to Pennsylvania Dutch Country and the flea markets around Adamstown.  And if you want to see Europe, just stand in the surf on the Jersey shore on a clear day and squint slightly.

Specials

City Pass
Price Range: $36, $22 for children under 11
Tel: (215) 965-7676 or (800) 537-7676 
The popular Philadelphia CityPass features entry to six City attractions all for one price!  The attractions are: The National Constitution Center, The Academy of Natural Sciences,
Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia Zoo, the Franklin Institute and Philadelphia Trolley Tours.

I came into Philadelphia with some trepidation about my potential classmates at Wharton, but left days later after a fantastic weekend knowing that I would attend Wharton, and would do so with a collection of incredible people.
- Winter Welcome '08 Participant

I was torn between Wharton and another program at the time, but realized via my interaction with the 1st years and my fellow admits that Wharton was not the stuffy, quant-focused school that I had pre-conceived. Instead, I found well-rounded, community-focused students who could speak to a variety of academic and extra-curricular experiences. These leaders were people that I could see myself hanging out with and working with.
- Winter Welcome '08 Participant