Which areas of Philadelphia should I avoid? Which areas are "must see"? King of Prussia, Chinatown, etc.?

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Brian H

Philadelphia visitors can find everything they need to know right here at this site:
http://www.gophila.com/

The Franklin Institute Science Museum, the current special exhibit is King Tut
http://www.fi.edu

The Philadelphia Zoo is the oldest in the county. A mixture of old, historic buildings with brand new exhibits.
http://www.philadelphiazoo.org

The Constitution Center, The Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, etc.
http://www.nps.gov/inde/visiting.htm
http://www.nps.gov/inde
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/

Philadelphia Museum of Art
http://www.philamuseum.org/

Philadelphia Historic Walk
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/destinations/Philadelphia/Philadelphia_Historic_Walk.html

Philadelphia is one of the most haunted cities in the United States http://www.ghosttour.com

tour a U.S. mint
http://calvert.house.gov/tourmints.asp
http://www.usmint.gov/

Double Decker Bus Tours, Ride The Ducks tours
http://www.phillyducks.com/

South Street
The Italian Market
King of Prussia Mall
Reading Terminal Market
Philadelphia Park Racetrack (in Bucks County)

SexyTrojan

Stay downtown, either in Society Hill, near the Convention Center or Rittenhouse Square.

Downtown Philly is alive and active after 5pm, unlike most other other paces.

The Asian food in Chinatown is not very good (but I'm not a fan of asian food). Go to a Mom and Pop corner restaurant and get a cheesesteak (stay away from Pat's, Jim's and Geno's), a Butterscotch Krimpet and a cherry water ice.

SHOPPING
Delaware, 45 minutes South on 95 is tax free
Franklin Mills for outlet shopping
King of Prussia for upscale shopping

FOOD
There is a LOT to choose from, especially downtown.

MOVIES
Check out the IMAX Theater at the Franklin Institute

PARKS
Fairmount Park is the nation's largest public park or something
Valley Forge has historical stuff
Valley Green for hiking

Philadelphia has a LOT to offer that you can't get anyplace else. Why see a movie or go shopping when you can do that anyplace?

Go on a historical tour. 3 weeks before I moved to Michigan, I called my friend and I said "Let's be tourists!"
He said "WTF?"
I picked him up and we saw the Liberty Bell, Edgar Allen Poe's house, Independence Square, etc. I stood in John Adams footsteps. Not only did we see these things, we read about them on the plaques that I used to walk by when I got off the train.

Check out the theater (not movies). Philadelphia has some great independent theaters all over the place. It was Hollywood prior to Hollywood!

One of the great things about Philadelphia is it's roots. Most of the neighborhoods are very ethnic, and hold on to that pride. Go to different neighborhoods and check out the restaurants, bookstores, live music and culture.

Jay

Whatever you do don't stay in west , southwest , or north philly but there's no hotels anyway in these areas . Chinatown is nice , try reading terminal market for lunch , and for dinner go to university of penn area which is nice and go to Pod which is asian fusion and it is great . It looks like the future. After you go to Pod , a block away is a movie theatre called the Bridge , they bring food to your seat and have beer so enjoy . Don't forget a cheesesteak on your way home

jaque strap

Go to the Franklin Institute, they have the KING TUT Exhibit in town, which has real items from King Tuts tomb.

Steven F

You won't jeopardize your life if you are just driving by, but if you plan on getting out then i would recommend staying out of North Philly, or West and South, it's pretty bad now a days

feenafee

u should go 2 see the liberty bell, independence hall, c a phillies game!! if king tut is still on at the franklin institute then u should go there. um idk y u would want 2 go shopping because u can go shopping ne where. oh! u should go 2 penns landing at night- it's really cool and u should also check out these sites : www.gophila.com/
www.phila.gov/
www.philadelphia.com/
hope u have fun!!

Curt

I live 45 mins. from philly and go to Temple U. every week. The Italian Market on 9th and Passyunk is okay. Go see Independence Hall, the US Constitution Center and the Liberty Bell, they're all across the street from each other (6th & Walnut). Reading Terminal market is okay (Market & 14th I believe). Don't forget any of the museums: Art Museum (where Rocky ran up the steps; the Franklin Institute and/or the Museum of Natural Sciences). They are all on Ben Franklin Parkway around 18th to 20th sts.

For safety, stay out of west philly (University of Penn area), stay out of North Philly (Temple U. and above) and stay out of South Philly (below South street). If you hang in or around the tall buildings or in and around the historical buildings, you'll be just fine.

Luds

Stay out of North Philadelphia. Definietly hit South Street. Take in a ball game in South Philly, and don't miss the Italian Market.

rosesky

china town is so-so compared to other major cities, but south philly/little italy is cool. check out penn's landing for sight seeing and decent restaurants.

boat house row is cool at night time (you can see the lit up houses at night on route 76 heading into the city). stay away from north and west philly at night time. south street is ok but not a big deal.

try the philly cheese steak and italian hoagie (philly version of sub-sandwich) when you get a chance.

downtown has become much safer in recent years and there are some good restaurants also. best shopping is at the mall at king of prussia (no sales tax on clothing in PA).

philly_romantic

It all depends on what you are looking for. I don't know why people are recommending China Town, unless you are Chinese, there is nothing to do down there. A few good resturants and that's about it. If you go to ChinaTown, walk around the corner to 12th and Arch to Reading Terminal Market. Also, the Liberty Bell, The Franklin Institute (you have to get tickets to the King Tut exhibit in advance, the tickets are date and time stamped). The Academy of Natural Science is nice. The Italian Market is okay, but again, nothing really to do there. Penn's Landing is nice, and maybe they might have a concert at that time. The King of Prussia mall is huge, yet not in Philadelphia. It's a good place to spend money and eat. If you gamble, take an hour drive to Atlantic City, NJ to the casinos. Fairmount Park is the largest park in the Nation and a nice bit of it is on Kelly Drive. Here's hoping whatever you do, you will have a great time. Don't forget to get a cheesesteak and a soft pretzel!

mental.note

You should go to all areas in Philadelphia if you really want to experience it. In South Philly you can get a great sandwich on practically any corner. Go to Cosmi's on 8th & Dickenson. On 1st Friday's in Old City Gallery's open up displaying local artist and when they close at 9 you can go get plastered in all the trendy bars that line Market and Chestnut in between front & 2nd St. South St. has become much more commercialized so I suggest going down one block to Bainbridge St. to hit up some quiet coffee shops. If your into parks hit up Rittenhouse square and then when your done stroll down walnut st. and check out all the expensive shops. But don't forget to get a cheesesteak and a pretzel. Philly is fun a huge and you should go everywhere.

T B

all historical sites like the liberty bell, the constitution center, the irish pup, south street, penns landing. Avoid north philly if possible

baseplayer77

If you like asian food then china town and for everything else go to the king of prussia mall i love it

jojonjesse

Then definitely go down town, China Town and Penns Landing are fun, and you should go to the Franklin Institue, the King Tut Exhibit is there and I'd reccommend going if you can get tickets. If you like to shop the King of Prussia is your Mall, you could spend all day there and not hit all of the stores. None of these places are in bad neighborhoods. Valley Forge Park is also a nice place to go if the weather is nice and the Franklin Institue and at the King of Prussia Mall you can find Imax theaters a great place to see movies.

Eric B

There are a lot of bums near the building just west of the Philadelphia Free Library. Just keep in mind to keep away from them.

Trasheep

If you stay in Center City, you'll be fine. You don't want to head too far North (toward Temple University) or too far went (toward University of Pennsylvania). Most downtown shopping and sites (including Chinatown) are within walking distance of each other. Art Museum and the Franklin Institute are good sites. Franklin Institute currently has an ancient Eygptian display, including King Tut. For the more bizzare and iron stomached, there is the mutter museum. You can head into South Philly to check out the Italian Markets and you can't leave philly without a cheesesteak from Pat's or Genos. South Street (between 2nd and 7th(?)) is also a great way to spend your Friday or Saturday night. If you get on I-76 and head west toward the Main Line, there is Manayunk if you want something away from the city. King of Prussia is a must of course.

vincent g

The Italian section of Philly is not to be missed. Were I going I would spend most of my time there.

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