<p>If you end up in the area around U of Penn try to get in breakfast or lunch at Cereality - all sorts of breakfast cereal to pick from and mix. Its a few doors down from the Penn Book Store and Urban Outfitters. My daughter and I had a good time there and it is unique. Steven Star’s restaurant Pod is right around the block as well. Walking through the Penn campus can be enjoyable as well and there is the Mutter Museum in that area which is supposed to be very unusual. Something to do in the evening if you want to be outside - Lights of Liberty. You might even be able to get a discount - possibly with a AAA or WHYY card.</p>
<p>BHG–isn’t the Philosophical Society right on Rittenhouse Square? If not…what am I thinking of? Also in the Rittenhouse Square area is the world famous Curtis Institute of Music…talk about selectivity and prestige. Home to the next generation of great musicians, they have free student concerts open to the public. Check out their web page, you might catch the next rising star.</p>
<p>The Art Alliance . They have all kinds of lectures there. Speaking of Curtis (cousin went there a looong time ago ) once I was eating at the now defunct Houlihans on the square and there were some Curtis students next to us at the bar and they were talking about a new prodigy who was 13 who had been accepted.You know what I have to say about Curtis- GREAT SCHOOL- but I also have to say , early tendonitis, and only a few really make it. Many professional musicians have to go town to town playing for a living, paycheck to paycheck, reliance on grants and their union, and they are GOOD , very talented. What I’m saying is, it’s a fine school, but please , don’t push a child for a parent’s dream.</p>
<p>Oh Goodness, PLEASE, the MUTTER Museum.</p>
<p>Do you believe I once sent my older kids in there BY THEMSELVES! I was having difficulty parking and they had just done one of those Franklin Institute workshops (they were 12) so I told them about it and I said you guys go in and see it and I’ll pick you up in a 1/2 hour . Well, they both came out GREEN and I realized, in one of those moments when a parent knows they did they wrong thing, this was the type museum where I should have been with them. They NEVER talked about it again. And I didn’t ever mention it.</p>
<p>Re: #22:
Philadelphia Ethical Society is what I was thinking of…but it’s certainly not a tourist attraction.</p>
<p>Re: Curtis
I know several kids there, and several at Juilliard as well; they all have a plan “B” in mind, but you never know if you might be the next Hilary Hahn unless you follow your dream. Not your parents’ dream. But you have to try in order to find out. And if you’re a tourist in Philly, it’s a great free concert. Not sure about summer, though. If interested, here’s the THE CURTIS RECITAL HOTLINE: 215-893-5261</p>
<p>Yes, Ethical Society, you are right.But the Art Alliance if it is still there was there too.You’re absolutely right about Curtis being a great free concert. A concert every time I walk by the building! And the beat part of Curtis is, it’s free tuition if you get accepted! Best deal in town for the talented!</p>
<p>We just attended a wedding in July at the Art Alliance, and there wasn’t anything up in the gallery at that time. I did notice that there’s a lovely restaurant in the back of the gallery, which is open to the public.</p>
<p>The Mutter Museum? God, I loved that place! Of course, I was also a member of the Franklin Institute–paid for it out of my allowance and babysitting earnings–and spent most Saturdays in their library. Gnurd heavens, both of them.</p>
<p>Restaurant Options (I’ve been to all of these and they’re amazing!):
Fountain (my co fav - but expensive)
Le Bec Fin (my co fav- very pricey but is considered the best in philly)
Morimoto (the chef is the actual iron chef)
Brasserie Perrier (good for lunch - same owner as le bec fin)
L’Angolo (best italian restaurant by far…it’s in south philly. Very mob like)
Patou
Bistro St. Tropez
La Boheme
Pod (good for lunch)
El Vez
Los Catrines y Tequilas (best mexican)
Buddakan
Alma de Cuba
Palm Restaurant
Susanna Foo
Vetri
Marrakesh (good Moroccan food)
Nan Restaurant (Thai food)
Mixto (latin american food…mix of colombian, spanish, venezuelan, ecudorian)</p>
<p>Oh, good! More suggestions! I think I’ll do a cut and paste of everyone’s ideas and then figure out what to do. Will look into the music at Curtis, and see how daughter feels. How come no one said anything about the new Liberty Place museum? My husbands band played there for a fundraiser soon after it opened and he said it was pretty cool. Daughter comes home tomorrow and says she’s excited. She goes into cities fairly often but not usually with Mom’s pocketbook!</p>
<p>well, I feel silly! I mentioned the Liberty place museum, but what I was thinking of was the Constitution Center. Doesn’t this look interesting? <a href=“http://www.constitutioncenter.org/[/url]”>http://www.constitutioncenter.org/</a></p>
<p>quick update. After way too much investigating, I went to priceline.com and got the omni hotel at Independence Park for $122 inclusive of taxes and charges. I’m excited and just wanted to thank everyone for all their ideas. Bern, thanks for the thai restaurant rec. My daughter will like that. I think I have enough ideas for a week or two’s worth of things to do. Good thing I love to plan!</p>
<p>I have a modest suggestion: there are two masterpieces of modern art in the Philadelphia Art Museum. You will never be able to see them anywhere else. They are Duchamp’s The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even (a.k.a. the Large Glass) and Duchamp’s Etant Donnes. The Bride is too fragile to move and Etant Donnes is built into the Museum, can’t be moved. If you are interested at all in modern art, they are worth a visit.</p>