<p>We are also going to visit our niece at Swarthmore. And suggestions for a place close to campus to take her for lunch?</p>
<p>You might want to ask on the Swarthmore board. Isn’t interesteddad a Swarthmore parent?</p>
<p>Wow! I can’t believe you’ve all had four pages of Philly discussion without me since just last night!</p>
<p>I’m not certain I even have anything real to add, so I’ll just weigh in with those I agree with.</p>
<p>High-end restaurant: Osteria, for sure. And as an added bonus, it’s a lot less expensive than the real high-end places, like Lacroix, or Vetri (the real high-end restaurant of Osteria’s owner. We also like all of Jose Garces’ restaurants, especially Amada and Tinto, and Distrito (somewhat less expensive, on the Penn campus).</p>
<p>Philadelphia also has great BYOB restaurants, with great, often a little exotic cuisine at somewhat bargain prices. Among my current faves are Koo Zee Doo (Portugese), Kanela (Cypriot), Modo Mio (Italian), Matyson (American).</p>
<p>And then there are the real bargains – ethnic restaurants in Northeast Philadelphia where finding a waiter who speaks English can be a little bit of a challenge, but the food is unbelievable. If you can, try Uzbekistan, where you can feed your family for a week on the cost of one person’s meal and wine at Vetri. It’s BYOV (every table is set up with shot glasses).</p>
<p>Cheesesteaks: YES! to Tony Luke’s. YES YES! to roast pork with provolone and greens, the true Philly treat, at Tony Luke’s or DiNic’s. Jim’s is OK if you are on South Street, but don’t go there special for it. Avoid Pat’s and Geno’s, except I like to take out-of-town visitors to Geno’s so I can see their faces when they see the wall of tribute to Danny Faulkner (the police officer killed – or maybe not – by Mumia Abu-Jamal). The cheesesteaks there are almost inedible.</p>
<p>The Art Museum and Constitution Center / Independence Hall are certainly the Big Two. I would recommend the Barnes, but it is closed now, reopening in Center City in May. The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art is an interesting minor museum with a beautiful building right near City Hall, and the Institute of Contemporary Art at Penn often has interesting exhibits. There is an active artist community here, and galleries that represent them. If you are interested, try Sande Webster at 20th and Walnut, or various places around Old City.</p>
<p>One less-known place a lot of people like is the Mutter Museum at 19 S. 22nd St. It’s a Victorian-era collection of medical oddities. Gross, kitsch, and fascinating.</p>
<p>If you can, try to visit the Kimmel Center and see if you can look inside Verizon Hall. The center is worth seeing, and the main hall is very beautiful inside. Of course, if you like classical music the Philadelphia Orchestra is superb; you can also check whether there are recitals at the Curtis School, or up at Temple’s music school. The new concert hall at Temple, in the rehabbed church that gave the university its name, is also worth seeing if you can.</p>
<p>fleishmo6’s recommendation of the Piazza at Schmidt’s is a good one. That’s where you would want to hang out if you were 25 and had a job but no girlfriend yet. It’s also one of the most successful urban rehab projects ever, and has absolutely transformed an entire neighborhood.</p>
<p>Yes, the cheesy Wanamaker’s Christmas show survives as a cheesy Macy’s Christmas show with 70s technology, but . . . it’s cheesy. It has pretty much been replaced in the public’s affection by the giant holiday movie Comcast shows in its lobby every half hour from Thanksgiving on.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the weather is going to be terrible this weekend.</p>
<p>JHS- oh Philly guru, I was wondering where you were.
Must contradict your comment about cheesy Macy’s Xmas light show. Apparently, it’s been completely modernized, so the Organ tour guide told us two years ago. </p>
<p>Re:**Kimmel Center **, they too, offer FREE tours, which I experienced a couple years ago. Pleasant experience. </p>
<p>All things food —JHS Philly Food Hound!
Resolve the French toast issue —Sabrinas or 4th Street Deli ?</p>
<p>Even though the weather looks lousy, you could visit our version of Occupy Wall Street. ;)</p>
<p>Oh, that’s a good idea, qdogpa! We have spent some time with the NYC occupy and our son is there almost every day.</p>
<p>Just make sure you go to a WaWa and get a coffee, soda AND a TastyKake (Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes aka TandyTakes are the best). WaWas are all over the place.</p>
<p>bethie, I didn’t realize you had a niece at Swat. Java Joe’s is fun for lunch/brunch. So is Countryside Market. Both are close to campus. Iron Hill in Media is good, too.</p>
<p>You could go a little further afield, out towards Chadds Ford on the Baltimore Pike, to Brandywine Prime. Then you’d be very close to the Brandywine River Museum, if anybody in your party is into NC Wyeth (or Andrew, etc.).</p>
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No way, butterscotch krimpets, or maybe the cream-filled chocolate cupcakes. I like the pies, too.</p>
<p>Kandy Kakes are good too. 
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<p>I distinctly remember my suburban-Philly elementary school having a cart / kiosk that sold TastyKakes!</p>
<p>Agree about the pies. Lemon, blueberry…yum Also like butterscotch krimpets.</p>
<p>Oh, I don’t think the Wanamaker’s/Macy’s light show is cheesy! At least, not if you grew up in Philadelphia. It was pretty cool before video and electronics, way back in the 60’s and 70’s!</p>
<p>TheBen Franklin attraction greenbutton mentioned is Franklin Court. It was pretty modern when it first opened, but a lot of it is outside so I don’t think I would put that high on the list. You have gotten good recommendations on all the museums and restaurants.</p>
<p>Does anyone think you can get in to Osteria without a reservation this late?</p>
<p>And WAWA is GREAT!!! I LOVE Wawa! 
Best coffee and Tastykakes to go</p>
<p>Oh and Pizzagirl - I definitely remember the “Secret Shop” where you’d go in the little kid door with an envelope of money pinned to you and shop with strangers. You’d get arrested trying to do that today!! :D</p>
<p>Yes Harriet, my niece is a first year student at Swat. She is carving out some time for us on Saturday, but I doubt she’ll be able to give us much time because she is a really serious student (obviously, or she wouldn’t be there) so I think we’ll want to take her somewhere close to campus.</p>
<p>Our town’s middle school has had a long-standing exchange program with a school in Philly. The VT kids carry Ben & Jerry’s to Philly and the Philly kids bring TastyKakes to VT.</p>
<p>I just found out we’re staying at the Hyatt at Penn’s Landing. Sounds like it’s in a good spot.</p>
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<p>:::: New EC … “participated in a Ben & Jerry’s/TastyKake exchange program.” I like!!</p>
<p>(I thought Ben & Jerry’s was available everywhere … is there a greater selection in VT than elsewhere?)</p>
<p>Wanamaker’s (Macy’s) – Yes, it was updated a few years ago . . . to 1970s standards. I saw it two years ago, for the first time since my kids were little, and it was hard to believe how dumb it looked in a computer-graphics world. Sure, they have thousands of LEDs . . . making stick-figure reindeer. And lo-fi recorded holiday music. As the kids say: w/e.</p>
<p>Near Swarthmore – I’ve never been there, but my wife really likes the Iron Hill brewpubs.</p>
<p>If you decide to go to the Brandywine Museum, you may also want to go to Longwood Gardens, a former du Pont estate turned flower museum and arboretum. Beautify gardens year-round, including many indoors. And Winterthur, in northern Delaware, another du Pont museum (gorgeous furniture and stuff).</p>
<p>If you like indie rock and the like, you may want to check out Philly’s recent generation of completely boomer-friendly music clubs: World Cafe Live (which houses the WXPN/World Cafe studios) near the Penn and Drexel campuses, Union Transfer, the Trocadero (an old burlesque theater), Johnny Brenda’s. Except for the Troc, which is practically in Chinatown, they all serve dinner, too; Johnny Brenda’s is actually good.</p>
<p>Hyatt at Penn’s Landing – It’s a little isolated. It was built in expectation of development that never materialized. But it’s a really nice setting.</p>
<p>where u are staying there is a very good restaurant La Veranda about 2 mins away
and if you like gambling a small casino opened up also 2 min away from your hotel
as others have stated, tony lukes is a very good place to grab a real philly sandwitch but I would recommend getting their chicken cutlet/parm instead of a cheesesteak
you can get it parm or with italian greens
about 10 min from the hotel is the number one rated sports bar in the country
chickie and petes fun place to visit and get the philly sports vibe</p>
<p>funny you are coming here and my son is applying Ed to a school in vermont middlebury</p>
<p>have fun</p>
<p>Pizzagirl–Haha about the EC. Wish my son had thought to put that on his app! Re: the ice cream, I think they were able to get bulk tubs free from the company.</p>
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<p>I don’t know about selection but you’re right, Ben & Jerry’s is virtually everywhere now. Tastykakes availability has certainly grown, too. We can find them in Western NY when visiting my parents, and also in SC when we’re at our place in Hilton Head. And, of course, they ship everywhere if you order online. Now, if only someone could figure out how to effectively ship a Philadelphia hoagie or cheesesteak!</p>