Magical gardens, escargot tarts, a vibrant market, and feel-good espresso: whereas under no circumstances what I had anticipated, these are just some of the fantastic issues you’ll be able to expertise whenever you journey solo to Philadelphia.
On my first journey to town, I had solely two days to discover. There is a lot to see and do that it’s going to positively warrant a return go to or two. I felt utterly snug by myself, and located the folks to be very pleasant and useful.
Here, in no explicit order, are a few of the highlights of my weekend, supplemented by suggestions from each locals and vacationers who’re members of our Solo Travel Society on Facebook.
Solo Travel Philadelphia: Where to Eat
A brief stroll down the road from City Hall is the Reading Terminal Market, an enormous, busy, bustling heart of meals, music, and dialog. I visited greater than as soon as throughout the course of the weekend and it was stuffed with folks and exercise on a regular basis. I had been informed that one of many must-try meals was the roast pork sandwich from DiNic’s, however the line-up for the “Best Sandwich in America” was too lengthy for the period of time that I had. However, the line-up for 4th Street Cookies was extra manageable. Although I had meant to convey dwelling some Chocolate Macadamia Nut and Peanut Butter Chocolate cookies to share with pals, this didn’t occur. It’s as if they disappeared from my bag as I walked across the metropolis.
I dare not wade into the controversy round the place to get the very best Philly Cheesesteak; I’ll merely report what the Solo Travel Society needed to say. It’s a contentious matter! For the uninitiated, a Philly Cheesesteak is actually thinly sliced chopped steak topped with melted American cheese, provolone, or Cheez Whiz (and probably fried onions) on a hoagie roll. According to Grex, “tourists go to Pat’s or Geno’s” and based on Cassandra, “Pat’s and Geno’s both suck.” See what I imply? But Grex does have one other advice. His “personal favorite for cheesesteak is Dalessandro’s, a few miles from downtown Philly.” For some extra choices, right here is The Ultimate Guide to Cheesesteaks in Philly from Eater.
If you are a cheese lover, you have to go to Di Bruno Bros. In enterprise for 80+ years, their flagship location is in Rittenhouse Square, with a number of different areas across the metropolis. Suzanne, a Philly native, recommends her favourite eating places: Parc, a French-style bistro; The Dandelion, a British-style pub; and El Vez for Mexican fare. She additionally recommends Zahav as a foodie delight, although it may be robust to get a reservation. However, when you journey solo to Philadelphia, you may simply get fortunate as they provide bar seating, which will be a lot simpler to snag whenever you’re a celebration of 1.
Another tip from an area, Kim says, “One of my favourite issues about residing in Philly once more is the tomato pie. Go for it at Italian bakeries, not pizza locations. Sarcone’s is prime notch within the Italian market, Liberty Kitchen and Pizza Shackamaxon (I do know it is a pizza place, however they know their stuff) when you’re up in Fishtown.
What to See
An amazing start line for my go to was a visit within the tiny little elevator to the highest of the City Hall Tower. Philadelphia has the most important metropolis corridor within the United States, and it’s positioned proper within the heart of town. From the commentary deck, I had a 360 diploma view of town beneath.
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens is among the most uncommon artwork installations I’ve ever encountered. Constructed over fourteen years by mosaic mural artist Isaiah Zagar, this unbelievable artwork setting covers half a metropolis block. You actually should expertise this for your self. Part indoor gallery, half sculpture backyard, this curious amalgam of objects from handmade tiles to glass bottles to bicycles to mirrors is charming.
There are additionally a variety of well-known websites which can be well-liked with guests: the Liberty Bell, the “Rocky Steps” and statue, and Independence Hall, the place the Declaration of Independence and Constitution had been signed. When visiting City Hall, I learn a plaque out entrance and was shocked to find that Mother’s Day was based by Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia.
Where to Stay
Both vacationers and locals advocate staying close to Rittenhouse Square whenever you journey solo to Philadelphia. “I’m local, and recommend staying near Rittenhouse Park. It’s a very nice area for dinner and drinks in the evenings, shopping, and it’s walkable to everything,” stated Cassandra.
Another benefit to staying on this space is that you’ll be on the doorstep of a implausible market in case you are there on a Saturday. I thought-about myself very fortunate to be in Philadelphia on the day of the Rittenhouse Farmers’ Market. Set up on the sidewalk across the park at 18th and Walnut, this pleasant market made my day. It was clear that there have been plenty of common prospects choosing up their natural greens, contemporary baked items, and native eggs and cheese as I listened to them bantering with the distributors. This market runs year-round, and was the proper place for me to seize breakfast. Sitting on a bench within the solar, watching youngsters play within the park, having fun with a freshly-baked escargot tart and a locally-grown apple, I used to be positively in my completely happy place.
Our go-to for locating locations to remain once we journey is booking.com – which is the place I found that the lodge I stayed at in Philly is not working. But you can find a lot of choices, from hostels to the Ritz.
Things to Do when You Travel Solo to Philadelphia
There is not any scarcity of galleries and museums in Philadelphia, however maybe essentially the most distinctive is the Mütter Museum. Run by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, “the goal of the Museum is to help visitors understand the mysteries and beauty of the human body and appreciate the history of diagnosis and treatment of disease.” It is bizarre and creepy, fascinating and eerie. I’ve seen it described as “disturbingly informative” and that sounds about proper to me. It might not be for everybody, however I discovered it unusually compelling and positively unforgettable. I like to recommend testing their web site earlier than going, to get a really feel for the kinds of reveals you’ll encounter.
An excellent useful resource for issues to do in Philly is Uwishunu, created by the parents at Visit Philadelphia.
Suzanne informed us the Barnes Foundation–which boasts, amongst different issues, an exquisite assortment of recent European work, together with works by Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh, and Modigliani–is implausible as is the Rodin Museum subsequent door, which incorporates one of many largest collections of his sculptures outdoors of Paris. Cassandra provided this: “The Philadelphia Museum of Art is nice. There’s additionally the Penn Museum (University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology) and the Locust Walk on the UPenn campus, which is beautiful to stroll via.
Not solely did I’ve essentially the most scrumptious Americano – okay, a number of of essentially the most scrumptious Americanos – at La Colombe however I used to be additionally in a position to really feel actually good concerning the firm that served the espresso. The beans are sourced straight from farmers, pretty traded, eco-friendly, and the product of long-term relationships. How are you able to not love an organization that describes itself like this: “La Colombe’s mission is simple – change the world by making people happy. What started out as a vision for serving the best coffee, became an opportunity to influence meaningful, long-lasting change and leave this world better than we found it.” The employees within the cafe had been very knowledgable and welcoming, and I liked the decor. The good spot to heat up and refuel. They now have 5 areas in Philadelphia.
Beth informed us, “I really recommend the guide-led tours at Eastern State Penitentiary (once the most famous and expensive prison in the world). It was fascinating!” Joanne shared, “If you get tired of the historical sights The Philly Zoo is beautiful.”
I perceive that Philadelphia has an important transit system, although I didn’t make use of it on this journey. I walked in every single place, all day lengthy, then took a really cheap taxi again to my lodge on the finish of the day.
You might positively see greater than I did on a weekend journey, and there are lots of issues that I missed out on. I’m a sluggish traveler, although, extra focused on absorbing the persona of a neighborhood than in ensuring that I see each well-known sight or style each native meals. Which explains why there are not any photographs of a Philly Cheesesteak on this publish. Next time!
Last up to date: fifth May, 2023