We recommend staying in the Rittenhouse or Old City neighborhoods, they’re nice and central and there’s a lot of hotel and Airbnb options to choose from.
Philly is a very walkable city, but driving (and especially parking) can be a frustrating experience. We recommend not renting a car, and instead staying in a central area and exporing by foot, Uber, or bike (Indigo is the local Bike Share). The public transportation works too, but we would only recommend SEPTA if you’re more of a seasoned city traveller. They finally offer contactless payment (Apple Pay / Credit Cards), so you don’t need to get a specific card or buy tickets. Just don’t be surprised if you see something weird…
For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of visiting, we thought we’d share some of our favorite places to eat and drink. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but we think it’s a good start!
Philly has a number of fun and vibrant neighborhoods, these are some of our favorites.
Home of the Rittenhouse Square, a cute centrally located park with lots of benches – and not too far from where we had our first date! You’ll find lots shopping and food options in this neighborhood. Just south of Rittenhouse Square we enjoyed walking down Waverly St. at night to admire the lights.
Home to Schuykill (skoo-kul) River Park. If the weather is nice, there’s a walkable / bikeable trail that goes along the Schuykill river. There’s also a nice dog park where we used to take Ollie to play and lot’s of good dog watching. Grab a mocha and a breakfast sandwich on a soft pretzel from Rowhome Coffee and go for a walk, weather permitting! Sally is close and has delicious pizza, don’t sleep on the caesar salad.
Not a ton to do here, but it’s where Nate lived for 6 years!
A bit far away from all the activities, but the best neighborhood for food and drinks (and everything in Emily’s opinion). Emily lived here for 2 years, right next to the El and we unironically miss the sound of the train rolling by. Home to Suraya, Nate’s favorite restaunt. If you go to Suraya, we recommend buying a lot of small plates and skipping the mains (the Fatteh is a must) and having a cocktail. They’re often booked out, so either make a reservation in advance or grab a seat at the bar. If you’re in the neighborhood in the morning, get one of Persimmon’s seasonal coffee drinks and a bagel next door from Kismet.
Philly has a vibrant Chinatown neighborhood. Mango Mango, Emily’s favorite dessert place can be found here!