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Sixteen Thirty Candles
So I'm going to be turning thirty in t-minus ten days (eek!) My parents have graciously offered to watch the babe for the weekend, so that means a mini-break for the Hubs and me! We've decided to stay close to avoid plane fare (we are already spending more than enough on our impending Australia trip) so we're headed to Philly. So far I know I want to visit Anthropologie (I've never been in the actual store!) and a friend recommended a sweet little patisserie close to Rittenhouse Square (macarons!) but other than that I'm not sure where to stay or eat or what else to do. Philadelphians and Philly lovers - any suggestions? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
xo, Lauren
Image Credit
Happy early birthday! xo, rv
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You definitely need to eat a cheesesteak; go to one of the 2 most famous ones---Pat's or Gino's. It's an experience. :) King of Prussia mall outside of Philadelphia is huge and has tons of awesome stores, but is also still just a mall so not a must-do. Shopping on Market Street is very fun; just walk up and down and check out the fun thrift and indie stores. There's also all of the traditional stuff---Art Museum, Betsy Ross's house, Liberty Bell, etc. Have a great time!
ReplyDeleteI love going and walking around Philly. Hubs and I love driving up for Flyers games! Ginos has great cheesesteaks... but we also love the small little hole in the wall type places that have great cheesesteaks too, without the tourist trap and long wait. I also agree that Market Street is super fun! Have a great time!
ReplyDeleteRittenhouse Square is a great area to stay in, lots of stores (like Anthro) and restaurants.
ReplyDeleteIf you are feeling saucy, and are a fan of anthro, you could visit terrain...their garden center. It's outside of the city but worth the drive...they have an amazing restaurant that serves fresh bread baked in flower pots! The Philadelphia art museum has some great exhibits up. It's fiber Philadelphia starting this weekend so there are sure to be other great exhibits this month also. And there are great vintage shops too. My mother in law has one on second street in old city, in the back of a vintage book store. Continental has a great salad and cute desserts!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad Darla mentioned terrain. It is worth the drive, and might even be on your way to or from. They have a great cafe. Here is the site: http://www.shopterrain.com/garden-cafe/
ReplyDeleteAlso, the fabric district in Philly is incredible - South 4th Street between Fitzwater and Catherine Streets.
And Reading Terminal is a lot of fun.
Philadelphia Brewing Company (http://www.philadelphiabrewing.com/) is a great historic brewhouse that does tours with free samples, and there is a neat restaurant near by, but I forget the name, it was recommended by the guys at PBC, so ask them. Note this isn't the best neighborhood, so drive rather than walk.
Ahh...I could go on, and on! Let me know if you have any specific questions.
Also, if you want a low key dinner, my favorite place is Stella - http://www.pizzeriastella.net/
ReplyDeleteIt is a great pizzeria, but everything they make is fantastic. And they have a great wine selection.
Terrain is really nice, but it's pretty far from Center City. I think you'll get a major fix just from going to Anthropologie (and the Anthro in Center City is really good) - and it's in a great part of the city too (Rittenhouse). Lots to walk to, window shop, lots of great bars and restaurants. There are some nice BYOB restaurants in the Rittenhouse area. Lauren, if you want I can e-mail you with a few suggestions depending upon what type of cuisine you guys are into. La Colombe on 19th Street (between Sansom and Walnut) is a nice little coffee shop. From La Colombe, you could take a nice stroll through Rittenhouse Square. You could also check out Northern Liberties too - you could take a cab over to Northern Liberties from Rittenhouse. There are a bunch of shops, cafes, etc in Northern Liberties. A few hotels I would recommend would be the Marriott on 12th & Market, the Loews on 12th & Market (across from Marriott), and the W Hotel which I think is on S. 18th Street. You'll have a great time!
ReplyDeleteI live in the Philly suburbs and love going downtown. I don't have any places to stay recs because I just sleep in my own bed :) But as far as things to do/see, Franklin Institute is awesome for kids. Violet might be on the young side but there's also the "Please Touch" museum for little kids. Boat House Row along the Schuylkill River is gorgeous on sunny days. Penn's Landing is also lovely on sunny days and there are lots of delicious restaurants/places to snack right near the water. I also recommend walking down Elfreth's Alley, the oldest continuously inhabited street in America.
ReplyDeleteI lived in Philly for a couple years. The place I miss most: Criniti Restaurant on South Broad Street. It's the best Italian food I've ever had. They make the pasta fresh in house and the you'll hear the waitstaff speaking in Italian in the kitchen. The chicken parm is to die for.
ReplyDeleteThirty is all good! Hope you have a great weekend. How nice that you will have a romantic getaway with the hubby. Enjoy! xx
ReplyDeleteI went to Continental Midtown a few blocks from Rittenhouse Square with my bridesmaids for brunch and it was really good. I recommend the Tiramisu waffles. To Die For! We stopped eating everything else we ordered to down those things. And they have mimosas made with tang instead of orange juice. Different, but worth a try.
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