I went on a class trip to Philly when I was around 11 or so. Went to the Mint, Liberty Bell, and ate cheesesteaks. Good times. Cheesesteaks probably the best part of the trip for me.
Cheesesteaks are super overrated. They're great, but it's comfort food for locals. It brings back the memories of when you were a little kid, or drunk off your ass in college, or too poor/bad at cooking to get anything better. If you only can get one sandwich in Philly, make it a Roast Pork (George's, John's, or DiNic's), preferably with Sharp Provolone and Broccoli Rabe. Philly's restaurant scene is great because it's incredibly affordable, diverse, and BYOB. Anything by Stephen Starr will be great and over the top, Iron Chef Jose Garces is taking over everywhere, and there's dozens of extremely small kitchens run by up and comers nestled into neighborhoods that will give you a heck of a story about how you found a hidden gem (on yelp, but whatever...) Philly's great for a 2-3 day stopover, not the greatest right now with the heat, but things are clustered pretty well so you don't have to spend a ton of time in transit. Definitely hit Old City (2nd and Market) where you can bang out Independence Hall and National Constitution Center; if the line is long for the Liberty Bell, skip it and just take a picture from the outside window. I'm partial to the Franklin Fountain Ice Cream shop, not a huge fan of South Street. Rittenhouse Square is a really nice place to have a beer and people watch, super relaxing. The Art Museum is a must, even if you just take a walk up the steps, and relax in the A/C inside. Would recommend Penn's campus, since it's gorgeous and open, but there's a lack of good bars. Also, it's Penn, so you're looking at future investment bankers and lawyers, not future struggling model/actress/waitresses from ASU. Still better than uppity Princeton snobs, I suppose. North Philly can be pretty rough, the area around Temple and above should probably be avoided, same with Southwest Philly (West of Broad, south of Washington), and West Philadelphia (West of 48th). In general, it's not like you're gonna get robbed in broad daylight or anything, but they're definitely off the beaten path. I highly recommend Philly, there's something very genuine about it. It's like the people and the city unilaterally decided that they're not putting on airs, prettying themselves up, or trying an ounce harder to impress visitors. You like them as it is, and if you don't, you're not worth our time anyway.
Thank you and rep'd. Cheesesteaks have never been my thing. Gonna try one there, just for the 'Philly experience' but not going out of my way for one. I liked how you described the city in the last paragraph as non-pretentious; Philly and I might get along just fine
If you're into restaurant architecture and design, Baltimore has some really cool spaces to check out. Woodberry Kitchen is probably the coolest looking restaurant I've ever been to (with great food too). It's in an old warehouse in a formerly industrial part of town.
From a historical perspective it is worth visiting, but Pittsburgh is the superior of the two PA cities as far as things to do. SOURCE: I've spent a lot of time in both, and my father lived in Philly for several years.
Stephen Starr has 2 of the best steakhouses I've ever been to, both in Philly. Butcher & Singer and Barclay Prime. There was a deli in S. Philly that I'm trying to remember the name of. It was amazing. As some one who was born in Philly, how dare you talk about cheesesteaks like that.
If you end up going to Philadelphia, you have to try their cream cheese! It's the bomb! ... ....... ....... .......
I went to philly for a wedding recently and had a good time. Tons of cool bars, old scenic neighborhoods, great hot sandwiches. Worth seeing. New York was cooler, but Philly was still fun. I also was able to see where Ben Franklin defecated.
