Headed to Philly/NJ

Who is we? Two adults? Will you be traveling with kids?

 

highly recommend skipping Philly and just going out to the Jersey Shore, especially this time of year ... big fan of the Manasqaun, Belmar area which is in central Jersey, just hop on 195 and head East and you can't miss it ...

 

You have to watch out for a couple guys who are up to no good. They've recently started making trouble around those neighborhoods.

 

I got in one little fight and my mom got scared, she said, "you're moving with your aunt and uncle in Bellaire

 

dyno, two adults

 

If you make it up 95 (or 295) to the Trenton area:
- You can catch a game at Waterfront Park, home of the Yankees' AA affiliate, the Trenton Thunder.
- You need to have a meal at one of the fine Italian restaurants in Chambersburg (I'm partial to Amici Milano)
- You need to have a tomato pie (at either DeLorenzo's location)
- You can view read both Trenton newspapers (The Times and the Trentonian)
- If you want to check out where both newspapers are located, just get off Route 1 at Perry Street and make a right. You'll pass The Times and the Trentonian in a one-block stretch
- If you're a Revolutionary War buff, you can visit Washington's Crossing (just north of Trenton in Hopewell), the Trenton War Memorial, various places in Trenton where the Battle of Trenton took place, you can go up to Princeton Battlefield (where the Battle of Princeton took place, and for the locale of "star gazer's field" in the Meg Ryan/Walter Matheau movie "I.Q.")
- If you're a Civil War buff, there's Camp Olden and the Abbott House Civil War museum in Hamilton

 

Frommers has a suggested walking tour itinerary that covers the historic highlights of Old City and the immediate area around it. They say it takes 7 hours, but that seems to include a little waiting time to get into Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, and to tour them, as well as the Constitution Center and lots of other landmarks. I might break their tour into 2 parts and do them over 2 days so you don't get completed exhausted:
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/philadelphia/0023020033.html

If you're art fans, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is good, and if you're not an art lover, you can go anyway and make the "Rocky" run up the steps and see the Rocky statue there. The Rodin Museum is nearby. I've never been, so I can't make any recommendations.

I mentioned the Franklin Institute before. Another cool place that doesn't make it onto a lot of itineraries is Eastern State Penitentiary. It opened in 1829 and closed in 1971. Al Capone was among its most famous inmates and the place is pretty fascinating. Their website is www.easternstate.org.

Don't know where you're staying, but downtown Philly is very walkable. In addition to the aforementioned cheesesteak places, there are lots of great restaurants.

If you've got more specific questions/requests, feel free to post them here or PM me.

 

Oh, and I left out Reading Terminal Market. You should definitely plan to spend some time exploring there and eating your way through - www.readingterminalmarket.org.

 

Dude, just got back from Philly/Jersey Shore.
Mack and Manco's? It isn't a must stop, but the Crab Trap is a mighty fine place to eat in Ocean City.
Atlantic City is decent, this weird mix of the ghetto and the old strip in Vegas, but I enjoyed playing poker at the Tropicana.
And it seems that what you do in Philly, depends on where you stay.
If it is downtown, most of the historical things to check out are walking distance. If you want to see Independence Hall, call ahead and reserve a couple of tickets. They'll let you check everything else out, but to actually go in you need to be part of a tour and that's a ticket. I think it's free though. If you're a history nerd, go see the National Portrait Gallery, pretty cool. Liberty Bell is cool, but they don't let you touch it anymore. Apparently, back in the day, you could.
Septa is alright to get around, just beware the floating dead rats.
If you have some time, check out Reading Street Terminal, a farmer's market, food court thing downtown that's got lots of tasty treats. I got a cheesesteak at Rick's there and it was pretty damn good.
If the Phillies are in town, go see a game.

 

In Philadelphia itself, the Franklin Institute, the National Constitution Center, the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall are "must sees"

 

http://www.mackandmancos.com/

 

Go to the Mint. It's a treat to see how money is made. Then walk up Arch Street. Stop by the Afro American museum. Keep going up Arch. Get a tatoo, then enjoy yourself in China town. It's all within walking distance and you'll be a better person for it.