Philadelphia is a city of charm, history, and great food.
It’s funny. When you hear about Philadelphia, you think of the Liberty Bell and maybe cheesesteak, but most people don’t know (unless they’ve had the pleasure of visiting or living in the area) that the city has some amazing food.
We ended up in Philadelphia during one portion of our East Coast road trip in May, and were blown away by the weather, the attractions, and – of course – the food.
We’d recommend a trip to Philly for anybody who is keen on seeing more of the US.
How to Get There
Getting to Philly isn’t complicated.
It’s proximity to New York, Boston and Washington DC gives you many transportation options. We chose to rent a car as we were coming from NYC, so we could stop at Princeton on the way.
If driving isn’t for you, you can always take the Amtrak train, which is a scenic and comfortable way to travel.
Traveling within the city is easy and simple. The streets are well-marked and straight forward, so you need not worry about getting lost.
What to Wear
Philadelphia is one of those lucky cities that experiences all seasons. As such, when you travel there, be aware of which season you’re visiting in and dress and pack appropriately.
We were there in May and it was unseasonably hot. Temperatures were around 86 so we were glad that we brought dresses.
It can be difficult to look chic in the heat, but if you bring some cute and comfortable sandals, dresses, and some shades you should be in the clear for the summer weather. You can never go wrong with a maxi!
Where to Stay
Philadelphia isn’t a huge city in geographical size – at least not the city itself. That being said, there are certain areas of the city that are more accessible than others, and you’re best staying somewhere that is walkable to all of the attractions you want to see.
That’s why the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia is such an excellent choice. We were so pleased with our stay at the Ritz-Carlton in the city, not only because of the luxurious grandeur of the hotel, but also because of the walkability of the hotel.
We let the valet park our car and saw the city by foot and the Ritz-Carlton was in the perfect location for it.
Not to mention the service, rooms, and the stunning view we enjoyed from our room.
The understated luxury of the hotel will leave you feeling pampered and refreshed, and the staff will be able to help you with anything you need.
And I haven’t even mentioned the happy hour, yet! The bar in the lobby has a Happy Hour and the drinks are not only delicious, but also very well priced.
What to Eat
You’re in for a treat with the food in Philadelphia.
I could list dozens of restaurants you must visit and things you must try, but here are a few suggestions you can fit into a couple of days:
- Try the Cheesesteak (no brainer). There are some great places inside of Reading Terminal Market.
- You MUST try the donuts at Beiler’s Bakery. We loved the peanut butter and jelly ones.
- Stop by Green Eggs Cafe for tiramisu french toast one morning. It sounds – and is – completely decadent, but it’s worth it!
- The city also has some great Mexican options.
We almost ate our way through Philadelphia, so you won’t’ go hungry here.
What to Do
There’s no shortage of things to do in Philadelphia. We started our first day with breakfast at Green Eggs Cafe after a slow morning in our beautiful hotel room at the Ritz.
We then wandered over to see the Liberty Bell, and when we were done there, the Mint. Wandering around the museum at the Mint took up the majority of our afternoon (and was excellent), and then we ended up at Reading Terminal Market for some dinner.
Reading Terminal Market could take up an entire afternoon, there’s so much to eat and drink there. But we just spent an hour or so there, and then took our donuts from Beiler’s over to the LOVE statue at Logan Square to eat.
Philadelphia has no shortage of things to do. You could spend the evening watching a movie in the park on their big screen, and the day entrenched in the country’s history in museums and parks.
No matter what you do in Philly, we hope you enjoy the city as much as we did!
