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Philadelphia Locals! Tell me about this... place!
zerzhul
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If you are on these forums and have attended a PAX, hopefully you are familiar with our FAQ threads that are maintained with information provided by the community.
The current one for PAX East
We need some help with this new PAX city! There will need to be a "Philadelphia" section for the PAX Unplugged community FAQ, and I have never been there.
If you feel so inclined, please take a look at the "Boston" section in the East FAQ and post information about Philadelphia that would help complete a Philly section.
Thanks!
The current one for PAX East
We need some help with this new PAX city! There will need to be a "Philadelphia" section for the PAX Unplugged community FAQ, and I have never been there.
If you feel so inclined, please take a look at the "Boston" section in the East FAQ and post information about Philadelphia that would help complete a Philly section.
Thanks!
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Posts
Oh God, I can't leave!
It's been mentioned a couple of times, but walking around Philly is VERY easy. There's no crazy "levels" of streets, there's tons of signage, and for the most part, your phone should work outside so you can use it as a map.
Weather
Mid-late November is a bit of a mixed bag. It's usually not too cold yet, but every now and then, you get one of those years where there's some snow already. This year, for instance, we were all wearing short sleeves in November. So you might need a range of clothing from short sleeves up to winter coat (especially if you're going out at night).
Free Parking?
HAHAHAHAHAHA no. In that part of Philly, you are not going to park for free. You might be able to park on a street and keep feeding a meter if you're REALLY lucky, but I wouldn't count on it. Your options are really to find out if the hotel you're staying at has reasonably-priced parking, pay through the nose for a lot near the convention center (right down to the fact that lots near the convention center have multiple sets of signs for the normal prices and then the prices for when a convention is going on) or park VERY far away and use mass transit to get to the convention center.
Parking Cost
Sorry, it's been over a decade since I've tried to park around there during a convention. Hopefully someone else can remember prices better.
Food
Here's where it gets fun. You have your normal "convention center garbage" in the convention center. Right across the street is the Reading Terminal Market (http://readingterminalmarket.org/). It's this gigantic, open space with an absolute ton of independent vendors, about 3/4 of which are food (there's a handful of crafts/books/etc) with some really great food options in there. Everything from Amish places (closed on Sunday) to soul food to German to a make your own salad place to a grilled cheese place that makes their own cheeses. Have a look at the list of places on the site, there's going to be something you want to eat there. Probably several somethings. One caveat: they're only open until 6 pm except Sunday, when they're open until 5. One other caveat: during large cons, this place is bonkers. You are going to be squeezing between people to get through isles, lines are going to be enormous for the more popular places (you can easily wait 20+ mins in lines just to order during large cons), and if you don't know where you're going, it's going to be even more daunting since there isn't a good option for a place to stop and stand off to the side and just look around.
If you go south/west from there, there's plenty of your normal chain options including a Hard Rock Cafe and a Chilis right there.
If you're thinking, "this is Philly, I want a cheesesteak!", well, you CAN get an OK one right around there, but the famous places (Pat's, Geno's, Tony Luke's, Jim's, etc.) are going to mean traveling. None are right there. If you're going to travel and want to choose which one(s) to go to....well, if you ask 3 people around Philly which place to go for a cheesesteak, you'll get 4 answers (edit: and as of this edit, that ratio is holding up, there are more recommendations for places to get a cheesesteak in this thread than people recommending them lol). So I'll try to sum it up somewhat impartially. The "traditional" fight is between Pat's and Geno's. They're literally across the street from each other and honestly, If you're going for the first time with a couple of people, I recommend getting 1 from each and splitting them to try both out. NOTE: Both serve you at a counter outside and only have outdoor seating (undercover, but outdoors). If it's raining, you can definitely still go, but if it's too cold, you're going to have no way to hide from the cold. Tony Luke's is known for it's "Italian" cheesesteaks (and even moreso, thinly-sliced roast pork) which is with Provolone and Broccoli Rabe. Jim's....ok, I know multiple people who say this is their favorite, but I just don't like it as much as a LOT of other places. That said, it's right in the middle of South Street. If it's a nice day out to walk, South Street is a fun place to go. Lots of really crazy shops and people, bars, a really good concert venue, etc. So if you're going to take an extra day and see some cool stuff, it's not bad to try one there.
But if instead, you go north/east out of the convention center, you're in Chinatown. And I'm talking less than a block to start. And it's....what you expect. Tons of restaurants, take your pick.
Philly is a very good food town, so it really comes down to how far away from the con you want to venture and how much you want to spend.
Parties
I guess TBD?
Getting around
There's Uber, Lyft, bicycle rentals (I think I remember there being a station for that right outside of the convention center on Arch St around....13th st), you're a couple of blocks away from a SEPTA train station, there's a pretty good bus system, and you're a few blocks further from PATCO.
You can definitely drive and in that part of the city, it's a bit grid of mostly 1-way streets (alternating every other street). If you get over by City Hall (about 4 blocks west of the convention center), there's a big circle around it which is a bit daunting and if you venture further away, you get to less of a grid structure, but it's FAR easier than NY or Boston no matter where you are. Parking is tough, though until you venture outside of "Center City" (the downtown area). Well, tough or expensive.
I'd personally recommend, weather-permitting, to park your car and unless you're planning on going somewhere you know requires driving, leave it parked and walk or use one of the other means of getting around. I'll let others fill in more details there.
Other things to do in Philly
If you're going to do touristy things, I'd recommend the Philadelphia Phlash (http://www.visitphilly.com/tours/philadelphia/phlash/) which is a tour bus that stops at the convention center, runs every 15 mins, is $2 per trip or $5 for an all-day pass, and goes to basically every touristy place you'd want to hit. The only caveat is I can't find the exact dates it runs, but I "think" it runs during that time.
You have your normal museums (including the art museum, feel free to run up the steps and throw your arms up in the air, every tourist does it), the Liberty Bell, and the Philly Zoo, which is really an amazingly large and sprawling zoo. It's quite difficult to actually get through the whole zoo in 1 day.
For less touristy stuff, there's more food and GREAT bars than you could possibly hope to see in a weekend. You can make a day of just going around eating and drinking. I've done it before
I mentioned South St before, I'm referring to this: http://southstreet.com/ . If it's a nice day out for walking, I'd recommend getting down there (again, tough to park unless you're paying for a lot). A lot of strange shops, lots of interesting people, good food, good bars, and a really good concert venue, the TLA http://venue.tlaphilly.com/ . If you're going to be down that way, it's worth looking to see if anyone is playing you'd be interested in.
I don't know what schedules will look like at that time, but there's also the sports teams. The Eagles, Sixers, and Flyers will all be in season at that time, so it's just a matter of who's in town. Those 3 (plus the Phillies) all play in the same complex. All the stadiums are next to each other, sharing parking. There's also a train that goes straight to the stadium which makes it even easier. While you're over there, there's some good food/drink, but it's sort of on the outskirts of things, not nearly as densely-packed near the convention center.
Hopefully that's a good start, I know others can fill in a lot of details and other things I've left out.
Also I guess there should probably be some info about the convention center since I know nothing about that either! :P
We are traveling from NH by train to Home2. But from what I've seen posted so far if there is a walk from the train station it won't be too bad! Thank you for starting this thread btw! I've never been to Philly so this is super helpful!
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From Jefferson Station (where you'll generally come into): https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Jefferson+Station,+Philadelphia,+PA+19107/Pennsylvania+Convention+Center,+1101+Arch+St,+Philadelphia,+PA+19107/@39.9534516,-75.1605073,18z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c6c629723a425f:0x52cd17be0653b167!2m2!1d-75.1580556!2d39.9525!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c6c62bddfc9707:0x87374431ef79ff64!2m2!1d-75.1593274!2d39.9547548!3e2
It's a .2 mi walk from the train station to the convention center. If the weather is bad, there is an exit from Jefferson station that actually goes to a covered area, you cross the street (staying under the covered area the whole time), and walk right into Reading Terminal, you can cut through there, and then only have to walk outside to cross the street to get to the convention center. If you're staying at the Marriott or the Hilton Home2, as you can see from the map, it's an even shorter walk.
There's also a bus station at 12th and Arch if you're planning on taking a bus in.
If you're going to come from NJ, the closest PATCO station is 8th and Market. It's a .5 mi walk to convention center from there: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/8th+and+market/Pennsylvania+Convention+Center,+1101+Arch+St,+Philadelphia,+PA+19107/@39.9529552,-75.1586951,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c6c8826f051765:0x58a77ac7e15a0dcc!2m2!1d-75.153587!2d39.951152!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c6c62bddfc9707:0x87374431ef79ff64!2m2!1d-75.1593274!2d39.9547548!3e2
As was mentioned in the other thread, The Gallery, an underground mall, actually goes from the 8th and Market Patco station to Jefferson Station. It's currently under renovations so it is not open to walk through and is "supposed" to be open by the spring, but walking by there, it doesn't look all that close. If it's open, it's perfect to walk through. If it's closed, it means walking outside.
Finally, there is a subway that comes into 8th and market as well. I am honestly not familiar with that line, I haven't taken it before.
edit: Oh, I should mention, there's a Grayhound station across from Jefferson Station, so you could get there by bus as well. I have no experience using that, maybe someone can fill in details there.
I'm assuming you have this figured out by now, but for others, if you're taking Amtrak in, you'll arrive at 30th St station in Philadelpia. It's a major hub, really nice train station. From there, just ask someone there for what the next train to Jefferson station is, they'll point you to the right track. Bonus: they almost never check for tickets in that stretch. But, if they do, it's $6 pp for that ride.
Also, while you're stopped in 30th st, there's actually some REALLY good food there. Beck's Cajun (which has a smaller location in Reading Terminal) has really good cajun food (including breakfast!), there's some normal chain places, and if you're coming in around lunch time, if you walk outside of the train station, there's "The Porch" which has several different food trucks every day: http://www.universitycity.org/the-porch , schedule here: http://www.universitycity.org/tags/porch
(If you're coming in a morning when Schmear It is there, I can recommend their bagels, they're good stuff, and lunchtime, Pitruco is a wood-fired pizza oven built into a food truck, which is AMAZINGLY good, and Foolish Waffles basically makes waffles and serves them to you like a taco with things in them. They've won awards and their pork belly and chicken and waffles are both outstanding.)
Don't go to any of the famous cheesesteak places, they're generally mediocre.
For parking, if you don't want to spend 30+ dollars a day and don't need your car for the weekend, your best bet would be going to a SEPTA park and ride, leave your car out there, and take the regional rail into Market East. Anything near the convention center is going to be 25+ dollars a day minimum. Here is SEPTA's page on the matter.
For getting around, there are nearby stations of the BSL, the El, or the trolley lines which can get you a whole lot of places. Additionally, that close to city hall you can take a bus to basically anywhere. Philadelphia is on apple and google's transit search, so you can use that to get fairly good public transit instructions throughout the city. Driving and parking in this section of the city is an abject nightmare when it's crowded, I'd really recommend not doing it if you can avoid it. It's hard to do a write up about the fare process because SEPTA is currently in the middle of a changeover to contactless carts, but generally a fare is 2.25, or 1.80 if you can buy tokens. Not sure what the status of tokens will be in 10 months however.
For stuff to do, if you haven't done it I recommend independence mall. It's only about 8 blocks away from the convention center, and you can see the liberty bell, independence hall, the constitution center, and it's just nice. Additionally, the Franklin Institute is real neat, that's about 8 blocks in the other direction.
Parking
Metered street parking is available on most streets. During the week, it is possible to find a spot with a patience and driving around. On the weekend, it is more difficult, but not impossible. Of course, parking may be even harder during PAX. On the positive side, Philly is experimenting with a parking app, where you can use your phone to pay for parking, get notifications when the meter is about to expire, and "re-load" the meter without having to go back out to your car. This is only in certain areas right now, but is planned to rolled out by November.
Amtrak
If you come to Philadelphia via Amtrak, you arrive at 30th street station. You can take the green line (trolley) or the blue line (subway) from 30th street to Jefferson Station. I would recommend the blue line because it is cleaner and has fewer stops. You could also take one of the regional rails from 30th Street Station to Jefferson Station. On the regional rail, there are no stops between the two, but the trains run less frequently and are a bit more expensive.
Things to do:
A personal favorite of mine is the Franklin Founain (http://www.franklinfountain.com/) for old-timey ice cream. Also great, and maybe more appropriate for November is the hot chocalate place in the back of the old-timey Shane's Candy Store right next door (http://shanecandies.com/). Both are a short trip on the Blue Line.
If you are in an Indiana Jones mood, check out the Penn Archeology Museum (https://www.penn.museum/). They have the biggest Sphinx in North America and other cool stuff from ancient civilizations. The building itself is awesome, entirely red brick, built around 1880, with an amazing rotunda. Again, the blue line is your friend, though you do have to walk a few blocks after getting off at 34th street.
http://www.visitphilly.com/articles/philadelphia/top-10-spots-for-authentic-philly-cheesesteaks/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=VisitPhillyFacebook&utm_content=PaidVPFB_ChSteaks
I do like John's Roast Pork in South Phila. However th Reading Terminal Market has several good places.
My recommendation however is forget about the cheesesteak and go for the Roast pork sandwich with sharp provolone and greens. Di Nick's at the Terminal is one of the best.
I've seen it
Foobooz has all the foodie stuff.
It starts at ~7am and the start line is on the parkway, most if not all of the runners will probably be gone by 8 and the barricades taken down.
edit: honestly the biggest problem the marathon is going to pose is people driving in from the northwest, because both drives are going to be closed until the afternoon which is going to jam up the expressway.
Board Game nuts and Health nuts will be an awesome combination! I wish I owned a copy of Magical Athlete.
I think the Marathon is important to be aware of, but won't affect much as long as you plan the timing of meals carefully and are staying at a hotel near the convention center or on a subway or train line. Even if there wasn't a marathon, I would not advise driving downtown. The trains are just easier. In the worst case, there are always the computer lots at Regional Rail stops outside of downtown. Parking there used to be just a dollar a day, but I'm not sure if it has changed.
If you're in the Reading Terminal Market, there's a Grilled Cheese place in there, that's AMAZING.
And they usually run a themed menu, to coincide with events at the Center.
When I went there during Wizard's - there were a lot of Walking Dead stars attending that year.
So, Valley Shepherd offered a Grilled Cheese Sandwich, that would survive a Zombie Apocalypse.
Goat's Cheese - Pickles - and SPAM
They called it "The Walking Bread"
It . Was . Awesome.
Valley Shepherd's Website
I can personally vouch for the Heat and Flavor of Beck's "Alligator Po' Boys".
If you've never had an opportunity to try Alligator ... now's your chance.
Reading Terminal Market
(Lots of Good "What to do in Philly" Links at the bottom of the Page.)
Also, if you're not a fan of large crowds or people randomly stopping in the middle of rows, blocking the lane, to look at what's around them, it'll drive you nuts. I'm not saying people shouldn't go, it's an awesome place, just know what to expect.
If you do decide to brave the market, Dinic's roast pork sandwich. Best in the world, hands down.
http://www.battleshipnewjersey.org/
http://www.adventureaquarium.com/
Steam ID: Obos Vent: Obos
For anyone interested in the Camden Waterfront, you can hop on the PATCO and get off at the City Hall stop to get about 5 blocks from the aquarium/the battleship.
Keep in mind that the PATCO is separate from the SEPTA, but they have connecting stations (such as 8th and Market).
The 8th and Market PATCO station is about 3 blocks away from the Convention Center.
Camden is usually rated one of the top-2 worst cities in the country (fighting it out with Detroit for the #1 spot). That said, the waterfront is actually REALLY nice. Just realize where you are and don't venture away from the Waterfront.
If you're taking PATCO to get over there, I can't say I've gotten off at City Hall before, so I can speak to how safe of an area it is right at that stop and the walk from there to the waterfront. Hopefully someone else can fill that in.
As others have mentioned, the roast pork sandwich (specifically from John's Roast Pork), is the secret signature Philly sandwich. If you don't mind a slight hike, Paesano's (http://www.paesanosphillystyle.com/) makes the best sandwiches in the city, hands down.
Here's a good recent guide for out of towners to eating in Philadelphia: http://www.philly.com/philly/food/20160724_Where_to_eat_in_Philly_LaBan.html
If you're looking to get your fancy eats on, you're in luck, because some of the best restaurants in the city are about three blocks away. Barbuzzo, Little Nona's, Lolita, Jamonera, and Bud and Marilyn's are all great, and all owned by the same people: http://weheartphilly.com/. The Convention Center is also in Chinatowm, which has a ton of great places to eat, but I'm not super well versed in the area. One I can definitely recommend is Tom's Dim Sum (http://tomsdimsum.com/default.aspx). I'll throw one final recommendation in for Zahav (http://www.zahavrestaurant.com/), probably the best restaurant in the city right now, but you'll need to get your reservation a couple months in advance for that one.
The walk from the City Hall station to the Waterfront is ok during the day. It's right by the Rutgers Camden campus and the 5 or so block stretch is pretty safe.
Sorry to keep bringing Camden up in the Philly thread. If anyone is really interested in coming to Camden, we should make a new thread. I work by the Waterfront and I know a few places to check out. However, there is enough to do in Philly that I don't think it's necessary.
I've always driven into Philly in the past, but for 3 days I don't want to pay bridge/parking fees if riding in would be cheaper.
PATCO has 4 stops in Philly: 15th and Locust, 12th and Locust, 9th and Locust and 8th and Market (the closet to the convention center). On the Jersey side, there are 9 stations. I would not recommend the City Hall stop in Camden because there is no free/convenient parking. If PATCO is your plan, you may want to look into some of the other stops.
http://www.ridepatco.org/stations/routemap.html
Well, if you want something easy by the highway in a good, safe area, I'm just gonna take a second to plug my regular stop, Woodcrest. It's exit 31 off of 295 and when I say it's exit 31, I mean it's literally at the end of the exit ramp. There's TONS of parking and it's quite safe.
Yes, you'll get off at 8th and Market (first stop in Philly), and you'll have a .5 mi walk from there to the convention center.
There are a few hotels available in University City closer to UPenn and Drexel and you can easily hop on public transit to get to the convention center (subway/trolley etc)
Going in the other direction there's a number of hotel options in Cherry Hill NJ and you'd have easy access to the PATCO line which would drop you off within easy walking distance of the convention center.
If you're looking for other stuff to do but not too touristy, check out The Mutter Museum (of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia) for some messed up stuff and "medical oddities" like civil war surgeon tools, massive preserved tumors, etc. (not for the true faint of heart)
Or check out Eastern State Penitentiary. First federal Prison, Al Capone was there, some movies like 12 Monkeys used it for filming (and The Dead Milkmen music video for Punk Rock Girl). Also some really nice restaurants across the street. If you're coming in a week early Terror Behind the Walls, a haunted "house", last day is the 11th (be warned, parking especially blows around here but only about a 15 minute cab from the convention center).
Then there's also The Franklin Institute, which is another science museum, great for older kids (Kindergarten plus). They always have a separate exhibit setup that's special for current events. Right now they have a robots exhibit and I think the Jurassic World one is ending very soon. Super neat robots build like Dinosaurs and the entire exhibit is a tour through the "park" where dinosaurs plan their escape. (kinda short though)
Also, anyone really from Philly will tell you that Geno's and Pat's aren't the best steaks in the city. However, if you want to experience the city culture, I'd suggest going to one of them just to see what all the fuss is about. It's like In-And-Out for California, everyone expects it to be the best burgers ever, and then they find a better place a few blocks down. I personally prefer Jim's, but there's sentimental value there with my college fraternity. Steve's is hands down the best cheesesteak I've ever had. Head to Center City and check them out and see City Hall. Lots of great architecture there.
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There's the independence beer garden that was pretty nice for hanging out outdoors. I have only been there once but it was a good time.
It's 5 blocks east of the convention center.
Most of the places I've gone to in school are either on South Street or in Old City. Lots of night life bars in Old City. Couple recommended bars for me are City Tavern, Buffalo Billiards, and The Gaslight. None of which I've gone to in the past 2-3 years so, I'm unsure of their quality now.
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