On a recent trip to Philadelphia, I decided that I was going to document everything that I did with video as a neat way to make a travel journal. Even though I live less than three hours from the city, I had never been to Philly before. A quick Google search showed me some places and museums that I would want to check out and my mother and I asked friends and locals for their recommendations on where to eat.
We arrived in Philly around 11 am and promptly headed to South Street, an eclectic neighborhood full of art, trendy restaurants and coffeeshops and other stores. Since it was lunchtime, we entered the nearest coffeeshop and asked the barista where the closest place to get a good cheesesteak was (because we are in Philly after all.) She laughed, "You're in the middle of a vegetarian neighborhood and you ask where you could find a cheesesteak." After asking her male co-worker, who surely knew where we could find one, he told us to go to Jim's Steaks. So we went and it was delicious. I can finally cross that one off of my bucket list.
After Jim's, we walked to the Magic Gardens, which as you can see in the video, is magnificent. We spent about an hour there.
After the Magic Gardens, I wanted to go to the Eastern State Penitentiary. Mom was slightly hesitant, because it is after all just an old jail. I highly recommend going if you have any interest in history, the American justice system, or if you are like me and just enjoy creepy things. Eastern State is one of the oldest jails in the country and has a long history of housing some of the countries most infamous criminals such as, Al Capone. You can expect to spend one to two hours here.
After the Penitentiary, we had a few hours until dinner and it was rather cold out so we decided to check out the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Inside, the museum has galleries of artwork from medieval times up until modern, contemporary art. Inside, the museum houses the work of notable artists such as Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Manet, Dali, Cezanne and Duchamp. Expect to spend at least two hours here.
We left the museum at 5:30pm and drove over to La Viola for our dinner reservations at 6. If you enjoy authentic Italian, then this is a great place to enjoy dinner. The restaurant has an upscale atmosphere, amazing food, friendly waitstaff and it is BYOB.
We only had a day in the city, but we made the most of it. What are some of your favorite spots in Philly?
