How have I not heard of Hotwire hot deals on flights before?! I was a little late on planning a weekend away this time, and wanted to get out of town. I’ve done quite a bit of driving recently and decided it would be best to fly. I thought I’d waited too late as all the reasonably priced destinations I’d found before on Sky Scanner went up drastically in price. Then.. I did some research and found out about Hotwire hot rate flights. So basically it’s like Priceline’s express deals except for flights. You type what airport you want to leave out of and go to and the dates. They don’t tell you what airline, times, or if there is a connecting flight until after you book. So.. this is not ideal for everyone. But, as for me, having Friday, Saturday, and Sunday completely free I decided to roll the dice and get drastic savings. I ended up flying Delta with one connection each way, around an hour layover there and on the way back, and my sister and I were seated beside each other on 3 out of the 4 flights. Easy peasy. Plus it saved around $400 if booked otherwise. I speak my praises.
I picked Philadelphia because it was a location that was cheaper to fly out of on Skyscanner originally from one of the cheaper airports around me, because it is a city immersed in history, and one I’d never visited. Also, the weather was nearly perfect this weekend.
After checking out hotels, I wanted to throw out my idea all together. With hotels downtown costing $200 +, and staying in the outskirts of town would not only cost a small fortune to Uber in unless connected by rail, but also taking forever to get to the city center, I decided to do Airbnb. We shared a couple’s home on South 4th Street. I was a little nervous at first because the only experience I’d had with Airbnb was renting a private property, but I am so, so glad we opted for this. This is the way to go in Philadelphia! For TWO nights, it was a cool $168. It was walking distance to most attractions. When the walk got a little too far, we simply used the subway or used Uber/ Lyft to get back. I will say though, if you are planning on flying in and are staying near downtown, Uber will cost $20+ each way from the airport. Not the cheapest, but then again, worth it to be near everything. Our hosts were super nice and helpful with suggestions of things to see and how to easily get to everything. I learned the city is basically on a grid system with numbers going vertically and street names going diagonally, which came in handy when trying to find our way through town. As a forewarning, what looks like maybe 5 minutes on the map will easily be 15. The city is a lot larger than it looks, but hey.. we needed exercise anyway.
Day 1:
We started our day around 3. Our first stop was Mural Row and Magic Garden, which is right below South Street. Magic Garden is a mosaic “garden” beautifully crafted by an artist who took 14 years to create it. It is unique and gorgeous with different mirrored tile and colorful bottles. Unfortunately it was closed, though the internet indicated otherwise. So we took a few pictures of mosaics outside and the art downtown, then made our way to South St.
South Street is what I like to call the “hip street”. It has eclectic shops, affordable restaurants, and art-lined streets. As a tourist especially, this is one of the places you will want to visit to really get a feel of Philly.
We looked a little in shops then made our way down to Jim’s Steaks, which was recommended by our host. If you’re in Philly you have to get a Philly cheese steak right? There are basically 3 well-known places to grab this wile in town: Geno’s, Pat’s, and Jim’s. Geno’s and Pat’s are located across from one another and are lit up with bright neon lights. Geno’s is the oldest and probably most well known. Though talking to locals you can not go wrong with Jim’s, and since this was on our route anyway this is the one we picked. It looks like a 50’s diner from the outside. I like that you get to watch them make your cheese steak. We opted for one with onions, peppers, mushrooms, and cheese. It was unique from other cheese steaks I’ve had in that it was more like a ground steak. My sister and I split one since they were so large. This place can get a little busy and you might have to wait a couple of minutes for a seat, but do it. I already wish I’d visited Jim’s for a second time before we left.
After this, we made our way to the Mason-Dixon line and Penn’s landing, which overlooks the Delaware River. Further down and right on the riverside is Spruce Street Harbor Park. With hammocks, beautiful light sticks hanging off of the trees, fountains, swan boats, and cute little restaurants and ice cream shops lining the harbor, this place is a must-see. It is especially beautiful at night when you can see the colors of the lights illuminating the place. It is free of charge to get into though security guards line the borders. It is a very happening place and is full of people. It is my favorite park and I recommend everyone going!
We continued walking through Society Hill and walked streets that were over 3 centuries old. Take in the old historic feel as you walk past pretty row homes. You can also stop on Spruce Street and see James Madison’s home that is still standing. After a brief walk, we decided to Lyft to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall while it was still light outside. Everything was already closed, but for us it was enough to be there and take pictures. You can still get pretty close to the bell and it is easily seen through glass.
Society Hill
Liberty Bill/Independence Hall
We continued our historic tour by walking to Church Street and Elfreth’s Alley, which is the oldest residential street in America. The homes here were built from the 1720’s-1830’s. It is a beautiful street that makes you want to find a time machine and just go back in time.
If you walk right up from Elfreth’s Alley you can also get a decent view of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge at night. You can walk across it into New Jersey if you wish, though I hear that’s quite the walk. There is a plethora of art galleries here, and I guess the hip thing to do on a Friday night is to visit the art galleries because they are packed with everyday looking people, which I love.
Ben Franklin Bridge, taken by waterfront
Day 2:
We decided to go back to South Street for brunch to start the day. It was a little rainy, but still nice to take in the city, and to see some of the shops on the way.
I am a lover of antiques, so when I see an antique shop I’m usually drawn in. We stopped at Tucker’s Digs on South 4th St. While not a huge store, they had a wide variety of antiques that were all well-kept, and an incredibly large stock of vintage jewelry that was reasonably priced. I found this beautiful little ring.
We stopped at Starbucks for a quick brunch. Since the Magic Gardens were actually open at the time, we bought tickets and were able to go inside. Do this. Especially if you have an appreciation for art, photography, or just incredibly beautiful things.
Our main goal of this day was to visit Eastern State Penitentiary, which is located in upper west Philadelphia, and would basically cost a fortune to Uber to. Subway tickets are just a little over $2 for a single ride so we opted for this. The walk to the Penitentiary is probably a 20 minute walk from the closest subway stop, so just be prepared for this. Eastern State Penitentiary is known for holding criminals like Al Capone, its architectural design, and being featured on shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures. It is uninhabited and in ruins now, but is still gorgeous in its own right. You can take guided tours, but need to plan for those in advance. We did the self-guided audio tour. Steve Buscemi is the narrator. Honestly, I did not get a lot of information out of the audio tour other than the first few minutes’ worth. Regardless, I loved seeing the grounds and reading the displays. The place is truly eerie.
If you’ve ever watched “Rocky”, you’ve seen him sprint up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This is also located in north west Philadelphia, and was around 20 minutes from Eastern State. Not only can you recreate Rocky’s famous run up the steps, but you can also see the Rocky Statue near the top, and get a beautiful view of the city from here.
Since Philadelphia is the city of Love, we had to then Uber our way over to Love Park and attempt to get a picture with the Love Sign. Unfortunately the park was closed for construction and we were unable to get a picture. But, we were able to go to City Hall which is right past Love Park. It is a large, beautiful building and a sight to behold.
For a late lunch, we stopped by Reading Terminal Market. It is a historic market, housing a ton of merchants: seafood, meats, produce, bakeries, chocolate companies, and a wide variety of restaurants. We were almost out of time so we went with a recommendation for the Melter Skelter grilled cheese at Meltkraft. The sandwich is composed of cheese, pickled green tomatoes, jalapeno, BBQ potato chips and watercress. It comes with a side of kettle cooked potato chips. It was yummy.
Our Uber driver hooked us up with free tickets to the Roots Picnic, a concert along the waterfront in NE Philly. We were pretty stoked to get free tickets with names like Pharrell and Lil Wayne headlining!
Post-concert we walked down to River Deck, which is a restaurant/ bar/night spot. Dress was casual. It has a large bar inside and one outside. It offers beautiful views of the Ben Franklin Bridge, especially at sunset. The party got started a little later. On the deck outside they have music and a dance floor, and it quickly became packed. It was a great place to dance the night away, glow sticks on and strobe lights in hand.
Loved Philly. Here are my list of must-see’s in no-particular order if you’re looking for a trip:
1.) Liberty Bell
2.) Independence Hall
3.) Elfreth’s Alley
4.) City Hall
5.) Rocky Steps
6.) Magic Gardens
7.) South Street
8.) Spruce Street Harbor Park
9.) Reading Terminal Market
10.) Eastern State Penitentiary
bedtravels 