Philadelphia, PA
price varies
Optimum Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Doubletree by Hilton Center City
Gallery
This was by far my favorite road trip of all time. Who knew Philadelphia, a city just two hours away from NYC by car, had so much to offer? We chose to visit Philly during New Year's weekend as it is full of holiday themed events. It is also much cheaper than staying in NYC itself. Here are some things to know before you go:
1) First comes choosing a hotel. Hotels on New Year's Eve are expensive in Philadelphia. You are probably gonna spend double the night of January 31st at any hotel than you would otherwise. The good thing is you don't have to stay the extra night. The fireworks on the Delaware River start at 6pm for the kids (there is another show at midnight) leaving ample time to get home by bedtime. Philly is at most a three hour drive away from NYC (if there is traffic). We chose to stay just because there the Mummers Parade is on New Year's day.
So as always for us, hotels need to have an indoor pool when we are traveling in the winter. Our budget gave us a few options: 1) Hilton Home2Suites (Cheapest. Had a very small pool with no jacuzzi. Nice decor. Included breakfast in the price which is only offered till 9am. Had the biggest rooms including kitchenette. In a decent location); 2) Hilton Garden Inn (Second cheapest. Big indoor pool which included jacuzzi. Very dated decor. Had breakfast on the 17th floor in a nice room overlooking the city for an additional price. Decent sized rooms. In a good location); 3) Double Tree by Hilton (Second most expensive. Had a nice and decent sized pool and a jacuzzi according to a third party website. Turned out the pictures were from eight years ago and were falsely advertised by a form guest who uploaded them. Did not include breakfast in the price but had on property for $17 per person and was not worth it. If you have access to the club lounge, you're getting bagels, drinks, pastries and a dish-of-the-day all for free. Nice decor and lobby. Some rooms include kitchenettes. Decent size rooms. In a fantastic location right in the heart of the city and on the street of the parade. Views from parade available from street side rooms, club lounge and lobby. And remember, all Doubletrees by Hilton offer complimentary warm chocolate chip cookies at the front desk!) And 4) Sheraton Society Hill (Most expensive by far. Best indoor pool of them all. Nice decor and lobby. Breakfast not included in price. Big rooms. In a location that was decent but if you are familiar with NYC, not in Philly's "midtown" but rather its "Soho". A few blocks away from the fireworks show. If you have a Starwood Hotel membership, best to book Sheraton through www.spg.com. Or a Hilton membership go through their site. For all other booking, www.tripadvisor.com will give you the best rates. And btw, we chose the Doubletree by Hilton on Broad Street.
2) Mummers Parade is like "Alaskan Mardi Gras" as put by my friend. It goes on throughout the day on Broad Street but if you walk through the town, you'll see people handing out necklaces and sipping on disguised alcohol in soda cans. I ran into two minions who were doing such. This is definitely a fun experience for the children. We happened to be there the coldest weekend in Philadelphia's recent history, but if you are bundled up enough, you can totally enjoy this parade outside. And if it's too brutal for your taste, you have magnificent views from inside the hotel if you are staying at the Doubletree by Hilton.
3) As mentioned above, there are fireworks on New Year's Eve both at 6pm and midnight. The problem is the crowd can get very big. You have a few options to beat this traffic. 1) Book tickets to the Camden Adventure Aquarium right across the Delaware River with amazing views of the fireworks. Could watch either inside or outside. Magnificent either way. And by far the best option with children 2) Park in the Dave and Busters parking lot just a quarter of a mile North on the Delaware River. You won't get the best views but you'll have space to watch. And parking is only $7 per vehicle. 3) You can purchase tickets in advance for ice skating at the Blue Cross RiverRink on the Waterfront as well as for parking on Market and Walnut Street http:www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1583205. 4) Some rooms in high rise hotels have views of the fireworks. But you'd be pressing your luck. My room fortunately did but I had to twist every part of my body to get a good angle.
4) Ice skating at the Rothman Institute Ice Rink (with a heated indoor cabin) at Dilworth Park was incredible during the holiday season. 1) Adjacent and historic City Hall serves as a beautiful backdrop with Deck the Hall Light Show projected on the building every hour on the hour (or half hour on weekends) through January 1st. 2) Price of skates and skating is very affordable. Get a group of ten and you'll save $2 per person. 3) Walk around the popup maze-meets-garden adorned with twinkling mini-lights at magical Dilworth Park! 4) Check out the christmas tree on the north side of City Hall as well as the Masonic Temple. 5) Stop by the Grand Court in the National Historic Landmark Wanamaker Building (Macy's) on the east side of City Hall for a magical Christmas Light Show. Occurs every two hours. We were lucky to walk in coincidentally as a show started.
5) Make sure to stop by (or at least drive by) Franklin Square Park for their Holiday Festival featuring Electrical Spectacle Holiday Light Show. Two alternating shows take place every 30 minutes each night beginning at 4:30pm and continuing until 8pm on Sundays through Thursdays (this park is located right off the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. On Fridays and Saturdays, shows goes until 9pm. Each evening, one lucky participant from the crowd gets to ignite the festivities.
6) Visit the Camden Adventure Aquarium (not as good as the one I visited in Toronto a few years earlier, but still amazing!!) Generous group rates are offered for a group of 20 or more people if purchased in advance. I'm talking half the price. This aquarium is on the Jersey side of the Delaware River and offers amazing views of the fireworks. Best to go here on New Years Eve as they also offer a DJ dance party and extended hours through 6pm. If you are going any other time of the year, it is still worth it! You can kill two birds with one stone on a trip to nearby Sesame Place.
7) Visit the Museum of Art (if not to go inside, at least park outside the building and run to the top of the museum steps for a triumphant Rocky pose.) This is iconic Philly. Definitely drive by and then drive north on Kelly Drive by Boathouse Row. Best to do this during dawn. Also, Philadelphia is a city of many museums. They are all worth seeing from the outside. There are many of them located near the Museum of Art. For pre-school aged children, there is also neighboring Please Touch Museum (People rave about. If there is not enough time to hit this up on this trip, do it when you visit Sesame Place which is just a 20 minute drive from Philly). If you have older children, Franklin Institute of Science is also nearby.
8) I didn't have enough time to see Philadelphia's Magic Gardens from the inside (there is an admission fee) but the drive by was good enough. PMG is a nonprofit visionary art environment and community arts center located in Isaiah Zagar's largest public artwork. Read more fascinating details on the side. Also, South Street is very hip but is better to visit during the warmer seasons. Too bad we didn't get to explore enough of this area.
9) There are plenty of vegan restaurants in Center City Philadelphia for those who observe a strict diet. Kosher is also abundant in their suburbs (within 20 minute drive of Center City). Just google to see where they are. I hate to shit on any establishment, but it's probably best you never step food inside Esti's Besties Vegetarian unless you like rude and border-line senile waiters and tasteless pizza. Try Shalom Pizza on the west side of the city because although I never tried it, anything is better than the service we received at this asshole-ridden-shithole. My apologies in advance to anyone related to anyone who works here.
10) My biggest regrets were not stopping by (although we drove by) both the historic Liberty Bell Center and Independence Hall (across the street from eachother) and Elfreth's Alley, the oldest residential street in the US. This is the most important of all sites in Philadelphia and is a beautifully preserved colonial street featuring original Georgian brick architecture spanning centuries of history. This is a pedestrian path only and probably the closest thing to Notting Hill west of the Prime Meridian. Another regret was not stopping by the Italian Market (it was way too cold). But this may be a fun place to visit during the warmer months. And also Readers Terminal Market (we actually went but they were closed by 9pm. Comparable to NYC's Chelsea Market.
On the way home after your Christmas/New Years road trip and if you take the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, it's best to dfive by Dyker Heights for the best of the best in residential christmas lights. This is totally on your way home! And worth the extra 15 minutes.
Also, if you travel in the warmer months, you may have another itinerary altogether. Definitely add Philadelphia Zoo to your list! The oldest zoo in the country!
Definitely view the gallery above and videos below for a better idea. Please add your feedback in the comments section and follow me on Instagram and Facebook for live adventures. And don't forget to share with your friends if you appreciate this page.