Rittenhouse Square and Walnut Street Shops

Rittenhouse Square is bordered by Walnut Street to the north, 18th Street to the east and 19th to the west. Rittenhouse is undoubtedly a place to see and be seen! With high-end residences and restaurants all around, not to mention stores like Jones New York, anthropologie, and boutiques like Knit Wit, it's about as "ritzy" as Philadelphia gets.

My favorite thing to do during a visit to Rittenhouse Square is to pick up a pastry from Metropolitan Bakery, just south of the Square on 19th Street, and then head up to La Colombe, north of the Square, on 19th Street, for a cappucino. La Colombe is generally known as having the city's best coffee, and consequently, the cafe is usually filled with many MANY "scenesters". I like to get my coffee to go, and sit in the park with it.

Rittenhouse Square, itself, is a joyous little place, filled with benches, sculptures, a fountain, and flowers. Children are almost always present, along with students, business people, retirees, and yes, even the occassional crazy homeless person. In a word, EVERYBODY is at Rittenhouse Square.

After you take in some people watching, you can look up at the surrounding architecture, too. Buildings old and new surround the perimeter of the square, and you can find walking tours of the area on the Rittenhouse webpage link above. If you're a shopper, stroll down Walnut Street. Directly across from the square you'll find Barnes and Noble and anthropologie. Walk down toward Broad St (in the direction of 17th St-- EAST), and you'll see Urban Outfitters, Tiffany and Co., Kenneth Cole, Ann Taylor, Joan Shepp, The Children's Boutique, Gap, Williams Sonoma, Banana Republic, and Polo, among others! It's a great place to feel fancy, but there are also pizza shops, sandwich places, and a McDonald's if you feel like taking a break from the high-brow.

We love Rittenhouse! I highly recommend a visit.

The Ben Franklin Parkway: Museums and the Rocky Steps

Sometime at the end of the 19th century, the city fathers in Philly decided to cut a swath of road starting from city hall and extending to a reservoir that was on the edge of Fairmount Park. They eventually lined it with museums and designed it on a scale befitting the Place de la Concorde-- and now we call it the Benjamin Franklin Parkway! The Philadelphia Museum of Art is now at the far end (built on top of the empty reservoir) and is an icon of the city. Even its stairs are famous, and I bet that there may be an adventurous soul among you that would like to run up them and do the famous Rocky pose at the top-- with both hands held up in victorious celebration! Eye of the tiger!

Let's see... along the Parkway we've got the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Franklin Institute Science Museum (and their King Tut exhibition), The Rodin Museum, The Academy of Natural Sciences,and Logan Sqaure (also known as Logan Circle).

Not far from the Parkway you can find Eastern State Penitentiary (which I love) and the Please Touch Museum (which is really only fun if you're a little kid, or if you're with one).

The Parkway also has a bit of sculpture that's fun to see. Between 21st and 22nd on the southern side of the Parkway you'll see several stabiles by Alexander Calder. Then there's the famous Washington Monument in front of the Art Museum (not like the big obelisk in DC-- the one in Philly is sort of a menagerie of Gen. Washington, bison, moose, people, etc). On a pretty day, it's an excellent walk.

I love the art museum, anyway, so I'd say if you're going there from the convention center area, or vice versa, why not walk? The Phlash, I believe, also drives along the parkway, so that could be a nice way to catch a glimpse of it, too.

The Shops at Liberty Place

The Shops at Liberty Place are in the bottom of the impressive buildings by Helmut Jahn, known affectionately as Liberty One and Liberty Two. Although the shops are what you would find at any high end mall, and not much of an attraction in and of themselves, the buildings are really cool, and you can get a feel for the architecture when you stand in the middle of the courtyard. Although everyone always would rather go to the top of buildings like these, it's not possible unless you have business with one of the high powered firms up there. So if you see the buildings on the skyline (and you WILL) and want to take a look inside, go to the corners of 16th & Chestnut, 17th & Chestnut or the 1600 block of Market Street. Take a little stroll inside-- it's kinda cool. And if you want to pick up some chocolates at Godiva, some lotion at Douglas Cosmetics, or a t-shirt at J Crew, etc., you're in the right place to do it. There's also a food court there with your standard fast food places if you need a soda or some nibbles.

As always, keep an eye on your purse though-- don't put it on the back of your chair in the food court. That's exactly how I had my wallet stolen once!