Charlene and I will be taking a mini-vacation to Philadelphia on 1/10-1/13. We’re planning on seeing the art museum and taking in a Philadelphia Orchestra concert. Already seen the Mutter Museum (Google that if you don’t know what it is!).
Any other suggestions of things to see, places to eat, etc?
Hi, Paul. At the Philadelphia museum, make sure you go up the stairs (Diana statue at the top), and spend time in the pre-Renaissance weaponry exhibit. Rather sobering… Plus, make sure you enter both of the side alcoves at the top of the steps. They will be behind you and to your left and right, as you face Diana, at the top of the steps. One takes you back through time, starting pre- Renaissance, and ending hundreds of feet later, in a Hindu temple that was sectioned and reassembled in the library. The other alcove has some of the most amazing Baroque art, that I have personally ever experienced.
Have a fine trip.
Byll
Have you been to the ANS? They have an exhibit on George Washington Carver from the Field Museum.
There is Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the Ben Franklin museum. There is also a transit museum.
If you came a day early, you could come see my college choir perform…
Unfortunately I don’t know much more about Philly than that. I hope it’s a great mini-vacation, though!
If I were going to Philadeplhia, I would want to see where they make that cheese.
Should also go to Pat’s or Geno’s for dinner before the concert for a good heart stopping hoagie. 
Dear Paul the Brewer,
If you order a cheese steak hoagie in Philadelphia please be cautious about what cheese you have
put on it. My wife has instructed me that if you say, “I’ll have a cheese steak with.”, you’ll end up with
a steak sub or hoagie slathered with Cheeze Whiz. Some people will say, I’ll have my Cheese Steak with Whiz. I grew up in Southern NJ and we had by far better chees steaks than Phila. I always order like this, "I’ll have a cheese steak with Provolone please with Lettuce Tomato, Fried onions, and those wonderful hot red chopped up peppers. In the Baltimore MD area they call the red hot peppers just hots.
I hope I didn’t bore anyone but I wanted to share my knowledge on this Mid-Atlantic delicacy.
Yours tastefully, Tin
Thanks Tin-- Provolone sounds a lot more appealing than Whiz!
You can’t miss Monk’s Cafe on 16th street (Belgian style with dozens of delicious Belgian suds to sip), mussels and fritz and more. Ask to be seated in the back room which I believe is a bar and benches imported from a pub in Belgium. while you are there, see if there is a show you might want to catch at the Kimmel Performing Arts Center around the corner on 17th and Broad, very cool place. See a show in the Verizon hall in the Kimmel, the inside is in the shape of the inside of a huge cello and the acoustics are supposed to be near perfect. And your wife is right about ordering a cheesesteak in Philly, I’ve been yelled at for not knowing how to order properly 
City of Brotherly Love!
Like Seinfeld’s Soup Man, “NO CHEESESTEAK FOR YOU!”
Bunch of fascist hoagie totalitarians. BTW a serving of whiz has 0.6gms less fat than a slice of provolone, sure it’s not real food…
“Hear that sound – makes me think of Country Bear Whiz Beer. As my Daddy said, 'It’s in the water, that’s why it’s yeller.” (paraphrase, it was a long, wasted time ago)
(later) “I’ll just have a Whiz”
– Firesign Theater
We tried to go there when we were in Philly a few years ago but it was so packed that we couldn’t even get in the door. Maybe we’ll shoot for an odd hour, like 2PM on a work day when the lunch rush is over, but the dinner/happy hour not yet started.
We’re planning on hearing the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel on Sunday-- a great program including Handel’s Royal Fireworks Music. We’re staying within walking distance.
Sorry if I’m too late with this, but check out the Reading Terminal Market downtown near the convention center–one of those terrific urban markets selling all kinds of food.