Recently in Philadelphia Category
We made it to the Italian Market on 9th Street a little bit before 9AM. It was pretty cool. We got to see the vendors pulling out their produce and meats and start to set up shop for the day. According to the Frommer's guide, the Italian Market was also part of Rocky's infamous run through Philadelphia in the movie. We walked around there for a bit checking out the shops and everything. I couldn't resist taking pictures of the fish, I love how Red Snappers look. 
Today was just kind of a miserable day with the unrelenting rain. Not too bummed about it though, we did make it to the stops and attractions we *really* wanted to see. I pretty much packed our itineraries for both cities so I wouldn't feel bad if we decided to cross a few things here and there off the list. We're leaving 9AM in the morning to head to NYC. Wish us luck!
We left promptly at 4AM yesterday morning. Virginia was a beautiful drive. We made sure to take plenty of stops to rest and stretch our legs. Drive wasn't too bad. Getting into the city and finding a place to park the car for 3 days took a little while, but we got it done.
The hotel is right next to Chinatown. Lots of cute shops and restaurants really near by. We ate dinner last night at a little Shanghai style restaurant named Joy Tsin Lau. We spent a lot of time last night just walking around and exploring the city. Took the subway a bit further into town and checked out a couple places we're heading to Monday. But yes, Chinatown here is kind of small, but very vibrant and has a good ambiance.
Today we woke up early and took a bus to the Philadelphia Zoo. It's a very big and impressive zoo. It was a lot of fun, we spent about 3 hours there. It had a lot of different animal exhibits and going right when they first opened proved to be a good idea, as when we left it was incredibly crowded and started to get a bit difficult to be able to get a clear view of the animals without a bunch of unruly children running into you and pushing you.
We had a bit of a hiccup with taking a bus going the wrong direction when trying to make our way to the Museum of Art. We finally made it there, though. It was very exciting to see some very famous artist's paintings there. Most notable for me were paintings by Magritte, van Gogh, Mondrian, Dali, and Pollock. Also, there's the famous Rocky statue in front of the museum. The view of the city from the steps of the museum was also quite a sight to behold. 
We've done a great deal of walking so far, and boy are our dogs barkin'! We've also decided the subway is the best and least confusing way to travel in the city. We had a fantastic dinner tonight at a fine dining restaurant, El Vez. It was in my Frommer's guide, and I'm so glad I took it's advice! Their queso fundito con carne was to die for. It has chorizo in it, so of course it had to be ordered. Their margaritas were also some of the best I've had. We're both pretty exhausted and ready to get up early and start tomorrow's fun. We've altered trip plans a bit here and there due to getting used to the city and the public transit. Tomorrow's big plans are mainly the Italian Market on 9th Street early in the morning, and then heading over to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Center. I'm sure some more city exploration will be involved as well. The city is huge and bewildering to someone who grew up in Blythewood! It is fun nonetheless.
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Travelodge Philadelphia Convention Center - the hotel 1227 Race Street Philadelphia, PA 19107
Institute of Contemporary Art 118 S 36th St Philadelphia, PA 19104 (215) 898-5911 icaphila.org
Philadelphia Zoo 3400 W Girard Ave Philadelphia, PA 19104 (215) 243-1100 www2.philadelphiazoo.org
Eastern State Penitentiary Philadelphia, PA 19130 www.easternstate.org
Philadelphia Museum of Art 26th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway Philadelphia, PA 19130 (215) 763-8100 philamuseum.org
Independence Hall 500 Chestnut St Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 597-8974 nps.gov/inde
Italian Market 9th Street http://www.phillyitalianmarket.com/
And, of course, other little random things here and there. But these are the big sites we want to visit.
In Philadelphia we're going to be staying at the Travelogdge, which is next to the Philadelphia Convention Center. It's in a nice location in downtown Philly. It's within walking distance of Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, etc. Not to mention, we have SEPTA passes so hoping a bus or the El will be really convienent and short trips.
In NYC we're staying at the Hampton Inn located at North Times Square. It's on 8th Ave, between 51st and 52nd Streets. It's within walking distance of Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Times Square (obviously), and many other goodies. Another added bonus, it has its own parking garage with 24-hour parking. So, luckily, I won't have to search the city to find a garage to lodge my car in for the 3 days we're there, and I can put my car in before my hotel check-in and leave it there for a while after my check-out. Not too shabby!
So, we're staying in the both cities at awesome locations! Not to mention I'm pretty much the epitome of frugality -- both rooms we got at a discount. In Philly I'm using the discount I get at certain hotels from Wachovia, and in NYC I got a great discount because I paid in advance.
Could not be more excited.
