48 hours in Philadelphia

by Jon Hurdle

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Got 48 hours to explore Philadelphia? Reuters correspondents with local knowledge give tips on how to make the most out of a short stay in one of America's most historic cities.


FRIDAY
6 p.m. - For a pre-dinner beer or two, check out the Nodding Head Brewery and Restaurant in Center City. It's one of a number of independent local breweries that is helping to restore Philadelphia's reputation as a center for craft beer making.
8 p.m. - The Tin Angel, a cozy second-floor live-music venue near the busy corner of Second and Market Streets, regularly hosts nationally known artists. Past acts have included Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, and Richie Havens. It's joined with the Serrano restaurant.

SATURDAY
10 a.m. - Time to see the sights. The Liberty Bell is Philadelphia's most famous historic landmark. The cracked bell was rung on July 8, 1776 to summon the people of Philadelphia to a reading of the newly written Declaration of Independence. It's in a special pavilion on Independence Mall, the center of Philadelphia's historic area.
11 a.m. - Independence Hall. Within walking distance of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall was where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776 and the U.S. Constitution drafted in 1787. The National Park Service provides free tours on a first-come-first-served basis. At the other end of Independence Mall is the National Constitution Center, housing a permanent exhibition on the U.S. Constitution.
1 p.m. - Reading Terminal Market. It is a bustling city-center food emporium where you can buy anything from bagels to brisket to bananas, as well as prepared food from many nations. Grab lunch in the no-frills food court and watch the world go by.
2 p.m. - South Street. A potpourri of some 300 shops and around 60 restaurants, cafes and bars, this street between Front and Seventh claims to have something for everyone, and is lively day and night. It also has fringe theater and live music venues.
4 p.m. - Time to try a cheesesteak. Philadelphia's most famous culinary offering consists of a torpedo roll filled with shredded beef and melted cheese and is served by many long-established restaurants that all claim to make the authentic steak. They include Geno's in South Philadelphia which has drawn national attention, and some criticism, for its sign instructing customers to speak English when ordering.
6 p.m. - Make room for dinner and take a walking tour of the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia's main classical music concert hall beneath its distinctive glass roof. A few blocks away, on one side of the elegant Rittenhouse Square, it's worth looking into the ornate lobby of the Curtis Institute of Music where some of the world's most talented young musicians are trained. Students sometimes give free concerts.
7 p.m. - Dinner time. Choices in a famously foody city include -- Pod: a futuristic restaurant on University of Pennsylvania campus in West Philadelphia. You may be able to choose your own "pod" (alcove) or eat in the main restaurant serving "contemporary pan-Asian cuisine"
-- Le Bec Fin: venerable, elaborate, expensive French restaurant that is consistently near the top of the ratings in Philadelphia restaurant guides.
-- Maggiano's Little Italy: a chain that produces high-quality Italian family cooking in prodigious quantities for large groups in bustling restaurants. You're guaranteed a good feed.
9 p.m. - Head to Warmdaddy's, a renowned blues club and restaurant that has recently moved from its Front Street location to a new space on Columbus Boulevard at Reed Street. Taste the southern cooking while listening to a selection of blues and soul.

SUNDAY
10 a.m. - For brunch try the Marathon Grill, a popular deli/coffee shop chain with five locations in central and west Philadelphia. It serves eggs, sandwiches, salads and a range of brunch fare.
11:30 a.m. - Fairmount Park's Japanese House. Amid one of America's largest urban park systems, the house is a replica of a dwelling that would have been occupied by an aristocrat or senior official in the 16th century. If the weather permits, take a walk around the nearby gardens.
12:30 p.m. - Visit the boat houses, the homes for the city's many rowing crews, which are lined up on the east bank of the Schuylkill River a short way north of the Art Museum. Stroll past and take in sweeping views of the river and its rowers that inspired the 19th-century painter Thomas Eakins.
2 p.m. - Take a tour of City Hall. This national historic landmark is the world's tallest masonry building, and with almost 700 rooms, the largest municipal building in America.
Its ornate style, dating from 1871, stands out from the bland modern office buildings and hotels that surround it at the very heart of the city. With its statue of William Penn on top, it was the tallest building in Philadelphia until 1985 when a nearby skyscraper broke a gentleman's agreement that no building in the city should be higher than Billy Penn's hat.
4 p.m. - Philadelphia Museum of Art. One of America's largest art museums, it contains some 225,000 works of art including paintings, sculpture, textiles and metalwork. From the top of the front steps you can look out over Benjamin Franklin Parkway with City Hall at the other end.

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