Arriving in Philadelphia

[Chucktin]

Three of us, 1 adult and 2 seniors, are traveling via Amtrak (kind of a bucket list trip) from central Florida to Pennsylvania in September. We arrive, 10-ish, in Philly and then what?
I've never been there, wife was there as a young-en. Ideally I'd like to stash luggage and start sightseeing until we can check in to a hotel. We will be spending 2 nights in Philly. Are there secure lockers at the 30th St. Station? Or is there a better solution?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Are you in coach or a sleeper?

If sleeper, you can use the Club Acela to store your bags.

Also, I believe hotels will let you drop off your luggage before check in.

 

[Eric S]

I agree with the suggestion of going to your hotel upon arrival and leaving bags there, even if you cannot check in at that time. I've done that in many cities when arriving in the morning before hotel check-in time.

I'm sure people here could offer suggestions for how to get from PHL station to your hotel, if you'd like advice on that.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

September should be a wonderful time to come, but make sure your dates are not close to the Pope's visit toward the end of the month (on the weekend of Sept. 26-27, it will be nearly impossible to get around, and I personally would also avoid the week before and after just in case there are any residue crowds or problems). That being said, here are three of my favorite tips for Philly visitors:

If your hotel is near one of the Center City SEPTA stops (Suburban or Jefferson [until recently, called Market East--you'll hear it called both]), your Amtrak ticket allows you to ride free to either stop.

If you want to see the Liberty Bell, you can see it from the outside. Walk down along the building it's in on 6th Street and look in the window at the end. This will save a lot of time, because it is a federal, rather than city, site, so you have all the federal security checks with them pawing through all your stuff, then a long walk through exhibits, with the bell at the end. You can decide by looking in the window whether a closer look at the bell is worth the security hassle.

City Tavern, although it's just a replica of the original building, is a good place to eat if you want some low-key Colonial atmosphere (essentially, servers who are college kids dressed up in Colonial outfits). The food is good, and if you go early afternoon (after the business lunch crowd and before dinner--say, 1:30 or 2:00), you will not need dinner--they give you enough for both.

There are many excellent tips in the "What to see, and where?" section of this site, under "Northeast," then "Philadelphia"--I wish you all a lovely trip up here in the North .

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

I should have clarified--the SEPTA stops I referred to are on SEPTA regional rail.

 

[Chucktin]

Whoa, Pope's visit I did not know about. We will be in Philly mid month, 15 - 17 then out to Amish country than back to town 25 or so.

I haven't settle on a hotel in Philly yet. Best price I saw was at the airport, $119.00, wife said no way! Still looking☺. Probably opt for convienence and bite the bullet $-wise.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Maybe look at Wilmington, DE for a hotel and take SEPTA to/from Philly, though you'll need to check the schedule as WIL has less trains than the PA stations. You can get all day passes for the trains.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Oh, I am so glad I mentioned the Pope's visit! Any hotels not already booked for the 25th will be sky-high prices, plus on the weekend, you have to have a ticket already bought for the day for SEPTA, and they are only stopping at a couple of stops so they can funnel people where they want them to go. It's going to be awful.

If you are going out to Amish country, make I suggest an alternate plan? Spend your first couple of days in Philly as planned, but instead of coming back, stay in Harrisburg (two decent hotels downtown within walking distance of the train station, a pedestrian bridge to a small and pretty island you can walk around, and a few other very low-key but pleasant attractions). Then, depending on what day your Florida train leaves, either take a Keystone back to PHL a day earlier (nothing much goes wrong with them, but you never know) and stay overnight (this is if you are going back after the Pope's visit weekend and you can get a hotel) or early Keystone from Harrisburg the same day you leave, then stay in 30th Street and wait for your Florida train.

Please, anyone who lives in or around Philly or Harrisburg, chime in! This is the best plan I can think of, but I'm sure others may have a better one.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Just saw AmtrakBlue's suggestion, which I think is better than mine. You have both SEPTA and Amtrak from Wilmington, so if either does anything weird, you have the other as backup (which you don't from Harrisburg).

 

[afigg]

Whoa, Pope's visit I did not know about. We will be in Philly mid month, 15 - 17 then out to Amish country than back to town 25 or so.

I haven't settle on a hotel in Philly yet. Best price I saw was at the airport, $119.00, wife said no way! Still looking☺. Probably opt for convienence and bite the bullet $-wise.

Pope Francis is visiting Philadelphia on Sept 26-27 tied in to large convention that runs from Sept 22 to 25. They are projecting that Philly might get over 1 million visitors to see the Pope and attend his outdoor mass. I would avoid the days on either side of the Pope's visit as hotels are likely to be booked solid from Baltimore to Northern NJ. Google turned up this overview article on his visit: Pope Francis to visit Philadelphia September 26-27: What we know and what we don’t.

As for hotels in the city, Philly is more affordable in general than DC and NYC. You could look for hotels near one of the SEPTA Regional Rail stations, provided you are on a line that gets frequent service (most do). The Regional Rail platforms at 30th Street are located on a upper level on the north side of the station if you want to take advantage of the free (short) trip using your Amtrak tickets to downtown (Suburban or Jefferson stations). The Market-Frankford subway line stop is located south of the 30th St station, just a short walk outside of the building if you take the subway.

For information on the SEPTA transit system. go to www.septa.org. Another piece of advice, is if you have a smartphone, you should look at downloading one of many available transit apps for SEPTA. Can be a big help in navigating the SEPTA system.

 

[Chucktin]

Wow, glad I asked. We are picking up a rental car in Philly and driving out to Harrisburg where we already have a reservation. We will base there and the wife gets her Carriage shop tours and brother and I get to go out the the Horseshoe Curve.

Originally I planned this for October, wife couldn't get out of work, important na-boobs showing up so her shop needs to be manned for the duration.

 

[cirdan]

Speaking of Amish country, does anybody have any tips as to what the best place is to explore this and get some genuine insights and exposure to everyday Amish culture, so not the tourist trap stuff?

I understand the area around Lancaster PA is good for this?

Any other suggestions?

 

[Chucktin]

I'm betting most Amish sights around Lancaster will be commercialized. We will be there for wife's horse carriage stuff (gotta have "stuff"). Other than that we mean to be respectful and not gawkers.

 

[cirdan]

I was more looking for maybe something like a B&B run by genuine Amish folks in the Amish style so you can get to live the way they do for a few days and get to have conversations and insights?

 

[Chucktin]

Well post if you find such.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I was more looking for maybe something like a B&B run by genuine Amish folks in the Amish style so you can get to live the way they do for a few days and get to have conversations and insights?

I think there is an Amish Farm east of Lancaster that does something like what your looking for. It may be on 896 south of 30. It's been a few years since I've been up that way. And, of course, the PA RR Museum is in Strasburg.

 

[Chucktin]

Missed the Strasburg RR museum when we were there, 198something. Mean to go thru this time. They have a GGI which will be a treat for me.

 

[wolfspirit]

Wow, glad I asked. We are picking up a rental car in Philly and driving out to Harrisburg where we already have a reservation. We will base there and the wife gets her Carriage shop tours and brother and I get to go out the the Horseshoe Curve.

Originally I planned this for October, wife couldn't get out of work, important na-boobs showing up so her shop needs to be manned for the duration.

I would take a Keystone to Lancaster or somewhere out there and get a rental out that way (or even Exton, for that matter). You are going to save a pile of money because rentals are cheaper out here, and when you go to return it, you won't fight the city insanity on the 25th (if that is your day of return). Almost all hotels from Lancaster -> PHL are booked from the night of the 20th through the 26th, so trying to get into the city that entire week is probably an exercise in pain. I would enjoy a train to the jam-packed 30th, instead of trying to drive there, which can be miserable on your average day.

Just remember that Keystones are going to be running reserved seating the week of the 21th, so you have to buy tickets more than 5 minutes in advance.

 

[Chucktin]

Thanks! That's a good suggestion.

See if wife will bite. I especially like getting rental car when we get to Harrisburg.

 

[GG-1]

Missed the Strasburg RR museum when we were there, 198something. Mean to go thru this time. They have a GGI which will be a treat for me.

Aloha

They have 2 GG-1's there 4935 beautifuly restored inside and 4800, the original, in poor shape, outside.

 

[me_little_me]

Note that those seniors, if 65+, ride free on subways and buses and pay a buck on any ride within PA on SEPTA http://www.septa.org/fares/discount/senior.html

Best part is that unlike most cities that require local pass that you have to have pics taken, a Medicare card is sufficient. We never carry our Medicare cards as it's your SS number. I scanned ours, blanked out all the digits except the last four, then printed them on a color printer. Never had a problem in Philly with those. When you look senior and have something that looks like a Medicare Card, they just wave you through on trolleys, buses and subways. From what I remember, we bought the $1 tix at a machine and just gave them to conductor. He never asked for ID anyway.

 

[peconicstation]

As has already been mentioned, the weekend of the Papal visit is a good time not to be in Philly.

SEPTA transit service will be greatly modified, and hotel rates, which are usually far less expensive that corrider cities like Boston, D.C., or New York, will soar, which is also the by product of Center City's hotel room count being lower than the other cities mentioned.

SEPTA offers seniors a grear fare on city transit (as already mentioned) , and the non-senior travelling with you can get a SEPTA Independence Day Pass

for $8.00 per day, and although it is called a pass, the limit is 8 trips per day.

As for the sights, stop by the large visitors center on Market Street by Independence Hall, it is a combined city/historic district center, and stop there

BEFORE visting any paid sites, as they have many discounts available. There is also a pass that lets you visit a number of paid sites at a discount.

http://www.phlvisitorcenter.com/

One site that is off the radar screen, and I highly recomment is the ride to the top of City Hall tower, and is offered on weekdays only.

The Reading Terminal market is a must for lunch.

Lastly when touring through Center City, it is always good to be aware of your surrondings. Center City is by and large very safe, but Philly as a whole remians a very poor city, and sometimes it brings out those who like to prey on unsecpecting tourists.

Ken

Elfreth's Alley (the nations oldest residential street, and is used to this day) is a great site, and an easy walk from the Betsy Ross House. I lived there for a time, and the residnets are used to all the tourists.

 

[Shanghai]

Rental cars are available in Lancaster, not far from the Amtrak station.

We always have a meal at Miller's near Ronk, PA. Delicious Amish food

and you can watch the Amish farmers tending their fields from the rear

dining room.

 

[benjibear]

Rental cars are available in Lancaster, not far from the Amtrak station.

We always have a meal at Miller's near Ronk, PA. Delicious Amish food

and you can watch the Amish farmers tending their fields from the rear

dining room.

Miller's is not real Amish food. It is a big fancy place to make tourists think they are eating it. Way overpriced to for what you get.

 

[Chucktin]

Wifie looked a "Amish" menu on some Web page while planning this vacation. She is a vegetarian, and I think she saw mac & cheese listed as a vegetable.