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[livejournal.com profile] melted_snowball and I will be in Philadelphia this weekend (Friday through Sunday). We're staying downtown, very close to City Hall.

I'm free on my own for Saturday during the day and probably Sunday afternoon till 5pm or so.

What kind of half-day adventure would you have me go on? I like getting lost, trying new stuff, seeing art and found stuff that I might photograph. [livejournal.com profile] boutell, I'm looking right at you here. :)

I'm more into the idea of walking tours than museums, on this trip. I looked in the [livejournal.com profile] philadelphia community and did get the impression that if I ate mammal, I'd be set for cheesesteaks. I've already done all the Liberty Bell / patriot tour stuff I care to- but I was thinking these architecture tours might be interesting.

I've already got [livejournal.com profile] sulle_stelle's recommendation for dinner at "Nineteen". And I know that First Friday is happening in 40 galleries in the downtown core in the evening- thanks [livejournal.com profile] boutell.

LJ is awesome for this kinda stuff- any other suggestions?

Date: Wednesday, 5 September 2007 10:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ketzie.livejournal.com
I don't know if this is up your alley, but the Mutter Museum is a creepy, and to some, interesting place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCtter_Museum

http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp

Date: Wednesday, 5 September 2007 10:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ketzie.livejournal.com
Oops, I meant to say that it's at 22nd between Market and Chestnut, so it's an easy walk from City Hall.

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 03:16 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] da-lj.livejournal.com
Hm. Could be fun. Thanks.

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 01:22 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bats22.livejournal.com
I have no personal useful information, but whenever I hit a new city, I try the NYT travel section--I've often had some good finds there. It looks like they have a Philadelphia overview, as well as a "36 Hours In..." (often good to find nice coffee shops, neighborhoods, and the like).

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 03:16 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] da-lj.livejournal.com
Cool, thanks for the pointers. I'll remember that the next time I'm headed somewhere.

A few good ideas there, including the Rosenbach Museum & Library with ephemera from Charles Dodgson and James Joyce... and the Mutter Museum. Maybe I will go museuming after all.

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 03:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pekmez.livejournal.com
I think you're staying where much of my family stayed for my grandparents' anniversary celebration, based on that map.

Walk south from there (say, look up the morning glory cafe and walk in its general direction, for instance, that's what we were doing when we saw a lot of this) and you'll find a bunch of neat looking to me row houses and some alleys with very cool glass mosaics set into houses. (see my icon for an example.) the morning glory cafe was quite nice for brunch, too. :)

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 11:18 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] da-lj.livejournal.com
Cool. "Club Quarters" is where the conference hotel's at. I'll look for Morning Glory Cafe and surroundings. :)

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 02:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] epi-lj.livejournal.com
Geocaching? ;)

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 02:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] da-lj.livejournal.com
Heh. I've enjoyed geocaching the few times I've done it with friends. But I've never gotten around to buying a GPS, because they all seem to lack some essential feature. Maybe you've had luck finding one that has Canadian data and works with Mac"? I think I've looked at a dozen that have only one or the other.

A side-note to be sure, but: my list of nice-to-haves is prolly too demanding for current technology/what I'm willing to pay: less than $400, compact, but good sensitivity and readable screen; good data for Canada and US, on-road and off-road; works with mac; doesn't devour batteries; expandable data, but doesn't require a subscription or cell data-plan. :)

The closest I've found is a screenless device that works with a cellphone such as mine via bluetooth, but the phone software for this device apparently needs to pull down all the map data from their servers. That's gonna be way too pricey at 5c a kilobyte.

I think I'm holding off for the same device where I can stash a gig of data (or much less) on my phone's microSD card. I'm patient, and expect I won't have to wait more than another year. :)

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 03:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] epi-lj.livejournal.com
Your list of features is a lot more comprehensive than mine, so I don't know the answer. I've never even tried interfacing either of ours with my Mac, although I hear that there are Mac utilities that support most Garmin models. That said, the one we have for the car now does both car and walking, has a built-in rechargeable screen, has an SD card slot (I think you can get microSD -> SD adapters), doesn't require any kind of data plan, and is expandable. Whether you can expand it via a *Mac* or do anything else via a *Mac*, I have no idea. What is it that you want to do with it vis a vis the computer? I could try it.

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 03:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] da-lj.livejournal.com
Most practically, to get data updates, but I suppose that's what the SD card's for. But less practically, a bunch of the GPSs I've seen have trumpeted how good their PC software is (I suppose it's for drawing up routes on your computer, then passing them to the GPS; or passing your routes back to your computer). I don't know how important I'd find that feature, to be honest.

Which Garmin do you use in your car? I'll look it up. :)

Thanks. :)

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 03:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] epi-lj.livejournal.com
Part of this is that [livejournal.com profile] okoshun is the real GPS afficianado in our household, and she has a Windows PC. However, there are Mac GPS software packages that will talk to many popular GPS units. I'm not sure under what circumstances I'd want that. Maybe if I wanted to carefully tweak a driving route. Usually when using it for driving, we just say, "I want to go here," and let it pick the route for us. :)

We use a Nuvi 350, which is this one here for the car. For geocaching, we more often use and original eTrex that we also have.

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 06:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] da-lj.livejournal.com
Thanks.. I'll follow up after I get back from PHL :)

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 06:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] epi-lj.livejournal.com
Okay! If you and [livejournal.com profile] okoshun are in town at the same time, I'm sure she'd be amenable to allowing you to try it out / fiddle with it. (When she's out of town she takes it with her, though, which is why you'd have to both be in town.)

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 02:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] morgan-starfire.livejournal.com
I am so envious. Within walking distance:

Reading Terminal Market (http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/) is a great place for eats. My two favorites were the Greek place near the 12th Street entrance, and the Thai place closer to 11th Street. Oh, and cream cheese brownies for dessert, from Metropolitan Bakery (Arch Street side).

Places we wish we'd gone while we lived there:
* The African American Museum in Philadelphia, at 7th & Arch. http://www.aampmuseum.org/home/
* The National Constitution Center, 5th & Arch. http://www.constitutioncenter.org/

There's a historic Friends Meetinghouse at 4th & Arch.

And, of course, we *highly* recommend going to Meeting for Worship at the Meetinghouse at 15th & Cherry at 11:00 am. :)

Excellent (IMHO) half-day adventure; will require getting on SEPTA: Mt. Airy.
* Wissahickon Park (map at http://www.fow.org/).
* Big Blue Marble Bookstore (a Best of Philly!), http://www.bigbluemarblebooks.com/ (plus, two of my best friends work there, Nif and Jen)
* Weavers Way Co-Op, http://weaversway.coop/

But, best of all, you are going to be in Philly during the Fringe Festival! http://www.livearts-fringe.org/2007/home.cfm.

Have fun! I look forward to finding out how you amused yourself. :)

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 04:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] da-lj.livejournal.com
Wow, thanks. I knew about... half of these. :) Awesome choices.

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 03:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dawn-guy.livejournal.com
Now you see, what I'd do in such a situation would be to go out and walk in whatever direction seemed like a good idea, open to the possibility of adventure. It's my default mode of tourism when traveling for conferences and similar things.

My unplanned ventures have resulted in many conversations with beggars and other marginalized people, good food from places that aren't on any tourist map, at least two carousel rides, finding myself both donor and recipient of the kindness of strangers, sore feet, multiple encounters with people quietly practicing martial arts in parks, occasional concern about how to get back to somewhere I know where I am, wonder, and joy.

There used to be a really sweet man among the homeless folks near Reading Terminal Market. If I've got the right city, there's a Holocaust museum that's quite thought-provoking around somewhere.

Date: Thursday, 6 September 2007 08:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jeanne-d-arc.livejournal.com
Go see the historic Quaker stuff if you have not yet.

Date: Friday, 7 September 2007 01:01 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sulle-stelle.livejournal.com
You now have enough to do for about 7 weekends. Do you need any more? ;-)

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is amazing. And so is the Rodin Museum. Is the Tut exhibit still in town? There is also the Penn Museum. The Italian Market is fun on Saturday mornings (though I haven't been in a few years). And I concur re: Reading Terminal (also fun on Saturday mornings).

For the BEST gelato EVER (better than any I've had in Italy and I've lived in Italy and know my gelato): Capogiro (13th/Sansom). I think that is a "must see" for d. A favorite BYO restaurant: Effie's, on Pine St, between 11th and 12th (few doors down from Giovanni's Room -- go support your local gay bookstore!) There is a nice gay coffeeshop a couple blocks from there, on 12th, between Locust and Walnut (new, used to be Millennium Coffee, forget what it's called now, but it has free wifi and outdoor seating). Sit there and look across the street fondly at the building I used to live in......

Another good coffee spot: Hausbrandt Coffee (15th, just south of Walnut). This is an Italian chain (first US branch). Lots of Italians there. And really good coffee. Try the chocolate croissant; you will die. More free wifi.

I will be in town the week after you (darn!) and, yes, will be eating at Nineteen. The food is good (not outstanding, but very nice) but the decor is REALLY memorable.

Have fun and tell me how it goes!

Date: Friday, 7 September 2007 12:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] da-lj.livejournal.com
You now have enough to do for about 7 weekends. Do you need any more? ;-)

Yeah! :)

Thanks for the thoughts- I didn't catch the coffeeshop we had breakfast in but it was a yummy croissant.

Too bad we're missing you here- darn indeed. Conference?

Date: Saturday, 8 September 2007 03:46 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sulle-stelle.livejournal.com
I'm so bummed we're a week apart!

I'm going up there to visit friends; found a $120 r/t airfare. Just last week, I booked another trip up there, about two weeks later (10/4 or something), for a friend's surprise 50th b-day party. (Needless to say, she doesn't know I'm coming. I can't wait!)

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