Falling for City of Brotherly Love

PHILADELPHIA —  In a city having a Rodin Museum with more of the sculptor’s works than any other outside Paris, plus a magnificent art museum crammed with the likes of Degas dancers, Renoir sunbathers, Van Gogh sunflowers and innumerable European old masters, it’s a downright shame that this town has somehow gained a reputation for nit-picking lawyers, W.C. Fields jokes and night life that winds down at 8:30.

Apart from its museum-music-theater-restaurant scene, which holds its own admirably with almost any major U.S. city, this is the town of Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin and 33-year-old Thomas Jefferson writing the first draft of our Declaration of Independence in the summer of ’76.

Fortunately, visitors don’t have to deal with Philly’s pit-bull local politics, fiscal queasiness or other ills endemic to many American cities today. They get to skim the cream and enjoy the very best of this incredibly rich, beautiful and historic town.

Forget all the stale jokes you’ve heard about somnolent Philadelphia. Our former capital is alive, bubbling with vitality and ready to celebrate the 200th anniversary of our Bill of Rights through 1991.

Visitors to the Liberty Bell’s small building on Independence Square invariably move forward sheepishly, caress the burnished metal with affection and turn away with a beatific smile of contentment. How long/how much? Two days is an absolute minimum. Perhaps another one or two days for visits to nearby Valley Forge, bucolic Bucks County or the delightful Amish-Mennonite towns of Lancaster County. And costs for lodging and dining were very reasonable.

A few fast facts: Spring through late fall is a good time to visit, as snow usually falls from mid-December through February.

Getting settled in: Shippen Way Inn is a small, former home dating from 1750, has a walled garden of herbs and roses, a working fireplace in the living room-lobby and is just a 10-minute walk from Independence Hall.

Bedrooms have a distinct Laura Ashley feeling, some with original ceiling beams and timbered walls, pencil-post beds, fireplace and handwoven fabrics and quilts. Home-baked breads are served at breakfast, complimentary tea or wine and cheese every afternoon.

Quality Inn Suites, built in the 1890s as the Bentwood Rocker Factory, is now in the National Register of Historic Places and must be downtown Philadelphia’s best lodging value. Each suite has a full kitchen and complimentary movies, and the buffet breakfast is impressive.

Comfort Inn is a no-frills place at Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River. Bedrooms are huge, comfortable and done in pastel earth tones, but the lobby is rather stark. There is also free parking, sensible walking to the sights and children under 18 can stay free in a parents’ room.

Regional food and drink: Although Philly is home of the “hoagie,” known elsewhere as the “sub” or “po’boy” sandwich, nobody has yet tried to share ownership of the cheesesteak.

It’s thinly sliced beef just off the griddle, placed inside a long French roll and slathered with gobs of Cheez Whiz straight out of the jar. Order it “with” or “without” (onions), then load it up with hot peppers, sauces or whatever else is set out in numerous jars. A typical cheesesteak costs $3.

The best are at Pat’s and Geno’s stands, facing each other in South Philly. Top off the evening with a cheesesteak and you’ll skip breakfast. Maybe lunch, too!

Philadelphia’s renowned soft pretzels, sold at street carts for 25 cents, are supposed to be doused with mustard before devouring. And seafood is always fresh here, and the town’s Italian restaurants stack up with those of any U.S. city.

Good local dining: Dickens Inn, 421 S. Second St., is in a historic 1788 Federal-period building and still partially owned by Cedric Charles Dickens, a great-grandson of the writer.

The pub bar has an impressive lineup of “ales by the jug or mug,” plus such pub grub as toad-in-the-hole, bangers and mash, Cornish pasties and a plowman’s lunch. The Dickens Room restaurant offers beef Wellington, steak and mushroom pie, grilled loin of lamb and marvelous fish. Both the pub and dining room are so 19th-Century England that you half expect the original Mr. Dickens to stroll in for a pint.

We can’t imagine ever going back to Philadelphia without having at least one breakfast or lunch at the Famous 4th Street Deli, Fourth and Bainbridge streets, and catching up on what’s happening in town (good or bad) from the ever-present David Auspitz, whose family opened the place in the early 1920s.

Blintzes, knishes, chopped liver and kugels are still prepared in the kitchen, so you’ll leave happy and well fed. The Auspitz family is also famous for its cookies (shipped all over the country); the chocolate-chip model is to rave over. Ask Auspitz for a sample.

The Monte Carlo Living Room, Second and South streets, is a formal restaurant where upscale locals celebrate special occasions under the sparkling chandeliers with what is probably the city’s best Italian food and wine.

The chef-made fresh pastas include ravioli di aragosta al nero di seppia (ravioli filled with lobster and tossed in a cuttlefish ink sauce), and the seafood selection is extensive.

A Pinot Grigio white wine from Northern Italy goes well with the seafood and also with the superb veal and lamb dishes. Service is crisp, yet unobtrusive, with prices reaching the heights.

Pomodoro, 1700 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, is the latest addition to the local dining scene, making a mark in a town where so-so Italian fare is viewed with outright alarm. Try the pappardelle with fresh duck, prosciutto and tomatoes, or maybe the veal with eggplant, smoked mozzarella, basil and oven-roasted tomatoes. There’s a fantastic $15 weekend brunch.

The hot spot for Philly’s trendiest, from hard-briefcase business comers to hard-core sports buffs, is Metropolis, 1515 Locust St., serving up an eclectic menu of everything from crab cakes to designer pizzas. Decor is Jules Verne-modern. An enormous bar is noted for the early evening and after-theater crowds. Noise level rivals a foundry.

Going first-class: The Four Seasons has the town’s best location for shoppers and museum hoppers: on Benjamin Franklin Parkway with its half a dozen museums and line-up of fine stores.

The hotel’s bedrooms, public areas and Fountain Restaurant capture the feeling of Philadelphia’s Federal era with excellent reproductions of period furniture, while the health spa, indoor pool, gym, saunas and other fitness facilities are all state of the art. You’ll want for very little at this fine hotel.

On your own: Start your culture trek at the art museum, and then walk down the parkway 10 minutes to the Rodin Museum and his masterful Burghers of Calais statue. Be sure to make some time for the Academy of Natural Sciences and its scary robot dinosaurs.

Philadelphia’s downtown historic area is a memorable lesson in our nation’s early history.

You’ll find the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Franklin Square, Penn’s Landing and dozens of other historic spots, all within a few blocks of each other. The lecture and guided tour (free) through Independence Hall is sure to be a memorable one.

Philadelphia is a neighborhood city and one of the liveliest and most colorful is Little Italy and the Italian market area of South Philadelphia. Catch it at its very best before noon when the stalls are alive, decibels high and the tempo decidedly con brio.

GUIDEBOOK

Finding Philadelphia

Getting here: Fly United, American, Midway, TWA or Northwest. An advance-purchase, round-trip ticket should cost about $400 to $450, depending on season and day of week.

Getting settled: Shippen Way Inn (416 Bainbridge St.; $70-$105 B&B; double); Quality Inn Suites (1010 Race St.; $85-$99 B&B; double or suite, $89 weekends for up to four persons); Comfort Inn (100 N. Delaware Ave.; $75-$85 B&B; double); Four Seasons (1 Logan Square; $235-$265 double, $100 less on weekends).

For more information: Call the Philadelphia Visitors Center at (215) 636-1666. For the free Philadelphia Official Visitors Guide, a 90-page color magazine with listings for historic sights, restaurants, entertainment, hotels with prices, city maps and transportation, address your request to 1515 Market St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19102, or call (800) 321-9563.