Less than 24 Hours in Center City Philadelphia.
Michele, and I travel pretty often to Pennsylvania to visit her family but we rarely spend much time in downtown Philadelphia. A couple of months ago Michele purchased tickets to see one of our favorite artists, Lily Allen. She was headlining at the Electric Factory in Center City Philadelphia. We boarded a 5:10 train and made it just in time to check in to our hotel and grab dinner before the show. Philadelphia is just about an hour and a half from New York via Amtrak. Amtrak can be expensive, but they have specials from time to time where you can get cheaper tickets.
At check in, we asked for a recommendation for a nearby restaurant that was good and quick. We decided on Jones which was a retro style comfort food restaurant. Jones had a very cool vibe and was unique. I think it was more modern retro but I did feel like we were sitting in Carol Brady’s living room. Apparently they are famous for their desert. I imagine we will have to go back and try the strawberry shortcake or the s'mores since we broke the waitress' heart when we told her we would not have desert. The food was delicious and there were a few lighter options as well.
The Electric Factory - neither of us knew what to expect as we had not been there before. The venue feels intimate and although tickets are standing room only, there are bar stools and tables throughout (if you arrive early enough to score one). We had a great time despite feeling a little old. I did feel better when I saw an older man nearby rocking out. The Electric Factory reminds me of Terminal 5 crossed with Irving Plaza and it is definitely a cool place to see a show.
After the show we headed back across town and checked out some of the local watering holes. The first stop was National Mechanics. This was my favorite stop of the night as it was a bar housed in the National Mechanics building which was built in 1937 and has been home to banks, churches, clubs and bars. The next stop was Eulogy Belgian Tavern in Old City. It took quite a few minutes for us to select our beers because there are over four hundred on the menu. Eulogy was a great little dive bar with Belgian food to accompany the variety of beers.
In the morning we headed out and walked past Independence Hall and headed to Continental Restaurant & Martini Bar. This was also a retro place which is mere coincidence I think. They had great food and we enjoyed our melon sorbet before our meal. I will state for the record that we did not have Martini’s with our breakfast. After breakfast we headed over to Elfreth’s Alley. Elfreth’s Alley is America’s oldest residential neighborhood. It is a tiny street with the cutest historic houses. We picked out a few of our favorite houses and wondered what it would be like to live there. We had a great time in Philly and it is definitely a great town to visit, even if you only have 24 hours.