Posted: 5/22/2013 1:34:58 PM EDT
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I may be heading to northern VA in a few weeks and I'm considering visiting Philly for a weekend. I'd like to see some landmarks from the American Revolution, have a cheese steak (of course) and might catch a Phillies game. Any suggestions about things I should see? What parts of town are the best to stay in?
I've reviewed PA carry law and it seems pretty fair, better than a lot of places actually. I have an out of state permit that is honored by PA. Are there any issues I should be aware of about carrying in Philly? Is carrying at the national landmarks like Independence hall a no no? Thanks for any help! |
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See the link below for concealed carry laws in PA.
PAFOA - Where you CAN and CANNOT carry weapons in PA Places to go/see: - Philadelphia Museum of Art - Phillies game - Independence Hall - Liberty Bell |
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Well we certainly welcome you if you decide to visit PA. Carrying at the historic sights is a bit problematic. From what I understand, carrying outside is OK at Independence Park, but entering any of the buildings is out. If I'm wrong on that I hope someone corrects me. The Liberty Bell is a must see. It is amazing just how much it has meant to so many people over the years.
Visit Reading Terminal Market. There is a Marriot very close to the market. I've stayed there before and really enjoyed it there. Cheesesteaks are a personal thing. I prefer Tony Lukes. I'm sure a local will be along shortly to tell me that I'm wrong. 
There is a casino if you're into that sort of thing. The Philly Phlash is an easy way to get around town. Lots of Philly sucks, but it has its gems as well. |
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See the link below for concealed carry laws in PA. PAFOA - Where you CAN and CANNOT carry weapons in PA Places to go/see: - Philadelphia Museum of Art - Phillies game - Independence Hall - Liberty Bell Thanks, never been to an NL game actually. I trying to avoid wearing my Jason Witten jersey while in town too. Quoted:
Well we certainly welcome you if you decide to visit PA. Carrying at the historic sights is a bit problematic. From what I understand, carrying outside is OK at Independence Park, but entering any of the buildings is out. If I'm wrong on that I hope someone corrects me. The Liberty Bell is a must see. It is amazing just how much it has meant to so many people over the years. Visit Reading Terminal Market. There is a Marriot very close to the market. I've stayed there before and really enjoyed it there. Cheesesteaks are a personal thing. I prefer Tony Lukes. I'm sure a local will be along shortly to tell me that I'm wrong.
There is a casino if you're into that sort of thing. The Philly Phlash is an easy way to get around town. Lots of Philly sucks, but it has its gems as well. I added the Reading Market to the list, looks interesting. What parts of Philly are the best to stay in, I don't mind staying a few minutes out of town but would prefer to avoid the FSA. |
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I prefer Genos. But I'm a heretic so what do I know.
Try them all OP. Good advice, I will probably enjoy a few of them. Quoted:
You won't be able to enter the building with the Liberty Bell if you are armed. Not a big deal, as you can stand right outside the building and see everything without the line.  I'd recommend CC as Philly cops are not the most up to date on the carry laws.I'll probably just park near by and keep everything in the car when I visit them. I would like to go inside Independence Hall. Definitely CC, especially in an unfamiliar area. Hopefully won't have any encounters with Philly PD. Quoted:
Vally Forge National Park is not to far maybe a 1/2 hr drive. Good call, I'm driving right by it on 76 so it will be easy to stop by and check it out. |
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You really can't go wrong with any place concerning cheese steaks in Philly. Of course going down to Pat's or Geno's (they;re right across from each other) is the most typical place to grab a philly cheese steak.
Here's a website that may give you some ideas. http://www.visitphilly.com/ You could always check out South Street but it's mostly shops, bars, and restaurants. Same with Market Street. There's always Delilah's or Show n Tell if you have interest in bachelor locations.
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A word of experience. PREPARE YOUR ANUS when it comes to hotel rates in Philly. $150/night is a cheap rate and if there's a major event going on in town look for over $300/night to be the going rate. You might be better off looking at a hotel out of the city, say in King of Prussia and travelling into town for your daytime activities.
We had to deal with the NCAA tournament and university graduations during our visits to the hospital in Philly and the "special hospital rate" were still just their off-season rate of $150. |
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A word of experience. PREPARE YOUR ANUS when it comes to hotel rates in Philly. $150/night is a cheap rate and if there's a major event going on in town look for over $300/night to be the going rate. You might be better off looking at a hotel out of the city, say in King of Prussia and travelling into town for your daytime activities. We had to deal with the NCAA tournament and university graduations during our visits to the hospital in Philly and the "special hospital rate" were still just their off-season rate of $150. I second this. King of Prussia has some nice areas and one of the largest malls in the nation. It's located right off 76 and is not too far from both Philly and Jersey. It's also right down the road from Valley Forge. |
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A word of experience. PREPARE YOUR ANUS when it comes to hotel rates in Philly. $150/night is a cheap rate and if there's a major event going on in town look for over $300/night to be the going rate. You might be better off looking at a hotel out of the city, say in King of Prussia and travelling into town for your daytime activities. We had to deal with the NCAA tournament and university graduations during our visits to the hospital in Philly and the "special hospital rate" were still just their off-season rate of $150. I second this. King of Prussia has some nice areas and one of the largest malls in the nation. It's located right off 76 and is not too far from both Philly and Jersey. It's also right down the road from Valley Forge. The Embassy Suites at Valley Forge is great. Nice breakfast buffet with an omelet station. Each evening there is a managers reception, which basically means free booze.
I've stayed there numerous times. Never had any reason to complain. |
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Must see while in Philly, pretty much the only thing worth seeing:
Philadelphia Museum of Art's Arms & Armor Galleries: Exhibit Page Photos of the weapons, armor & firearms Some videos (not mine) that I tried to embed but could not get the links to work. The engraving on some of these must been seen in person: Museum's Video Virtual Tour 1 Virtual Tour 2 Virtual Tour 3 Virtual Tour 4 Virtual Tour 5 |
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A word of experience. PREPARE YOUR ANUS when it comes to hotel rates in Philly. $150/night is a cheap rate and if there's a major event going on in town look for over $300/night to be the going rate. You might be better off looking at a hotel out of the city, say in King of Prussia and travelling into town for your daytime activities. We had to deal with the NCAA tournament and university graduations during our visits to the hospital in Philly and the "special hospital rate" were still just their off-season rate of $150. Thanks, I'll probably stay outside the city. What would be the best direction to look? (obviously not NJ) Quoted:
Must see while in Philly, pretty much the only thing worth seeing: Philadelphia Museum of Art's Arms & Armor Galleries: Exhibit Page Photos of the weapons, armor & firearms Some videos (not mine) that I tried to embed but could not get the links to work. The engraving on some of these must been seen in person: Museum's Video Virtual Tour 1 Virtual Tour 2 Virtual Tour 3 Virtual Tour 4 Virtual Tour 5 Thank you for posting that, I'll check it out. Do they allow CCW or have metal detectors there? |
| If you stay in center city, you will avoid most of the FSA except for the occasional bum. I recommend visiting the reading terminal, just be aware that it closes early, either 5 or 6 pm depending on the day, so get there early. If you like something different, the Mutter museum and the Penn museum are very nice. Mutter is a medical / physicians museum. Penn has a bunch of Egyptian displays. |
| I want to recommend the Philly Zoo...America's Oldest Zoo...but it's not in the best part of town. I did my college internship there and leaving at night was interesting on occasion. They did a ton of renovations there a few years ago. I haven't been there since they did the renovations but have heard they did a great job. If you happen to be there after school lets out for the summer, you probably want to avoid the zoo as it becomes overrun with FSA children (literally, thousands of them) on summer school trips on an almost daily basis. |
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A word of experience. PREPARE YOUR ANUS when it comes to hotel rates in Philly. $150/night is a cheap rate and if there's a major event going on in town look for over $300/night to be the going rate. You might be better off looking at a hotel out of the city, say in King of Prussia and travelling into town for your daytime activities. We had to deal with the NCAA tournament and university graduations during our visits to the hospital in Philly and the "special hospital rate" were still just their off-season rate of $150. Thanks, I'll probably stay outside the city. What would be the best direction to look? (obviously not NJ) Quoted:
Must see while in Philly, pretty much the only thing worth seeing: Philadelphia Museum of Art's Arms & Armor Galleries: Exhibit Page Photos of the weapons, armor & firearms Some videos (not mine) that I tried to embed but could not get the links to work. The engraving on some of these must been seen in person: Museum's Video Virtual Tour 1 Virtual Tour 2 Virtual Tour 3 Virtual Tour 4 Virtual Tour 5 Thank you for posting that, I'll check it out. Do they allow CCW or have metal detectors there? I do not know. I would call them up beforehand to check. I have not been there recently & know Philadelphia has beefed up security at the other major historical landmarks. I remember seeing on the news that they went to extremes for the Broad Street Run but that was after Boston. Maybe SuperMoose could chime in here if they do a pat down or have detectors. Also the Rodin Museum is right across the street. The Thinker & Gates of Hell are worth seeing. & The Franklin Institute is a fun science museum & great if you have kids. Just check the hours of operation. Some of these places have unique schedules. |
| How could we not mention the Barnes museum? Largest collection of impressionist art outside of Paris. |
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Art Museum have metal detectors? I don't know, let me ask my mom. Last time I was at PMA, no detectors or signs. Similarly, the Franklin Institute and Academy of Natural Sciences. I carried (concealed) in all three. UPenn's probably posted. The sports venues will be posted. Lincoln Financial has a patdown, but I don't know about Citizens' Bank Park. There is no rule like the Texas 30.06 that mandates a specific sign, so you have to guess at whether the location is likely to want to post and then look for a sign. To the OP, Philadelphia has a great BEER scene. Make a reservation for Monk's. Try Brigid's or Eulogy, too. Those three pubs make Philly into "Little Belgium." If you're a rail fan, Philadelphia was the hub for the PRR. Check out 30th Street Station. Philadelphia City Hall is the tallest masonry building in the world. It's actually a pretty cool building. At Valley Forge, the visitor's center is posted (federal property), I'm not sure about Washington's Headquarters, but the rest of the park is OK. I never thought there was much to see at the park aside from George's HQ. It was all temporary fortifications, so there aren't many physical remains. Valley Creek that runs pas the HQ may look like a drainage ditch, but it's a wild trout factory, with the occasional honest-to-god monster coming up from the Schuylkill. |
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My mom said don't take your gun. She told me that they look for that.
That being said, I think she thought I was asking for myself and was trying to discourage me. She told me to leave it in the car if I must have it with me. YMMV but I can't promise you one way or another that you won't get arrested. |