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what to do in philly

post #1 of 15
5/6/05 at 2:48am
Thread Starter 
so im going to philly the middle of this month to attend two long-awaited nine inch nails concerts that i paid way too much for tickets to on ebay (im covering my eyes when i get the am-ex bill). what can i say, i love my nin and've never seen them in concert.
i was trying to think of things to do down philadelphia way, and im not quite sure exactly what to do. i was hoping to check out some smaller music stores, novelty places, etc. and then of course there's the whole american history thing which i know nothing about (me being a canuck and all).
anyone from there/been there, have any suggestions?
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post #2 of 15
5/6/05 at 10:06am
Music and novelty stuff can all be found on South Street between 2nd and 8th. There are some small used music shops, a really good indie store (Spaceboy) and then a ton of bizarre stores you should get a kick out of.

The history stuff is well-documented around the web. Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross, City Hall, Independence Hall, Constituion Center. And more. You may just want to come into Center City (if you're taking the train into 30th Street Station, just walk a few blocks south) and walk around the city and you'll see signs pointing you to lots of places. Assuming you have time, that is.
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post #3 of 15
5/6/05 at 10:10am
Avoid the Duck Tours and Delaware Ave like the plague.

South Street is where all the hipsters and burb kids meet, but there are stil a few nice local shops scattered around.
The Art Museum is fantastic (there's a special Dali exhibition going on now).
There are plenty of historic tours, but I've never been on one. You can pretty much take in the history just by walking around. City Hall is in disrepair, but it's still a gorgeous building.
Best cheesesteaks can be found at Pat's Steaks or Tony Luke's (Tony Luke's has more street cred).
You can look up directions for all these places on philly.com.
Once you're in the city, I suggest picking up a (free) copy of Philadelphia Weekly or The City Paper from any street corner box. They're the local alternative weeklies with all the entertainment and cultural listings.
That's what's happening on the surface world. I'm far too old and unhip to give you any tips on the best underground vampire clubs.

I saw NIN here at the Tower theater back in 94. It was a similarly small venue. You're in for a great show.
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post #4 of 15
5/6/05 at 10:22am
Screw Pat's steaks, they suck. Jim's Steaks on 2nd and South or John's Roast Pork on Front and Snyder is the place to go.

For the bar scene (and many, many women) you want to go to Olde City, which is around 2 or 3rd and Market-Chestnut-Walnut St. (that's 3 different streets). It's the "hot spot" now since it's where they filmed that horrible Real World show. BobClark is right, stay the hell away from Delaware Ave.

Being a NIN fan, I think you might really dig the Mutter Museum at 19 South 22nd Street. It's kind of like a Ripley's Believe it or Not of biological oddities. Shoot me a message if you want to go, I haven't been there yet myself. Plus it's only like $8.
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post #5 of 15
5/6/05 at 10:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ice dragon

Being a NIN fan, I think you might really dig the Mutter Museum at 19 South 22nd Street. It's kind of like a Ripley's Believe it or Not of biological oddities. Shoot me a message if you want to go, I haven't been there yet myself. Plus it's only like $8.
Good call. I second that.
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post #6 of 15
5/6/05 at 5:11pm
If you like Belgian beer or just good beer in general, check out Monk's.

You might want to check out Zipperhead on South Street too. I've heard different reports that they're moving off South Street and/or closing, so maybe they'll still be there if you check out South Street.
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post #7 of 15
5/6/05 at 7:50pm

Memories, all alone in the moonlight...

1st concert in Philly: Twisted Sister/Dokken, 1985 (also the first time I ever smoked pot)

Last concert in Philly: Ratt/Cinderella, 1990

-AiV
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post #8 of 15
5/6/05 at 11:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by OttoParts
If you like Belgian beer or just good beer in general, check out Monk's.

You might want to check out Zipperhead on South Street too. I've heard different reports that they're moving off South Street and/or closing, so maybe they'll still be there if you check out South Street.
Unfortunately I found out today that Zipperhead is indeed moving.....to Jersey.....and the guy who owns the building owns the name "Zipperhead" also. So they won't be named that when they move either.
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post #9 of 15
5/7/05 at 3:31am
Thread Starter 
damn you guys are good...
i almost completely forgot about the fabled philly cheesesteak, now i need to have one.
love the idea of this "mutter museum", check the website and "currently, there is a special exhibit on conjoined twins". this is a must see. i think.
duck tours.. are those the horrible little land/water vehicles that give you the city tours on both land AND water? been on one as a child. first and last time, good advice.
any idea how long this zipperhead place is going to stay put? sounds like quite the joint, not sure if im cool enough to even step into the store however. we'll see.
im not a tour taking kinda guy, so i think i'll just walk around and sees what i sees. the dali exhibit sounds like a must.
alright, so my hotel's on 22nd st, is it cool for me to just walk around without worrying?
thanks guys, i've learned a lot and feel much cooler and in the know just having read this
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post #10 of 15
5/8/05 at 1:54am
Glad to be of help, but if I'm making you feel cooler you're in trouble.

22nd is probably a good place. Everything from 22nd down to 1st (Front) and from Spring Garden to Spruce St. is a good place to walk around.
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post #11 of 15
5/8/05 at 1:54pm
I visited there once, the art museum was wonderful.
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post #12 of 15
5/10/05 at 2:58am
Thread Starter 
one more question.. is there a good theatre in the city that's worthy enough to see Revenge of the Sith at? im talking about quality! no babies in my star wars theatre, uh uh.
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post #13 of 15
5/10/05 at 7:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacktorrance1
one more question.. is there a good theatre in the city that's worthy enough to see Revenge of the Sith at? im talking about quality! no babies in my star wars theatre, uh uh.
hmmm... The Bridge on 40th and Chestnut (I think it's Chestnut) is probably the nicest, but you can definately encounter annoying people there. Actually I'm not sure I've been to a theater here in Philly where I didn't have to deal with some sort of distraction, be it people talking, cell phones going off, or little kids crying. But The Bridge is a pretty awesome theater otherwise so I'd say go there if you want to see Ep III in Philly.
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post #14 of 15
5/10/05 at 5:21pm
as far as a music store the place to go is AKA it's in the Old City (the "E' was removed for that w hile ago - you'll notice it in the subway stops if you look) at 121 n 2nd street. they've moved around a bit recently but if you are in the area it's worth a look.

the debate about where to get the best cheesesteak in philly is as endless as philly's inferiority complex. Pat's and Geno's are the standard. Jim's on South Street is a tourist trap but still have good steaks.

if you are here on a weekday and are wandering near city hall, there is a tour that will take you to the feet of Billy Penn. there is an observation deck up there which gives a pretty good look at the city, which was once that highest building allowed in the city.
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post #15 of 15
5/26/05 at 10:55am
Funny thing is my buddy called me up 2 hours before the show started and had an extra ticket for free, so I got to see it. I'm a much bigger fan of NIN now, actually, thought he put on a great show. It was probably the loudest show I ever went to. Seemed like he brought his regular amount of speakers to the show even though the place is the size of a high school gym.
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