visiting Philly and NY

[iAmBaronVonTito]

for the FOT who are not on facebook, let me quickly inform you, that i recently eloped.  this is necessary to know not only because i can't stop talking about it, but because i was married for less than 48 hours and my spouse had to leave for a business trip for SIX weeks.

and so, on the weeked of 3/4, we are planning a trip to philly and possibly NY.  having bragged about FOT for so long, first and foremost, i must shake some of your hands, give you hugs, or both...at the same time even.  secondly, i need recommendations on, yes, you guessed it, "things to do".

yes, it seems lazy, but it's much smarter in my mind to go after the recommendations of people i admire than frommer's (no offense against frommer's or any FOT who are employed by them).

i'm opening the flood gates now.

[Pregnant Pause]

Congratulations on the elopement

No sure what you're looking to do in Philly, so I'll just quickly jot down whatever comes into my head:

If you're looking to go the hoagie route, I'd recommend Sarcone's, they have excellent Eggplant Parm and while it's in S Phila, it's close enough to Center City to be convenient

Museums and classy stuff:  The Constitution Center does a good job for what it is, The Mutter Museum is a collection of medical oddities and other assorted Mike show exhibits, I always liked the Fireman's museum, but haven't been since I was 14 so maybe I was just fascinated by fire.  Also it's cool to go into the Observation tower of City Hall, but I think that's only open on weekdays.

Kurt Vile is doing an instore at AKA Music 3/4 at 7PM, most importantly FREE.  I think I've been to performance space at AKA and it does the job.

Philadelphia is very walkable, so you should be able to get anywhere on foot, the public transit system is pretty bad in the city, the subways are not convenient and the bus are often off schedule and/or off route. 

Finally, and this might be the most contentious thing I say, but the best Wawa is at 2nd St and Lombard.   

[yesno]

Congratulations!

Seconding the Mütter museum in Philly.  Get Philly-style pretzels from food carts and then go to the anarchist bookstore which is now on South Street.

The best thing in New York is the Olive Garden on Times Square.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

i'm seconding the mutter museum, kurt vile, and the pretzels.

awesome!

[Paul DeLouisiana]

I saw Bill Callahan in that AKA space last year. It's really cool. You'll get to meet Kurt. I'd go if I didn't just see him last week then again late March. Don't want to get over- "Violated."

[JoeThird]

What kind of stuff are you looking to do/see/eat/etc?

[Greggulator]

How long will you be in town for?

Eastern State Penitentiary is awesome. It was the first prison of its type in the world and was built in the early 1800s (I think -- it's OLD). It was active well into the 20th Century and housed Al Capone. It was a crumbling mess until about 10-15 years ago when a non-profit group took over the site and made it a historic attraction. It's REALLY awesome.

As far as food goes -- definitely hit up Reading Terminal Market. That has any kind of food you're looking to get.

ALso, there's a very FOT-friendly comedy show on March 4 at 11 pm at The Shubin Theater which is at 4th and Bainbridge (one block south of South Street). It's the final show of local sketch comedy heroes Meg & Rob. If you hit up the Kurt Vile in-store, you can easily make it to that event. (Full disclosure -- I'm also on the bill.)

The Mutter Museum is awesome.

[gravy boat]

Eastern State Penitentiary is awesome. It was the first prison of its type in the world and was built in the early 1800s (I think -- it's OLD). It was active well into the 20th Century and housed Al Capone. It was a crumbling mess until about 10-15 years ago when a non-profit group took over the site and made it a historic attraction. It's REALLY awesome.

This has to be the prison that does Haloween too. I walked past a real creepy old prison a few months ago with some Philly friends who said they do a haunted Halloween thing.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

I will in town for merely that weekend. Chances are, we'll be there that evening and spend Saturday in Philly, perhaps going to NY that afternoon or Sunday or both.

Reading terminal market I had plans for, especially being a vegetarian married to a carnivore...it's just easier to eat at a place like that.

Wow, with all these suggestions for Philly, we might spend the whole weekend there instead.

[Pregnant Pause]

Reading terminal market I had plans for, especially being a vegetarian married to a carnivore...it's just easier to eat at a place like that.

There is a very good vegan pizza place near center city with an excellent veggie cheesesteak, if you had your heart set on the sampling delicacies of house Ziegler .

http://www.blackbirdpizzeria.com/menu.html

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

Some of my favorite NY things:

The Cloisters
Roosevelt Island
PS 1, though it's probably not as fun in March
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, ditto
Chinese food in Flushing, Queens
The Staten Island Ferry

The museums really are world-class: The Met, MoMA, The Whitney, and The Guggenheim are worth seeing. If you want to see theater, don't bother with Broadway unless what you want to see is flashy schmaltz. Time Out NY usually has the best theater recommendations, mostly for stuff under $20 and a lot more interesting than what you'd see on Broadway. I don't see a whole lot of live comedy, but the UCB Theater and the PIT are here, and Union Hall in Brooklyn usually has some good people - I think Eugene Mirman has a weekly or monthly show there, and I once saw Hannibal Burress there. The East Village has some decent used vinyl shops, and The Academy Records Annex is Williamsburg is pretty good. There's also Earwax on Bedford Ave, which I think is owned by WFMU's Fabio. I find the Strand kind of repulsively unpleasant, but it is an incredible bookstore. For movies, check out Film Forum or The Film Society of Lincoln Center.

I figure you either know all the concert venues already or could see any of those bands where you live.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

To Greggulator, your suggestions have been a GREAT help. Especially regarding food. We didn't get to catch any shows, comedy, music, or otherwise, last night...but tonight I read that reggie watts+ eugene mirman were performing. If that's the case, we've already decided to attend that show.

We also have definite plans for Mutter Museum while we're here as well, thanks to these suggestions. My husband enjoys the show as a novice and now understands why visiting a WaWa is essential.

Thanks again everyone. And if there is anything else going on, or if you want a meet up, my twitter and facebook (both iAmBaronVonTito) and messages from this board are on my phone, so stay in touch!