Victor and I are making it official in about 99 days from now (that’s Nov 1 so you don’t have to the math…)! As you probaby are already aware, the wedding is going to be in Philadelphia. If you have never been to Philly in the fall, you are in for a treat! The air will be turning a little crisp and the leaves on the trees will be turning all sorts of beautiful colors. Oh, and everyone will be talking about the Eagles everywhere you go all weekend long (just warning you). Anyhoo….I included the above photo showing the path along the Wissahickon Creek to get you in the mood…

So, it’s going to be beautiful, that’s a given, but what to do? Where to go? Since it will be Halloween weekend, are there any Halloween type events to be aware of? We have put together the below list to help you plan out your trip and make the most of your visit to the City of Brotherly Love…..

Halloween Stuff:
Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary http://www.easternstate.org/halloween/
Ghost Tours http://www.ghosttour.com/philadelphia.html
Spirit of 76 Ghost tour http://www.phillytours.us/tours/tourDetail.cfm?tour_id=9780
Haunted Hayride (bit of a drive…) http://www.shocktoberfest.com/Directions.aspx
** Note that if you are interested in the Halloween stuff, they could sell out (especially Terror Behind the Walls) for 10/30 and 10/31, so advance tickets are recommended.

Shopping:
Plymouth Meeting Mall http://www.shopplymouthmeetingmall.com/
King of Prussia Mall http://www.kingofprussiamall.com/
Lancaster/Pennsylvania Dutch Country http://www.padutchcountry.com/shopping/index.asp

Olde City Historical Sites (Downtown Philly):
Independence Hall http://www.nps.gov/inde/
Liberty Bell http://www.nps.gov/inde/liberty-bell-center.htm
National Consitution Center http://constitutioncenter.org/
Betsy Ross’ House http://www.betsyrosshouse.org/
Franklin Square http://philadelphia.about.com/od/familyfun/ss/franklin_square.htm
Washington Square http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Square_(Philadelphia)
Penn’s Landing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn

Notable Restaurants and Pubs near the historical attractions:
Cuba Libre http://www.cubalibrerestaurant.com/
Serrano/ Tin Angel (live music upstairs) http://www.tinangel.com/
The Plough & The Stars (Irish bar) http://www.ploughstars.com/
City Tavern (not sure about their food, but neat to see and grab a drink http://www.citytavern.com/
Sassafras (great burgers and hummus): http://sassafrasbar.com/
Moshulu ($$$) (it’s a restaurant on a boat!) http://www.moshulu.com/site/main.asp
Buddakan ($$$) (trendy “modern asian” restaurant): http://www.buddakan.com/

Rittenhouse Square Area (Downtown Philly):
Rittenhouse Square http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rittenhouse_Square
Delancey Street http://www.gophila.com/P/Delancey_Street,_Rittenhouse_Square/24.html
Mutter Museum (Museum of medical annomalies…) http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp
Fitler Square http://www.fitlersquare.org/

Notable Restaurants and Pubs in Rittenhouse Square area:
Dimitri’s http://www.yelp.com/biz/dmitris-philadelphia-2
DiBruno Brothers http://www.dibruno.com/StoreFront.bok
Dolce Carini http://www.dolce-carini.com/
Audrey Claire http://www.audreyclaire.com/
Giwa http://www.yelp.com/biz/giwa-philadelphia

South Philly Area:
Italian Market (Rocky runs through the Italian market in the first Rocky movie) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Market_(Philadelphia)
South Street http://www.southstreet.com/
The Royal Tavern http://royaltavern.com/
Mamma Maria’s http://www.mammamaria.info/
James http://www.jameson8th.com/
Brauhaus Schmitz http://brauhausschmitz.com/
**Geno’s Steaks http://www.genosteaks.com/
**Pat’s Steaks http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/
**Jim’s Steaks http://www.jimssteaks.com/

Cheesesteaks
** If you want to try a cheesesteak while in Philly, people will inevitably mention Geno’s or Pat’s which are the most famous and sit on opposite corners from each other…however, there are many good places to get a cheesesteak….Here’s a great article about a man with a mission to find the best Philly Cheesesteak…1 man, 50 Cheesesteaks!
http://www.phillymag.com/articles/one_man_50_cheesesteaks/

Art Museum/Fairmount/Boat House Row Area
Philadelphia Museum of Art (Rocky ran up the front steps in the first Rocky movie…the Rocky statue is now located at the bottom of the steps) http://www.philamuseum.org/
Rodin Museum http://www.rodinmuseum.org/
Eastern State Penitentiary (Terror Behind the Walls is a special Halloween event held annually at ESP, parts of Twelve Monkeys filmed here) http://www.easternstate.org/
Schuykill River Park http://www.schuylkillbanks.org/
Kelly Drive/ Boat House Row http://www.fairmountpark.org/Rowing.asp
Fairmount Park Water Works http://www.fairmountwaterworks.org/

Notable restaurants in the Art Museum/Fairmount area:
Bridgid’s http://www.bridgids.com/
Jack’s Firehouse (across from the prison) http://www.jacksfirehouse.com/
Figs Restaurant http://www.figsrestaurant.com/
Rembrandt’s http://www.rembrandts.com/
Bishop’s Collar http://philadelphia.menupages.com/restaurants/bishops-collar/

Outside of the city/Nature stuff
Wissahickon Creek/Forbidden Drive (picture at top of post) http://www.fow.org/
Valley Green Inn (restaurant along Forbidden Drive) http://www.valleygreeninn.com/
Bruno’s (restaurant along Forbidden Drive, it’s gotten some bad reviews but was good when I was there) http://www.yelp.com/biz/brunos-restaurant-lafayette-hill
Valley Forge Park http://www.valleyforge.org/
Washington Memorial Chapel http://209.200.101.38/frontpage.cfm
Cabin Shop http://209.200.101.38/?t=c&cid=6
Wharton Esherick’s House http://www.levins.com/esherick.html

Good breakfast spot in Norristown area
Christine’s Family Restaurant http://www.yelp.com/biz/christines-family-restaurant-norristown
Jem’s http://www.yelp.com/biz/jem-restaurant-norristown