The first time I ever ate a Philly cheesesteak I convinced my sister and friends to get in a car with me and take a day trip to Philadelphia to get some. I’m a firm believer that if you’ve waited your whole life to do something you might as well do it the right way! Conveniently, I live in NY, which is only a short 2 hour drive from some of the most famous cheesesteak spots. We didn’t do much research and I didn’t know much about the city other than the fact that in West Philadelphia is where the Fresh Prince was born and raised. (If you know, you know) Anyway, we had a great time but only spent a few hours there since we had gone on a  rainy Winter day. This past weekend when my boyfriend had the spontaneous idea of going to Philly, I decided we should take advantage and make a daycation of it! Here’s how we turned our quest for cheesesteaks into a day of sightseeing.

7:30 AM

We started our day early so we could make the most of it. This gave us time to stop for some coffee and gas and be on the road by 8 AM. At this time there was no traffic at all and we cruised the whole way. Plus, I’m all for some Autumn scenery on a long drive.

10 AM

The White Dog Cafe – 3420 Sansom Street

We made reservations for this cafe without ever having heard of it before & it was such a good choice! The restaurant is made up of about 10 different rooms, each with its own theme. We dined in the “Living Room,” which was my favorite room of all. All of the rooms tie in with the overall dog theme and dog artwork can be found on every wall, shelf and staircase. Some of the art brought me back to my childhood Lisa Frank days. (Again, if you know you know) Let’s just say if you’re a dog lover this place is for you! I’m a crazy cat lady myself but still really appreciated the unique theme of this spot.

 

Not only was the place itself super cute but the food was so delicious! The chef changes the menu monthly and the waiters are eager to suggest dishes based on your preferences. Not to mention, they offer bottomless mimosas which is always a win in my book! Final thoughts- YUM!

 

 

11 AM

The Philadelphia Museum of Art – 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Next we took a short drive over to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We didn’t venture inside but this is where you can find the famous steps from the Rocky movies. Be sure to play The Eye of the Tiger obnoxiously loud on your cell phone while running up and down the staircase like we did. If you wait on a short line you can take a picture with the statue, which has been relocated a few times throughout the years and can now be found  to the right of the museum at the bottom of the steps. This area is nice to walk around as it also offers the perfect view of Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Philadelphia City Hall, among other interesting sculptures and fountains.

12 PM

Eastern State Penitentiary – 2027 Fairmount Avenue

The penitentiary was a short drive away from the museum and it was really easy to find parking. I bought the tickets in advance and thanks to a tip from a friend was able to find a coupon online to get a discount on the already affordable tickets. The best part is that an audio tour is included with the price of the ticket so you get tons of information and fun facts as you are guided through the Penitentiary at your own pace. The place is full of installments from different artists and the architecture itself is gorgeous and impressive. The tour was so interesting and one of the highlights was getting to see what Al Capone’s cell might have looked like when he was incarcerated there. To be honest it was probably a little nicer than some NY studio apartments! And the coolest part is now I can tell people I’ve been to jail before and it won’t be a lie!

 

1 PM

Avenue of the Arts – 777 S Broad Street

We decided to take some time to just drive around and do some wandering through what has come to be known as the heart of Philly. The entire city is full of art culture and gorgeous murals can be found adorning many buildings in the area. If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for a good mural. Next time I’m in the city I’ll have to make time to take a tour through Mural Mile. Unfortunately, this time I forgot to take pictures because we were too busy staring at them all as we drove by!

2 PM

Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens – 1020 South Street

I love a good background story and even more, I love a person that can make gorgeous art out of things other people might consider garbage. This place encompasses both! Isaiah Zagar is a nearly 80-year-old artist that has dedicated his time to creating gorgeous mosaic murals created from old glass bottles, bicycle parts and folk art. Still to this day he continues to add to his artwork. The tiny installation might not be for everyone’s taste but if nothing else, it is for sure an amazingly instagrammable location! And once you visit his magic gardens you will begin to start noticing his mosaic murals sprinkled on other buildings and walls throughout the entire city. Zagar has definitely left his magic touch throughout Philadelphia and I am all for it!

Tip: Don’t worry if you haven’t gotten tickets to this before you get to Philly. I was able to buy tickets to this just a little while before going. Make sure you do buy them in advance to skip the line & plan accordingly because you buy timed tickets!

3 PM

The Liberty Bell – N 6th Street & Market Street

Philadephia is one of those cities that’s just dripping with American history. So of course our trip wouldn’t have been complete without visiting one of the most iconic symbols of The Land of the Free. I was a little surprised to find that it was inside of a building since every picture I had seen of it showed it outside. But it was interesting to read about its history and the reasons behind its several relocations.

3:30 PM

Independence National Historic Park – 143 S 3rd Street

The Liberty Bell is technically part of this park so we decided to do a little more walking around in the area and take in the gorgeous fall scenery we were surrounded by. In hindsight I suppose we could have taken an audio tour here as well since they are offered on the park’s free app. Either way, we knew we had some calories to burn before our final and most anticipated stop of all!

 

4 PM

Geno’s Steaks – 1219 S 9th Street

We couldn’t possibly make the trip all the way to Philly without being able to personally order “One whiz with & one whiz without.” Surprisingly the line wasn’t long at all and we were sitting at one of the bright orange tables within minutes devouring our  foot long cheesesteaks.

4:30 PM

Pat’s King of Steaks – 1237 E Passyunk Ave

Yes! You guessed it! Of course we had to take part in the age old rivalry and take our pick from personal experience! Not even minutes after taking our last bite across the street we were eating another juicy cheesesteak. This time we shared though! I have to admit, this one was the winner for me (my boyfriend did not agree) BUT I would definitely recommend taking your own stab at both of them! It wouldn’t be as fun to take my word for it!

5 PM

Cafe Crema – 1205 S 9th Street

As every perfect daycation should end we capped it off with some dessert and espresso. Seemingly most popular for their cannoli, we made the tough decision of going with their cassatelle and cream puffs instead and they were just deliciously perfect!

5:30 PM

We knew it would take longer to get home so we chose to head back on the earlier side. Surprisingly, it was early evening and we had been able to explore the city and have a day full of activities.

I love that we had been able to do a bunch of things that were so different from each other and get a really diverse look at Philly as a whole. What made it even better was that it was a short drive away from home! We were able to feel like we went on a mini vacation and still make it to work on Monday morning!

One thing we did miss was going to the Love Park… after all we were in the City of Brotherly Love! Guess we’ll just have to make another trip soon!