In Philly: Staff Picks
Named the Next Great City by National Geographic Traveler's magazine, Philadelphia is a classic American city with plenty of parks and recreational centers, great eats, fanatic sports fans, a burgeoning arts scene, and more history than you can imagine. And since no one knows a city like the people who live there, we asked some Penn GSE staff members for their take on those critical questions about Philly, like what's your favorite thing to do on the weekend and where's the best food truck on Penn's campus?
Where's your favorite place to get a cheesesteak?
In Philadelphia, cheesesteaks are serious business — with debates raging about who serves the best. Alyssa D'Alconzo, our senior associate director of admissions and a five-year resident of Center City, casts her vote for Jim's Steaks, at 400 South Street.
What's your favorite restaurant?
It's not all CheezWhiz and pretzels. Since the restaurant renaissance of the 1970s put the city on the culinary map, chefs from around the country — and around the world — have been cooking up a storm in Philadelphia. LaToya Floyd was born and raised in Philly, and when she's looking for a great meal, she heads to Pod, in the heart of the Penn campus.
What's the best free (or nearly free) find you've discovered?
Ann Clark, a native Philadelphian, loves the pay-what-you-wish admission to the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Sundays. The PMA houses masterpieces of Western art from the Renaissance to the modern era as well as a collection of rooms from around the world (a Medieval French cloister, a 16th-century temple hall from India, a Chinese palace hall, and a temple hall and a ceremonial teahouse from Japan). Visitors also love to run up the Rocky steps at the Museum's Parkway entrance.
What is your favorite historical site?
Melissa Kapadia-Bodi, administrative assistant in our dean's office, soaks up the sense of American history with a visit to the place where the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights were adopted — Independence Hall. If the tour doesn't leave you with a lump in your throat, find the statue of Washington out front and the two plaques nearby, one marking the spot where Lincoln delivered a speech in 1861 and the other where JFK spoke a century later, in 1962. Then turn around and catch sight of the Liberty Bell.
What is your favorite day trip?
Charles Washington, GSE's audio-visual technical coordinator, heads out to a baseball game outside of the city for a change of pace. To the north there's the Trenton Thunder and Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (minor league teams for the Yankees and Phillies). Across the bridge in South Jersey are the Camden Riversharks (AA independent team) and just 30 minutes south in Delaware are the Wilmington Blue Rocks (minor league affiliate of the K.C. Royals.)
What is your favorite thing to do on a Saturday?
Doug Lynch — Penn GSE's vice dean and, at four years, a relative newcomer to town — loves to head out to the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, aka Tinicum, to fish. (Disclaimer: That fish Doug's landed? He didn't catch it at Tinicum!)
What's your favorite way to entertain visitors?
Melissa takes her visitors out to dine at Café Lift, a low-key, euro style eatery on 13th and Callowhill. According to Philadelphia Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan, "interesting grilled sandwiches and homemade desserts highlight this Loft District gem."
Where is your favorite place to shop?
Ann likes the ironic edge of the wares at Urban Outfitters. A self-styled urban emporium, this store specializes in clothing, but you can also pick up items for the apartment as well. Philadelphia has two stores: one on 36th Street near the Penn campus and the other downtown at 18th and Walnut.
Where is your favorite place to read?
What better way to spend a summer afternoon than curled up with a good book? LaToya heads out to Penn's Morris Arboretum, a 92-acre landscape garden in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia.
What is your favorite bar?
Had a hard week? When Alyssa's had a hard week, she heads to The Bishop's Collar for some great pub fare and a good selection of beers. A favorite neighborhood hangout in the Fairmount/Art Museum district, the Collar is a great place to meet people.
What's your favorite food truck?
Food trucks are a Penn institution. Over sixty trucks on Penn's campus offer an impressive array of cuisines - everything from coffee to breakfast sandwiches to lunch to cupcakes. Check out the full listing and a map of Penn's food trucks here.