Sunday only, 1st time, want to get a local feel for Philly

My first time in Philly will be on a Sunday. I arrive at 11 am, so from noon on I have the whole day to explore. I%26#39;ll be a solo female traveler staying a block away from Rittenhouse Square. I%26#39;d like to explore nearby and in safe locations. I will leave the following day after a long meeting so my time is limited.

My goal is to get a general feel for the city and not spend time in long lines visiting historical attractions (I%26#39;ve read some posts that on Sundays the lines can be up to 2 hours line to get in to some of the popular places).

What I%26#39;m most interested in seeing are the areas the locals hang out at, lively areas, places that are hip and trendy, some cool boutiques and some good food.

Also, I wouldn%26#39;t mind getting a drink at night...any suggestions around Rittenhouse Square? Looking for a place to meet locals that are in their early 30%26#39;s, not a very expensive place but hip, modern, chic and or lively.

Sunday only, 1st time, want to get a local feel for Philly

If the wetaher is nice (so far it is supposed to be) just walk around the area. Stroll through Rittenhouse Square- maybe get a cup of coffee to go and sit in the center of the park and people watch. Walk down Walnut Street towards 15th. Lots of nice (expensive) shops (don%26#39;t know if they%26#39;ll be open on Sunday). Walk down 15th to maybe Pine. Turn right and walk up Pine to about 20th. Turn right on Pine and walk 1/2 block up to Delancey St. Walk down Delancey as far as you can, then cut over to Spruce or Pine. Keep heading toward the higher numbers. You%26#39;ll eventually hit a park along the river. Enter the park, walk to the right and it will eventually take you up to the Art Museum. You can walk bak the same way, or walk down the Parkway to 20th Street and turn right, and walk down to Walnut.. The entire walk should be safe.

For the evening, I think Continental Midtown, at 19th %26amp; Chestnut would be perfect for you.

Sunday only, 1st time, want to get a local feel for Philly

If you want locals and lively, go to the parking lot of Lincoln Fiinancial Field about one thirty. It will be plenty lively. Just kidding, you are in a great part of town for what you are looking for. It is a safe area so I would just sniff around you will find plenty.

There are some really cool and hip boutiques popping up in Old City. However, the area around Rittenhouse has some fabulous shopping too ( all of the stores are chains - from low to high end).

What type of food are you interested in?

In addition to Continental, I would also try Tria or Rouge for a drink.

What time of year will you be here?

Lynn

Thanks so much for the replys!!

I definately will not be hanging out at that parking lot :).

I plan to be there in 2 weeks and I like all types of food, doesn%26#39;t matter what ethnicity, just some place good, mid range, with a lively crowd.

I think the Continental Midtown would be a great bet for both food and drinks, along with Tria. I like Rouge for the bar scene as well - the food is good but pricier than the other two places I just mentioned.

If you like Irish pubs, a nice one with good for is The Black Sheep Pub on 17th Street, right off of Rittenhouse Square. Great food, too.

Suzanne