Hellobee Boards

@PastaAndPotato: I second Reading Terminal for lunch.

Visit Art Museum.& Rocky steps. There is a lovely Rodin sculpture museum close by too.

Checkout the Electric Factory for a live concert.

Eat at a Steven Starr restaurant.

Take a photo at the LOVE sign in Center City.

Visit the Liberty Bell

Drive by Boat House Row at night to see the university crew houses lighted.

Eat a cheesesteak from South Street.

Tour the city's murals.

ohh and its a little off season but i love the Philadelphia Zoo i would go everyday if i could

What kind of food do you (your friends) like?... i can recommend some restaurants specifically

my husband worked at McGillin's for a few years in college, and one night they had the Ghost hunters TV show filming there since its the oldest bar in the city

I was also going to suggest a ghost tour! We had a blast on ours.

Right now the Constitution Center has an exhibit about Prohibition that's supposed to be really cool - we want to go but I haven't felt up to it.

Also, the Barnes Museum just moved to the Ben Franklin Parkway - it's the largest collection of Impressionist paintings in the country, I think. Can't wait to go check that out!

If your into weird science and medical stuff, go see the Mutter Museum - it's creepy and weird but fascinating!

Philly has great live music, so I second what Chillybear said about checking out the TLA, Electric Factory, Trocodero, and World Cafe Live.

We love Stephen Starr restaurants - Budakkhan, Jones, El Vez, etc...he's got a bunch you can peruse on his website. But one of my favorites in the city is Barbuzzo - they have an absolute can't-miss dessert called the buddino that I have actual dreams about. It's on 13th St, which is a great corridor of shops and other restaurants and bars.

@mrs. bird: Sorry, I didn't make that very clear. Barbuzzo is not Stephen Starr - it's owned/operated by these 2 women who basically took this whole one block of 13th street and turned it into a "destination." They have 3 restaurants and 3 great little shops. I've only eaten at Barbuzzo, but have heard that their Spanish tapas/wine bar, Jamonera, is really good, too

Also, have you seen this?

http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/travel/36-hours-in-philadelphia.html?_r=0

@mrs. bird: The zoo has a quite a few indoor animal "houses" - reptile, primate, big cat, tropical birds, etc. You could also check out the Aquarium in Camden if your feeling adventurous.

As for italian food, Bellini grill and Bistro romano are 2 of my faves. Ralph's is pretty well known in South philly.

There are some quirky bars in Northern Liberties like Frankford hall (beer garden, ping pong) and barcade (bar with all kinds of 80's-90's arcade games) Chickie and Pete's (multiple locations) and they just opened Xfinity Live by the ball parks.

Another really unique dinner spot is Merrakesh near south street - 7 courses of Moroccan food. no credit cards though and its per head.

If you like beer, Eulogy is an awesome Belgian bar with a TON of great beers! I also learned of a place on the Travel Channel last night - Franklin Fountain - it's an ice cream place! Google it

I'm always working when I travel to Philly and have zero time for entertainment. I can only offer dining suggestions. You should definitely go to the Reading Terminal Market, Budakkhan, El Vez, or my very favorite, Dmitris. They don't take reservations, and it's a tiny bring your own bottle Greek restaurant. For dinner service, you put your name in and head over to the bar across the street for a drink, and the Dmitris servers walk over to the bar to get you when your table is ready. If you sit at the counter, you can watch every dish being prepared, and it's mesmerizing to watch the speed and efficiency of the cooks. Very cool.