So you either looking to relocate or have relocated to Philadelphia. You are looking at apartments and traveling around the city seeing the sights. Once you have found the perfect apartment and have settled in, it is time to explore the city further. Where to start?
First, check out the website for visitors: www.visitphilly.com. Here one can find a list of events, attractions, and ready-made itineraries for such people as beer lovers, shopaholics, and families. Also check out the City Pass (www.citypass.com) which has one admission pass to 6 must-see attractions at one low rate There is also the Philly Fun Guide (www.phillyfunguide.com/) One can sign up for a weekly email for ½ price ticket offers and it is the “go-to” web site for accurate and detailed which gives information about upcoming cultural, entertainment and sporting events. The calendar includes information for a complete range of leisure-time activities in the entire Greater Philadelphia area – music, dance, sports, fairs, festivals, outdoor activities, tours, parades, dining and more. The calendar contributions are from 20 partner organizations including WXPN, visitphilly.com, and the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau and the member institutions of the Cultural Alliance of Philadelphia.
In addition, one can find deals through local media outlets. KYW3 (local CBS station) has a link offers.cbslocal.com/philadelphia with email notifications of great deals and will save you money on food, drinks, services and more. The Philadelphia Media Network Digital operates http://phillydealyo.philly.com where one signs up for the deal alerts and depending on the deal, can join it and share. This is very similar to Living Social (livingsocial.com/), Groupon (www.groupon.com), KG Deals (www.kgbdeals.com) and Bargain.com (www.bargain.com/). So using the deals and discounts one can plan and explore various events, activities and dining in Philadelphia without breaking the bank.
If you interests are geared to local produce, there is a way to spend the day at both the Reading Terminal’s Farmer’s market and the south Philly Italian market. Reading Terminal market (www.readingterminalmarket.org/) is located at 12th & Arch streets. Following a historic tradition of gathering farmers, fisherman and food purveyors, the Reading Terminal market was established in the mid 1800’s with the farmer’s market and the Franklin market. In 1892 the doors opened on a state of the art facility with the railroad deliveries mostly from New Jersey. The Market has survived through the decline of the railroad to become a growing business on its own. Today the Market is home to more than 80 merchants.
After one has explored, eaten and shopped at the Reading Terminal Market, one can walk over to 8th street and hop on the 47m/47 Septa bus and travel south to the Italian Market. The Italian Market (www.phillyitalianmarket.com) is the oldest and largest working outdoor market in the US. It is predominantly Italian; there are also the foods and cuisines of world cultures. It has been in business in and around 9th street for over 100 years and has over 100 merchants. Located at the southern tip of the Italian market are the two famous cheesesteaks restaurants, Geno’s and Pat’s both located at 9th and Passyunk.
Another inexpensive way to explore Philly is the Big Bus.Tour (www.bigbustours.com). This is a large double decker bus that tours through Philadelphia. One ticket ($27 for adults) gives one a 24 hour hop-on, hop-off tour of the major neighborhoods of Philadelphia. You can start at the Reading Terminal Market and stops include South Philly, Penn’s Landing, Independence Mall, Fairmount Park (including the Zoo), Art Museum area, and points in-between.
For more Philadelphia events and activities check out examiner.comwww.examiner.com and www.examiner.com/bargain-travel-in-philadelphia.
If you want to visit places outside of Philadelphia, a relaxing train ride from 30th street station will get you to Atlantic City in about 1 ½ hours at a cost of $10 one way. Once in AC you can get around using the Jitney buses. Visit the various casinos, the famous boardwalk and be sure to visit the White House for the best hoagies (2301 Arctic Ave., (609) 345-1564.
You can also get out to the shopping malls in the suburbs cheaply using Septa. Buses 124 and 125 both go out to the King of Prussia Mall. Bus 125 continues on to the Valley Forge National Historic Park.
Using both Septa and New Jersey Transit, one can get to New York for under $25 (one way). There is also the Chinatown bus (www.chinatown-bus.org) and Bolt (www.boltbus.com) and Mega Buses (us.megabus.com) that will get you to New York for anywhere starting at $10 one way. The Septa/NJ Transit trip takes about 2 ½ hours and the bus trips 2+ hours.
There are many neighborhoods to explore in Philadelphia (Philadelphia neighborhoods) and as a new resident of Philadelphia, one can use Septa to get to these places easily saving money on gas and parking. However, if you do need a car, check out Phillycarshare (www.phillycarshare.org) and Zip cars (www.zipcar.com) where you can rent a car by the hour starting at about $4.45 an hour.
These are only a few of the bargains one can find utilizing social deal and bargain sites. One can explore Philadelphia, have fun and save money at the same time. Keep an eye out for events at places like Penn’s Landing and Fairmount Park for free concerts. Use the bargain coupons at the various restaurant to try the famous Philly cuisine and enjoy walks along the historic streets and boulevards.