Philadelphia offers
plenty of opportunities for those who
love to shop. Here are your best bets:
Reading Terminal
Market (12th and
Arch St.) -- a great source of
local food in 76,000 square feet
of stalls. Look for items sold by
the nearby Amish, including their
famous shoofly pie.
Rittenhouse Row -- Urban
Outfitters and its younger sister
Anthropologie both started out in
Philadelphia; look for the latter
in a beaux arts building at 1801
Walnut St. We also love Knit Wit
(1718 Walnut St.) and the AIA
Bookstore & Design Center
(117 S. 17th Street). Hungry?
Plan a special lunch or dinner at
the famed restaurant Le Bec-Fin, which is
nearby.
Benjamin
Franklin Parkway -- built
on the model of the
Champs-Elysees, the Ben Franklin
is a wide, spacious boulevard in
an area filled with museums. Head
up the majestic steps of the Philadelphia
Museum of Art and after
you've had your fill of the
galleries, stop in the gift shop
for a wonderful selection of
well-designed, beautiful items.
Another good stop for museum gift
shop devotees is the Rodin
Museum (on the
Parkway at 22nd Street).
South
Street -- you'll
find a variety of shops and
restaurants here, both national
chains and local establishments.
While we find it perhaps a bit
more tame than some people think
it is (more Gap than glitz; more
pop than punk), it is clearly a
different side of Philadelphia
than the colonial charm of Old
Town.
Center City -- the
charm of this once vibrant and
distinct commercial district has
mostly been replaced by malls and
national chains, but if you
escape into Boyds, you'll
get a flavor of what shopping in
downtown Philadelphia used to be
like.
The Bourse -- a good
stop for Philly souvenirs. After
you've got your mugs and magnets,
take time to explore the
magnificent building itself (now
on the National Register of
Historic Places), which features
large columns and pilasters which
support two tiers of balconies
above the main floor. A large
skylight on the third floor,
supported by bow-top girders,
keeps the central space bright
and cheery. Marble, wrought-iron
and intricate Victorian
gingerbread abound.
