Philadelphia Highlights

For the Foodies

Friends don’t let friends eat at bad restaurants. We crowdsourced ACEP members who live near Philadelphia to help you make the most of your time in the City of Brotherly Love.

Other member-suggested locations to hang with your friends include -

Vedge (vegetarian)
Zahav (Mediterranean)
Any Michael Solomonov restaurant
Any Schulson restaurant
Chinatown
9th Street Italian Market
Mexican restaurants below Washington Ave
- Mark Zwanger, MD, FACEP

Talula's Garden “a treat to eat outdoors in the garden, under the lights on a nice evening.” - Steven M. Selbst, MD

Dock Street, with its “delicious mocktails!” - Maham Munawar, DO

Other popular cheesesteak options among members:

Steve's Prince of Steaks in the Reading Terminal Market is “close to convention center, as good as any other steak in the city without traveling.” - Bernard Lopez, MD, MS, FACEP

Angelo's - Angela Cai, MD, MBA

Saad's Halal Restaurant “Their food is delicious!” - Maham Munawar, DO

Best under-the-radar restaurant?

So under the radar, you’ll feel like a real Philly native. Check out these suggestions from your fellow emergency physicians in the area –

Redcrest Kitchen on Bainbridge. "They have a great bar and small plates as well as some really unique pasta dishes. The staff is so lovely.” – Julie Cooper, MD, FACEP

Laurel Restaurant. “Top notch food from a Top Chef winner.” - Steven Katz, MD, FACEP

“Any place in our version of Chinatown is awesome - lots of great dim sum spots.” - Aneesha K. Dhargalkar, MD

Melograno - “an excellent Italian restaurant with good prices and always fantastic food. It is BYOB, so you save even more on the alcohol bill.” - Steven M. Selbst, MD

“My favorite under the radar restaurant is Thai Square restaurant in Graduate Hospital. It's small but the owners are very sweet and the food is delicious.” – Maham Munawar DO

For the Explorers

A city rich in history, yet full of trendy activity! See what your peers in and around Philadelphia suggest as things to do with your friends and family during ACEP23.

When planning your days, please note:

• The Please Touch Museum is closed on Tuesdays. Open on Mondays, and Wednesdays through Saturdays from 9 am to 4:30 pm and Sundays 11 am to 4:30 pm.
• The Philadelphia Zoo is closed on Tuesdays. Open other days from 9:30 am to 5 pm.
• The National Constitution Center is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Open Wednesday – Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm.

Other family-friendly suggestions from local members:

“Walk along Kelly Drive,
The Philadelphia Museum of Art,
the Franklin Institute”
- Bernard Lopez, MD, MS, FACEP

“I really enjoy going on the red double-decker tour buses. They’re so much fun and they’re educational. Fun for kids too.” - Maham Munawar, DO

When planning your days, please note:

• Independence Hall is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm.
• The Liberty Bell is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm.

Other history-centric ideas from members in the area include -

“Old Christ Church, Ben Franklin's grave, Franklin Court - get your cards postmarked here and see all of Ben Franklin's inventions” - Mark Zwanger, MD, FACEP

"Just walk along Delancey Place between 4th Street and Front Street to see the homes built in the 1750s, still occupied by 'ordinary people'." - Steven M. Selbst, MD

When planning your days, please note:

• The Barnes Foundation is closed Tuesdays and Wednesday, and open Thursday through Monday, 11 am to 5 pm.
• The Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm.

Other must-do suggestions include -

“The Italian Market - there's a great blend of cultures, great food to try, and it has some grit, which I think reflects the Philadelphia spirit.” - Julie Cooper, MD, FACEP

“Tour of murals, Rittenhouse, Washington Square Park, some of the cute residential walkways. Time Restaurant - jazz bar with a food menu that could stand on its own merit. Perfect Philly blend of live music and good food.” - Angela Cai, MD, MBA

Best day trip if you’re staying an extra day?

"Fairmount Park is the largest urban park in the country and has a ton of great spots to explore. Start at Lloyd Hall Recreation Center and walk up the Schuylkill River Trail past Boathouse Row, walk from the Art Museum to Fitler Square on protected paths.
Check out the Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center, the Philadelphia Zoo, or drive up towards Rittenhouse Town, park and take a walk on Forbidden Drive along the Wissahickon Creek.
It’s hard to believe you're in the city limits when you're enjoying a hike in the woods. Longwood Gardens is about an hour away and also worth the trip." - Julie Cooper, MD, FACEP

"Longwood Gardens Internationally known gardens on an old DuPont estate. Great beer garden also! Valley Forge Park" - Edward T. Dickinson, MD FACEP

“Atlantic City (or any shore town) - about an hour drive, can see the ocean and the boardwalk” - Bernard Lopez, MD, MS, FACEP

"Brandywine Valley - only about 30-40 minutes from Philadelphia, but so much to see: Longwood Gardens is amazing at any time of the year, Brandywine Battlefield ... Brandywine Museum of Art - full of Wyeth paintings.
The Winterthur Museum and Gardens is the incredible home/museum of Henry Francis duPont or go on to nearby Wilmington, Deleware to see 'Nemours' beautiful mansion of Alfred I duPont." - Steven M. Selbst, MD

"A nice day trip is to make your way to New York City or Washington, DC depending on how much time you have and explore those areas as well. They are not too far." - Maham Munawar, DO