Perhaps you’re new to Philadelphia or you’re a lifelong resident or maybe you’ve just been stuck in the suburbs for a bit. Well, now you’re finally at Temple! Temple is a truly urban school with the capacity to travel to Philadelphia and its surrounding areas in order to do so many exciting things.
Coming to college and being on your own can be extremely daunting, so sometimes people tend to simply stick to just the few blocks that we know as Temple University, which is such a shame! As a lifelong resident of Philadelphia, I have tried my best to compile as many fun activities and delicious food places that every new Philadelphia resident must try.
South Street is my first pick because it is an easy ten minute ride on the Broad Street Line. Some of my favorite places on South Street include the Jamaican Jerk Hut which has outdoor seating modeled after the islands. The wedding scene from the movie In Her Shoes with Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette was also filmed there, plus the Jerk Hut cornbread is killer! Here’s just a list of some other food places I love: Lorenzo & Sons pizzeria where one slice is the easily the equivalent of two meals, Ishkabibble’s with their famous drink, which is a mix of grape and lemonade called the “Gremlin,” and finally the newest smoothie and juice bar on South Street, Sip-N-Glow Juicery which uses completely all natural ingredients like homemade peanut butter and even offers wheatgrass shots with pineapple chasers for those brave souls. TLA, or Theatre of the Living Arts, is also a great place on South Street to see a relatively inexpensive concert. Finally a place that everyone must check out is the Philadelphia Magic Gardens, which is a courtyard and museum-like display of Isaiah Zagar’s handmade mosaics scattered across city walls. More information on The Magic Gardens can be found here.
Center City is my next pick, which is extremely vague, but just a short subway ride, or even a walk if you are feeling adventurous, will help you get to know Philadelphia just that much more! I personally love walking on Walnut Street and surprisingly some of the stores are decently affordable. These include Gap, H&M, and Urban Outfitters. Moving on to food which is always important, the Reading Terminal is probably one of my favorite places of all time. You really cannot lose there! They have every type of food from Greek to Italian to Chinese to homemade breads and traditional Dutch food made by different Amish and Mennonite vendors. My favorites include bread from Metropolitan Bakery, ice cream from Bassetts, black and white cookies from the Famous 4th Street Cookie Company, the sloppy joe special from the Dutch Eating Place and finally almond bark from Chocolate by Mueller.
Old City is also one of my favorite areas because of the eclectic stores and different restaurants. A great place to go see both current movies and also independent films and documentaries are the Ritz Theatres that are located at Second and Ranstead Streets. Franklin Fountain, one of the top ice cream places in the city, also must be included in the list because the experience alone will make you want to come back instantly! Another great part of the city is Chinatown which is the next location for the city’s annual Night Market, a food truck festival. Night Market of Chinatown will take place October 3 from 7 – 11 p.m., beginning on 10th and Race Streets which is a short subway ride from Temple. More information on Night Market can be found here.
Fairmount is the next place that every Temple freshmen needs to check out because there are so many different museums and restaurants to visit. The Philadelphia Art Museum, The Barnes Foundation and The Franklin Institute, which is currently still showing its Spy Exhibit, are all places every Philadelphian needs to explore at least once! Kelly Drive, where the historic boathouses of Philadelphia are located, is also a great spot for a walk or a jog on a beautiful day. After a nice stroll around Fairmount Park, Philly Flavors is also a must-stop for homemade water ice and ice cream.
Next is my hometown of South Philadelphia where I could name a thousand places, but I will just keep it simple. Another short ride from Temple to AT&T Station takes you to Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Phillies games are totally college student friendly: Standing-only tickets start as low as $14. The ballpark offers various places to eat such as Tony Luke’s, Chickie and Pete’s and the newly added Federal Donuts. I also recommend checking out the Chickie and Pete’s restaurant located just a short distance away on Packer Avenue for the food and the fun atmosphere. Also connected to Chickie and Pete’s is Play2, which is a place where you can rent rooms to not only eat, but also play video and online games.
As you can see there are endless amounts of restaurants, events and attractions that can be found in Philadelphia, so go out and see them! There is a whole city just waiting for Temple students to explore. My list barely covers everything that Philadelphia has to offer, so check out these places but also discover your own favorite spots.
Photos from: Philadelphia Magic Gardens, Reading Terminal Market, Agility Nut, Wharton, visitphilly.com