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CONTACT: |
Caroline Bean |
GPTMC |
(215) 599-7433 |
REAL FUN, REAL YOUNG, REAL PHILLY:
REAL ROMANCE
Experience The Love,
Philadelphia-Style
A Walk In The Park
Philadelphia’s tiny historic streets were made for romantic strolls, but they’re certainly not the only place to show your loved one some affection. The region’s best places to pucker up: Love Park, near sculptor Robert Indiana’s bright red Love statue; during a riverside stroll along historic Boathouse Row; after whispering sweet nothings on West Fairmount Park’s magical Whispering Benches; in the quiet of The Curtis Center, facing Maxfield Parrish’s Tiffany glass mural Dream Garden; in the lush orchid greenhouse of Longwood Gardens; in the shadow of the dozen or so covered bridges in Bucks County and at the tippy-top of City Hall, where free tours are offered daily.
Culture Crush
Think you’re the first couple to be moved by a French sculptor’s portrayal of two lovers’ embrace? Think again. As if that thoughtful hunk (known as The Thinker to those in the art world) at the entrance of the Rodin Museum weren’t enough to get at least half the couple in the mood for romance, the famous Eternal Springtime sculpture, which many refer to as “The Kiss,” should do the trick for sure. At the reservations-only Barnes Foundation, an unequaled permanent exhibition of Picassos, Renoirs, Matisses, Monets and Seurats is sure to inspire a little romance. Cool nooks in the Philadelphia Museum of Art such as the Medieval Cloister, and quiet corners among the array of “Siamese twins,” a Presidential tumor and other medical oddities at the Mütter Museum (don’t judge) are also great places to engage in a little PG-rated action. If science is your thing, how about a walk through the thump, thump, thumping Giant Heart, which will reopen in all its renovated glory on October 1, 2004 at The Franklin Institute Science Museum?Dinner for Two
Getting lost in each other’s gaze (cheesy fun for sure) is a cinch if you know where to make a reservation. Ask any experienced Philly couple for a romantic restaurant recommendation, and chances are, they’ll say, “Friday, Saturday, Sunday.” This Philly favorite is famously cozy, as is its extra intimate upstairs Tank Bar, a not-so-best-kept secret for private affairs. Best of all, the mark up here on wine is just $10 per bottle. The ultimate first-date spot is Queen Village’s Bring-Your-Own-Bottle (BYOB) establishment Dmitri’s, a small, no-reservations spot that’s so popular, everybody waits at the bar across the street, the New Wave Café. (Don’t worry: The host will come get you.) Then again, the girl-meets-boy story behind Queen Village’s darling Moroccan Café Sud is enough to make even the most jaded partner melt. Or, sneak downstairs of the famous Mobil five-star Le Bec-Fin for the more affordable, first-come-first-served experience of Le Bar Lyonnais. The ultimate in intimate dining awaits at University City’s popular Dahlak, where you can share spongy injera bread and spicy Ethiopian fare that you eat with your fingers. If it’s culinary edge in a country setting you seek, ask for a mezzanine table at Nectar, the hottest new Asian-inspired restaurant along the posh Main Line.
Sweet Tarts For Sweet Hearts
Nothing says “I love you” like chocolate crème brûlée, and nothing is more romantic than sharing sweets with your sweetie at one of Philadelphia’s many dessert-only spots. Bella Vista’s aptly named Dessert serves up divine fruit tarts, cookies and cakes, along with French press pots of coffee. In Old City, Petit 4 Pastry Studio bakes cobblers, hazelnut and chocolate mousse layer cakes and divinely simple butter cookies that routinely lure people in from the street. The chocolate scents emanating from the sweet Pink Rose Pastry Shop are impossible to resist. And, any couple who passes through Rittenhouse Square without stopping in for professionally enrobed chocolates or truffles at Miel Patisserie or the delicate Napoleon or éclairs at Yann Patisserie, ought to turn around and go back immediately. Then again, they may be heading for the city-sleek gelateria Capogiro Gelato Artisans, where couples have been known to linger over seasonal gelati, including deep plum, dulce de leche and Madagascar bourbon vanilla.
…And Off To Bed
Area hotels specialize in making romance happen. For those of us whose needs are simple, a night in one of The Westin Philadelphia’s plush, featherbed-lined Heavenly Beds™ will do the trick. For those going all-out: How about champagne and chocolate from the Loews Philadelphia Hotel; fresh flowers, French champagne and breakfast for two at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia; wine and cheese, breakfast in bed and late checkout at the Sheraton Rittenhouse Environmental Hotel; or a premium deluxe room with fireplace and jacuzzi at Old City’s independently owned Penn’s View Hotel? If it’s an escape to the countryside sleepy sweethearts seek, why not book a room for two at a tranquil bed and breakfast: In Valley Forge, sleep in a 300 year-old setting as historic as the nearby park at The Great Valley House of Valley Forge. Or, how about spending time at Harlan Log House (a real log homestead) set in bucolic Chester County?
ADDRESS BOOK
A Walk In The Park
Culture Crush
Dinner For Two
Sweet Tarts For Sweet Hearts
... And Off To Bed
The Greater Philadelphia
Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), Philadelphia's regional tourism
marketing agency, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to building
the region's economy and positive image through tourism and destination
marketing. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, call the new
Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park,
at (800) 537-7676, or visit
www.gophila.com.
For information about
arts and cultural attractions in the region, click on the CultureFiles link.
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Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit the photo gallery of
gophila.com/pressroom.
