36 AMERICANWAY
FEBRUARY 1 2008
L I S T E N T O T H E L O C A L S
WordofMouth
Going toPhiladelphia?Thenditch theguidebook and
follow these famous locals as they show you theCity
of BrotherlyLove theirway.
—JohnGonzalez
“One of the spots I lovemost inPhilly is
Tangerine
, down inOld
City. The ambience is very cool — it’s got a pretty hip lounge
area, and thedining room is nice. I almost never get to eat there,
though, because of my schedule. But [when I do], Tangerine has
me covered. They have an amazing arugula salad, and they’re
happy tomake it to go forme. If you’re always on themove like
I am, this is your place.”
“My favorite place is onewhere locals and travelers go to have a
greatdinner at noonor supper in theevening. It’s theonlyColonial
restaurant inPhilly:
theCityTavern
. Things therehaven’tchanged
muchsincemyday,which iswhyI like it. Tell theproprietor,Walter
Staib, thatBensentyou.…Ifyouwantareallyspecialbreakfast, go
to theItalianMarketareaandfind
Sabrina’sCafé
, nearNinthand
Christian. Bringagoodappetite, andbeprepared tobeawed.”
“I love placeswhere you can sit at the bar and have an early din-
ner and just hang out, and
Amici Noi
invites it. The Italianmenu
is simple and excellent; the soups are homemade. When you’re
wandering around Old City on a cold Saturday afternoon, just
checking out the world and absorbing Philly’s history, this is the
perfect pit stop.”
“Make a stop at the
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and
Paul
. The structure was modeled after the Lombard Church of
Saint Charles inRome, and it dates back to 1846. It’s absolutely
stunning — one of Philadelphia’s true treasures. Go there and
find yourself refreshedby its beauty.”
“Reservations at the trendy restaurants are hard to come by, so
here’s an insider tip … the City of Brotherly Love is the unofficial
capital for BYOB (bring your own bottle) restaurants, [where]
the food isuniqueand imaginativeand reservationsusuallyaren’t
required. Grab your favoritewine and snag a table at one of the
quaint neighborhood establishments, like
Mercato
,
Pumpkin
,
or
Matyson
. Instead of being surrounded by tourists, you’ll be
among locals.Welcome.”
RalphArchbold
(asBenjaminFranklin)
The city’smost famous
BenjaminFranklin imper-
sonator; featuredon the
FoodNetwork, on the
HistoryChannel, and in
Time
magazine
Dawn Staley
Head coachofwomen’s
basketball at Temple
University, formerUSA
Women’sNational Team
member, and former
WNBA star
PhilMartelli
Head coachofmen’s
basketball at Saint
Joseph’sUniversity
RichHofmann
Sports columnist
for the
Philadelphia
DailyNews
JamisonUhler
News reporter,
NBC 10News
Tangerine
