Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
What's hot in the city this year?

From the March 24, 2003 Issue of New York

Boathouse Row.

Book a room at the super-luxurious Loews Philadelphia Hotel (215-627-1200; loweshotel.com) in the former PSFS bank building, the city’s famed Modernist gem in the heart of Center City.

Have dinner at Salt (215-545-1990), an elegant newcomer to the Rittenhouse Square area that’s getting raves for pairings like seared scallops with Meyer lemon and miso dressing or tapioca with port-soaked pears.

Grab a drink at Opus 251 (215-735-6787), in Rittenhouse Square’s stately Art Alliance building, a small, elegant bar with a grown-up ambience and an extensive selection of single-malt scotches.

See “Degas and the Dance” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (215-235-7469; philamuseum.org) through May 11, or hear the virtuoso Philadelphia Orchestra—(philorch.org) now under the direction of versatile Sawallisch successor Christoph Eschenbach—at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (215-790-5800; kimmelcenter.org).

Buy vintage modernist furniture at Mode Moderne (215-627-0299); French fabrics and tableware at Monique Messin (215-557-1060); and artisanal American and European cheese at Downtown Cheese (215-351-7412).

Don't miss the Historic Bartram’s Garden (215-729-5281; bartramsgarden.org) in Southwest Philadelphia, the oldest botanical garden in the U.S. Stroll through Society Hill for a close-up look at its historic row homes, and walk along Kelly Drive to see Japanese cherry trees in bloom (usually in April). And pay your respects to Benjamin Franklin and four other signers of the Declaration of Independence at the Christ Church Burial Ground (oldchristchurch.org), reopening on April 26 after 25 years of being closed to the public.
-- EDITH NEWHALL