Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Photo credit: Corbis

Here's a homework assignment before your visit to Philadelphia. Rent two quintessentially Philly movies: 1940's The Philadelphia Story, about a conservative, but lovable, upper-crust WASP family, and 1976's Rocky, with its affecting tale of a South Philly underdog-makes-good.

Yes, the city has changed since these were made -- more nightlife, more sophistication, more lobster-wasabi spring rolls, more political scandals -- but not all that much. Both movies are beloved by Philadelphians, because they're Hollywood-ized but accurate reflections of our glamour and our grit. And we wouldn't have it any other way.

You can see the contrasts if you walk Center City for just one long afternoon: You'll pass beneath manicured trees and impeccable brownstones near Rittenhouse Square, and then find yourself 30 minutes later, ordering dim sum at a tiny, noisy Chinatown lunch counter. Philly is the wide, graceful sweep of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, punctuated by the massive, neoclassical Philadelphia Museum of Art at one end, and ornate, French-inspired City Hall at the other; it's also the gritty streets of South Philly's Italian Market, where live chickens squawk (in terror!), and fresh sausages sizzle on a corner grill wafting aromas that would convert a PETA-registered vegan.

Philadelphians might take historical attractions a bit for granted, but we're secretly very proud of them. The new Liberty Bell Pavilion in Independence National Historical Park, with its glass walls and exquisite lighting that glows around the bell at night? We love it. The National Constitution Center, modern, in steel and limestone? We think it's cool, and visited as soon as it opened. The surrounding hills of Bucks County and the Amish Country? We can't wait for summer, when we tube down the rivers, browse for antiques, and watch our children milk a cow.

Once known as a town of nightlife extremes -- either stuffy piano bars or shot-and-a-beer joints -- Philly now offers a full range of hip after-dark options, and even has the imprimatur of cool as the site of last year's Real World on MTV. We now sip Hypnotinis at Old City lounges, pose at Stephen Starr's gorgeous Striped Bass bar, and dance at the cool gay lounge Bump. Philly's favorite new place to spend a summer night, though, is in a seat at the new Citizen's Bank Park, watching the Phils win (or lose), gazing at the skyline spectacularly framed by the bleachers.

One funny thing about Philadelphians: We never leave. Almost everyone you meet was born here, got married here, might have lived in Los Angeles for one sunny year -- but came back to our city, which is so familiar and beautiful, whether draped in snow or glowing with cherry blossoms. You should also know that we do eat cheesesteaks; we fight the urge as much as possible, but there's nothing to beat down an incipient hangover like one of these foot-long, grease-dripping, Cheez Whiz-smothered babies. They're best eaten at 3am, and that's why Pat's and Geno's Steaks both stay open 24 hours a day.

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Photo credit: PhotoDisc

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