MUTTER MUSEUM
Even creepier than St. John Neumann and Eastern State is the Mütter Museum, founded in the mid-19th century as a museum of “pathological anatomy.” Highlights include a wall of skulls labeled with cause of death, a collection of objects removed from people’s throats, a human colon that grew to 40 pounds before causing its owner’s death, and an exhibit on the world-famous 19th-century conjoined twins Chang and Eng, all in a beautifully appointed setting.
19 South 22nd Street
215/563-3737 x211
collphyphil.org

MUSEUM OF MOURNING ART
About 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia in Drexel Hill is this odd little museum at the 18th-century Arlington cemetery. Highlights include an exhibit of mourning art and other objects related to George Washington’s death, a 400-page instructional manual on how to get into heaven, objects engraved with emblems of death, and an exhibit on the elaborate mourning practices of the 17th and 18th centuries. Kid-friendly. By appointment only.
2900 State Road
Drexel Hill, PA 19026
610/259-5800
gophila.com

COMPASS: PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

Stay:

FOUR SEASONS
Close to the Free Library and the museum, the Four Seasons in Philly is a healthy dose of profuse elegance (rich carpets, stuffed chairs, polished woods). Best of all might be the Fountain Restaurant, whose menu of French dishes, like muscovy duck, continue to bring in praise year after year.
1 Logan Square
215/963-1500
fourseasons.com

HOTEL PALOMAR
Scheduled to open in the fall, the 234-room Palomar will occupy a renovated Art Deco building off tony Rittenhouse Square.
17th and Sansom Streets
kimptonhotels.com

LE MERIDIEN
In July, Starwood will open a Le Meridien in a renovated YMCA building. Originally designed in 1912 by architect Horace Trumbauer, the hotel will have 202 rooms and a 90-seat restaurant.
1421 Arch St.
starwoodhotels.com

Eat:

BUTCHER & SINGER
Philadelphia is experiencing a steakhouse renaissance right now. The latest to join the fray is star restaurateur Stephen Starr’s Butcher & Singer, which opened last fall. The menu offers a certain Old World bounty: numerous steak options, shellfish platters, stuffed hash browns, creamed spinach. And for dessert, there’s — what else? — baked Alaska.
1500 Walnut St.
215/732-4444
butcherandsinger.com

CHIFA
In February, chef Jose Garces will open a fourth restaurant in Philly (Distrito, Amada, and Tinto are his other spots). The menu will offer small plates fusing Peruvian and Cantonese cuisines, and a large ceviche bar will anchor the dining room.
707 Chestnut St.

EARTH BREAD & BREWERY
Opened last October in the Mount Airy neighborhood west of Center City, this health-minded brewpub makes its own old-fashioned gruit ale and offers a thoughtful selection of other beers. There’s also wine and a food menu with salads, cheese plates, and flatbread pizzas made in the hand-built, wood-fired oven.
7136 Germantown Ave.
215/242-6666
earthbreadbrewery.com

OSTERIA
Italian-trained chef Marc Vetri’s newest spot, in a converted factory space a bit north of downtown, serves such rustic Italian dishes as chicken liver rigatoni and braised rabbit with pancetta, sage, and polenta.
640 N. Broad St.
215/763-0920
osteriaphilly.com

STANDARD TAP
This neighborhood bar and gastropub in the hip Northern Liberties neighborhood has a great selection of wine and local microbrews and a largely local menu that changes daily, all served up with a dose of Philly attitude.
901 N. 2nd St.
215/238-0630
standardtap.com

ZAHAV
Chef Michael Solomonov’s new restaurant serves “modern Israeli,” a description that hardly does justice to the enticing menu of carefully prepared mezes (small plates), such as burmuelos (leak and mint fritters with sheep’s cheese and honey), basturma (air-cured beef, garlic fenugreek), Moroccan pastilla (rabbit, prunes, almonds), and varieties of hummus and kebabs.
237 St. James Pl.
215/625-8800
zahavrestaurant.com

See:

PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW
In early March, the largest and most important indoor exhibition of flowers in the world takes place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, with acres of stunning flowering specimens.
12th and Arch Sts.
theflowershow.com

PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART
The museum has a good list of exhibits for 2009, including a show about Cézanne and his influence (February 26 – May 17), a grouping of large Titian and Dürer etchings (January 31 – April 26), a show of 45 photographs by Japanese lensman Daido Moriyama (February 28 – June 30), and an Arshile Gorky retrospective (October 2009 – January 2010).
26th St. at Benjamin Franklin Pkwy.
215/763-8100
philamuseum.org