FAQ

On private property, it's the way most people do it, but recreational weed is still illegal under Pennsylvania law. Philadelphia treats 30 grams or less as a $25 civil fine instead of an arrest. Smoking in public is a separate $100 civil fine.

Yes, for small amounts. Possession of 30 grams or less is a civil violation with a $25 fine, and buying a small amount is also $25. Over 30 grams is an arrest, and state law still applies on top of the city rule.

$100 under Philadelphia Code Section 10-2102. Parks, sidewalks and SEPTA all count as public. SEPTA separately bans smoking and vaping of any substance on its property.

For true late night food, Geno's on 9th Street is open 24 hours and Pat's is right across the street. Lorenzo and Sons on South Street serves huge slices late, and Center City Soft Pretzel Co. has a long tradition of opening in the middle of the night. Always check current hours before you head out.

Geno's Steaks at 1219 S. 9th St. is open 24 hours, seven days a week. Fewer places run all night than people expect, and many Wawas inside city limits have closed or cut hours, so confirm before you count on anything else.

Get one from each and decide for yourself, since they're directly across the street from each other. Pat's chops its steak more and claims it invented the sandwich in 1930. Geno's uses whole thin slices and has the neon.

For the biggest screen and the most film-focused programming in the city, the Film Society Center on Chestnut Street. For art house and repertory screenings, Lightbox Film Center at the Bok building. If you're willing to leave the city, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute can project 35mm and 70mm.

Not inside city limits right now. The Franklin Institute closed its IMAX for good and a plan to bring a laser IMAX to the old Riverview theater on Columbus Blvd fell through. The closest IMAX screens are in King of Prussia, Cherry Hill, Bensalem, Warrington and Downingtown.

Watch the Film Society Center calendar, which runs 35mm showcases. Exhumed Films screens horror and cult movies from film prints at events around the region. Outside the city, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute can run 35mm and 70mm, and the Mahoning Drive-In shows 35mm every weekend in season.

The Liberty Bell is free with no tickets. Independence Hall uses free timed tickets with a small booking fee. Bartram's Garden, The Woodlands, the Rocky Steps and the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk cost nothing.

The Mütter Museum, a medical history museum full of anatomical specimens, is the classic answer. Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, Isaiah Zagar's mosaic maze on South Street, is the trippiest. Eastern State Penitentiary, a ruined 1829 prison, rounds out the top three.

Watch the Boathouse Row lights from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, sit on Race Street Pier under the lit-up Ben Franklin Bridge, or wander Cherry Street Pier on a weekend night. In summer, Spruce Street Harbor Park's hammocks and tree lights are the spot.

Only for registered medical patients. Recreational weed is still illegal under state law, and possessing 30 grams or less without a card is a misdemeanor. Philly treats small amounts as a civil fine instead.

No, but it's decriminalized for small amounts. In Philly, 30 grams or less is a $25 civil fine, and smoking in public is $100. State law still applies on top of that.

No. Pennsylvania dispensaries are medical only, and you need to be a PA resident with a PA medical card. Pennsylvania doesn't accept out-of-state medical cards. New Jersey, across the river, sells to adults 21+ with ID.

Live music, restaurants and the Frankford Avenue bar strip. It's home to Johnny Brenda's and the Fillmore, plus Penn Treaty Park on the river. The name comes from its history as the center of the city's shad fishing industry.

Yes. Most of the good stuff sits along Frankford Avenue between Girard and the blocks north of it, so you can do a whole night on foot. The waterfront park is a short walk east.

No. It's a public park, and in Philadelphia public smoking is a civil fine, separate from and bigger than the possession fine. People do it, but the move is to save the sesh for private property.

William Penn gave early buyers of city lots extra land in the "liberty lands" north of the original city boundary. The neighborhood grew out of that grant, which is also where Liberty Lands Park gets its name.

Yes, in a low-key way. North Bowl, Standard Tap, Ortlieb's and Silk City cover bowling, beer, live music and dancing, all within a short walk. It's calmer than Fishtown but close enough to hop between them.

The Piazza at Schmidt's was built on the old Schmidt's brewery site and rebranded Schmidt's Commons in 2016. It's mostly apartments, shops and a courtyard now.

Food first: the 9th Street Italian Market, the Pat's and Geno's cheesesteak rivalry, roast pork sandwiches and a long strip of Vietnamese restaurants on Washington Avenue. It's also home to the Mummers and to all of Philly's pro sports venues, which sit together at the bottom of Broad Street.

Neither wins on taste for most locals, they're more about the corner and the history. Pat's claims it invented the cheesesteak in 1930, and Geno's opened across the street in 1966. Go once for the experience, then try the rest of the eat guide.

The market grew up in the late 1800s around a boarding house for Italian immigrants on 9th Street. Merchants started moving into storefronts around 1904, and the city chartered the district in 1915.

Colonial history, mostly. Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Christ Church and Elfreth's Alley are all here or right next to it. It's also an arts district, home of the monthly First Friday gallery night.

The first Friday of every month, roughly early evening into night. Galleries open new shows and many businesses stay open late. Check the district calendar for that month's lineup.

Walking the alley itself is free since it's a public street where people live. The museum house at 124-126 is a separate visit. Be respectful, these are real homes.

Climb the City Hall tower, eat your way through Reading Terminal Market, people-watch in Rittenhouse Square, catch a movie at the Film Society Center and bar hop in Midtown Village and the Gayborhood. It's all walkable from City Hall.

McGillin's Olde Ale House on Drury Street, opened in 1860. It's the oldest continuously operating bar in the city and has been run by the same family since 1993.

It opened in 1893 under the Reading Railroad train shed. It has more than 80 merchants today, including DiNic's, Bassetts and Pennsylvania Dutch vendors.

Main Street's restaurants and bars, the historic Manayunk Canal and its towpath, and the steep Manayunk Wall from Philadelphia's pro bike race. It's an old textile mill town on the Schuylkill River in northwest Philly.

On Levering Street, climbing up from Main Street at around a 17 percent grade. It's the famous crowd spot in the Philadelphia Cycling Classic.

About two miles, running between the canal and the Schuylkill. It starts near Lock Street on Venice Island and connects to the Schuylkill River Trail.

The big ones are Clark Park and its farmers market, the Penn Museum and its sphinx, Bartram's Garden on the Schuylkill, and shows at The Rotunda. Baltimore Avenue is the food and nightlife strip, especially for Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurants.

Yes, the grounds are free and open daily from sunrise to sunset, with free parking. It's 50 acres on the Schuylkill at 5400 Lindbergh Blvd., and it runs free boating and fishing programs too.

Baltimore Avenue in West Philly is the center of it. Dahlak has been there since 1984, Abyssinia sits at 45th and Walnut, and Doro Bet does Ethiopian-style fried chicken.

There's no settled answer, even among locals. The most common version sounds like "pash-unk," and some say "pash-yunk." Nobody will correct you if you sound sure.

Restaurants. The Avenue is one of the densest dining strips in Philadelphia, with old-school Italian spots and newer places side by side. It's also known for the Singing Fountain plaza and for having Pat's and Geno's at its north end.

On East Passyunk Avenue where it meets Tasker and 11th Streets. It opened in 2004 and plays music through a sound system, which is how it got the name.