transportation questions

Going to stay in King of Prussia next month for a few days--looking to travel into Philadelphia for a trolley tour, boat ride, see the historic sites and take in a Phillies game. My questions are : Is it best to drive in and pay to park, or take public transportation? What kind of parking is there for the ball park? Would there be a place where we could park for both the trolley tour and the game and not have to move the car mid-day? Any help greatly appreciated!

transportation questions

Well, first I am going to assume you are not doing all 4 in one day. That%26#39;s a really ambitious schedule.

Personally, I would probably drive in. Avoid rush hour like the plague tho, either go way before or after. Traffic along that route is generally hideous then. Park anywhere near the reading terminal market, at 11th and Arch. From there its a 6 block walk to the historical district.

You can either drive to the game, plenty of parking if nothing else is happening there, or catch the subway at City Hall (15th and Market, with closer entrances) and take that to the game and back to your car. I might consider driving to the ballpark, only because except for traffic getting out, you will be closer to the route back to KOP.

I would do the Trolley tour and Historics one day (to take advantage of the hop on hop off, then the boat tour and the Phils game on the other.

transportation questions

Well, first I am going to assume you are not doing all 4 in one day. That%26#39;s a really ambitious schedule.

Personally, I would probably drive in. Avoid rush hour like the plague tho, either go way before or after. Traffic along that route is generally hideous then. Park anywhere near the reading terminal market, at 11th and Arch. From there its a 6 block walk to the historical district.

You can either drive to the game, plenty of parking if nothing else is happening there, or catch the subway at City Hall (15th and Market, with closer entrances) and take that to the game and back to your car. I might consider driving to the ballpark, only because except for traffic getting out, you will be closer to the route back to KOP.

I would do the Trolley tour and Historics one day (to take advantage of the hop on hop off, then the boat tour and the Phils game on the other.

Drive in. The bus may not be near to where you are staying in King of Prussia, plus it takes the same route you will when driving, os it%26#39;s certainly not any faster. As Loonbeam says, avoid the rush hour (6a-9a, 4p-6p) in both directions.

Parking depends on what you will do on a given day. If you are in the historic area, park at the Philadelphia parking Authority garage on 2nd Street between Chestnut %26amp; Walnut. They have the best rates and a nice, safe park-it-yourself garagae. You can pay by credit card if you want to. Use your card as you enter, and the same one as you leave, and then there is no need to pay in the lobby.

As to the ballpark... there is plenty of parking, but you pay for it, and traffic getting out is a nightmare (unless you leave early, then it%26#39;s only horrible, as others leave early, too. You could take the Broad Street Subway (Orange Line) to the ballpark, but you need to get yourself to Broad Street (14th) first. If you take Loonbeam%26#39;s suggestion and parkt around 11th %26amp; Arch (Reading Terminal Market/Convention Center), you will be only 4 blocks or so from the subway, but coming back late at night to that location might be unnerving for you. If it%26#39;s a day game, no problem.

Thanks to you both--looking forward to our trip.

If I were you and you have a month yet, I would try to stay in the city. Parking and travel into the city is a nightmare all times of the day. The Hampton across from the Convention center is about the same price as most KoP hotels and taxi%26#39;s are numerous plus, it%26#39;s a city, everyone walks or does the subway. Otherwise, the best way to get into the city is Septa trains (never did the buses). You can probably even arrange a shuttle with the hotel if you stay downtown to the BallPark. Philadelphia Parking Authority is the most stringent parking authority I%26#39;ve seen in any major city. Most meters in Phila are for one hour only or your car will get booted. I would stay down town and park in their garage and take mass transport everywhere. Heck, if your going to King of Prussia for the malls, you could probably even get a shuttle from the downtown hotel easier than trying to get into town. FWIW.just my opinion and I%26#39;m actually certified with the parking authority to drive transport vehicles yet I like to stay away from driving in philly. Take a train, bus or plane just don%26#39;t drive and don%26#39;t get sucked into having some expensive limo take you around.

I agree with the idea of staying in town unless there is some compelling reson to stay in K of P, and if you stay in town you will not need or want a car. However, there are several inaccuracies and just plain guesses (where the word ';probably'; appears) in the above post that should be cleared up:

Most meters in town are two hours, not one hour, and you car does not get booted merely for parking overtime. You only get booted if the car has outstanding fines. Your car may get towed if it is parked illegally in a tow-away zone, and these are clearly marked (if you read the signs, there are no curb markings). I%26#39;ve never heard of any hotel running a shuttle to the ball park or to K of P from downtown Philadelphia. You can get to the ball park very easily from town by subway. There are no trains directly from K of P into town, only the bus, which is very easy to take.