Fat Guy's Upscale Philly Golf Weekend

Mock T&L Golf article (so forgive the style change & upscale bent):

playaway

SPECIAL REPORT: PHILADELPHIA

LONG WEEKEND by Fat Guy

Remaking History in the City Of Brotherly Love

During the gestation of the Colonies' rebellion against England circa 1774, America's Founding Fathers spent a long, hot summer locked in secret meetings in the Pennsylvania State Hall (now known as Philadelphia's Independence Hall), debating the eloquent ideals that would become the Declaration of Independence. Discovery ran the risk of hanging for high treason against the Queen. The humid summer days, heavy wool suits, powdered wigs, and closed windows and doors made for thirsty work. When those sessions broke for the evening, Ben Franklin's habit was to climb into his horse-drawn carriage and retire to Philadelphia's City Tavern.

Legend has it Franklin was prone to quench that thirst by delving well into the tavern's selection of fine spirits. Younger delegates from the group began to get skittish. "If Dr. Franklin gets loose-lipped down at the Tavern, we'll all hang," they feared. Soon, a plan was formed. A different designated delegate would take his wife to the Tavern for dinner nightly, "happen" to run in to ol' Ben, and insist he join them for dinner. After the meal, they would pour him back into his carriage and escort him home, well-satiated and above all, secret kept. Some say the plan saved our bid for independence.

Twenty-first century Philadelphia still has Franklin's flair for living, with a diverse cultural backdrop. Hear "Philadelphia", and your mind jumps to the history of our nation's founding. While the history is more than a worthwhile reason to visit, you'll be surprised how much more the City Of Brotherly Love has to offer.

The modern connections to Rocky Balboa, underachieving big-market sports teams, and infamous sports fans--four pro franchises, along with seven area minor league and alternative sport teams, help keep the fanatics busy--have combined to breed something of an undeserved underdog complex to big brother New York City. It's easy to forget that Philadelphia is the fifth largest city in the country, and one with a spirit all its own. As one transplant said, "I love Philly because it's a legitimate East Coast big city with plenty of character, entertainment, and culture… and because it's not New York." With a world-class orchestra, one of the oldest art museums in the country, and a thriving theater district, there's plenty to experience. Philly also boasts one of the finest collections of restaurants in the former Colonies, with names like Le Bec Fin, famed restauranteur Stephen Starr, and two resident Iron Chefs. Eclectic shopping districts compliment the hopping restaurant and nightlife scenes. Sell it to your family's more modern sensibilities with one viewing of Nick Cage's National Treasure.

Orientation

Philly is centrally located on the Northeastern seaboard; it's two hours drive from Baltimore, three hours from Washington D.C., less than three hours from New York City, two hours from skiing in the Pocono Mountains, and two hours from the recent Borgata-led hip-factor renaissance of Atlantic City and the South Jersey beaches. US Airways hub Philadelphia International Airport has spent the past five years undergoing renovations and the addition of a new wing of international gates, and now has more competitive airfares thanks to Southwest Airlines. The marble expanse of Amtrak's 30th Street Station features market shops and Acela speed-train service along the I-95 corridor.

Philadelphia was one of the country's first planned cities; however, it was laid out in the days of horse and buggy--when the current high-rise business district was considered to be the suburbs. Interstate access to the city is somewhat challenged by topography. The Delaware River ensures a bridge crossing if heading east to New Jersey, as well as limitations from the Schuykill River valley to the west. Interstate-95 runs north/south, and I-676 runs east/west, both through the heart of the city. The PA Turnpike connects to Center City via I-76, exiting near Valley Forge National Park and one of the country's premier malls in tech-mecca King Of Prussia. The trip from Valley Forge to the city takes anywhere from twenty-five minutes to an hour, dependent on traffic.

Fun downtown neighborhoods include Old City (Front to 6th, & Race to Pine). The oldest section of the city is the hippest and most eclectic, while still showing plenty of Colonial roots. Art galleries, specialty shops, furniture and antique districts, and fantastic upscale restaurants abound.

South Philly was once known as the Italian-American section (think Rocky). Today it's a melting pot neighborhood, where summer evenings are still spent on the front stoop chatting with neighbors. Check out the Old-World-style Italian Market (9th & Christian), where open-air vendors hawk fresh foods in the street.

Take a horse-drawn carriage tour through Society Hill, showcasing some of Philly's most venerable Colonial brownstones, quaint courtyards, historical churches, narrow cobblestone alleyways, and antique stores.

Center City centers around the impressive French Second Empire architecture of Philadelphia's City Hall, and is the main high-rise business district. Be sure to visit the expansive indoor Reading Terminal Market for farm fresh foods from Amish country, choice meats, Dinic's juicy roast pork and provolone hoagies, and handmade Chocolates By Mueller (order the pretzels dipped in chocolate and peanut butter). You'll also find classic big-city multi-floor department store shopping at Macy's.

The gates to the entrance of Philly's compact Chinatown may have you mistaking it for San Francisco for a moment. Choosing a favorite may be the toughest part of enjoying all the interesting variations on Asian cuisine.

Delaware Avenue (aka Columbus Boulevard) near Penn's Landing on the Delaware River is one of the main club districts. This fun stretch features Dave & Buster's flagship adult arcade (serving surprisingly good food in a renovated pier warehouse), ornate dining on an 1800's era schooner at floating restaurant The Mooshulu (featured in The Godfather), upscale seafood and waterfront views at The Chart House, and indoor/outdoor seasonal venues along the Delaware Riverfront.

Long Weekend Itinerary

Philadelphia has a rich golfing history as well. Suburban Main Line country clubs, such as Merion, Philadelphia Cricket Club, and Aronimink hold U.S. Open pedigrees, with the Open scheduled to return to Merion in 2012 after a successful hosting of the 2006 U.S. Amateur.

Despite centuries of area sprawl, developers found enough suburban land to keep up with the golf boom of the 1990's, so there are plenty of quality public golf options available for those short on local private club connections. Most area public courses are within a forty-five minute radius from the city. Plan any weekday tee times around missing lunch and rush hours on any of the major arteries.

Friday

Forty-five minutes west of Philly out PA Route 3 is Broad Run Golfer's Club (formerly Tattersall Golf Club) in West Chester, PA. Rees Jones put a unique twist on traditional parkland with this up-and-down climber. Jones sprawled the brawny layout over two steep valleys, so a cart is a necessity even for the young at heart. Many of the holes run along the ridges of large wooded hills. The constant elevation changes challenge club selection, while the narrow fairways are cut into hillsides. Several tee carries place a premium on driving accuracy, which is a tall order when you're trying to muscle your way around from the Bordley tees or the tips. The 17th is the Mac Daddy of all downhill par-3's, with a 130-foot drop from tees ranging from 140 to 205 yards. The par-5 18th is a strong risk/reward finish. Fairway fingers protrude into a pond which threatens your second as well as your approach, coupled with a backside green drop-off filled with gnarly rough and bunkers. Phenomenal fall hilltop vistas are mildly marred by a surrounding McMansion development, although a good 11 holes are somewhat isolated from the sprawl. Formerly questionable conditions are back on track after the recent ownership and name change, matched with a more realistic, tiered fee schedule.

Popular with the local leisure set is the casual Colonial setting of nearby Four Dogs Tavern in Marshallton, which hums with an eclectic crowd ranging from Blue Bloods to bikers to young families. Or lunch in the quaint nearby college town of West Chester, where you'll find Iron Hill Brewery, a darkwood micro-brewery with an aura more professorial than fraternity. In addition to outstanding hand-crafted beers, highlights from the varied menu include Buffalo wings, Carolina pork BBQ sandwiches, smoked baby back ribs in a root beer-based sauce, and crisp wood-oven pizzas made from fresh ingredients. There's also tremendous local buzz around the presentation of authentic Cajun food at the cozy High Street Café. After happy hour, head for Bam Margera's live music club Note, which brings in mid-level national acts in an intimate setting with a luxe lounge on the balcony.

36-hole option: Ten minutes from Broad Run is a classic George Fazio routing at walkable semi-private Downingtown Country Club. Design elements reminiscent of Philadelphia's U.S. Open venues, such as challenging elevated greens, deep fronting bunkers, and plush fairways boldly guarded by mature tree lines, provide a perfect compliment to its shortish length.

Or skip the afternoon round for a walk through Philly's Historic District (at 6th and Market), and feel the depth of your patriotism at the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the new National Constitution Center. Experience a full day of U.S. history, all within two blocks.

The search for the obligatory Philly cheesesteak will likely lead you to the world epicenter of cheesesteaks, 9th & Passyunk in South Philly, for Pat's King Of Steaks, or Geno's Steaks, both among Philly's best. Preference between the two is an endless source of local debate, though out-of-towners may struggle with the distinction. Be sure to order in true Philly style, simply: "Whiz wit' " (meaning a Cheese Whiz steak with fried onions). Speak English and be quick about it, or you'll find yourself at the back of the line again. Famed nearby tourist stop South Street (below 5th) has seen a rapid decline since the recent economic downturn, although the landmarks continue to survive. Stave off those late night munchies with Will Smith's favorite pizza at Lorenzo's, or local's choice Tommy Gunn's American Barbeque (630 South, www.tommyguns.net).

Sample another of Philadelphia's gastronomic contributions to the American palate, the soft pretzel, best served just of the oven at Federal Pretzel. Pressed for time? Make your Saturday tee time for mid-afternoon, and beforehand enjoy all of the Brotherly Love specialties in one shot during the Taste Of Philly Food Tour at Reading Terminal Market (Wed & Sat 10 AM, 12th & Filbert, reservations required, 215-545-8007, www.readingterminalmarket.com, $15 adults $9 kids).

Saturday

Rise and shine early to work off last night's cheese steak by retracing Rocky's famous run through Springsteen's streets of Philadelphia. Download the original Rocky theme, Gonna Fly Now by DeEtta Little, along with Survivor's quintessintial 1980's rock anthem, Eye Of The Tiger, and add them to your favorite workout mix on your iPod. Don a hooded sweatshirt and pair of Chuck Taylor's (if your feet can take the pounding), then wrap a towel around your neck. Consider the breakfast drink of raw eggs to be optional. Start at the Italian Market around 9th & Christian in South Philly. Run east on South Street down to the riverside Penn's Landing for a brief jaunt north along the docks of Columbus Boulevard, then west on Market and get your jab working, and around City Hall to the Ben Franklin Parkway. Work up to a mean left hook as you head for the park-lined Kelly Drive, winding along the Schuylkill River and past Boathouse Row. Cross the bridge and return via West River (aka Martin Luther King) Drive. Now queue up the Rocky theme and push for the famous finish, with a sprint up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Stomp in Rocky's stairtop sneaker prints, turn towards City Hall, and pump your fists in air. If that doesn't get you pumped for a day on the course, nothing will. "Arright Rocko!"

If you play only one day during your visit to Philadelphia, make it a Jersey swing starting with Scotland Run in Williamstown, NJ. A quick half-hour hop over the Delaware River via the Walt Whitman Bridge onto 42 South brings you to the unique vistas of this stunning target layout.

Diabolical architect Stephen Kay twisted the routing through the New Jersey pine barrens and a former sand quarry. By borrowing design elements from both Old Tom Morris' Prestwick and legendary nearby Pine Valley, Kay achieves the same Stateside visual stratosphere as Mike Stranz' target masterpiece Tobacco Road (Sanford, NC). A study in extremes, the Run offers numerous quirky elements such as clifftop tees, cape holes over yawning sand pits 3 stories deep (don't worry, there's a staircase if you don't clear the carry--but you still gotta play it), dual greens, blind shots, stacked sod pot bunkers, railroad tie walls as crossing hazards, and sandy lies next to a rusting steamshovel or an old airplane from a small nearby airport. Cart paths spill randomly into massive, free-range waste bunkers, adding to the sense of adventure. The dog right par-5 18th, with water creeping in off the tee and an uphill approach over a sand cliff, is a memorable finish. Whether going for it or laying up, the second swing on the 18th is one of the most nerve-racking middle shots anywhere. The overall experience at Scotland Run is closer to X-Box golf than traditional links. But for the adventurous, this is the most grin-inducing 18 daily fee holes the Philadelphia area has to offer.

Another great Philly area course, the former Pine Hill GC in Pine Hill NJ, finally went private in 2010 when it was bought out by The Donald himself and became Trump National Philadelphia. This hilly, rugged course has plenty of waste areas, and architect Tom Fazio says it's not an ode, it draws the inevitable comparisons to next-door-neighbor Pine Valley.

Tonight, take the time to explore Philly’s wide selection of fine restaurants. Ben Franklin’s old haunt City Tavern is still in operation as the quintessential Colonial Philadelphia dining experience. Among Philly restauranteur extraordinaire Stephen Starr’s legion of world-class trendy Philly eateries are: El Vez (nouvelle Spanish cuisine with low-rider bicycle décor), POD (spaceship mod meets sushi and Asian), Jones (reasonable comfort food on the set of the Brady Bunch), Tangerine (Mediterranean in low lighting and low leather chairs), Barclay Prime (sexy, library-ish steakhouse featuring the $100 Kobe beef cheese steak), Pizzeria Stella (pizza in the finest Brooklyn/Lombardi's tradition, from a $20,000 800-degree wood-fired oven), and Buddakan (Asian on a Buddhist-whiteboard-acid-trip). Starr also partnered with Iron Chef Morimoto to open Morimoto which features the chef's exquisite Japenese cuisine. Starr's former El Vez chef and Food Network's newest Iron Chef Jose Garces has taken Philly by storm with Spanish venues like Tinto and Amada (order the Piquillos Rellenos, roasted pepper stuffed with crab meat), Peruvian-Chinese at Chifa (order the Fluke Tiradito ceviche), and Village Whiskey (pub fare).

South Philly is home to many of Philly's best family-run Italian restaurants, such as the homey feel at Tre Scalini, or the raucous Triangle Tavern featuring piano sing-alongs. The Walnut Street Restaurant District (from Broad to Rittenhouse Square, & Chestnut to Walnut) also features high-end boutiques, as well as the five-star French cuisine at Le Bec Fin, which has consistently garnered national acclaim. Other standouts in the district near Walnut include Philly’s best Veal Parmiagana and over-40 dance floor at D’Angelo’s, romance at the oddly-monikered but intimate Friday Saturday Sunday with great chalkboard specials and one of Philly's best filets, or gourmet Chinese with a French twist at Susanna Foo.