Also this issue: Art -Sam Adams, Nate Chinen, Deni Kasrel, Patrick Rapa, Robin Rice and Toby Zinman Night Lights A CP theater critic takes on Lights of Liberty. -David Anthony Fox Illustration by mario zucca Oh Captain, My Captain Camden's Walt Whitman House is a find for poetry aficionados and amateur historians alike. -Karen Williams Death and Statues Looking for an art outing? Try Laurel Hill Cemetery. -Robin Rice Wise Guides CP staffers took to the streets to rate a selection of area tourist traps on a scale of one to five tricorn hats. (Five hats means it's a don't-miss destination, one hat means stay home and rent a movie.) Arch Street Quaker Meeting House -CP Staff

June 6-12, 2002

cover story

Visit This!

by Debra Auspitz

Ultimate Summer Fun

Whether you’re just in town for the day or you’ve lived in Philly for decades, you’re probably looking for something to do. If you listen to the way our city is sometimes marketed, it might seem like the only place of note around here is a certain cracked bell (not that we don’t love the bell).

With our Ultimate Summer Fun issue this year, we're bringing you our own version of a visitors' guide to this city, one that takes into account both our city's rich history and our unique Philly addytood. Like our cover model, Historic Philadelphia, Inc.'s Shannon Lambert-Ryan, we're taking our fair city and showing a little leg.

First we'll let you in on some lesser-known, or at least not-so-frequented places to visit, tour, eat, drink and generally be merry, based on some of our favorite spots in and around the city.

Many members of our staff volunteered to be tourists in their own city over the past couple of weeks, visiting a standard itinerary of historic sites. We review and rate them here (and we were only slightly cranky from the heat), so when you're looking for a way to kill a summer afternoon, you'll know which places are a must-see and which are just, well, musty.

And, of course, we'll let you know what's coming up this summer in dance, theater, art, music and movies.

Everyone loves to find an off-the-beaten-path locale to spend a summer day or evening, but we discovered there's also a strange thrill to being the local at the tourist trap, watching out-of-towners marvel and occasionally bitch about our city.

So, happy travels, even if you're just staying here at home.