Philly Question: Getting to and from a concert at the Wells Fargo Center
March 29, 2016 10:57 PM Subscribe
We (husband and pregnant wife) are specifically looking for recommendations on getting back to our hotel after the concert. Details within.
The Wife and I will be in Philadelphia at the end of April for a concert in the Wells Fargo Center. We are staying at the Double Tree Center City. Our first thought was to take the subway to and from the concert but we are concerned about walking and waiting a long time for trains afterward (The Wife will be 31 weeks pregnant). Here are our questions:
The Wife and I will be in Philadelphia at the end of April for a concert in the Wells Fargo Center. We are staying at the Double Tree Center City. Our first thought was to take the subway to and from the concert but we are concerned about walking and waiting a long time for trains afterward (The Wife will be 31 weeks pregnant). Here are our questions:
- Will taking the train be problematic (long walks to and from the stops to hotel and venue, long wait times, hills)?
- If so, how reliably will we be able catch a cab/uber in that area that late (around midnight)?
- Should we just rent a car?
- Other?
Best answer: The walk from Wells Fargo to the subway stop is a flat walk across the giant parking lot. I want to say it's 5-10 minutes--Google says it's a bit under a half mile. Subway trains run pretty regularly. It will stop very near to your hotel. There are elevators at most subway stations if your wife is unable to take the stairs. If none of that appeals, getting an Uber or Lyft shouldn't be a problem.
I just did a map search and it looks like that's only a 3-mile walk? I think it might be helpful to know what you mean by a long walk and long wait.
I think 3 miles at the end of the day after a concert would be pretty daunting for most women at 31 weeks.
posted by Anonymous at 1:37 AM on March 30, 2016
I just did a map search and it looks like that's only a 3-mile walk? I think it might be helpful to know what you mean by a long walk and long wait.
I think 3 miles at the end of the day after a concert would be pretty daunting for most women at 31 weeks.
posted by Anonymous at 1:37 AM on March 30, 2016
Definitely get a car or Uber. What passes for the subway in Philly is not good.
posted by ariadne's threadspinner at 2:04 AM on March 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ariadne's threadspinner at 2:04 AM on March 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
Yeah - get an uber. While the subway is probably fine with a large crowd after a concert, it isn't the best/safest mode of transportation around Philly - especially at night.
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 2:17 AM on March 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 2:17 AM on March 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
You really don't want to make your wife deal with the stairs on the subway(don't depend on the escalators/elevators will be working).
Take a cab. There will be no shortage of cabbies down near the WFC.
posted by james33 at 3:43 AM on March 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
Take a cab. There will be no shortage of cabbies down near the WFC.
posted by james33 at 3:43 AM on March 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: The subway stops right outside your hotel, and as schrodinger said, at the edge of the (flat) parking lot of the Wells Fargo Center. FWIW, I'm not sure a taxi/Uber dropoff or pickup could happen that much closer to the arena than the subway stop--you may have to walk a parking lot's distance regardless.
Because it's at the end of the line, there will probably be trains waiting at the station at the end of the show; you may have to wait a few minutes for a train to leave, but you can board immediately. (You can take the express because your hotel is also at an express stop.) A ton of people will be boarding the subway after the show; I commute by Broad Street Line daily and would not hesitate to take it home from the stadium area after a concert.
Bottom line is that depending on your wife's (dis)comfort level, both public transportation and cab/Uber are viable options. You shouldn't have to rent a car.
posted by trixie119 at 5:03 AM on March 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Because it's at the end of the line, there will probably be trains waiting at the station at the end of the show; you may have to wait a few minutes for a train to leave, but you can board immediately. (You can take the express because your hotel is also at an express stop.) A ton of people will be boarding the subway after the show; I commute by Broad Street Line daily and would not hesitate to take it home from the stadium area after a concert.
Bottom line is that depending on your wife's (dis)comfort level, both public transportation and cab/Uber are viable options. You shouldn't have to rent a car.
posted by trixie119 at 5:03 AM on March 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Worth noting the subway in Philly shuts down at midnight, or not long after. If your show will end before midnight, the subway will be fine. A shuttle bus will take its place after midnight, but the shuttle busses are often crowded and full of loud drunks.
I'd take the subway, but be prepared with Uber or something on your phone in case it runs long.
posted by SansPoint at 5:31 AM on March 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'd take the subway, but be prepared with Uber or something on your phone in case it runs long.
posted by SansPoint at 5:31 AM on March 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
The subway runs all night on Fridays and Saturdays--you'll only be stuck with the shuttle bus of its after midnight, Sunday through Thursday.
posted by trixie119 at 6:20 AM on March 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by trixie119 at 6:20 AM on March 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Subway is the best way to go, far faster and more convenient than driving. I never, ever drive. The Wells Fargo Center is one of the buildings in the Pattison Avenue Sports Complex, and they are all served by the Broad St. line. Any walking will be flat, the stairs in the station are not very steep, and there is an escalator and elevator at the station, now helpfully called AT&T station, since Septa sold the naming rights to them. (This nonsense drives me crazy, since it serves only to make orienting themselves more difficult for visitors. The Market East train station is now called Jefferson Station, another irritating name change made for money rather than clarity).
The Walnut-Locust subway station is just a few steps from the Doubletree, and if there is a Phillies game (end of April, right?) there will be EXPRESS trains with BLUE LIGHTS in the front full of Phillies fans looking hopeful so early in the season. Normally, the trains headed between Center City and the Stadium coomplex are locals, and have YELLOW LIGHTS in front. Either will get you there - Pattison Ave (AT&T) is the end of the line, but an express will do it in under 10 minutes.
Coming back, you'll find trains waiting for you with open doors, though you may have to wait a few minutes before you leave. Express or local - doesn't matter to you, since Walnut-Locust is a major Center City stop and all trains stop there.
While you're here try eating in some of our wonderful restaurants - a bevy of winners is on 13th Street between Locust and Chestnut Sts (your hotel is at Broad and Locust, and if Broad St were numbered instead of named, it would be 14th St.) There's El Vez (Mexican) Jamonera (fine Spanish), Barbuzzo (Italian - think grilled octopus and whole grilled fish), Bud & Marilyn's (updated midwestern diner), Little Nonna's (Italian, but more homey spaghetti and manicotti), and many, many others within a block or two.
Philly is a foodie's paradise and you'll be wonderfully situated to enjoy it. Don't miss the fabulous Reading Terminal Market, either, where there are lots of places to get lunch or shop for high-quality food or baked goods. Or ice cream - don't miss Bassett's ice cream in the Market! It's at 12th and Arch, just a block north of Market St, about 6 blocks from your hotel. Have a great time!
posted by citygirl at 9:13 AM on March 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
The Walnut-Locust subway station is just a few steps from the Doubletree, and if there is a Phillies game (end of April, right?) there will be EXPRESS trains with BLUE LIGHTS in the front full of Phillies fans looking hopeful so early in the season. Normally, the trains headed between Center City and the Stadium coomplex are locals, and have YELLOW LIGHTS in front. Either will get you there - Pattison Ave (AT&T) is the end of the line, but an express will do it in under 10 minutes.
Coming back, you'll find trains waiting for you with open doors, though you may have to wait a few minutes before you leave. Express or local - doesn't matter to you, since Walnut-Locust is a major Center City stop and all trains stop there.
While you're here try eating in some of our wonderful restaurants - a bevy of winners is on 13th Street between Locust and Chestnut Sts (your hotel is at Broad and Locust, and if Broad St were numbered instead of named, it would be 14th St.) There's El Vez (Mexican) Jamonera (fine Spanish), Barbuzzo (Italian - think grilled octopus and whole grilled fish), Bud & Marilyn's (updated midwestern diner), Little Nonna's (Italian, but more homey spaghetti and manicotti), and many, many others within a block or two.
Philly is a foodie's paradise and you'll be wonderfully situated to enjoy it. Don't miss the fabulous Reading Terminal Market, either, where there are lots of places to get lunch or shop for high-quality food or baked goods. Or ice cream - don't miss Bassett's ice cream in the Market! It's at 12th and Arch, just a block north of Market St, about 6 blocks from your hotel. Have a great time!
posted by citygirl at 9:13 AM on March 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Third-trimester Philadelphian here. I HAVE OPINIONS.
Depending on how your wife feels at that stage in the pregnancy, and whether the concert takes place on a warm day or not, half a mile can be a big deal. When not pregnant, I will walk three miles over city sidewalks without a thought, but it took me 45 minutes to walk eight blocks the other day, and by the end of it, my feet hurt, my back hurt, I was soaked in sweat, I was hungry, I was thirsty, I had to pee, my ankles were horribly swollen, and I was really just done and ready to nap for three hours.
So yeah, I'd uber or taxi it down there, then subway it back. This is because:
1. Taxis can be kinda scarce or difficult to get after events.
2. With Uber, the general car congestion will still be a PITA. You may also run into surge pricing on the way back. YMMV.
3. If you uber down and subway back, any heat issues that could make walking EXTRA SUCKY will be mitigated by the fact it's midnight. The 45 minute, eight block walk of doom mentioned up above took place when it was, like, 75 degrees outside, and I was sweating like a pregnant, enormous, cranky, swollen hog by the end of it. Pregnancy has reset my internal thermometer a good bit higher than normal.
4. The subway does have stairs, which can be deeply annoying in the third semester, especially after a long night out on the feet. However, if you're taking the subway back, your wife will be going down rather than up for the long one at AT&T station. Alternatively, AT&T Station has accessibility elevators, although sometimes, they aren't working.
Bonus points for:
A. Buying tokens ahead of time from a SEPTA station so that you don't get stuck trying to buy them after the concert while sleepy
B. Scouting out bathroom places near your seats in Wells Fargo, so that she can pee once when you leave the seats and pee again right before walking out of the station because there aren't going to be bathrooms for a while.
C. Scouting out where the elevators are for the AT&T Station and Walnut-Locust, so that if she is like I CANNOT GO DOWN STAIRS MY FEET ARE READY TO KILL ME, you guys know where to go.
posted by joyceanmachine at 9:54 AM on March 30, 2016 [5 favorites]
Depending on how your wife feels at that stage in the pregnancy, and whether the concert takes place on a warm day or not, half a mile can be a big deal. When not pregnant, I will walk three miles over city sidewalks without a thought, but it took me 45 minutes to walk eight blocks the other day, and by the end of it, my feet hurt, my back hurt, I was soaked in sweat, I was hungry, I was thirsty, I had to pee, my ankles were horribly swollen, and I was really just done and ready to nap for three hours.
So yeah, I'd uber or taxi it down there, then subway it back. This is because:
1. Taxis can be kinda scarce or difficult to get after events.
2. With Uber, the general car congestion will still be a PITA. You may also run into surge pricing on the way back. YMMV.
3. If you uber down and subway back, any heat issues that could make walking EXTRA SUCKY will be mitigated by the fact it's midnight. The 45 minute, eight block walk of doom mentioned up above took place when it was, like, 75 degrees outside, and I was sweating like a pregnant, enormous, cranky, swollen hog by the end of it. Pregnancy has reset my internal thermometer a good bit higher than normal.
4. The subway does have stairs, which can be deeply annoying in the third semester, especially after a long night out on the feet. However, if you're taking the subway back, your wife will be going down rather than up for the long one at AT&T station. Alternatively, AT&T Station has accessibility elevators, although sometimes, they aren't working.
Bonus points for:
A. Buying tokens ahead of time from a SEPTA station so that you don't get stuck trying to buy them after the concert while sleepy
B. Scouting out bathroom places near your seats in Wells Fargo, so that she can pee once when you leave the seats and pee again right before walking out of the station because there aren't going to be bathrooms for a while.
C. Scouting out where the elevators are for the AT&T Station and Walnut-Locust, so that if she is like I CANNOT GO DOWN STAIRS MY FEET ARE READY TO KILL ME, you guys know where to go.
posted by joyceanmachine at 9:54 AM on March 30, 2016 [5 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you all for your most valuable insight. I posted this last night and since then, The Wife has contracted our daughter's stomach flu and has been wiped out all day. She has yet to read responses but I know she's going to get comfort in knowing what to expect and having options.
posted by inviolable at 3:51 PM on March 30, 2016
posted by inviolable at 3:51 PM on March 30, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by aniola at 1:03 AM on March 30, 2016