Local Attractions and Businesses in Lester, Pennsylvania - Quality

Even in these days of nomadic professional teams, Philadelphia fields teams in every major sport, and boasts two new outdoor stadiums and two indoor venues at the end of South Broad Street to house them all. The brand-new, 43,000-seat Citizens Bank Park is a beautiful baseball stadium opened by the Phillies in 2004; the state-of-the-art Lincoln Financial Field seats 66,000 for Eagles games. The 21,000-seat Wachovia Center houses the Philadelphia Flyers pro hockey team and the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team. It couples with the 17,000-seat Spectrum, which functions as a rock-concert forum and hosts the U.S. Pro Indoor Tennis Championships and other one-of-a-kind events.

All these facilities are next to each other and can be reached via a 10-minute subway ride straight down South Broad Street to Pattison Avenue (cash fare is $2; tokens are $1.30 each, in packs of two and five). The same fare will put you on the SEPTA bus C, which goes down Broad Street more slowly but is the safer choice late at night.

Professional sports aren't the only game in town, though. Philadelphia has a lot of colleges, and Franklin Field and the Palestra dominate West Philadelphia on 33rd below Walnut Street. The Penn Relays, the first intercollegiate and amateur track event in the nation, books Franklin Field on the last weekend in April. Regattas pull along the Schuylkill all spring, summer, and fall, within sight of Fairmount Park's mansions.

A call to Ticketmaster (tel. 215/336-2000 in Philadelphia) can often get you a ticket to a game before you hit town.

Baseball

The Philadelphia Phillies (tel. 215/463-1000 or visit their website for ticket information, or 215/463-5300 for daily game information), won the World Series in 1980, the National League pennant in 1993, and made playoffs in 1995. Although everyone has a favorite Phil, most fans agree that first basemen and home-run hitter extraordinaire Ryan Howard deserves the most props. In 2005, Howard won the National League's "Rookie of the Year" award. In 2006, he became the league's "Most Valuable Player." Now if the team could get some pitching. Anyway, Howard and the guys play at the gorgeous, intimate new Citizens Bank Park, where great local food options include Tony Luke's, Bull's BBQ (owned by former Phillie Greg Luzinski, who signs autographs at games), and Peace-a-Pizza. There are even kiosks selling locally brewed beer. A giant lighted Liberty Bell rings after every Phillies home run. Fans come early (and stay late) to drink beer and listen to cover bands at lively McFadden's Pub behind the 3rd Base Gate. Day games usually begin at 1:05pm, regular night games at 8:05pm on Friday, 7:05pm on other days. When there's a twilight doubleheader, it begins at 5:35pm.

Box seats overlooking the field at Citizens Bank Park are $44, and the cheapest bleacher seats are $15 if you're over 14. Tickets are usually available on game days.

Basketball

The Philadelphia 76ers play about 40 games at the Wachovia Center between early November and late April. Call tel. 215/339-7676 for ticket information, or charge at tel. 215/336-2000; single tickets range $15 to $115. A great thing about Sixers games is the crowds: They're generally better behaved (and better groomed) than Birds, Phils, or Flyers fans.

There are five major college basketball teams in the Philadelphia area, and the newspapers print schedules of their games. Philly's favorite young teams are the Temple Owls who play at home at the Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St. (tel. 800/298-4200) and the Hawks of St. Joseph's University, home at the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, 54th St. and City Line Ave. (tel. 610/660-1712). Many college ballgames are played at Penn's Palestra, 235 S. 33rd St., between South and Walnut sts., with tickets going for $5 to $8. Call tel. 215/898-4747 for availability.

Biking

The U.S. Pro Cycling Championship, held each June, is a top event in the cycling world. (Lance Armstrong is a former rider in this event.) The 156-mile race starts and finishes along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Watching the cyclists climb the torturous incline of "The Wall" in Manayunk is thrilling: The entire street throws house parties and cheers the straining riders onward and upward. Visit the Pro Cycling Tour website for this year's event information.

Boating

From April to September, you can watch regattas on the Schuylkill River, which have been held since the earliest days of the "Schuylkill Navy" a century ago. The National Association of Amateur Oarsmen (tel. 215/769-2068) and the Boathouse Association (tel. 215/686-0052) have a complete schedule of races, one of the best known being the Dad Vail Regatta.

Football

Football is, without a doubt, Philadelphia's favorite sport, and current Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb may be injury-prone, but still is the spiritual backbone of the team. For fans, the fun starts way before the kickoff, when the parking lot of Lincoln Financial Field turns into a giant tailgate party, with full bars, pig roasts, bands playing, and beer that flows freely. Getting stuck there for the duration of the game might not be a bad thing -- and it might be your only choice. Virtually 100% of Birds' tickets are sold to season-ticket holders. Call tel. 215/463-5500 for ticket advice; you may be able to score pricey club seats. For team updates, visit their website.

Horse Racing

Home of Kentucky Derby underdog (and winner) Smarty Jones, Philadelphia Park (the old Keystone Track) is the only track left in the area, with races from June 15 to February 13, Saturday through Tuesday. (Post time is 12:35pm.) Admission, general parking, and a program are free. The park is at 3001 Street Rd. in Bensalem, half a mile from Exit 28 on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Call tel. 215/639-9000 for information.

The Turf Club at Center City, 7 Penn Center, 1635 Market St., on the concourse and lower mezzanine levels (tel. 215/246-1556), features 270 color video monitors and an ersatz Art Deco design; it brings the wagering to you in the comfort of Center City.

Ice Hockey

The Wachovia Center rocks to the Philadelphia Flyers from fall to spring. As with the Eagles, Flyers tickets aren't easy to find -- 80% of tickets are sold by the season's start in October. Call tel. 215/465-5500 for ticket information; if you can get them, they'll cost between $23 and $85.

Track & Field

The city hosts the Penn Relays, the oldest and still the largest amateur track meet in the country, in late April at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field. For tickets, contact the Penn Athletics box office at tel. 215/898-6151 or visit their website. The annual Philadelphia Marathon (tel. 215/683-2122) fills hotels with strong-calved runners in early November. September sees the increasingly world-class Philadelphia Distance Run, a half-marathon. My favorite, however, is May's Broad Street Run (tel. 215/683-3594), a 10-miler (mostly downhill) beginning at North Broad Street's Central High School and ending at South Philadelphia's handsome Naval Yard.