What's a good 3-day itinerary for Philadelphia?

Day 1 stays east of Broad Street, all of it walkable. The Independence Visitor Center at 6th and Chestnut opens at 8:30am, and that's where you pick up free timed tickets for the Independence Hall tour. Get there early in summer. The hall itself, completed in 1753, still has the original rising-sun chair George Washington sat in during the Constitutional Convention. The Liberty Bell Center sits across Chestnut Street and takes about 15 minutes. From there, walk 3 blocks north to Elfreth's Alley, where the brick row houses date to 1702 and the cobblestones catch your ankles if you're not watching. The air smells faintly of old mortar and whatever's flowering in the window boxes. By noon, head 6 blocks west to Reading Terminal Market at 12th and Arch. DiNic's roast pork sandwich with sharp provolone and garlicky broccoli rabe runs about $13. It is the single best thing to eat in Philadelphia on a first visit. The market has been operating since 1893.

Day 2 moves northwest along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the museum district. The Philadelphia Museum of Art, founded in 1876, opens at 10am Wednesday through Monday. The second-floor period rooms are the reason to go. A 12th-century French cloister, a Japanese ceremonial teahouse, a Chinese palace hall, all original, not reproductions. The 72 front steps are the Rocky steps, and yes, everyone runs them. That said, the view of Center City from the top is worth the climb regardless. Walk 10 minutes back down the Parkway to the Barnes Foundation at 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Albert Barnes arranged his 181 Renoirs, 69 Cézannes, and 59 Matisses in dense wall ensembles alongside iron hinges and African sculpture. The hanging method hasn't changed since 1922. Book a timed ticket online for $25. For dinner, take a rideshare back to Old City and eat at Zahav on South 2nd Street, where the hummus is warm and smoky and the lamb shoulder for two runs about $58.

Day 3 starts at the Italian Market on 9th Street in South Philadelphia, the oldest open-air market in the country, running since 1902. Stalls open by 9am Tuesday through Saturday. You'll smell dried oregano and sharp provolone before you see the first awning. Isgro Pastries at 1009 Christian Street has been filling cannoli since 1904. A ricotta cannoli and an espresso cost about $7 together. For the cheesesteak question, skip Pat's and Geno's at the tourist intersection and walk to John's Roast Pork on Snyder Avenue. Most Philadelphians will tell you the same thing. After lunch, take the 34 trolley west to University City. The Penn Museum at 3260 South Street, founded in 1887, holds a 12.5-ton sphinx of Ramesses II and one of the strongest Mesopotamian collections outside London. The building is cool and quiet inside, a good contrast to the morning market heat.

Philadelphia's airport sits 12 km southwest of Center City. The SEPTA Airport Line runs every 30 minutes to Jefferson Station at 10th and Market for about $7 one-way. From Jefferson, Old City is a 10-minute walk east. June temperatures currently sit around 22°C with afternoon humidity that makes the shaded streets of Society Hill feel noticeably cooler than the open Parkway on Day 2. Wear shoes for cobblestones. The uneven surfaces in Old City and the long museum floors on Day 2 add up over 26 km.