Chestnut Hill is a quaint little section of
Philadelphia located about ten miles north of
Center City. Chestnut Hill is easily accessible via the
R7 and
R8 SEPTA regional rail lines, or via Lincoln Drive and Germantown Avenue/Pike.
Known for its many antique shops, the farmer's market, and its quaint, hometown feel, Chestnut Hill is one of the nicest areas of Philly. It's very close to Fairmount Park, which provides a seemingly endless supply of recreational activities.
Here are some of my favorite places:
Food
- Top of the Hill- No visit to Chestnut Hill is complete unless you've gotten a sandwich from the Top of the Hill Farm Market and Deli (186 E. Evergreen Avenue). They have the best corned beef special I've ever had.
- The Farmer's Market (8229 Germantown Avenue)- They have everything from fresh meat, to fish, to flowers, to cookies, to Mexican food. I love the Chicken Chimichangas the mexican place has. There's a tremendous variety of food, and it's all good. Be careful though, because the market is only open Thursday-Saturday, so plan your trip accordingly.
- King's Garden Chinese (8200 Germantown Avenue)- Very good Chinese food. Try their General Tso's. It's very spicy
Shopping
- Chestnut Hill Camera Shop (8614 Germantown Avenue)- They have a large variety of camera and photographic supplies. Definitely stop in if you like that sort of stuff.
- Wm. A. Kilian Hardware Co. (8450 Germantown Avenue)- On the corner of Germantown and Highland Aves., it’s a half-way decent hardware store. If you’re in the area, and need a screw or something, it’s great. Otherwise, go to Home Depot.
Miscellaneous
- Victor's Barber Shop (8433 Germantown Avenue)- If you need a haircut, you might as well have it cut by Victor. Victor's a man in his 60's who cuts hair just for the love of it. He's normally not busy, and you get to listen to the (really) oldies station on the radio.
- Stagecrafters (theater)- A local theater troupe. I’ve never seen them personally, but I’ve heard they’re really good.
- This is a general note: The Chestnut Hill Parking Foundation has a monopoly on all the parking lots in the area, and they're not very nice about it. Your best bet is to park in the residential area and walk the extra two blocks. You can also park in front of a meter if you're not staying long.
A lot of this information is from http://membrane.com/chestnuthill/, with commentary from me.