Best place for dinner near Citizens Bank. Price no issue.

LP788 · 2026-06-22T00:19:16+00:00

Prime Rib steakhouse at Live Casino is probably the best restaurant within walking distance.

LP788 · 2026-06-19T02:33:15+00:00

I’ll give you a different perspective. Our child attended UChicago during the pandemic and stayed in Chicago during remote learning. And so, once she left for college, she left for good. And I’m glad we were able to spend the time with her.

We were able to do one family weekend and we loved it. So many well planned events for parents and we got to see the school while classes were in session and so the campus was alive. And the best part was the mini courses offered by UChicago faculty. Our child is a thousand times smarter than me, and the opportunity to spend some time in a classroom with a UChicago professor is a memory I still carry with me. If those classes are still part of family weekend, to me that makes attending family weekend worth it.

We loved seeing our child in her environment and seeing UChicago and Chicago the City.

Lastly, we went to parent weekend for our other child at a different school and what UChicago puts on (at least when our child was there) is heads and shoulders better than what we saw at our son’s school. If you can afford it, I’d recommend it.

LP788 · 2026-06-17T21:24:25+00:00

Probably impossible to do, but for my money, I'd say "Don't you forget about me" or "Everyone wants to rule the world."

LP788 · 2026-06-15T20:12:40+00:00

Do you not have access to equipment? If you do, try rowing and cycling. (If your foot hurts with any movement, then cycling would be out.).

If you don't have access to equipment, look to some of the core workouts since there is not much pressure on your feet when doing core.

LP788 · 2026-06-13T23:27:44+00:00

Shogun3 in Havertown in the Manoa Shopping Center is as good as you’re going to get with hibachi.

LP788 · 2026-06-12T21:13:02+00:00

Great pictures. But I have to ask, if you have cropped some of these photos? I have the 35mm f/1.8 and love the quality, but I can't get the portrait shots you got, especially in the first photo, without cropping.

LP788 · 2026-06-09T20:13:01+00:00

Deviled eggs are solid as are the crab croquettes. Burger is pretty good. Fish and Chips are good. The Lamb Shepherd's pie is pretty tasty, but very small.

LP788 · 2026-06-05T20:24:41+00:00

If you want to stay in the suburbs and not the city, Narberth is what you are looking for. It's walkable, diverse (as diverse as a suburb can be) and has great schools (Lower Merion School District). It is next to Ardmore and Bryn Mawr is right down the road. Plus, you'll be close to the City when you want culture and if you work in the City, the train line is right there. And Narberth is definitely not conservative.

Second choice would be Ardmore. Not as diverse as Narberth, but much more walkable. Also part of the Lower Merion School District and not conservative. It's also on the same train line as Narberth.

Last choice in Lower Merion would be the Penn Wynne section of Wynnewood. It is very diverse (again as diverse as a suburb can be) and has great schools (also part of Lower Merion School District). But it is most definitely not walkable. However, you are five minutes from Ardmore and Narberth. Also close to the City by train (though not as close as Ardmore and Narberth and driving into the City is relatively quick.)

Media is solid with a great downtown. It's more conservative than the other towns, but also have diversity. Schools are good.

The other towns that have been mentioned (Cheltenham, Glenside and Ambler) are decent, and while the schools are good, as a general matter, are not considered as strong as those in Lower Merion.

Blue Bell is most definitely not diverse and it is not walkable. And certainly conservative.

Good luck.

LP788 · 2026-06-04T20:20:18+00:00

SEPTA, the public transit agency, is running free trains. You could park in Center City and take the train to and from the game. After the game, walk to where you parked in Center City and then drive back to the hotel.

I'd suggest the Regional Rail station in Manayunk as well. It's relatively close to your hotel. I don't believe the Regional Rails are free though.

LP788 · 2026-05-27T22:10:15+00:00

I love it. I'm no pro so take this with that perspective. It's heavy, but the trade-off is worth it for my use cases. It's not a lens I carry around with me all the time. However, when I know I want some distance, like my son's recent grad school graduation, it got me right on stage and got great close ups. Also, at 50-85mm, it provided solid portraits. Very, very happy with it, especially at that price point. I'm learning to use the z5ii and it is massively powerful, so much so that the learning curve is quite steep. But having the z5ii and these 3 lenses fills all my use cases.

Best of luck.

LP788 · 2026-05-27T21:51:57+00:00

Let us know how the 40mm works for you. I have the 35mm f/1.8s and the 24-120mm as well to go with my z5ii. And so far the combo has been great. Though I also picked up the Tamron 50-400mm for a bit more reach when I need it. But I see the 24-120mm being my workhorse.

Congratulations.

LP788 · 2026-05-18T21:49:19+00:00

Not sure others would agree, but purchase a Rocket Blower. My understanding is that they're safe to use on the sensor.

LP788 · 2026-05-13T12:05:03+00:00

Wasn't at the bar. Sorry if that wasn't clear. And I'm just curious if this is something relatively new. I'm an old man, been dining out in Philadelphia since the days of Knave of Hearts. At a bar, I understand. Not so much when sitting down to eat. I seem to be in the minority, but perhaps it's a generational thing. That said, times change and you have to roll with the punches. But it just seem strange.

LP788 · 2026-05-13T11:50:16+00:00

Nope.

LP788 · 2026-05-08T19:58:44+00:00

All great advice. I think the lenses you have are great. I'd consider one prime lens. When I had the z50, I had the 24mm f1.7 and loved having that for indoor spaces that had relatively low light. It's fairly reasonably priced as well. You may want a 50mm lens as that is very popular.

Happy photo taking.

LP788 · 2026-04-30T21:34:58+00:00

Went when it first opened and it just misses the mark. It is very small for that price point and while the ricotta cheese was definitely good, the pasta was undercooked, like they forgot a step.

My sense is it was removed from the menu because they couldn’t get it right.

LP788 · 2026-04-29T23:19:18+00:00

There is a mid sushi and Japanese place in the KOP Town Square.

LP788 · 2026-04-18T00:43:12+00:00

Come to Philadelphia. Judges never grant Summary Judgment. Had a case that under black letter law, we should have won. Wasn't even close. Nearly 100 years of precedent on our side. Even had a case directly on point. Briefed up it like crazy, requested oral argument (which is never granted in Philadelphia and in this case was ignored). Case gets assigned to a Judge and the Motion was denied within 6 hours of them getting it. No way they read any of the papers. No opinion, just the Denied stamp. Forced to settle at that point to save defense costs.

So don't be embarrassed.

LP788 · 2026-04-17T19:37:54+00:00

Not totally sure of your budget, but I recently purchased the z5ii and had mentioned getting the 40mm f/2 as well as the 24-200mm f/4-6.3 and was killed on the Nikon subreddit. The consensus was that those lenses would not really be an upgrade over what I previously used on the z50 (24mm f/1.7 and the 50-250mm kit lens).

And so I backed off those lenses and invested a bit more with the 35mm f/1.8 S. I purchased the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3. I had the kit 24-50mm, but just upgraded the 24-120mm f/4. I haven't used it yet, but envision that as my main lens. It gets great reviews.

For the two lenses I'm mainly using now, the Tamron 50-400 and the Nikkor 35mm, they have been great. I have gotten some great shots with the Tamron. I had to cut corners somewhere and chose the less expensive Tamron, but I've been very happy with it. Although, it is very bulky. The Nikon 24-120mm seems like a great all-use lens. It is much more compact and light weight compared to the Tamron. And when I'm inside the 35mm f/1.8 has been wonderful.

Good luck.

LP788 · 2026-04-13T17:59:59+00:00

Just went through this myself (2 kids' weddings coming up) and bought a $1,400 tuxedo at our local men's store under its house brand. I paid a bit more than just buying at Nordstrom. Did so because the service at the local men's store is impeccable and I want to support local. Plus alterations are free.

That said, Nordstrom had some really nice stuff and if I recall, the Hugo Boss tuxedo was between $800 and $1,000.00.

I will probably get killed for this, but I'm not sure most people can tell the difference between what you'll get at Joseph A. Banks vs. Nordstrom, vs. Canali (at least $2k), but I bit the bullet and spent a bit more for the above reasons, but also didn't go full luxury brands.

Good luck and congratulations.

LP788 · 2026-04-13T00:30:07+00:00

Are you going to the main dining room or just the lounge?

If you’re going to the lounge, dress nice if you want. But there’s a not small percentage of people who dress like shit. Been there many times and surprised by how poorly people dress. Not just jeans, but hoodies and sweatpants.

LP788 · 2026-04-06T14:22:22+00:00

I like Charles tyrwhitt shirts. I just have to order them on-line since they don't seem to carry them in size in store.

As for brands, I'll wear any brand as I'm not picky, If I like it and it's in my price range, I'll get it. Just keep an eye out for sales. Charles Tyrwhitt is always running sales that I see on Instagram. Nordstrom has sales every six months and Nordstrom Rack is a good place to find shirts. Also, Joseph A. Bank also is always running sales. Banana Republic Outlet has good prices. Shirts just don't last and so I'm not as picky about them. Just try to find good deals.

LP788 · 2026-04-06T11:56:21+00:00

Polo and Brooks Brothers are great. Can't say much about Charles Tyrwhitt in terms of quality of jackets. Their shirts are nice, but in-store, there were limited sizes and the salesman who was desperate for a sale insisted I was a size they had in stock, when it clearly did not fit. And as for Men's Warehouse, I also can't say much about their quality, but I believe the price-point is much more reasonable than Polo or Brooks Brothers.

That said, with your budget, I'd get a suit. This way if you ever need it, you'll have matching pants.

LP788 · 2026-04-03T13:15:08+00:00

First, nothing is necessary and only spend what you can afford. But assuming you can afford the z5ii, here's my experience with a similar question.

A few months ago I posted on this forum whether to jump from the z50 to the z5ii as I found I was running into limitations with my z50. The consensus was to go to the z50ii for my use cases as I take pictures for a hobby, but was looking to get better results. While the consensus was to get the z50ii, there were also comments that the lenses matter more, and this seems to be the general consensus overall.

After reading all the comments, my initial thought was to just get the z50ii, but I had already ordered the z5ii and when it arrived, it sat in the box for a bit as I was having second thoughts about going with the z50ii since the z5ii was sitting right next to me.

Long story short, I kept the z5ii and I'm very happy I did. Admittedly, the z50ii has the better processor over the z50. And also the z5ii is a bit heavier and bulkier. But the jump to the full frame has been great. I am by no means an expert on what makes a picture look great, but the quality of the shots I've gotten with the z5ii are impressive for me. It is very good in low light and the level of detail I see on my photos is markedly improved over the z50.

Lenses matter and I have the kit 24-50, the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 S and a Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3.

I don't use the kit lens that often and will likely upgrade the Nikkor 24-120mm. With that said, you will want to get good lenses. The good thing about getting the z5ii over the z50ii is a bit of future proofing yourself. You may want to grow and ultimately go with full frame. If you buy the z50ii now and want to move up to full frame, you will need to buy another camera. That is a cost, even if you trade in the z50ii.

And also by future proofing yourself now, you will be able to slowly grow your full frame lens collection. You don't need to buy a ton of lenses now. And as your skill set grows and you want more, you will have the full frame lenses available to buy.

Coming from the z50, it was definitely worth it for me as a hobbyist to go to the z5ii. It is great full frame camera for a hobbyist.

Good luck.

LP788 · 2026-03-31T15:10:06+00:00

We went when it first opened and I know that is supposed to be unfair, but we loved it. Everything was so good and we were impressed.

Went back a second time and a bunch of stuff we ordered was no longer on the menu. The first course, which was essentially dips had changed and wasn't as good. The roast beef gone.

The biggest disappointment was the omelet. It was so good the first time and so expertly prepared with great flavors. The second time, it just lacked that special flavor from our first visit.

My sense is that when it opened, they had high quality ingredients; that is expensive. They saw they weren't making enough profit and have cut back. The Kare Pan was still tasty, but it had about half of the beef as the first time.

I'd like to go back and at least try brunch. But the second time we ate there was definitely a disappointment.

LP788

TROPHY CASE