What the heck do you do that you get to travel so much? I'm extremely jealous.

In Orlando I recommend Howl at the Moon if you want to go out. I never at there, but its a dueling piano bar and it was wicked fun. They have on in Chicago I think too.

The one on orlando is on I-drive right next to TOmmy bahamas (which apparently has good food)

Also, eat at Perry's Deli on Franklin while in Chicago. Bring your apetite. You can ask the sandwich makers to split half to eat in and half to go. I usually eat half for my lunch, then half for dinner.

DO NOT get a triple decker there unless you want a side of beef in your sandwich.

Yeah very true. Shoot, even in El Paso we have some Tex-Mex like Fajitas, burritos, etc. I went to Midland once where their idea of a quesadilla, was a big round tortilla chip, covered in Velvetta. It was DISGUSTING!!!!

If you want to do some fancy shopping (or just drool), go to the Mall at Millennia in Orlando. There's a Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, all sorts of fab designers...

Dragging this back to the top because I've been thinking about it and finally have the time to compose something.

There's already some great recommendations for Philadelphia, but you also have to go out for breakfast or brunch if you can. It's really big here (although that might be true elsewhere; I just don't know). The most popular places seem to be in the neighborhoods around the Italian Market, such as Bella Vista and Passyunk Square: the Morning Glory Diner, Sabrina's, Fitzwater Cafe, Royal Tavern, Carman's Country Kitchen, Green Eggs, Black & Brew. Some other well-known places in other neighborhoods are Honey's Sit 'n Eat, Ida Mae's, Ants Pants, and 10th St. Pour House. Warning: Because of popular demand, you can end up waiting a while for a table, even on weekdays (nickname for Honey's: "Honey's Stand 'n Wait"), but it's well worth it. If you have a frittata at Morning Glory, you might not need to eat for the rest of the day.

After you've seen the sights, you might also just like wandering around the "city of neighborhoods," people watching and admiring the architecture. There is a big hipster culture here, and the neighborhoods of Northern Liberties, Fishtown, and Passyunk Square are the epicenters. No Libs is more developed, with trendy shops, restaurants, and bars; Fishtown is in transition from a blue-collar neighborhood and has a lot of artists; Passyunk Square is very international, a mix of hipsters and professionals with Mexicans and southeast Asians as well as the traditional Italian population. The areas in West Philadelphia around the campuses of Drexel, Penn, and University of the Sciences are beautiful (although there is concern about safety), and you could check out their versions of Greek houses. Plus, you might be around at move-in time, and even many years after I graduated, I still enjoy seeing the students catch up with their friends and get ready for the new school year.

Bump.

How's the cross-country extravaganza going, ASTalumna06? Have you visited any of the places suggested in this thread?

I almost committed the sin of replying to a thread that's months old! I'm interested to hear how it all went as well. I'm a travel agent and a foodie, so this was right up my alley.

I will definitely give you all an update, hopefully later today or tomorrow. It's going to be a long one, I'm sure! :)