Manayunk sits halfway between the Valley Forge exit of the turnpike and downtown Philadelphia. Its location is ironic given that in some ways this small neighborhood on the Schuylkill River emulates the look and feel of Philadelphia’s South Street, yet avoids the trappings of the city’s suburbs, like the sprawling King of Prussia Mall at Valley Forge.

Founded in 1683 by English settlers, Manayunk is one of the older settlements around Philadelphia. With the completion of the Manayunk Canal in 1819 and the addition of the Reading Railroad (1839) and Pennsylvania Railroad (1884) lines, Manayunk became an industrial center on the Schuylkill River. With a large variety of jobs came many immigrants. Scotch-Irish settlers began flocking to the area in the early 1800s, followed by African-Americans in the 1830s, Polish settlers in the 1890s, and Italian settlers in the 1900s. The wide mix of people is still evident when walking Manayunk’s streets today.

Like many of the older communities surrounding Philadelphia, Manayunk stretches out from a main thoroughfare to dozens of side streets lined with unassuming row homes. For many years, Manayunk’s Main Street housed local businesses content on serving its predominantly blue-collar residents. In fact, the area’s best-known distinction did not come from a particular business or person, it came from a beast of a hill (known as Manayunk Wall) that has over the years brought many world famous bicyclists to their knees during the annual Corestates U.S. Bicycle Race.

For reasons unknown, in the mid-1980s Manayunk was touched by the goddess of hip, and almost overnight the Main Street’s turn-of-the-century storefronts exploded into a Mecca of trendy boutiques, restaurants and art galleries making Manayunk a great place to see (and be seen).

Because Manayunk is so close to Harrisburg (approximately 90 minutes) and the main part of the town is so compact (approximately 10 to 12 blocks), a visit here is the perfect day trip, as long as you remember two important tips.

First and foremost, try to either arrive early and leave in the early evening, or arrive late in the afternoon and stay well into the evening. Because all pedestrian and vehicle traffic comes into town via Main Street, parking is at a premium and traffic backups are a constant throughout the day and evening. The best bet is to head to one of Manayunk’s four public parking lots and leave the car. It will cost less than $20 no matter how long you stay, and since everything is contained to such a small area, dropping packages off at the car is easy.

The second rule to remember is to bring a fair amount of money or your favorite credit card. Manayunk is filled with stores that have great merchandise that no one needs but everyone wants. Be forewarned that in this consumer’s paradise, many items carry a very metropolitan price tag. That said, the merchants are extremely friendly and they strongly encourage window shopping and browsing.

Instead of stopping at the first boutique on the street, take a nice walk to the far end of town and stop in the Manayunk Farmers Market for a cup of gourmet coffee and a light snack. Featuring more than 20 food vendors and the Manayunk Brewing Company, the Farmers Market is hopping all day long.

So, what’s your pleasure? Choices in Manayunk run the gamut. Kiln Time is a paint-your-own pottery studio, while great collectibles stores like American Pie, Susan’s New Attic, and Latitudes Gallery feature everything from Pez magnets to American folk art. If your tastes veer toward Asian arts, Pacific Rim and House of Sissoko can foot the bill. If you are searching for a specific item like a hat (Turtledove), a unique watch (Timeworks), hand-painted furniture (Whitney Works), or something with a Southwest flair (Tumbleweed), chances are very good that a store in Manayunk sells it.

If you prefer antiques, Manayunk has five dedicated antique centers (Antique Marketplace, Ida’s Treasures, Philadelphia Antique Center, Sandy DeMaio Antiques, and Shubi’s Victorian Americana) as well as numerous smaller businesses that dabble in antiques.

From an artist’s point of view, Manayunk features Artforms Gallery (a non-profit cooperative fine arts gallery), Discoveries Gallery, and Owen/Patrick Gallery. A new storefront gallery features limited edition prints of paintings by the late Jerry Garcia. There’s no sign on the building yet, just look for the Jerry Garcia Artwork banner.

After so much shopping, a bite to eat is definitely needed, if not for nourishment than just for the rest. Manayunk’s restaurants run from very affordable to downright expensive. Roscoe’s Kodiak Cafe features a large variety of wild game, while Le Bus Main Street features homestyle meals served with what might be the best bread anywhere in Philadelphia. If you’re looking for a steak, Kansas City Prime is the place to be, while California cuisine and martini lovers should run to Sonoma. In between these choices, there is southwest cuisine, sushi, Greek, Nuevo Latino, and plenty of bar food to be had. (Make a dining decision early in the day and get a reservation. Tables can be very hard to get during dinner.)

As nice as Main Street is, a quick walk on Manayunk’s side streets reveal interesting places off the beaten path. Just a half-block of the main drag, The Grape Street Pub is one of Philadelphia’s premier live music venues. For adventurers who walk a little farther, the Dawson Street Pub makes for the ultimate reward. Although the vinyl furnishings and not-so-clean floors might scare off some patrons, Dawson Street Pub’s beer selection quickly makes up for the lack of ambiance. Around Manayunk, there are jewels in the rough still waiting to be found.

At the end of the day, you will be totally exhausted from all the walking, but rest assured that you are less than 10 minutes from the Interstate and two hours from Harrisburg. Manayunk is a One-Tank Getaway like no other.

Restaurants