I had come to see the city's famed museums, and had not expected so many competing claims for my attention. First on my long list of must-sees was the PMA's exhibition of Marcel Duchamp alongside his friends and collaborators, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, John Cage and Merce Cunningham – an ambitiously cerebral yet engaging exhibition combining art, music and dance [now at London's Barbican until June 9].  The monumental 1928 museum building itself, known, for its Revivalist style, as the "Great Greek Garage", stands at one end of Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the 19th-century diagonal that cuts a swathe through William Penn's original grid design for the city.  Three generations of Calders provide historic continuity along this avenue, from the equally impressive Second Empire City Hall – whose crowning bronze statue of the city's founder was created in the 1890s by Alexander Milne Calder, through the Swann Fountain by his son, Alexander Stirling Calder, to the "Ghost" mobile of Alexander Calder III, which hangs inside the entrance of the museum. It was, incidentally, Duchamp who suggested to Calder that he name his kinetic sculptures "mobiles".  One can only imagine the museum authority's thoughts when this axis of "The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost", as it is irreverently known, was interrupted by a giant statue of Sylvester Stallone as Rocky, arms raised in triumph, placed atop the 72 steps of the museum.  After several relocations, it has now found a more discreet home at the foot of what remain known as "the Rocky Steps", in honour of a scene in the eponymous film. The statue, meantime, has become almost as popular a photographic backdrop as Robert Indiana's iconic Love statue in John F Kennedy Plaza.  A short hop away is the Rodin Museum, reopened last July after a $9 million restoration that returned the interior and exterior of the building to their original 1929 appearance. An architectural echo of the sculptor's tomb in Meudon, containing some 140 sculptures donated to the city by the movie theatre magnate Jules Mastbaum, it is the largest collection of Rodins outside Paris. Exceptionally, the Rodin Trustees permitted Mastbaum to commission a marble copy of The Kiss, which has now been returned to public view after 40 years in purdah.  The architect of this Beaux-Arts building, Paul Cret, was also responsible for the original Barnes gallery in Merion which, last May, was relocated amid much brouhaha (because Barnes did not want the collection housed within the city) next door to the Rodin Museum, in a superb new building surrounded by Zen-like gardens, which completes a Golden Mile of museums along Parkway.  Barnes, as heterogeneous in his tastes as Mastbaum was focused, amassed an astonishing collection that numbers 181 Renoirs, 69 Cézannes, 59 Matisses, dozens of Old Masters, and much, much more besides.  The collection is displayed in 24 galleries exactly as the donor intended, interspersed with African art and Native American objects and metalwork, in a jumble of styles, eras and continents whose logic lies only in a rhythmic formality and often humorous visual punning.  The scope of the collection, combined with the intimacy of the setting – large UV-filtering windows allowing natural light to illuminate the chubby impasto of Van Gogh's flowers, for example – is breathtaking. It is not often one visits a gallery and discovers works by great artists never before seen, even in reproduction. For me, at least, the Barnes was full of wow moments.  Dizzy with images, I felt ready for more trivial pursuits. Like shopping, along elegant Walnut Street and Rittenhouse Row; exploring the independent boutiques and galleries of 3rd Street in the Old Town; trawling the renowned vintage shops of Fabric Row and shops of Antiques Row; and sampling Amish farm produce at Reading Terminal Market.  Compact and human in scale, friendly in atmosphere, Philadelphia is a city made for walkers, divided into contrasting neighbourhoods and dissected by the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, whose banks sport the boat houses of the city's six proud universities, prettily illuminated at night (a scene popularised by the paintings of Thomas Eakins).  Shanks's pony is the best way to experience the city's architectural heritage, wandering nose-in-air from cobblestoned Elfreth's Alley – the oldest continuously inhabited street in the United States, with narrow-fronted houses dating to 1702 – through the neoclassical and on to Frank Furness's bold and unorthodox 19th-century creations.  And thence to contemporary masterpieces such as the Kimmel Centre, home of the renowned Philadelphia Orchestra, and the skyscrapers at Liberty Place which, in 1987, broke the unspoken agreement that no building should be taller than the statue of Penn, atop City Hall.  On the 37th floor of No 2 Liberty Place, R2L, one of Philly's most sumptuous restaurants offers panoramic views over where you have just been.  On the subject of restaurants – Philadelphia is blessed with a great many. From the humble hoagie and cheesesteak to the finest of fine dining, the city has more places to eat than you could ever want. Two of the leading restaurateurs in the city, Stephen Starr, with 21 differently themed restaurants, and José Garces – whose Chifa, one of seven in his stable, makes a triumph of the imponderable fusion of Latin, Asian and Peruvian cuisines – lead the pack and set the standard. Creativity is the name of the game – even the humblest pizzeria signs up to the fierce competition to create the zaniest cocktail.  W C Fields, it's said, was fond of a tipple. I suspect he'd have found plenty to enjoy in Philadelphia today.  Philadelphia is basically a safe city, but some parts of Northern Liberties are best avoided.  The rather tacky South Street – unless it is to queue for cheesesteaks at Jim's.  The displays at the famous Franklin Institute Science Museum are dated and the museum is rather disappointing – unless it is to loop the loop in a F-4 Phanthom jet simulator.  British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com) flies from Heathrow to Philadelphia from £553 return and US Airways (0845 600 3300; usairways.com) from £477 return. Check Flight Centre (0800 587 0058; flightcentre.co.uk) for cheap options. Traffic permitting, the airport is a 15-minute taxi ride from Center City.  This new hotel is located opposite Independence Hall in the Old Town and is notable for its contemporary design of bold, contrasting colours and clashing patterns. There’s a rooftop bar, and the adjoining Red Owl Tavern offers meals and friendly service. Expect to meet a very superior canine in the lifts of this dog-friendly hotel (001 215 925 2111; kimptonhotels.com; doubles from $206/£129 per night).  This magnificent domed 1908 building in Center City, originally a bank, was the work of architect Frank Furness. The adjoining skyscraper was added later and offers wonderful views from the classically designed bedrooms over the 37ft-high statue of William Penn on City Hall. The bar, located beneath the rotunda, is a popular meeting place. And there is a spa in which to unwind after shopping on neighbouring Walnut Street (523 8000; ritzcarlton.com; doubles from $225/£140).  A member of Leading Hotels of the World, the city’s grande dame hotel on elegant Rittenhouse Square emphasises personal service – flowers of your choice placed in your room, for example, and even your room key imprinted with the flag of your home country. It is also home to the sophisticated and award-winning restaurant, Lacroix. (546 9000; rittenhousehotel.com; doubles from $287/£180)  A pizzeria with flair that offers great cold cuts and cheeses. Try the Stache pizza, with mozzarella, pistachio pesto and baby rocket (112 South 13th Street; 732 2400).  A buzzing and informal restaurant, offering a dozen different varieties of oyster, along with the freshest seafood. The Maryland crab cakes with sprout and pecan salad are divine (1516 Sansom Street; 567 7683).  New, young and sexy, with the slickest service, Vernick is perfectly judged, and features such delicacies as sea urchin with scrambled egg. Delicious (2031 Logan Street; 639 6644).  Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons £££  Opposite the Swann Fountain in the heart of museum land, the Fountain is one of Philadelphia’s best fine-dining institutions. Flawless continental dishes, with service to match (1 Logan Square; 963 1500).  Read our USA travel guides  Alaska travel guide Florida travel guide Las Vegas city guide Los Angeles city guide Miami city guide New York city guide Boston city guide San Francisco city guide
Though derided by famed son W C Fields, Philadelphia is a city to savour, says Teresa Levonian Cole.