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Phone: 215-627-7266

Street Address: 416-18 Bainbridge Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Rates: $85 to $130 as of December 2004.

Location Rating: Excellent if you want to be near the "South Street" action. It is only one block away.

Lobby Appearance: Small, cozy, colonial.

Room Appearance: Small, clean, quaint, cozy and with a 200 year old look, yet everything seems fresh, not old and worn-out.

Useful Nearby Businesses: There is a lot in this neighborhood. Lots of places to eat. Lots of unusual shops. And a good number of tattoo parlors. This is a very popular, sort of trendy area. The manager of the Gaskill House calls South Street "the koo-koos nest." I had a steak sandwich at Jim's Steaks about a block away. If you go to the back of Jim's Steaks, you can find the stairway to the second floor - where you can sit, eat and watch the South Street crowd. Across the street is Starbucks and they also have a second floor hang-out spot (which is nicer). There are art stores, music stores, and a place called "Zipperhead" where you can get funky-strange rock and roll clothing. It is definitely an interesting neighborhood, yet the Shippen Way Inn seems to be far enough away from the noise.

Hotel Restaurants: This is a small 9 room Inn. There is not hotel restaurant. However breakfast is available in the morning and wine, cheese and crackers are available in the afternoon.

Other Amenities:

Would I Stay Here? Yes.

Comments: The Shippen Way Inn has been in operation since 1990. The building dates back to 1750. To get in, you press the doorbell by the gate and wait to be let in. I was greeted by innkeeper Ann Foringer. (Guests receive gate keys and can come and go as they please.)

There are two sections, one section is older and has unusual steps (I definitely needed to have my hand on the railing). The newer section has a fairly large, modern, cozy kitchen. The rooms I saw were nice, simple and with an old theme to them, yet I found the rooms to be comfortable and cozy. Each room had its own bathroom. The lighting I saw was good. I was charmed by this Inn. I liked it. And they have a nice little patio out back which has a secluded feel to it, even though there are city buildings surrounding it.

The best part is the location, because South Street is just a block away and this is an interesting street to go for a stroll, especially on weekend nights. It is a walk on the wild side there sometimes.

Smoking is not permitted. No pets. Parking is $1 per hour if you can get a meter spot. Parking may not be so easy here. But there is a parking lot across the street. Their current rates are $18 for 24 hours. If you do park on the street, be sure to put plenty of quarters in the meter, because if you don't, you'll be lucky not to have a parking ticket after 3 expired minutes have passed. That's what happened to me! I was 20 seconds too late. Ticket cost: $20. Philadelphia, "the place that loves you back," is brutal this way. Grr!