Spectator Sports

Even in these days of nomadic professional teams, Philadelphia fields teams in every major sport, and boasts two new outdoor stadiums and two indoor venues at the end of South Broad Street to house them all. The 43,000-seat Citizens Bank Park is a beautiful baseball stadium opened by the Phillies in 2004; the state-of-the-art Lincoln Financial Field seats 66,000 for Eagles games. The Wells Fargo Center houses the Philadelphia Flyers pro hockey team and the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team.

All these facilities are next to each other and can be reached via a 10-minute subway ride straight down South Broad Street to AT&T Station (formerly Pattison Station) Cash fare is $2; tokens are $1.45 each, in packs of two and five. The same fare will put you on the SEPTA bus C, which goes down Broad Street more slowly but is the safer choice late at night.

Professional sports aren't the only game in town, though. Philadelphia has a lot of colleges, and Franklin Field and the Palestra dominate West Philadelphia on 33rd below Walnut Street. The Penn Relays, the first intercollegiate and amateur track event in the nation, books Franklin Field on the last weekend in April. Regattas pull along the Schuylkill all spring, summer, and fall, within sight of Fairmount Park's mansions.

A call to Ticketmaster (tel. 215/336-2000 in Philadelphia) can often get you a ticket to a game before you hit town.

Baseball

The Philadelphia Phillies (tel. 215/463-1000 or www.phillies.com for tickets and general information) won the World Series in 1980, the National League pennant in 1993, and made the playoffs in 1995, and, at very long last, recaptured the World Series in 2008. Everyone has a favorite Phil: first baseman and home-run hitter extraordinaire Ryan Howard gets a whole lot of love, but second baseman Chase Utley, starting pitchers perfect-gamer Roy "Doc" Halladay and Roy Oswalt, aren't far behind, and catcher Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz, shortstop Jimmy "J-Roll" Rollins, and centerfielder Shane "Flyin' Hawaiian" Victorino are undeniably the team's heart and soul (not that I'm biased or anything). Anyway, the whole lot of them dominates Citizens Bank Park, where great local food options include Tony Luke's, Bull's BBQ (owned by former Phillie Greg Luzinski, who signs autographs at games), and Chickie's & Pete's. Kiosks sell locally brewed beer. A giant lighted Liberty Bell rings after every Phillies home run. Fans come early (and stay late) to drink beer and listen to cover bands at lively McFadden's Pub behind the 3rd Base Gate. Day games usually begin at 1:05pm, regular night games at 8:05pm on Friday, 7:05pm on other days. When there's a twilight double-header, it begins at 5:35pm.

At press time, box seats overlooking the field at Citizens Bank Park were priced at $65, and the cheapest bleacher seats cost around $16 if you're at least 15 years of age. Standing-room-only tickets are sometimes available on game days -- less so when the Phils are on a winning streak.

Basketball

The Philadelphia 76ers (www.sixers.com) play about 40 games at the Wachovia Center between early November and late April. Call tel. 215/339-7676 for ticket information, or charge at tel. 215/336-2000; single tickets range from $10 to $119. A great thing about Sixers games is the crowds: They're generally better behaved (and better groomed) than Birds, Phils, or Flyers fans.

There are five major college basketball teams in the Philadelphia area, and the newspapers print schedules of their games. Philly's favorite young teams are the Temple Owls who play at home at the Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St. (tel. 800/298-4200; http://owlsports.cstv.com), and the Hawks of St. Joseph's University, home at the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, 54th Street and City Line Avenue (tel. 610/660-1712; http://sjuhawks.cstv.com). Many college ballgames are played at Penn's Palestra, 235 S. 33rd St., between South and Walnut streets. Call tel. 215/898-6151 for availability.

Biking

The U.S. Pro Cycling Championship, held each June, is a top event in the cycling world. (Lance Armstrong is a former rider in this event.) The 156-mile race starts and finishes along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Watching the cyclists climb the torturous incline of "The Wall" in Manayunk is thrilling: The entire street throws house parties and cheers the straining riders onward and upward. Visit www.procyclingtour.com for this year's event information.

Boating

From April to September, you can watch regattas on the Schuylkill River, which have been held since the earliest days of the "Schuylkill Navy" a century ago, one of the best known being the Dad Vail Regatta. Schedules of races can be found at www.boathouserow.org.

Football

Football has long been regarded as Philly's favorite sport. For Eagles fans, the fun starts way before the kickoff, when the parking lot of Lincoln Financial Field turns into a giant tailgate party, with full bars, pig roasts, bands playing, and beer that flows freely. Getting stuck there for the duration of the game might not be a bad thing -- and it might be your only choice. Virtually 100% of Birds' tickets are sold to season-ticket holders. Call tel. 215/463-5500 for ticket advice; you may be able to score pricey club seats. For team updates, visit www.philadelphiaeagles.com.

The Eagles Cheer -- If you ever find yourself in a bad spot in a bar, or if you'd like to win over some new friends, shout out the letters E and then A. Guaranteed everyone around you will chime in with a boisterous, "G, L, E, S: Eagles!" And, at last, you'll be popular. (If you'd like to lose friends in Philly, however, appear in a public place wearing a Dallas jersey.)

Horse Racing

Home of Kentucky Derby underdog (and winner) Smarty Jones, Philadelphia Park, formerly old Keystone Track, today known as extra-cheesy Parx Casino, is the only track left in the area, with races from June 15 to February 13, Saturday through Tuesday. (Post time is 12:35pm.) Admission, general parking, and a program are free. But you'll have to deal with the drone of slot machines to enjoy it. The park is at 3001 Street Rd. in Bensalem, half a mile from exit 28 on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Call tel. 888/588-PARX [7279] or 215/639-9000 for information.

The Turf Club at Center City, 7 Penn Center, 1635 Market St. (tel. 215/246-1556), is on the concourse and lower mezzanine levels and features 270 color video monitors and an ersatz Art Deco design.

Ice Hockey

The Wachovia Center rocks to the Philadelphia Flyers (www.philadelphiaflyers.com) from fall to spring. As with the Eagles, Flyers tickets aren't easy to find -- 80% of tickets are sold by the season's start in October. Call tel. 215/735-9700 for ticket information; if you can get them, they'll cost between $46 and $225.

Track & Field

The city hosts the Penn Relays, the oldest and still the largest amateur track meet in the country, in late April at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field. For tickets, contact the Penn Athletics box office at tel. 215/898-6151 or www.thepennrelays.com. The annual Philadelphia Marathon (tel. 215/683-2122; www.philadelphiamarathon.com) fills hotels with strong-calved runners in November. September sees the increasingly world-class Philadelphia Distance Run (www.runphilly.com), a half marathon. My favorite, however, is May's Broad Street Run (tel. 215/683-3594; www.broadstreetrun.com), a 10-miler (mostly downhill) beginning at North Broad Street's Central High School and ending at South Philadelphia's handsome Naval Yard.