Philadelphia

Frida Kahlo with Diego Rivera’s 1930 Self-Portrait drawing, circa 1945.

Photograph: Vincente Wolf Photography Collection Lola Alvarez Bravo ©1995 Center For Creative Photography, The University Of Arizona Foundation

Frida Kahlo has officially taken over Philly: Banners bearing her distinctive face wave from lampposts; shop windows parade products emblazoned with her vivid portraits; and eateries offer menus in homage to her Mexican heritage. Inspired by an exclusive exhibit at The Philadelphia Museum of Art (Benjamin Franklin Pkwy at 26th St; 215-763-8100, philamuseum.org; $20; through May 18) honoring the 100th anniversary of the famed artist’s birth, the City of Brotherly Love is celebrating the painter known for her wild streak and Surrealistic images. Boasting more than 40 works, including many never before shown in the U.S., the exhibit is the first major Frida-thon in the country in 15 years. And this Philadelphia foray will be its only East Coast stop—so trade your cheese steak for a chalupa and join in on the Frida frenzy.

For New York art lovers, this isn’t the only reason to take the one-hour train ride to Pennsylvania’s largest city. Photographer Lee Miller and Philadelphia native Cecilia Beaux are also featured in new shows, making for a great art-gawking weekend away from home.

After you roll in to the Amtrak station, check in to the Sofitel Philadelphia hotel (120 S 17th St at Sansome St, 215-569-8300; from $200). Located in the downtown district Center City, the sleek, amenity-loaded property is close to everything. For something a bit homier, try Rittenhouse 1715 (1715 Rittenhouse Square St between 17th and 18th Sts; 877-791-6500, rittenhouse1715.com; from $239), a cozy hotel set in a historic mansion near picturesque Rittenhouse Square.

Then get your Frida fix at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The extensive survey includes her famous self-portraits—obligatory dorm-room decorations for every college female—and are accompanied by nearly 100 photographs of Kahlo and her husband (taken from 1926–1954). Information cards and headset listening devices put each painting within the context of Kahlo’s personal experiences (as it’s nearly impossible to separate her life from her work). The paintings are organized chronologically, with the exception of the famed Self-Portrait with Monkeys, hung at the entryway of the exhibit, allowing patrons to first digest one of Kahlo’s most celebrated paintings before appreciating the rest of her work.

Xochitl

Photograph: Michael T. Regan

While Diego Rivera’s wife may get headline status, the “Art of Lee Miller” photography exhibit on the museum’s ground floor is the sleeper hit of the season. Miller (1907–1977), a dancer, model, photographer and war correspondent, was a perpetual boundary pusher. Originally shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and on view here until April 27, this collection of 140 vintage snapshots includes Miller’s renowned pics of postwar Germany. Don’t miss the infamous self-portrait of her in her birthday suit in Hitler’s bathtub, when she was working as one of the only accredited female war correspondents.

For more G-rated fare, amble to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (128 N Broad St at Cherry St, 215-972-7600; $15), where “Cecilia Beaux, an American Figure Painter” is on view until April 13. The aristocratic portrait artist had a keen eye and a knack for capturing her fellow blue bloods, as evidenced by the subtlety in her most celebrated work, Mother and Daughter, a painting of a shipping magnate’s wife and daughter.

Take a break from feasting on art to fill your belly at acclaimed Mexican restaurant Xochitl (408 S 2nd St at Pine St, 215-238-7280). The spot’s currently offering a four-course, prix-fixe menu inspired by Kahlo’s fave dishes, including ground-beef-stuffed poblano peppers topped with a tangy pomegranate-and-walnut sauce, chipotle-laced turkey meatballs and chalupas with pork cracklings. You can also opt for the Frida-free menu at the chic Old City eatery Fork (306 Market St at 3rd St, 215-625-9425), where owner and cookbook author Ellen Yin turns out locally sourced nouveau American dishes like lemongrass-molasses-glazed veal chops and leeks, and pistachio-encrusted halibut.

Before hopping back onto the train, take in some more visual wonders at Magic Gardens (South St at 10th St, 215-733-0390), a fascinating floor-to-ceiling, inside-and-outside, mosaic-bedecked space by artist Isaiah Zagar. Zagar also runs Eyes Gallery (402 South St at 4th St, 215-925-0193), with his wife, Julia. This intriguing three-floor store is crammed with nightmare-inducing Mexican folk art and kitschy knickknacks. And, if you must return to NYC with a Frida souvenir, there is plenty of bizarre Kahlo merchandise on sale here—from dolls to bags to coffee mugs.

THE TAB

Two nights, two people

Train $346
Hotel $240
Museums $70
Meals $160

TOTAL $834

Buy your Acela train tickets at amtrak.com or at Penn Station. Amtrk also offers, cheaper, non-Acela fares, or take Greyhound.

Travel time 1 hr 10 min