Go for the Cheese Steak, Stay for the Culture

This period is particularly fascinating because of its brevity and because many of the icons were destroyed, as they were considered heretical.

The exhibit includes more than 100 items, from monumental sphinxes to small personal items such as combs, seals and scarabs, and vessels.

Perhaps the most striking piece on display is a huge wall relief depicting Aten, the sun god. After Egypt returned to its traditional beliefs, the relief was cut from its wall, dropped face-down, and repurposed as a base for a statute, which is probably why it's so beautifully preserved.

And if mummies aren't your thing, head over to the Barnes Foundation, where the extensive collection will quicken the pulse of anyone who enjoys Impressionist, post-Impressionist and early modern art.

This gallery contains a magnificent array of paintings from the early 20th century, most of which have never been loaned and only rarely photographed.

The Barnes boasts the world's largest collection of Renoirs -- 181 -- as well as 46 Picassos, 69 Cezannes, 59 Matisses, plus works by Van Gogh, Manet, Monet and many others.

The building itself, located on a 12-acre arboretum in Merion, Pa., just outside the city, is adorned with Matisse murals and bas-reliefs by sculptor Jacques Lipchitz.

Barnes had rather eccentric beliefs about how the works should be displayed, and personally decided where each should be positioned.

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