Philly Weekend
 

Thanks to all of you who've made recommendations about Paesano's for a good cheesesteak, and for the idea to hit DiNic's for the Pork, Broccoli Rabe, and Provolone sammich.

Any other "must do's" out there?

Family wedding next weekend, so it looks like we'll have a couple of days to explore.

Much obliged.

Roast pork at Tony Luke’s.

Marc,

Definitely go to Tony Luke's for the Italian Roast Pork Sandwich, the slight bitterness of the greens help offset the sweetness of the pork and bring out the mild heat in the sandwich. You can order the sandwich with broccoli rabe or sauteed spinach, I prefer the spinach.

As far as the cheese-steaks, there are so many to choose from, and things have changed over time that, sometimes it's a hit or miss that you'll get a good sandwich.

The two big guys Geno's and Pat's are right across the street from each other at 9th and Passyunck. The main difference is that Geno's doesn't chop up / macerate their meat like Pat's. However the last few times I had Geno's the meat was tough to chew even for being so thinly sliced. I also can't get into cheese-wiz thing on a sandwich, but they will use another type of cheese if you ask when you order.

I've never had Paesano's, so I can't comment. If you go across the river into Camden or Medford there is Donkey's that makes a non-traditional cheese-steak on a poppy-seed kaiser roll. Always tender and flavorful. Medford isn't very far from the Joint Base McGuire side.


Also if you go to Pat's / Geno's area, you are near what is known as the Italian Market section. Visit Di Bruno's store for some real gourmet items; cheeses and cured meats from around the world. Even if you stop in and just sample the items it's worth the trip. Across the street is a hand crafted Italian Gelato shop.

From the Italian Market if you head a block or two North on 9th you have a Barbacoa Restaurant that has made the national food news. Nothing fancy but always fantastic reviews every time I read about them. https://philly.eater.com/2019/4/15/1...t-philadelphia Only open Saturday thru Monday, closed Tuesday - Thursday.

Also the Reading Terminal Market in downtown Philadelphia has some great culinary stops (DiNic's), but the parking is a big issue. If you are in walking distance or can take a train nearby, go for it.

There are many nice places to eat in Philadelphia, the problem is the lack of parking with an aggressive Philadelphia Parking Authority ticketing and towing in an over-aggressive manner. Just running into a store for two minutes will get you a ticket, no leeway or forgiveness; the law is the law and strictly enforced. Sadly the family and I travel to Newark, or take the train to NYC to go to great upscale restaurants.

Another place to visit if you have time, is Lancaster County, the home of the Pennsylvania Dutch / Amish. Great sight seeing opportunities and some great restaurants along the way.

Enjoy your trip, and if you get to Joint Base MDL, just outside the gate is Sebastian's Schnitzel Haus, quaint Bavarian themed interior with German Style food prepared when you order.

Enjoy your stay and I hope you have a great time.

Awesome! Thanks, Bob!

Also, if you do the Independence Hall thing while in PHL, go to the information desk first; as of last year, Active Military get free tours, but are limited in numbers per day. If you get in line and pay, there is no refund, so ask first.

The battleship New Jersey sits across the river in the Camden Ship yards.


Lastly you can review these write-ups.
https://philly.eater.com/maps/38-bes...ia-restaurants


https://www.kevinandamanda.com/phila...a-restaurants/




Small selection of cheeses in the italian market section
https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/ser...010482/enhance
https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/ser...883985/enhance

Wow. Thanks, Bob. You rock, man. Seriously appreciate it.

Funny thing to suggest but for some reason Philly has fantastic shoestring fries ...
https://www.google.co.nz/amp/s/www.p...lphia/%3famp=1
Some of these I haven’t tried, but #1 and #10 are great.

Exceptional coffee is La Colombe, best location is just off Rittenhouse Sq. I’ll be there the morning after I land in a few weeks, visiting my daughter. Have fun, it’s a great town, and don’t miss the Art Museum. If you can pre-book, try and get to the Barnes Museum.

Penn's Landing has the USS Olympia, part of the great white fleet and right across the river is the USS New Jersey. You'll never see a more impressive piece of machinery than an Iowa class battleship.

General Information about Fees and Passes
Admission to most park sites is free. Timed entry tickets are required to enter Independence Hall from March through December, but there is no charge for those tickets if obtained at the Independence Visitor Center on the morning of your visit. The Benjamin Franklin Museum charges an interpretive fee and the National Constitution Center, a partner of the park, charges an admission fee.


Independence Hall
Tickets are required for tours of Independence Hall, except in January and February. From March through December, visitors must obtain free timed entry tickets to see Independence Hall. Tickets can be obtained on the morning of your visit at the Independence Visitor Center, or reserved in advance online or by phone (fee applies).


Reserved tickets
Reserved tickets are a good option for those visitors who do not plan to arrive in the park early, or those who prefer a particular tour time. Call toll free at 1-877-444-6777 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Eastern Time) or reserve your tickets online through the reservation website.

• The reservation fee is $1.00 per ticket. Passes, including the America the Beautiful Annual and Senior passes, do not cover this fee.
• Everyone in the group needs a ticket, including infants
• Individuals and families may reserve up to ten (10) tickets per call.

Wow. Thanks, guys!

We've already browsed though most of what you passed along.

Really do appreciate it.

On the silly side of things, if you go to Lancaster, you'll probably pass through a few oddly named towns; Blue Ball, Bird in Hand, Paradise, or Intercourse. You'll be able to tell people you've been there.... LOL

Haven't made it to any of the big name places yet, but I can speak highly of a few smaller joints up near Wayne.

Discovered a whole mansion with a HUGE playground for kids over by the East Park Reservoir! - Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse

More to follow.

Beautiful historic area. Lots of attractions nearby (museums, zoo, ect) My company used to book the Strawberry Mansion and have company holiday dinners there, but we moved to the Country Club several years ago.

Thus far, we've just been recovering from a ridiculous 24 hours of travel that took us all the way from NM to PA with an AWFUL stop in OK City.

We hit up The Matador in Wayne, PA for a late lunch and much-needed sangria yesterday afternoon. Last night took us to the Iron Hill Brewery in Ardmore, PA for dinner with the happy couple for Sunday's Wedding. This morning, we hit up The Gryphon Cafe for breakfast, followed by a nice drive down I-76 to the Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse (Mansion). Wow! What a place! The Outlaws rolled into town this afternoon, so we met them back at Matador in Wayne before all retiring to the hotel.

I'll have to collect thoughts for a follow-up post here.

This place is absolutely beautiful, and it really makes us miss the Eastern US with the abundant trees, green fields, odd hill, and sparkling river.

I think tomorrow will probably take us into downtown for some Paesano's and/or to Reading Market. More shenanigans to come... but we know we'll have to come back to see even half of what we're interested in.

Thanks again to you all. Best regards and thin blue.

Quick break in the action here.

Made it to Reading Terminal Market for lunch. Do NOT go into town this weekend by car, as all sorts of streets are blocked off in preparations for some sort of MAJOR festivities on the East side of downtown.

https://i.imgur.com/2xpLnMzl.jpg

Grabbed some oysters at Pearl's Oyster House. - A pretty penny, but they were absolutely delicious. We don't get much seafood (especially fresh) in NM.

https://i.imgur.com/KJhaGJ6l.jpg

HAD to hit up DiNic's for their Pork sammich.

https://i.imgur.com/kzcm0UFl.jpg

Got it all the way with the greens, provolone cheese, and spicy peppers (thought they might have a little twang to them, but were closer to roasted green chile... pulled them off half to share with the munchkin and family).

https://i.imgur.com/Z2Tow9wl.jpg

Kid destroyed her half sammich!

https://i.imgur.com/jRIbUI3l.jpg

CINCHOUSE discovered "By George," where they have Gluten Free options, and we thought their efforts to feed the hungry were noble.

https://i.imgur.com/6reNi0Zl.jpg

No whiz here, but the cheesesteak on a toasted sesame roll/baguette-like-thing was awesome!

https://i.imgur.com/BzWYw4Ol.jpg

Even sat next to a Navy family who's LT (promoting to LtCdr this weekend) was stationed on Kadena Air Base when we were there! Small world!

More goodness to come. Despite the traffic shenanigans (not even fun shenanigans), Philly is a great city with cool stuff to see and do.