Hit the Road Jack: Philadephia
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Time to start a new type of post focusing on travel1.
As you can see by the picture above, last weekend over the Labor Day weekend some time ago2 I was in Philadelphia. We stayed in the City Center area of Philly right next to Chinatown.
Here are a list of areas and attractions that you should check out if you go: South Street, Reading Terminal Market, the Philadelphia Museum of Art3, and
Here is a list of the bars and restaurants I ate at while in Philly:
The Field House. The Field House is a sports bar located in city center. The atmosphere was great for watching a football game, and the food was good and drinks were cheap. If you sit at the center of the bar you can watch four games simultaneously with moving your head. I imagine this is a great place to watch Bowl Games, NFL Playoffs, and March Madness.
Downey’s Restaurant. A South Street Pub on the far east side of the street. They also have an outdoor balcony on the second floor where you can eat and drink. Seemed like a good place to catch a game or two. If the Field House was a pub and sports bar, it would look like Downey’s.
Geno’s Steaks and Pat’s King of Steak. Tourist trap cheese steak stands in South Philly. The cheese steaks were mediocre, but the locals are authentic. I had better cheese steaks at Reading Terminal Market and South Street. But if you do go to either Geno’s or Pat’s make sure to get it with onions and whiz. Also make sure to check out the Police Officer Memorial at Geno’s, and the photographs of famous people eating at both stands.
Osteria. Great food. Trendy but not overbearing. Great wine list. If you looking for a nice restaurant where you can have a conversations, I would highly recommend Osteria. The waiters at Osteria were not particularly good, but the restaurant’s dessert wine list and desserts greatly improved my opinion of the establishment.
Mace’s Crossing Pub. Between city center and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Its a relatively long walk, so we stopped at the pub to grab a couple brews. Cheap beer and good burgers.
Penang. A china town restaurant. No forks, just chopsticks. The food was very good and the restuarant was extremely clean, which could not be said about the surrounding area. The industrial interior was also interesting and enjoyable.
Sassafras Cafe and Bar. This might have been my favorite bar from my visit to Philadelphia. Its in the Old Town area. Excellent food, great drink specials and a unique atmosphere. This bar, for lack of a better description, feels like a very upscale hunting lodge.
Overall Philedelphia was what I expected: a big dirty city. But there were many brightspots that I highlighted above. My only regret was that I wasn’t able to take in a Phillies or Eagles game.