As I mentioned in a recent post, Sam and I visited Philadelphia a couple of weeks ago!
The reason behind this trip was run the Rock ‘n Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon. The run was planned for Sunday, September 16- so with some friends we decided to make a weekend getaway in Philly! Five of us ran the race (there were 3 first timers that did fabulous) and we had an amazing cheerleader/photographer!
Truth be told, we really didn’t do much research on what to do and where to eat in Philly. So we walked around, explored different areas, and ate some great food!
Philly is best known for its cheesesteaks, and we definitely wanted to try some. Now for those that are not familiar with it- it’s a combination of frizzled beef, onions and cheese on a roll. The cheese used is usually provolone, American, or Cheese Whiz (most popular)- and everyone does have their preferences.
Since we didn’t do much research about this, we asked for some recommendations in a bar and ended up going to:
Jim’s Steaks! The original shop, owned by Jim, opened up in 1939 in West Philadelphia. The location where we stopped by was on South street- the 2nd location which opened up in 1976. The four of us chose and shared 2 different cheesesteaks:
And:
We also enjoyed great German beers at Brauhaus Schmitz:
This place had an excellent German beer selection. Sam and I recognized many beers from our trip to Oktoberfest last year.
The next day we stumbled upon the Reading Terminal Market– which we all loved! If any of you are visiting Philly, definitely stop in here!
It was established in 1892 at 12th and Arch Streets, and is the nation’s oldest continuously operating farmer’s market. There is a variety of cuisine available, from soul food and Asian food, to Philly Cheesesteaks and traditional Pennsylvania Dutch fare.
On Saturday morning we enjoyed a perfect breakfast sandwich from one of the Amish merchants:
The Amish bring their farm-fresh products (meats, milk, eggs, etc) and distinctive dishes to the market 4 days a week (Wednesday thru Saturday). Today the market has about 80 different merchants, of which 2 are descendants of the original stand holders from when it originally opened.
The rest of the time we spent enjoying the great sights of Philly and the wonderful weather we had that weekend!
Where else did we stop in?
Lulu’s Pizza Bar: quick by-the-slice pizza bar
Pietro’s Pizza: great pasta/pizza location for carbo-loading before a 1/2 marathon, also very family friendly Italian restaurant
McGillin’s Olde Ale House: great place for a beer; oldest continuously operated tavern in Philly
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