So we didn't exactly LOVE Philly. It has some great history, but for the most part the town is just a dump. From what we could see there is one very nice area (Rittenhouse Square), a pretty nice area (Society Hill) and the Independence Hall area is decent. The rest of the city needs to clean up. We did have a fun weekend and jam packed it full of the best Philly had to offer.
I finally had my cheesesteak. We went to the south side of town to the cheesesteak rivalry of all rivalries - Pat's vs Geno's.
The two cheesesteak vendors are right across the street from each other, both boast a huge fan following. Just look at the lines - they go in to the street, even at the lunchtime rush.
Geno's was bright, with lots of flair and a line that blocked the street.
Pat's has a more classic feel, and a line that wasn't quite blocking traffic.
We went with the shorter line and waited about 15 minutes for our tasty cheesesteaks. There is an entire ordering system, luckily they spell it out for on a big board. By the time we hit the window we were pros "two wit cheese" - that would be two cheesesteaks with onions and cheese. And you better have your money ready, no fooling around in this line.
The sandwiches did not disappoint - yum! As good as I remembered from my visit to Philly 15 years ago.
After all of that bread and cheese we did our best Rocky and climbed up the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. And even though every other person there did the classic Rocky cheer, I resisted and went for more of a classic KO pose.
And just in case you don't know where to stand - they have his feet in the cement. The view from the top is awesome, the skies were so clear it was easy to see all the way down to City Hall.
We spent Sunday doing our best National Treasure recreation. We hit up Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and Reading Market. This is the staircase Nicolas Cage took to get to the top of Independence Hall. The tour guide was sure to let us know it was all filmed on site.
And even more impressive would be this banister - it is original to the building, which means everyone from George Washington to Benjamin Franklin to me has touched this same piece of wood.
One of our final stops was the Betsey Ross house. Did you know George Washington wanted a 6-pointed star for the American flag? Betsey showed him it was much easier to make a 5-pointed star, practicality won and history was made.
We had dinner at a great Irish pub - they had live Irish music and a great starter platter with hummus, pita, olives, and cheese on a big 's' shaped serving dish.
C'ya Philly - thanks for a good time, but will you try and clean up a little before our next visit!
