The Philadelphia Walking Tour

Elfred's Alley

First job this morning sort out the cases as it’s upsetting my need for order that I can’t find anything and I agree to do as Dave suggests and pick out enough clothes for 4 days and pack these and essentials for both of us into one case. I hope this works.

The Liberty Bell

Today we’re off to see old Philadelphia, first stop The Liberty Bell and at 10am already the queue is out the building. We shuffle along to reach security and an airport style scanning and search we’re admitted to the hall to see the nationally important cracked bell. It’s a struggle to get near enough for a photo but I persevere and succeed. After this we walk past Benjamin Franklin’s grave to Betsy Ross’s house where the first American flag was made but it is mobbed with school children visiting so we don’t linger. The next stop of Elfred’s Alley, the oldest surviving area of Philli and definitely our favourite tourist stop, quaint houses on narrow cobblestones streets adorned with American flags and flowers. But there’s no stopping on this tour, on to the impressive Irish Memorial, Penn Landing, views of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge before winding our way back through the streets to Reading Terminal Market. As we wait to cross one street a small grey squirrel joins us, waiting patiently on the sidewalk until the traffic lights change in our favour. He then crosses the road slowly and looking left and right before scooting up the nearest tree!

The river f

rom Penn Landing

The Irish Memorial

Jazz in Reading Terminal Market

We both love visiting markets they’re always exciting vibrant places, but Reading Terminal Market is on another level. There are stalls selling every conceivable type of food, meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, curry, Italian, pastries, bread, chocolate, the list goes on and on. And in the middle of the market, a 4 piece band playing jazz while people eat their lunch purchased from the surrounding stalls. And for us, a sandwich purchased at Hatville’s, a family business that goes back decades, which is so stuffed with thin sliced corned beef, the bread struggles to contain it! It is delicious. And while we eat the cabaret in front of us keeps us entertained, meats continually sliced on the machines, a dance performed by the manager replenishing the many meats being sliced and for sale, not to mention the lady making the sandwiches. There’s no measurements here only the size of her handfuls of meat onto the bread and she has big hands! Suitably refreshed and all senses on overload from the markets noise, smells and sights we exit back onto the main streets.

I must mention the street people that seem to be everywhere, all with humongous suitcases presumably filled with their possessions. Life on the streets is tough but this is still a consumer society and in some way they have purchased! There are people asleep in doorways, shop doorways and even over the grids that emit hot steam from the subways to the streets above. Americas consumer society and land of the free appears to be passing these citizens by.

Next stop, Rittenhouse Square, which is reached by passing increasingly prosperous looking properties until we emerge onto one of the original Philadelphia Squares. It’s large and tree lined with a lovely park in the centre and today a craft market all the way round the outside, jewellery, pottery, pictures, clothes all hand made. We’re now exhausted, Dave complains he started the day measuring 6’2” and is now only 5’9”! I think he’s exaggerating but a beer soon has him in a happy mood again.

Tonight we’re going to walk along Spruce Street to a Cypriot Restaurant, we discover it’s a “Bring Your Own Bottle” restaurant and so supply the necessary item. Gorgeous Greek kebabs, salad, hummus and rice all eaten in a vibrant Greek atmosphere. And afterwards a drink at Fergies to end the tour of Philli as we started, unfortunately the “Live Band Karaoke” is not of good quality so we make a swift early exit.