“Watch out for the trees” was the warning Carol and I heard while on our recent “Hop On Hop Off” bus tour of historic Philadelphia. We were in Philadelphia along with three other Springfield couples celebrating our friends’ family special event. Guide William provided us great historic information while we traversed the streets of Philadelphia dodging the tree limbs. We did the entire route first and then decided where we would hop on and off. I suggest having breakfast at the Reading Market and walking across the street to purchase tickets for the bus.
The written history of Philadelphia begins in 1682, when the city was founded by William Penn in the English Crown Province of Pennsylvania, between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. Philadelphia quickly grew into an important colonial city and during the American Revolution, was the site of the First and Second Continental Congresses. After the Revolution the city was chosen to be the temporary capital of the United States. At the beginning of the 19th century, the federal and state governments left Philadelphia, but the city remained the cultural and financial center of the country.
We stayed downtown in the new Marriott W Hotel, within walking distance of all the historic sites. We had a great view of the city with floor to ceiling windows from our 42nd floor room. The hotel has a very young and hip vibe about it, and the lobby turns into a nightclub after dark. On the seventh floor there is a pool, large fitness room and deluxe spa. The throw pillow on the bed features the iconic Love statue on one side and the word “lust” on the other.
Two tourist sites I highly recommend are the Museum of the American Revolution and the Barnes Foundation. We failed to order tickets for Independence Hall in advance and will need to do so for our next visit.
On April 19, 2017, the 242nd anniversary of the “shot heard ‘round the world” that ignited the Revolutionary War, the Museum of the American Revolution officially opened to the public. The Museum is a permanent home for the Museum’s rich collection of Revolutionary-era weapons, personal items, letters, diaries and works of art. Immersive galleries, theater experiences and life-sized tableau scenes. Following a video you experience George Washington’s original tent that served as his headquarters and living space during the Revolution.
Chartered as an educational institution by the state of Pennsylvania, the Barnes Foundation was founded by Dr. Albert C. Barnes in 1922. Born to a working-class family in Philadelphia, Barnes used his chemistry knowledge and business smarts to earn a sizable fortune from the discovery of the drug Argyrol used for eye challenges. Paintings that would not be out of place at the Louvre or Met are propped above fireplaces and hung along staircases. Here you will find walls filled with paintings by Monet, beside it a half dozen Van Goghs with a couple of Picassos thrown in for good measure. The art collection boasts 181 works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 59 works by Henri Matisse including “The Dance” and “The Joy of Life,” 69 works by Paul Cézanne and 46 works by Pablo Picasso. The collection is eclectic, and this continues for room after room, floor after floor. I highly recommend the informative docent tour.
Regarded as one of the best Farmers' Markets, not only in Philadelphia but in America, The Reading Terminal Market opened for business in 1893 and is a terrific place to sample all the culinary grandeur Philadelphia has to offer. Experience the traditional Philly cheesesteak, a custom-made deli sandwich or an authentic Pennsylvania Dutch hearty home-cooked breakfast prepared by local Amish farmers. Apart from the prepared foods, Reading Terminal Market boasts of over 80 vendors, offering a wide range of local and exotic vegetables, fruits, fresh fish and other seafood, local meats and poultry. Highly recommended at the Market is Profi’s Creperie. A little taste of France in Philadelphia, Profi’s cooks up crêpes both sweet and savory. Pull up a chair and watch as the crêpe makers spoon ladles of batter onto round griddles. Open for breakfast and lunch.
If you are planning to visit Philadelphia in the near or long future I recommend making (now) a reservation at Zahav Restaurant. Zahav, which translates to gold in Hebrew, offers a menu that draws inspiration from the many cultures that have left their marks on Jerusalem over the centuries, including Morocco, Turkey, Yemen, Lebanon and Egypt. Two of Philadelphia’s masters of pioneering culinary offerings, restaurateurs Steve Cook and Michael Solomonov, are responsible for the dining delights at Zahav. They are both multiple James Beard winners for their restaurants and cookbooks. In 2019 Zahav received the James Beard Outstanding Restaurant in the United States Award, the first Philadelphia restaurant to ever do so. It is a fixed price restaurant, and every meal begins with Laffa bread baked in a clay oven called a taboon, served alongside hummus and salatim-Israeli for an assortment of small plates. One must pace oneself for this is a restaurant with multiple courses that just keep coming. Five Stars!
Popular in Philadelphia is Scrapple - a breakfast meat product traditionally eaten in parts of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic. German immigrants now known as the Pennsylvania Dutch brought this economical dish to the region in the 17th and 18th centuries. Scrapple makes use of every bit of pork, from meat to skin to organs like liver and tongue. These off-cuts are ground finely and blended with pork stock and binders like wheat flour, buckwheat flour or cornmeal, then seasoned with salt and a blend of spices that varies by producer. The result is a loaf that keeps its shape when sliced, becoming crispy and caramelized on the outside and warm and tender on the inside when fried in a pan. In Pennsylvania, scrapple is a staple at restaurants and grocery stores. You’ll find it on breakfast sandwiches at curbside food carts, accompanying eggs and home fries on diner menus, and cubed, fried and speared on a deer antler at high-end restaurants.
In Philly, cheesesteaks are more than just sustenance: They’re civic icons and tourist draws. A cheesesteak — always one word — consists of a long, crusty roll filled with thinly sliced, freshly sautéed ribeye beef and melted cheese. The art of cheesesteak preparation lies in the balance of flavors, textures and what is often referred to as the drip factor. For many dedicated cheesesteak consumers, the definitive cheese of choice is Cheez Whiz, referred to as, simply, Whiz, but American and provolone are widely accepted alternatives. Other common toppings include sautéed onions, ketchup and sweet or hot — “long hots.” The original home of the cheesesteak, Pat’s King of Steaks is still owned and operated by the Olivieri family. Pat Olivieri invented the steak sandwich in 1930. A 24-hour shop, Pat’s shuts down for only 48 hours each year: Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Final Philadelphia food fact. Philadelphia cream cheese was invented in New York in 1872 and never produced in Philadelphia. One source says that the Philadelphia brand name was adopted because Philadelphia was famous for quality food.
Thank you to our wonderful hosts, the Chesley and Abend families for their superior hospitality and having us join in their celebration.
About
Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.
Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.