The trip started on a Friday. Early. I was up at 3:30 am, for whatever reason, I decided to do 15 minutes of lifting weights in the gym. The train left Williamsburg right on time, we got into Philly at 12 noon, so it took 6 hours to go from Williamsburg to Philadelphia. Still happy that parking is free in Williamsburg, I know that's not the case at most Amtrak stations.
Sadly, the people running these train stations haven't figured out yet that escalators might be a wise investment. So I had to lug my fully packed Samsonite up and down slippery staircases.
The first challenge came at the SEPTA station. The vending machine wouldn't accept my debit card, and after all the shit I've dealt with financially in the last 2 months, I was worried what might be happening with my account. So I had to pay cash. And as I found out later from others, they were having issues getting cards from vending machines as well.
So I collected my transit card, loaded it with a 3 day pass, and headed to the Market Street Line eastbound to Reading Terminal Market. Hey, if I'm in Philly, first thing I'm doing is eating.
And the first spot was Tommy Dinic’s for a roast pork sandwich. Talk about a smooth running operation. Two people handled the orders and payments. One guy handles the sandwich assembly. They probably have another couple of guys preparing each component of the sandwiches.
Soft roll with a little crustiness, thinly sliced juicy pork, chopped broccoli rabe, and shaved sharp provolone. Simple, but sensational. Frigging amazing and that provolone absolutely made it. Well worth the hype.
As for Hershel’s east side deli, well, I guess I wanted some pastrami since I can't get any authentic in southeast Virginia anymore since Route 58 Deli closed. The sandwich with Swiss and brown mustard was ok, the pastrami was a little fatty, very tender. But I didn't care for the seeded rye bread, it tasted a day or two old. I would up eating the pastrami and Swiss with a fork instead. I wish I would have had another Dinic's sandwich.
I couldn't yet check in at the Sleep Inn hotel in Chinatown on Cherry St. I will say this, it's in the middle of a lot of Chinese markets and restaurants, and the smell of Asian sauces and garbage dumpsters permeated the air my entire stay.
The cost to check in early would have been $35. I gave the front desk both my bags and I had to change clothes in the hotel restroom. I knew rain was in the forecast for the afternoon, so I wanted to put on my jeans and grab my green Jets rain slicker.
My first stop was the US Mint, one of the two or three in the country where coins are still made. I enjoyed seeing the actually factory with the coin presses, the 1600 degree furnace, etc. There were no photos allowed, so I couldn't record anything. But it was a fun free hour of my time. I did get stuck behind an elementary school field trip, that delayed security a little bit.
Anyway, as the rain started to pick up, I walked about ten minutes north to Yards brewery. It was a kind of younger, yuppie sort of clientele. I did try the 8 bit flight, which was 4 IPAs. They were ok, but on a mild rainy day, I wasn't looking for a tropical hazy beer. In total, I think I sampled 7 beers. The favorite was probably the brawler, a mild English ale and for Happy Hour, I got a 20 ounce for five bucks. I did get a $6 order of wings with peach habanero sauce. They had a nice spicy punch to them, nothing really special though. Nice staff too, quite friendly.
Oh and on one of the TVs at the bar, they replayed Rangers vs Devils Game 4 from this past year's NHL playoffs. Like I really needed a reminder of that disastrous series...
By now the rain was really picking up. I took the MFL from Spring Garden westbound to City Hall and 15th St for Happy Hour. And I went right to the Village Whiskey. Not a big place, but I was very impressed with their menu. And it wasn't easy to decide, there were really 5 or 6 restaurants I was considering going into. But they had a great Nashville hot chicken slider, and for 5 bucks, it was fantastic. The fried pickles made me wish i had someone with me to split them; they were crispy and served with a nice Buffalo aioli sauce, but there were just so many of them. The fried shrimp slider, i could have done without, there was just too much bread.
But probably the highlight for me was the Daisy Cutter beer from Half Acre in Chicago. I had not had one of these beers in maybe 8 or 9 years. And for 5 bucks, it was great to enjoy one again. They did have over 100 whiskeys, ranging from 8 dollar Irish Bushmill's to a Kinsey priced at 74 dollars. I can't think of any drink worth paying 74 bucks for... and that's not factoring in tax and tip. And the bar staff was super engaging and conversational, maybe the coolest staff I encountered over the weekend.
6 pm was approaching, so happy hour was over. I was a little torn on where to go next. I'd been awake 16 hours and my stomach was filled with food and beer, so I was drained in multiple ways. I did decide to take the train on the Broad Street Line down to nrg, where the Sports Complex is. And that was one freaky train ride, it was like Halsted St in Chicago or Christopher St in Manhattan. I did not need to see some things I saw, let's leave it there. I didn't really have interest in entering the stadium anyway, so i went into Xfinity Live. After about 20 or 30 minutes, it just occurred to me I did not want to stand on my feet for hours watching a probable Mets loss, which is of course what happened. So I left immediately and walked the five minutes back to the nrg station.
Sadly, the BSL train did not have a working air conditioner, and I felt my shirt repelling off my torso from all the sweat.
I didn't want any more savory food, alcohol, nor did i want to hit up a club. So I connected to the MSL line and took it east to 2nd Street. I wanted to get ice cream at Franklin Fountain, and it's a place I've known about for 7 or 8 years. I liked the old school menu, it seemed like a step back in time with phosphates, ice cream sodas, and Hydrox, the precursor to Oreos.
I ordered a medium bowl, so I could select two flavors instead of just one. I went with vanilla as well as caramelized banana, a flavor I'd never heard of before. I desired a waffle bowl, but I thought it would be smarter to spend on the toppings. My choices were salted almonds and peanut butter sauce. Oh and I scored free sprinkles. I loved that peanut butter, it tasted so roasted and real, it had that really deep earthy peanut flavor. 18 bucks was a lot, and I couldn't justify doing this often. But for ice cream dishes, this is one of the best I've ever had.
Finally, after one more train ride west to 11th St, it was time to check in. They told me the fitness room is out of order, and I planned to run outside anyway so I wasn't too bothered by that. But I was concerned about getting water. I did have two 16 ounce bottles in my bag, but I knew I was going to need more than that.
And the only solution was to use the hot water machine on the second floor in the breakfast area. I would have to fill my 32 ounce blender bottle, and let it cool in the fridge overnight. Except on the machine, there wasn't enough room under the spout to fit the bottle. So I had to fill paper cups of hot water and then pour them into the bottle! Took maybe 5 minutes for each bottle fill.
Around 8:45 pm, exhausted and full, I settled in bed.
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