"Whiz Wit"

Tia and Marlene did a day trip up to New Jersey yesterday to help Rivka (Tia's sister) and her husband move into their new place. Tia was nice enough to let me tag along so I could explore Philadelphia for the day. This is what happened:

We arrived at the hotel where Rivka and Jeff were staying while awaiting the time when they could move into their new place. It was around lunchtime so we all drove into Philadelphia to the Reading Market to get some food. Wow! What a place. All kinds of great food; even lots of international food. I ate a Falafel platter. Here you see Rivka, Jeff, and their little baby.....and some weird guy off to the left.

After lunch I took off on my little adventure. I only had five or six hours left until the sun went down so I decided that jogging would be the quickest (and free) way to get around. Oh, and since the high temperature for the day was around 25 degrees, it was also necessary to keep my body warm. I ran about a mile down to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Rocky made those steps famous in the Rocky movies.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art (in the background).

   

I looked around for someone who might have a sense of humor and I found these two guys to help me out. Philadelphia

Next I ran down to the Rodin Museum. I had never heard of Rodin until Marlene told me he was the guy who sculpted the thinking man. Oh, and I'm told his name is pronounced "Rowdan." That was a pretty neat museum and I recognized quite a few of his sculptures.

George Bernard Shaw Eternal Springtime The Burgers of Calais. I think these guys invented the hamburger. Just kidding. It's spelled Burghers.....or something like that.....and I have no idea what they did. I took pictures of a bunch of sculptures so I could look them up on the internet later on. Athlete. They could make that the new Heisman Trophy. :) I'm sure Rodin would be proud to have one of his sculptures handed out as a NCAA Football trophy. Thinking After visiting the Rodin Museum I ran down to the other end of the tourist district. The cemetery where Ben Franklin (and other historic people) are buried is closed during January and February every year, but I got my picture. Not much else to see there anyway. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, dedicated to soldiers of the American Revolution. Read the quotes on the wall. People don't talk like that anymore.  

I saw this couple standing in the snow doing their wedding pictures. I couldn't believe it! I had all my winter clothing on and I was still cold. Must be true love. :) Independence Hall Inside Independence Hall

After jockeying for position with about 50 Japanese tourists, I got my picture. "Hey! Dude with the camera! Check this out." I guess he was keeping the other leg warm. That's the Ben Franklin Bridge in the background.

Penn's Landing

  

I picked up a tourist magazine in the hotel room where we met Rivka and Jeff earlier in the day. I knew I had to eat a Phili cheese steak since I was in Philadelphia, but I wanted one of those "If you come to Phili, you've got to eat here." places. I found a very small ad for Pat's on one of the magazine pages and called the number to find out where it was. From Penn's Landing I had to jog about two miles into southern Phili to get to this place. It was already dark and I was cold and hungry, so I got going. I ran through cool little neighborhoods just like the ones you see in the movie Invincible, for example. Rocky too.

When I arrived I thought I noticed something familiar. See the sign in the corner of the window? It all clicked when I saw that "English Lesson" sign. This place was on the news a few years ago (maybe less than that) when they put a sign in their window that said something like, "If you don't order in English, you don't get served." Be sure to read the instructions on how to order a cheese steak. There was a nice family behind me that told me to say "Whiz wit" if I wanted my cheese steak with Cheese Whiz and onions, or "Whiz witout" if I wanted Cheese Whiz but no onions. I got the "Whiz wit." What a fun experience. Well, it was exactly what I needed on a cold night. Not the healthiest meal in the world, but it sure did taste good. Now I can say I've had a real cheese steak, in Phili.

Mmmm, heart attack. I even added the cheese fries to complete my cheese steak experience.

I think I accomplished a lot in my half day in Philadelphia. Another great weekend trip.