A NECESSARY PUB CRAWL |
| Mr. Happy Penn, Philadelphia |
Back in mid-July we
hosted some friends for the weekend. They had never been to Philadelphia, so we
decided to show them around. It turns out that the day was the hottest day this
summer (so far), but we remained undeterred and plotted a course that took
advantage of all the shady spots and a couple of more-than-necessary pub stops
while still giving them the gist of what this historical city is all about.
The original plan was
to take mass transit, but with the forecast calling for temperatures in the
mid-90s we decided to drive in, to at least take advantage of the air
conditioning of the car.
Our guests are avid
kayakers from the Lake George, New York area, so we drove them first along
Kelly Drive to see the sculls plying the river and past the picturesque Boat
House Row where the local schools keep their gear. Traffic slowed enough by the
Philadelphia Museum of Art, so they were able to see the “Rocky” statue without
having to get out of the car and were able to snap pictures of the famous
fictional brawler.
LOVE IS IN THE AIR
Driving down the
Benjamin Franklin Parkway and past other art museums like the Barnes Foundation
and the Rodin Museum and approaching Logan Circle we could see the iconic City
Hall with a statue of William Penn looking down on the city he planned, and
from this angle it looks like Mr. Penn has his Mr. Happy out, ready to perhaps
urinate on his creation. He’s really holding a treaty that he signed with the
native Lenape Indians to acquire the land of Philadelphia, but why get in the
way of some bathroom humor. We parked in the
underground parking lot at Love Park where another iconic statue sits. The
“Love” sculpture was created by Robert Indiana and copies of it can be found
around the world, from New York City to Taipei to Singapore…and, Philadelphia. The
park is directly across the street from City Hall. We quickly fled the stifling
air of the garage to a baking and withering sun. Dodging transients who
“worked” the park snapping pictures of the hordes of tourists we snapped some
pictures but did not bother with the visitor center. Instead, we crossed the
street to take advantage of the shade cast by impressive City Hall. There was a
pop-up beer garden, one of many found throughout this city of beer aficionados
and a small roller rink that transforms into an ice rink during winter months.
We did not linger though, because we were heading to the Reading Terminal. Our
friends had read about this indoor market that opened in 1893. THE READING TERMINAL
MARKET
Like the Great Market
Hall we visited recently in Budapest, which was a tourist destination offering everything from food to alcohol to souvenirs and vegetables. In both places the tumult of activity is exhilarating, but at the Reading Terminal Market there's not a lot of Paprika vendors, but you can buy everything from donuts to cheesesteaks. There's a bar. There are Amish serving shoo-fly pie. There are vegetable stalls and there are souvenir stands. It is a busy, must-see Philadelphia destination.
You can schedule a tour or just shuffle
along the aisles to find something to eat or drink.
We lingered long enough to
cool down a bit from the heat but did not eat. Though I made a feeble
suggestion to pull up a bar stool at one establishment we had more to see and
left.
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| City Hall |
MEET YOU AT THE EAGLE
Now Macy’s, the old
Wanamaker’s Department Store was our next stop, just a few blocks from the
market and across the street from City Hall.
The building features the Grand
Court with the world’s largest pipe organ, that is still played twice a day six
days a week. During the Christmas season a massive light display delights young
and old. In the middle of the Grand Court is a large bronze statue of an Eagle.
Acquired after the St. Louis World’s Fair of 1904 the statue remains a hit with
shoppers, and one only had to say “meet you at the eagle” to know where to go.Yeah, we know where
those eagles can go. Oops … did I write that?
WANAMAKER PIPE ORGAN CONCERTS
 |
The world's largest pipe organ
at the Wanamaker Building |
THE OLDEST BAR
We walked through the
old Wannamaker’s Department store building taking advantage of as much air
conditioning as possible, emerging on the far Chestnut Street side. We were
headed to McGillin’s Olde Ale House.
Opened in 1860 as the Bell in Hand by Ma
and Pa McGillin, it is the oldest tavern in the city. Decorated with
Philadelphian memorabilia and offering 30 beers on draft including three house
specialty beers made specifically for McGillin’s, the festive place is on Drury
St and despite the late morning hour there were several other patrons at
barstools and tables.
In the past as we had
headed to McGIllin’s we would pause for a beer first at the Bru Craft and Wurst
establishment. We would have done so on this blisteringly hot day, but Bru
Craft was still closed.
Beer is an important aspect of Philadelphia and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. There's even a section of Philadelphia called Brewery Town.
 |
| memorabilia at McGillin's |
We lingered over our beers so we were ready for the next part of our walking tour, although we soon learned the weather was too much.
I had the McGillin's 1860 IPA which was very nice.
McGillin’s is a must
stop on a Philadelphia pub crawl even if it isn't that hot.
WHAT ARE WE NUTS?.jpg) |
| Elfreth's Alley |
So, in the middle of a
heat wave on a hot, sticky cloudless afternoon with the temperature hovering in the
mid-90s we decided to walk the 1.3 miles from McGillin’s to Elfreth’s Alley.
This is another must-see destination when touring old city Philadelphia. It is one
of the oldest continuously inhabited streets in the United States, dating back
from the early 1700’s.
Originally laid out as a cart path in 1703 as another
means to access the river, Elfreth’s Alley displays early American architecture
built between 1720 and 1836, and all but the Elfreth’s Alley Museum all the
home are privately owned.
 |
Betsy Ross
House |
It is a popular tourist destination and as we
withered in the midday sun, not really interested in walking its length, several
tour groups passed us in the cobblestoned alley.
Halfway through our
trek to Elfreth’s Alley the ales we drank at McGillin’s were sweated out, and
we trudged past Independence Hall, paused at the Liberty Bell pavilion, but the
line was stretched outdoors, and passed the Betsy Ross House with barely a
salute. We only paused long enough at Benjamin Franklin’s grave, another tourist
destination on Arch Street at the Christ Church Burial ground, to weakly flip
our pennies onto his crypt, not caring if they would bring us good luck, before
continuing to the picturesque alley.  |
| Benjamin Franklin's grave |
ELFRETH'S ALLEY
THE KHYBER PASS
By the time we shuffled
over to Second Street for our second very necessary pub stop we were drenched with
sweat and the cool confines of the Khyber Pass Pub was a welcoming oasis. To
say this stop was an emergency would be an understatement.
Along this stretch of
Second Street (or 2 Street as its referred to in South Philly) there are a
number of bars and music halls and during the night the area can be busy, but when
we crawled into the Khyber Pass it was empty. People were either smart enough
to avoid the city and/or the heat.
Janet regaled us with tales
from her underage antics at the Khyber Pass. It was a 20-minute subway ride
from her home in Upper Darby, just on the border with Philadelphia, and they
would serve anyone without ID…only if the beer was served in a pitcher and you
couldn’t sit at the bar, but at a booth. I’m sure they don’t do that now
though!
We sat at the dark cool
bar, the sunlight glinting down Second Street like a death ray, as we refreshed
ourselves with more beer and French fries. Refreshed, we headed off to our next
stop, Campo's to the ubiquitous Philadelphia Cheese Steak.
A side note, just around
the corner from the Khyber Pass was the beloved Eulogy Belgian Tavern. With a
stunning array of 400+ beers it had been our first choice anytime we went into
the city. Vinnie the bartender, originally from Verona New Jersey, was a great
guy. Sadly, Eulogy closed a few years ago, leaving us with the Khyber Pass and Janet’s
ribald tales of her wild youth.
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| CAMPO'S |
CAMPO’S DELI
Never ask somebody from
New Jersey about driving directions. What follows is a half-hour dissertation about
the best ways to get from A to B, depending on the time, the day, the car, the
mood. Incessant.
Well, it’s the same if
you’re silly enough to query a Philadelphian about what place makes the best
cheese steak in the city. Put two or more of those knuckleheads together and
you’ll get a back and forth about this place or that that will go on for a long
time between each other, perhaps with a fight breaking out. Then you’ll be
harangued about how to order the Philadelphian specialty, like “wid or widdout”
cheese wiz (?) or provolone.
Thankfully Cheese Steaks
are great and Campo’s (one of a bazillion Cheese Steak joints in Philadelphia)
was just around the corner from the Khyber Pass.
They were good, I
guess. Our friends from Albany enjoyed them too. Luckily, we snagged tables inside.
The place was very busy.
AMERICA STARTS HERE
The last stop on our
death march was Independence Hall just half mile from Campo’s. It was here at
this historic building both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
were debated and signed and where the United States had its beginning. It is
possible to go on a short 20-minute guided tour of this historic building. There
are timed entries and tickets must be obtained from March to December 9am to 5pm.
Go here:NPS INDEPENDENCE HALL TICKETS to obtain the tickets. There is a $1.00 fee per ticket..jpg) |
| Independence Hall |
Visitors must go
through a security screening before entering the grounds off Chestnut Street.
HOME
Not wanting to press
our luck and walk any more in the heat, we got an Uber back to the Love Square
parking garage. It cost $24 for the time.
Center City Philadelphia
is historic and worth the visit.
Wait for autumn.
Thanks for reading.
Love Janet and greg
© 2023 by Gregory Dunaj
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