Home » United States » Philadelphia

June 2002

Philadelphia

David Aaronson
2005-09-26 16:11:01

Displayed times (last time: )

Philadelphia is of course known for the cheesesteak among other things. Pat's takes credit for inventing the sandwich which is simply cheese, grilled onions and steak on a bun. Just across the street is Geno's. This was our first stop in Philadelphia on the way to the hotel. It was a little after midnight (both restaurants are open 24 hours a day) when we stopped to sample fare from both places.

It's a tough thing to make a decision on. We liked the cheese sauce better at Pat's, and the meat and bread better at Geno's. Pat's also has a bit of an attitude (you can be sent to the end of the line supposedly for ordering wrong) which doesn't seem warranted in our opinion. Suffice it to say that when we returned on our way out of Philadelphia, we went to Geno's, mostly because the line was shorter at the time.

This page is called Philadelphia but it includes some surrounding areas as we made day-trips to New Jersey, Allentown and Pennsylvania Dutch country while we were visiting. This is the state capitol in Trenton, New Jersey, included here for completeness in our eventual complete set of state capitols (1). The building itself is packed into downtown Trenton and is difficult to get a clear view of. Trenton is not a particularly attractive city and we found nothing else of interest there.

Back in Philadelphia we spent some time in Chinatown (2), which would more accurately be called Asiatown as there are large Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese communities as well. Like other North American chinatowns, this one features import shops, produce and meat markets, and more noodle shops and restaurants than you can count.

As a tourist destination, Philadelphia's historic district is probably the biggest draw (although the art museum and Franklin science center are worth a visit too). This is Elfreth's Alley, billed as the oldest continuously inhabited ...