In this post I will wrap up my comments and share a few more photos from our recent trip to Philadelphia, Pa. It was truly a content rich destination that I could expand on in a few more blogs, but it will be time to move on to another topic. The end of summer is about here and we do have some more travel planned before we close up the Virginia house and load the RV for travel to Florida.
Random Photos
Almost every street in the historic district has overflowing trash 
Cute ice cream trailer 
Nice gothic building 
More murals 
A like the greenery along this street 
Old brick street – now a pedestrian only 
Ben Franklin’s grave 
Ouch
Restaurants
Even though our condo had a nice full kitchen, we went out to eat for all meals except breakfast. The five day trip had us finding four evening meal establishments and several other places for a light lunch. A part of our family group were vegans, so occasionally we had to split up for dining. Below are a few comments for each.
Good Dog Bar – We ate a light sandwich and had a cold beer dinner here twice. It was very good, not exceptional, but was very close by our condo, and had some quiet outside dining.
Barbuzzo – A nice little Mediterranean place that we had a very tasty dinner. This place had all “small plates” on the menu. Normally, I like to order my own meal and consume it myself, but sometimes a change is good. Out of my comfort zone again. We all ordered 1-2 items apiece and shared all the goodies on the table. I remember it was all very good, but the meatballs were outstanding. LINK
Tomo Sushi & Ramen – This was a little different but very good. While Pat and I did not try the sushi, some of the group did. I had a grilled chicken and ramen noodles dish.
Giuseppe & Sons – This Italian restaurant was the highlight of the week. While a bit pricey, it was some excellent Italian fare. Located in the basement of a large building, the décor and atmosphere was very nice. Most of the restaurants we visited were in long and narrow buildings. This place was twice as wide as most, so tables were not crowded together. Nice white table clothes and good service. LINK
For lunch we ate at several places including Cleavers Philly Cheesesteaks, Tommy Domics, and a few others.
Amtrak Northeast Regional
I would certainly take Amtrak again in the future. It works well going into a city where parking and driving around can be a problem. The 400 mile trip would have taken about eight hours by car and the train was just less than eight hours.
Plus we got to sit back, read a book or get up and walk around. Go to the cafe car for a bite or a coffee. I just can’t get much sleep in the seats, even though they do recline a few degrees.
Ross at work 
Pat at work 
The snack bar
Pat and I are thinking of a trip to NYC sometime in the future and it will be on the Amtrak option. I can’t imagine driving around that city.
Another reason that I enjoy the train travel is purely nostalgic. My father worked for New York Central freight lines in Terre Haute, Indiana. The freight carrier then went on to merge with the Pennsylvania RR who then became Penn Central. Dad worked there in the late 1950’s through the time that he retired in around 1990.
We took a few family trips on the passenger trains and actually had sleeper room. It was mom and dad and my six year old brother Keith and myself. The small room was cozy, but the four of us managed to fit. The room was a sofa that pulled out to make a full size bed and an overhead bunk that pulled down for another. Two opposing chairs and a bathroom/shower that was quite small.
It was in 1964 and we were going to the New York Worlds Fair. I was 10 years old and think that I remember more of the train ride than the big city and fair. The dining car was elegant with table clothes, place settings, and waiters. Much different than today on the Northeast Regional.
Wrap Up
Thanks for following along and this wraps up the Philly trip. The city has many awesome tourist attractions and historic buildings. Just walking along the old narrow streets was interesting. As I’ve mentioned before, it also has a dark downside with the homeless situation and high crime at night. With some judicious caution, it was a good visit, great to see family, and always good to be back home again in our quiet Blue Ridge Mountains.
We have now planned out our RV route to Florida for the winter, leaving on December 1st. In the next few weeks, our plans are a Charleston, SC road trip and then a trip to Indiana to see the moms. Please make sure to subscribe below to be notified of any updates.
Take care and God Bless.