Philly Cheesesteaks, Doughnuts and a Scary Prison

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PHILADELPHIA — Besides touring the famed historical spots in the birthplace of America, several other interesting venues landed on our mostly unplanned itinerary, which might be of interest to readers considering a trip to Philly — a friendly, easy-to-get-around city that vies for the top of our list of American cities to visit. Here are some suggestions after our trip there. I heard from several Facebook friends responding to a call for advice before we headed north. So I am returning the favor based on our limited time in the City of Brotherly Love.

• First off, you should consider buying tickets on one of the hop-on, hop-off buses, which are open air on the top deck and come with guides to explain what you are seeing. We learned that some guides are better than others, so if one guide grates on your nerves, just get off at a stop and catch the next bus. The various bus lines honor tickets from competitors, so you can jump on any of the tour buses.

Cost is about $36, less with coupons, senior discount, etc.

We didn’t know this until our first day on the streets of Philly, but the city operates a bus line called Philly Phlash. It is also hop-on, hop-off. There is no tour guide, but once one has made the entire route with a guide, this is a more efficient way to get where one wants to go. Phlash runs from mid-May through Labor Day at very reasonable prices. Plus, seniors and little kids ride for free. I qualify for the former and had none of the latter in tow.

I was mildly chagrined that not a single driver requested my ID to prove my senior citizenry, while my Beautiful Mystery Companion — also qualifying but looking at least a decade younger than her actual age — had to show her ID. I was just waved on the Phlash, which is air-conditioned — an advantage over the double-deckers. I got over my discomfiture.

• The Reading (pronounced red-ing) Terminal Market is a giant indoor farmer’s market with more than 70 grocery and dining spots as well as other merchants. Fans of the game of Monopoly will recognize the Reading Railroad as a spot on that famed game board, originally called The Landlord’s Game and designed in 1935 as an educational tool to illuminate the evils of monopoly in businesses. It was developed during the Great Depression by Charles B. Darrow of Germantown, a venerable northwest Philadelphia neighborhood.

I indulged in my first doughnut in at least a decade while inside the Reading Terminal, chowing down on a blueberry fritter that nearly brought tears to my eyes and sugar shock to my system.

• While on the topic of food, at the suggestion of several folks, we went to Jim’s South St., one of the city’s most famous establishments to eat a genuine Philly cheesesteak, considered de rigueur for a first-time visitor. The service was impeccable, the atmosphere delightful. But at the risk of being permanently banned from the city, I must admit to not being a fan of this sandwich. The bread was wonderful, the grilled peppers and onions perfect, the provolone slices (no cheese whiz for me) nicely cradled the bread’s bed.

But the approximately quarter pound of chopped Black Angus beef apparently had no seasoning. It began feeling like a burden to eat after a few bites. I have definitely been spoiled by spicy fajita meat and smoky barbecue brisket. Maybe my tastebuds have been ruined by decades of spicy beef, but I likely have eaten my last Philly cheesesteak. My arteries will not be disappointed.

• There seems to be some dispute about this, judging from Google, but folks in Philly claim the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ is the largest fully functioning pipe organ in the world, based on the number of playing pipes and other factors. I figure to be in enough trouble for dissing cheesesteaks, so I’m not going to argue this point. Improbably, the organ is inside the downtown Macy’s, originally called Wanamaker Department Store and still referred to as such by natives. It is disconcerting to walk the aisles, looking at displays of jewelry and perfume, look up and see this massive, gorgeous pipe organ. Installed in 1911, it is played twice daily except on Sundays, plus it is featured in several special concerts. It is quite the sight, as readers will see from the accompanying photo.
• Finally, one of the most intriguing tourist stops is a tour of the ruins of Eastern State Penitentiary, right in town and blocks away from the considerably more hoity-toity Philadelphia Museum of Art. The hulking facility opened in 1829 and is considered the world’s first true penitentiary, a term implying prisoners serving penance for their crimes in silence and isolation. Each cell had a single, tiny window in the ceiling designed so God could keep an eye on the recalcitrant inmates. Upon completion, Eastern State Penitentiary was the largest and most expensive prison in the world. Gangster Al Capone spent time there, as did bank robber Willie Sutton. Writers Charles Dickens and Alexis de Tocqueville (designer of New York’s Central Park) paid visits.

The prison closed in 1971 and dodged efforts to repurpose this high-dollar tract of land as luxury apartments. It opened as a tourist site in 1994. Anybody with teenagers eyeing a life of crime might consider taking them on a tour of Eastern State Penitentiary. Modern facilities might not be as foreboding, but even the mere possibility of being incarcerated in somewhere like this ought to keep wayward youth on the straight and narrow.

Philadelphia truly is one of the friendliest cities we have visited, living up to its sobriquet. Just watch out for those doughnuts and don’t jaywalk. There are plenty of vacancies at Eastern Pennsylvania Penitentiary.

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