Staying in Rittenhouse Sq for a few days (Reading: how much, school)

[jasonb885]

Originally Posted by KansastoSouthphilly

I always take out of town guests to RTM and they have universally loved it. There are countless delicious options besides DiNics. For example, Beilers for Donuts, Carmens for cheestesteaks, dutch eating place, the thai place for salmon over rice, hershells for jewish food, Becks Cajun etc.


There are many others that I haven't had the chance to try. I agree the area near the convention center is pretty bland but you are practically next-door to Chinatown which is very vibrant and my visitors have always loved visiting.

I gave RTM a shot today. Snagged a Gyro. About to give it a go after a day of walking. Did Chinatown my first night here. Found a decent spot for food. I was starving and freezing, so it seemed pretty good. Not sure I have time to make it out to Italian area, maybe if I Uber tomorrow.

[BK_PHL_DEL]

Originally Posted by jasonb885

I gave RTM a shot today. Snagged a Gyro. About to give it a go after a day of walking. Did Chinatown my first night here. Found a decent spot for food. I was starving and freezing, so it seemed pretty good. Not sure I have time to make it out to Italian area, maybe if I Uber tomorrow.

It is so rainy and cold and dreary out today which would be perfect for a museum(s) day - Rodin, Barnes, Franklin Institute, Art Museum, etc.

[jasonb885]

Originally Posted by BK_PHL_DEL

It is so rainy and cold and dreary out today which would be perfect for a museum(s) day - Rodin, Barnes, Franklin Institute, Art Museum, etc.

Was curious about Philly Fed exhibit but it's closed due to this light rain. I'll have to see if other places closed too. It may be a restaurant day.

[kidphilly]

The Penn Museum can also be interesting, maybe explore a little of Penns campus as well, the Govt may have shut down some of their buildings, stinks as the weather isn't really all that bad


You could always hit the RTM earlier as well

[jasonb885]

Originally Posted by kidphilly

The Penn Museum can also be interesting, maybe explore a little of Penns campus as well, the Govt may have shut down some of their buildings, stinks as the weather isn't really all that bad


You could always hit the RTM earlier as well

Looks like Barnes is closed today. That's per their normal schedule, oops. I hit up terminal yesterday. I may look to see what else might be open today, given the (seemingly not atypical) weather.

[OyCrumbler]

Originally Posted by Patmcpsu

I'll give my unpopular opinion: Reading Terminal is a nice thing to check out, better than the equivalents in other cities, and it's centrally located, but not anything amazing. It's crowded and it has lots of land-mines as far as meals are concerned. Yes, a roast pork sandwich at Dinic's is worthwhile and a solid $10 meal.

But we're forgetting that Philadelphia is the sandwich capital of the world (and I'm not being a homer when I say this) - there are solid $10 sandwiches throughout the city. The Italian Market is out of the way, but I would recommend it to tourists instead.

By all means, if you're nearby, poke your head in and stop at Dinic's if you're hungry. There's nothing wrong with that, but Reading Terminal is not the holy grail that people make it out to be.

Not a holy grail, but it has good things and is pretty conveniently located in terms of where visitors would go.

Also, will say that I very much like the snapper turtle soup at Pearl's Oyster Bar.

[kidphilly]

Originally Posted by OyCrumbler

Not a holy grail, but it has good things and is pretty conveniently located in terms of where visitors would go.

Also, will say that I very much like the snapper turtle soup at Pearl's Oyster Bar.

have to be honest; Pats take is not the norm as most enjoy (tourists and locals alike) honestly its one of the better markets in the country

[Patmcpsu]

I will repeat myself yet again to make things as clear as possible. We're all in complete agreeance that the Reading Terminal Market:
1) Is conveniently located
2) Is better than most of these set-ups elsewhere in the country
3) Has some good food items

I don't want to hear any of the above arguments again to try to sway me; you're preaching to the choir as far as that goes.

However, you are completely ignoring my point that a lot of mediocre food also exists there. Philadelphia is among the best cities in the country for a $10 meal. Why send a visitor to roll the dice at Reading Terminal when you can send them to a sandwich shop that you know is good and offers a distinctly-Philly experience?

For example, I'm going to bet that the gyro OP had at RTM was nothing to write home about (if it's this place, it has 3.5 stars on Yelp). They could have had the best hoagie of their life if we directed them somewhere that we knew was good.

[Pilot1]

Yes Reading Terminal Market. I eat there every time I go to Philly now. Also, do the Liberty One Observation Deck. They give a nice talk on the city's history, and you can view a lot of it right there.

The Art Museum is a must if only for the view from there also. South Philly Italian Market, Independence Hall, and several that others have mentioned.

https://www.visitphilly.com/things-t...ervation-deck/

[PHLondoner]

Originally Posted by Patmcpsu

However, you are completely ignoring my point that a lot of mediocre food also exists there. Philadelphia is among the best cities in the country for a $10 meal. Why send a visitor to roll the dice at Reading Terminal when you can send them to a sandwich shop that you know is good and offers a distinctly-Philly experience?

Food aside, isn't Reading Terminal a "distinctly-Philly experience"? Am I missing the hundreds of identical markets around the country?

The vibe is, imo, VERY Philly. Very old-school, old-world, east coast, hustle and bustle. People watching: locals shopping for groceries, businessmen grabbing a bite for lunch, tourists snapping photos. Amish, chinese, thai, italian...- it's merchants are diverse and representative of the region, the sites and smells are eclectic and interesting. Again, all this aside from food.

Not to bury the lead, but I think you're overthinking this one a bit.