We had two things on our agenda for our last morning—eat a great breakfast and run like Rocky.
Just a couple of blocks from our hotel was the Reading Terminal Market. It opened in 1893, making it one of the oldest markets in the country. There are more than 80 food purveyors as well as artisan and gift shops, along with restaurants, bakeries and cafes. The market is open daily but Pennsylvania Dutch vendors are closed on Sundays. Enticed by the aroma, I jumped in line at Old City Coffee. One sip and I knew why it’s a local favorite; they micro-roast their beans in Reading Terminal.
We managed to snag a table at Down Home Diner in Reading Terminal Market. As soon as I saw the vinyl booths, counter seating and retro décor I knew we had hit the jackpot for breakfast. Get a biscuit. They’re baked in-house every morning and the jam is homemade. If you want true local fare, go for scrapple, which is kind of like a pork meatloaf, or the Philly cheesesteak scram. A couple of other great brunch options in town are
Hungry Pigeon in Queen Village for a hearty breakfast,
Res Ipsa in the Rittenhouse district for a homemade English muffin egg sandwich, or Tela’s, the quaint neighborhood café and market not far from the Rocky steps.
To walk off our hearty breakfast, we started towards the
Philadelphia Museum of Art. Along the way we passed
City Hall. The 548-foot tower purportedly makes this architectural marvel the tallest masonry structure without a steel frame in the world. We popped over to Board Game Art Park to see the giant Sorry tokens, then took pictures at the LOVE and AMOR statues in Love Park. As we approached the museum, we raced to the top of the 72 steps made famous in the movie “Rocky.” When you get to the top enjoy the view as you catch your breath.
We were getting short on time, so we headed back down Benjamin Franklin Parkway. We stopped at the Thinker sculpture at the entrance of the
Rodin Museum then stumbled upon Grumman Greenhouse, a 28-foot-tall street art of a full-size airplane crashed into the sidewalk at Lenfest Plaza. There’s also a giant paintbrush sculpture called Paint Torch. It definitely made for a thought-provoking last stop in Philly. Perhaps it was the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection’s final stroke in painting some lasting memories as our road trip came to an end.