Unlike the first part where we did a decent amount of walking around. This part until the end was mostly done driving around. I found it quite a fun way to explore somewhere I’ve never been. It gave me insights into what I might want a closer look at next time. Far better than just reading about these places online on some travel site.
The place ahead is known for being haunted. I don’t quite recall if it was a prison or a mental hospital. Some horrific things went on there. Just looking back at this place I can feel some rather negative energy coming from the building almost.
It was also quite fascinating to see how businesses have taken over some quite old buildings. Right next to them or even on the second floor of the building you have a place people were living. There were quite a lot of row houses which is something I have never gotten an in-person view of.
Some business seems to try and be respectful of the overall look of the building and areas. Others were clearly showing just how soulless they are trying to make them as stale and cold-hearted as their companies themselves.
It was also quite shocking but it makes a lot of sense that a lot of the streetways here are quite narrow. There are a lot of one-way streets. When people can they try and park if there is enough space to do so. That was not always the case and sometimes there were other things in the way.
Driving in a place like this seems to require a certain set of skills. It was interesting how decently traffic flowed between going through so many one-way streets. There were just intersections everywhere and many did not have stoplights.
This city has transformed a lot over the years since its existence in 1682. I can only imagen horses and buggies going through areas like this back then. If there was even a road here in the first place.
It is also somewhat mind-blowing just how many churches are in Philadelphia. Sometimes we just be going down a street and you would see a building with crosses along the top of it. Many of these things had some jaw-dropping exteriors to look at. Many however were not unscathed from modern times.
Off in the distance down this road if I recall is City Hall. The amount of history that has taken place there let alone at the church next to it. It must be quite inspiring going to work every day at a building like that.
While once in a while we would come across some graffiti. For the most part, it was either easy to not even notice or it seemed to be incorporated in some way as if it was a welcome sight. I was rather expecting a lot more of it for how much crime the news won’t shut up about that occurs in such a city.
While we were driving around we also did cross under a giant bridge. It’s always hard to grasp before you go somewhere just how massive a city truly is. When there was not a giant bridge as a view there were always massive buildings in the backdrop.
One building that did not quite live up to my expectations in terms of how it looked was the US Mint. This is just a side and back view. I’m sure the front view looks a bit more interesting. This would also be a place if I’m ever back here again I’d love to take a tour of the inside.
While a lot of photos I took did not turn out so great since a large amount of the exploring was done while in a moving car. Some of them are well worth still showing. Just because of the history they represent.
While we did go around where things like the Library Bell are. Even this time of the year it was quite crowded and so not a place we stopped at.
Some streets were quite unexpected in what I was expecting to run into. This one was like a mini open market going down the tree. With lots of colorful signs and banners about food and other items for sale.
Part of the fun was just going around and seeing how different many of the row houses were from each other. While they are all the same height some have a lot more personality on the outside than others.
It was also interesting to find out that you park where ever you can. The cars in front of these row homes more than likely don’t even live there. People could end up going many street blocks away before they find a place for the night to park. I can only assume there have been quite a few fights over the years for a parking spot.
That is something quite easy to take for granted when not living in a large city. Where you have your driveway and even garage to park in.
After a while, it was time to eat some actual real food. Between the nasty breakfast sandwich, we bought on the train and eating snacks out of a snack backpack we brought along. I was craving something a bit more substantial.
There is no way you can go to Philadelphia and not have a cheesesteak. We ended up going to quite a famous place called Geno’s. It was quite a colorful and hoping place. The amazing vibe and the smell of the food made my stomach rumble.
What I was not expecting was a showdown. Since we were with locals they let us in on the fact that Geno’s might be famous but it’s not the best. I have a feeling there have been many fights over saying such words in these parts.
With some cheesesteaks secured we were off to another location. This other place ended up being called Tony & Nick’s Steaks. While one might argue it was a dirty move to have one cheesesteak starting to cool off a bit and the other one quite fresh. We ended up having extras of both types the next day cold and one was still the clear winner.
The famous one from Geno’s I could almost mistake something made at a decent cheesesteak place down here. The bread down to the juice felt a bit lacking on it. While one might say they had an off day since I’m dealing with locals who swear Tony & Nick’s Steaks is better. I can start to understand why.
I did not even need a drink to enjoy Tony & Nick’s Steaks. There was so much dripping off this thing I was good at dipping sauce. It was quite amazing and after a couple of other cheesesteaks in the area. It still reigns King over anything else I had.
Final Thoughts
After lunch, it was time to head off to other activities. The over three hours of exploration gave me some great insights into things I might want to dig into deeper if I find myself here again.
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Photos were taken and content was written by @Enjar about my personal experiences in the real world away from the computer at home.
