12. Pennsylvania

     The drive from Baltimore to Philadelphia is not long but there are a lot of toll booths. We soon arrived in the "City of Brotherly Love". Philadelphia is full of history and home to the Philly cheese steak. We wanted to compare two of the more famous cheese steak joints so we headed to 9th street where Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's Steaks are located. First, we ate at Pat's.  We shared one of their famous steak sandwiches served in an Italian hoagie complete with, or as they say, "wit", onions and cheese whiz. We then crossed the street and went to Geno's. There we ordered a cheese steak sandwich with cheese whiz but without onions for Dennis's benefit. After sharing both cheese steaks it was a unanimous decision that our favorite was Pat's. Pat's bread was more flavorful and you received a larger helping of meat. The cheese was thicker and wasn't runny like Geno's. In our opinion, Pat's is king of the cheese steak.
   After a wonderful lunch competition we headed downtown in search of the Liberty Bell. We came across the Reading Terminal Market first and couldn't resist stopping and walking around. You can have your parking ticket validated after spending $10 at one stall so of course we couldn't pass that up. Fudge, hard candy, and some of the most delicious coconut macaroons were scored from the Sweet as Fudge Candy Shoppe. Did we stop at one stall? Of course not. Beiler's Bakery is home to the whoopie pie. A whoopie pie is a creamy vanilla frosting sandwiched between two thick cake slices. I chose a pumpkin whoopie pie to enjoy later and Dennis devoured his bismarck in no time at all.

   Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell were our next stop. Independence Hall is under restoration so hence the unusual facade on the pictures. The Liberty Bell was a pleasant surprise. Many years ago when I visited the bell it was encased in glass or some protective case but now only a thin rope separates the bell from its many visitors. I was so close I could reach out and touch the historic crack but I doubt the Park Ranger would have appreciated that so I kept my distance. A short drive across the bridge and we were in New Jersey.

http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/menu.html

http://www.genosteaks.com/

http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/

http://www.nps.gov/inde/liberty-bell-center.htm