When I am visiting Philadelphia, I am always in search of reasonable places to eat and find snacks after a long day of touring. I came across Asia Bakery at 115 North 10th Street last year when I came in for the Flower Shos and it has been one of my go to places ever since.
The inside of Asia Bakery and their selection of baked goods to choose from
Their buns and rolls are very reasonable and if you get there earlier in the day, there is also a nice selection of baked goods to choose from. On my first trip there, I stopped for a late afternoon snack and one of their Roast Pork buns and a Cream bun.
I loved the sweetness of the topping and the rich barbecue taste of the chopped pork inside the bun. It is part lunch and part dessert. They are one of my favorite Chinese buns.
The Roast Pork bun
The filling is so good
The Cream buns are wonderful too. Filled with a sweet vanilla cream, they make the perfect dessert after a meal in Chinatown.
On my recent trip, I stopped in to have some dessert after dinner eating elsewhere. There were so many choices but I decided on the Pineapple Cream bun. These sweet soft buns are topped with a sugary crust and filled with a sweet vanilla cream. The perfect pocket dessert.
The Pineapple Cream bun
The filling is delicious
Everything I have tried here is delicious and there are so many choices that it is hard to choose what you want to try. Don’t miss this small hole in the wall bakery in Philadelphia’s Chinatown for a meal on the go or just a quick snack.
After the holidays were over and I returned from my trip to Cape May for three days, exploring all the museums and historic sites that were open while enjoying the extension of the holidays, I got to visit a few of the local “Lightshows” on the last weekend they were open before the Epiphany. These are interactive exhibitions of lights and museum that should not be missed and are fun to walk through.
These started in Cape May and continued on through my last walk through Brooklyn on the last night of “Lightscapes” on one of the coldest nights of the New Year. Even with the weather turning bitterly cold, some of the nights there was not wind and made these nights out a true delight. You get caught up in the beauty of all the lights and music.
My adventure of lights began after Christmas with my annual trip to Cape May, NJ. Cape May is one of the most dazzling towns to celebrate Christmas. The only town to rival it is Rhinebeck, NY and they are neck in neck for the holiday season. The parks, hotels and the downtown Washington Street Mall are always decked out for the holidays.
The Park in downtown Cape May, NJ
Cape May Park in Downtown Cape May, NJ
I love this annual lightshow because it is free and part of the holiday magic that makes Cape May, NJ so special. This walk through the ‘Village Green’ of Cape May is part of what is so wonderful and shows the holiday spirit of Greater Cape May during the Christmas holidays.
The glittering tree in the park
The park glitters and shines
The Gazebo is always brilliant at the holidays
The Christmas tree is always amazing in Downtown Cape May
The decorated homes of Cape May, NJ near the beach
The houses in Cape May lit up for the holidays
Washington Mall in Downtown Cape May lit for the holidays
Washington Mall in Downtown Cape May
The Washington Mall during the later evening in Cape May
The beautiful Christmas lights and decorations continued at The Congress Hotel just off the downtown. The hotel is always so beautifully decorated like the town and is a wonderful place to stay at Christmas time (I stayed here in 2017 for Christmas and loved it). I ended up eating at the hotel for both breakfast at the Blue Pig and dinner at the Boiler Room (you can see these reviews in my Christmas blog from 2017 updated in 2024):
The inside of the hotel’s foyer always decorated to the hilt for the holidays
The Courtyard of the hotel decorated for the holidays
The beautiful Christmas tree in the courtyard is always a treat to look at every holiday
After I left the hotel, I just walked around Cape May and there is always a light show to see. So I walked around town, had dinner and just enjoyed the lights for two nights.
The light tree in one of the parks in Cape May
I ate at Viggiano’s at Sunset 109 Sunset Boulevard for dinner my last night in Cape May after touring around town
I started the meal with a delicious Italian Wedding Soup
This was followed by a delicious Spaghetti Carbonara
The food at the restaurant is very homey and delicious. The dinner was a perfect way to end my tour of Cape May’s downtown area and all the decorated homes. The two days I spend there always refresh me after the holidays.
When I arrived home from the Christmas holidays with my family, I had the week off before the college I work at resumed classes. I had not planned too many activities so I decided to update some of my older blogs by visiting places I had once visited during the holidays and planned to visit some of the popular light shows in the tri-state area.
The first thing I did when I returned home was visit the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. The crowds started to go down after the holidays and I got to visit it later in the evening so I could take better pictures. There is nothing like Rockefeller Center at Christmas time. It is in a league all its own.
Visiting Rockefeller Center at Christmas is always exciting
You have not experienced anything at the holidays until you have seen the tree at Rockefeller Center
Across the street, Saks Fifth Avenue was decked out for the holidays. The decorations and lights were beautiful and made up for their windows which were decorated with just clothes this year.
Saks Fifth Avenue at 611 Fifth Avenue at Christmas time
There were three light shows I wanted to visit on the last weekend of the holidays and it took some coordinating. On New Year’s Eve, I took the train down to Center City Philadelphia to see the lightshow at the old Wanamaker’s store which is now Macy’s (Thank God I did as they announced after the holidays that Macy’s will be closing this location in March 2025). This is always a treat. I had not seen it since 2016.
See my Blog on visiting Philadelphia at Christmas in 2016:
The front of the store made famous by the movie ‘Mannequin’
The trailer for “Mannequin”
The windows at Macy’s Center City
The opening of the movie “Mannequin”:
The inside of Macy’s Center City in the movie “Mannequin”
The beautiful decorations of Macy’s Philadelphia at Christmas
Preparing for the lightshow in the main Rotunda
The magnificent decorations on the first floor
The famous eagle on the first floor
I saw the Lightshow twice, once to take pictures and once to film it. It is the same show I have seen several times, narrated by Julie Andrew’s but I never get bored from it. It really is a holiday tradition.
The start of the show that takes place every two hours
The start of the show with the Introduction
The start of Part One of the show
The video of Part One:
The video of the start of the show with a scene from ‘The Nutcracker’
The second part of the show with the clocks
The Video of Part Two:
The video of the Clock Show and Snow falling
The Sleigh Ride and the Snow Falling
The visit from Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer
Video of Part Three:
Taking a Train trip to a Winter Wonderland
Welcoming Frosty the Snowman
Welcoming the Snowfall
Video of Part Four:
The Finale with the sounds of the organ is always a treat
The Finale
The Video of Part Five: The Finale
The Finale always gets an applause
After the Light-show was over, I walked around Macy’s. It is not the same store it was when it was Wanamaker’s when all the floors were open and they had all the magnificent restaurants. Wanamaker’s was top notch. Still I saw traces of the old store here and there. You can still see all the beautiful architecture and lighting.
The Rotunda after the Lightshow
Macy’s at Christmas
Macy’s at Christmas time
After I left Macy’s, I walked around Center City Philadelphia and walked around the City Hall complex. This was pretty much the last week of decorations and the holidays before they started to take this down.
City Hall in Center City
The lights continued with the Philadelphia Christmas tree downtown
On the other side of City Hall was the last day of the Christmas Mart
The outside Christmas Mart had its own gardens and Christmas lights
After I had toured both the store and the downtown area, I headed over to Reading Market for lunch. I love coming here for meals when I am in Philadelphia. There are so many places to choose from.
One of my favorite places to eat when it is open is the Dutch Eating Place inside the Reading Market. I love their breakfasts, their burgers but especially their Hot Turkey Platters. They are the best. Sitting at the counter, you can always have a nice conversation with someone.
The food at the Dutch Eating Place is always top notch and very homey. The Hot Turkey Sandwich was the Thanksgiving dinner that I did not have this year.
After my tour of the Reading Market, a short walk around downtown Center City and tour through Macy’s (with almost no merchandise on the shelves in certain departments, it was signaling to me that there was a problem in the store), it was time to head home. There were even more beautiful Christmas lights at Penn Station with their Christmas tree.
The Christmas tree at Penn Station in Philadelphia
After the holidays were over, Macy’s announced that the Center City store would be closing in March. So much for coming back or a ‘Mannequin’ remake.
Macy’s closing their downtown store in Philadelphia in March 2025
Over the weekend of the Epiphany, I arranged to see three more walking tours before they all closed for the season. One was the Holiday Lights tour at the Bronx Zoo, another was the Christmas Walking tour of the Armour-Stiner House in Irvington, NY and the last was one of my favorites, The Lightscape tour at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Each of these were more beautiful then the next with the only problem being is how cold it got those evenings.
The well lit welcome to the Bronx Zoo at the entrance by Astor Court
The fountains by Astor Court
Astor Court dazzling that evening
The wonderland of lights by Astor Court
The Christmas Tree light show just off Astor Court
The Light-show is captivating
This holiday light presentation was ongoing and beautiful. I just wished the music could have been louder. The main Christmas tree had so many unusual light displays.
The beautiful lights during the show
The main Christmas tree
I loved all the lights on the tree
I ended up watching the show three times for over a half hour and it still keep changing to something new
The tree display
The tree lights were captivating
After I left Astor Court, I just followed the pathways around the zoo and enjoyed the lights and displays. The show either seemed bigger than I remembered or I missed a lot on my last trip in 2019.
Walking along the pathways with all the displays
The pathways lit to create a Fantasyland
What I love about this show is the different themed sections of the show and how the zoo sets the show up. The Nautical displays were on the side of the Zoo that I entered and were the first set of lights I saw.
The nautical lights
The Nautical lights
Stingrays in the Nautical lights
The fish display
The Jellyfish display
The seals were one of the bigger displays in the zoo
One of the indoor displays was interactive
The multi lights and interactive puppets by the zoo sign
I liked the light structures
The giraffe sculptures
The reindeer lighting the way
The colorful flowers lining the paths
The light sculptures line the paths of the zoo
The puppet masters entertained us in the park
Then I headed down paths to visit all sorts of exotic animals and their colorful habitats lined the paths.
The flamingoes
The Turtles
The ant eater
The colorful parrots
The penguins
The Emu
The Alligator
The crowds are sparse at this time of the year and this is the best time to take pictures
It was the weekend of the Epiphany when I visited so the holiday decorations were still up
The park was so nicely decorated for the holidays
The beautiful snow flakes
I next went to the jungle themed part of the park and visited all the animals in the wild. This is where all the bigger displays were located and you got to see all the zoo related animals.
Where the wild animals were located
The friendly giraffes
The friendly faces of the giraffes
The playful monkeys
The elephants
The Rhinos
Lions and tigers
Walking down the well lit paths
The Rainbow tunnel
The Wild Wolves
The Green Tree by the Dancing Crane Cafe
I had to stop for a while to warm up and have something to eat. I tried to stop before I got to the zoo but there are only delis that surround the park. I had not eaten here years and the food had always been pretty good.
The Chicken Fingers here were excellent and the portion size was very fair
The fries were really good as well and had just come out of the fryer
I have to say that I was very impressed by the food and the service. Everyone could not have been nicer and it was a very pleasant and relaxing dinner.
As I resumed my walk down the paths of the zoo, I walked through the most amazing colorful tunnel, where everyone was taking pictures.
When you can walk through this alone it is really amazing
My part of the zoo I traveled through was the Magical Rain Forest with its colorful flowers and exotic animals.
The beautifully lit Totem pole
The colorful flowers lined the paths
The colorful butterfly’s
The colorful flowers in the Rain Forest
The beauty of the walkways
This was such a colorful frog
Another playful frog in the Rain Forest
I thought the frog with the toad was very clever
These colorful birds lined the path
The colors of the frogs in the Rain Forest were amazing
This beautiful Diamondback turtle was last animal I saw before I left the Rain Forest
The temperature really started to drop this evening and it was in the thirties when I left the Bronx Zoo. Still it was an amazing night. The show was so dazzling that night and dinner was surprisingly good that night that I did not mind.
The 125th sign all lit when I left the park that night
The Swan Gate as I was leaving
It got really cold at the end of the evening but it was such a great night. The displays were amazing and the musical light shows were a lot of fun. It is something everyone should see once. It is even better later in the season when there are no crowds and you can take great pictures.
The decorated Rhino was one of the last thing J saw when I left the park
On the Sunday of the last day of the Christmas season, I visited the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to see their lightshow ‘Lightscape’ which I had seen a few years earlier. It was the last night to see it and it was crowded and really cold.
The problem was that the weather had turned really cold and it was in the low thirties even in the early evening. So I really had to bundle up for these visits. The show itself was well worth the trip.
The map would take us all over the gardens
The lit tree army the entrance of the gardens
Then I entered the ‘Canopy of Light’ with its magical lights and music
At the entrance of the show was the breathtaking ‘Canopy of Light’
The beautiful multi lights with music
The lights moved to ‘Let it Snow’
I continued down the path to the Japanese Garden and saw the most spectacular light and water show in the lake of the garden.
The colors and fountains swayed to the music
What gorgeous colors
The movements and music were wonderful
The amazing water show in the Japanese Garden
The end of the show was beautiful
I ended up seeing the water show twice because I knew they would not let me turnaround to see it again. The I turned down the path.
The lights in the trees were amazing
The field of white lit roses
A closer look at the white roses
I continued down the path to the next display
I next moved on to the main lawn where the sculpture ‘Singularity’ was displayed. You could not stare at it too long or it could hypnotize you.
The sculpture ‘Singularity’
The sculpture ‘Singularity’
I walked around the Water Lilly ponds whose flowers would bloom again in the summer but had sculptures of Butterflies floating around in them.
These were called ‘Butterfly Effect’
The ‘Butterfly Effect’
I love the way the sculptures swayed and moved in the pond to the music. The Yellow Magnolia, the Garden’s restaurant was open that evening and was packed with people eating dinner. There was no way of getting in so I moved on down the path.
The pathways were lit with all sorts of colors
The next sculpture was ‘One Small Thing’ and the sculpture ‘Halo’ that lit the way in the back of the Gardens.
‘One Small Thing’
The lights alone the path for ‘One Small Thing’
The came the sculptures for ‘Halo’
The next interactive and musical sculpture was ‘Alumine’ which looked like trees in a Dr. Seuss book. Colorful and fun!
Walking through the ‘Alumine’ sculptures
The experience of walking through ‘Alumine’ is like walking through ’Whoville’ in the winter
The lights here changed color every minute and were so amazing.
As I left ‘Alumine’, the next series of sculptures were light shows with dazzling colors and music. This is what made this show stand out more than the shows of the past.
The beautiful lights lit the path through dormant trees
The colors kept changing
As I walked down the path, I entered ‘Rainbow Road’ with it colorful disco lights and energetic soundtrack.
The outdoor lights and music makes you feel like you are in a discotheque
I stayed here the longest to listen to the 70’s soundtrack
The music was fantastic that night
I moved on to the area of the gardens between where the crocuses will grow in two months and near Daffodils Hill was another amazing display entitled ‘Anemonia’. These sculptures looked like futuristic lamps.
The ‘Anemonia’ sculptures
The ‘Anemonia’ lit beautifully
The next light display rivaled the ‘Happy Waters’ was ‘Interface’, a display of memorizing lights and music. I stayed for three shows as it was so dazzling.
The ‘Anemonia’ sign
The lights and sounds of ‘Interface’
The sights and sounds of ‘Interface’
The show ended with some of the spectacular lights
I then walked through the ‘Neon Network’ to get to where the Cherry Blossom Esplanade dazzled everyone in April with its beautiful, fluffy pink blossoms. It was other bright colors showcasing this part of the gardens.
The ‘Neon Network’ sign
Walking through the ‘Neon Network’
The ‘Neon Network’
Walking through the ‘Neon Network’
The ‘Neon Network’ led to the last spectacular displays of lights in the Cherry Blossom Esplanade, ‘Winter Reflection’, a celebration of lights, trees and snowflakes.
The colors of ‘Winter Reflections’
The colors of ‘Winter Reflections’The
Video on ‘Winter Reflections’:
The tree brightly lit in ‘Winter Reflections’
The dazzling colors of ‘Winter Reflections’
To really appreciate the shoe of ‘Winter Reflections’ you had to walk up the pathways overlooking the Esplanade.
The pathway through the Cherry Esplanade was spectacular
The lightshow for ‘Winter Reflections’ was most entertaining from the top of the hill
The video of the show from the top of the hill show it’s true beauty and entertainment:
One of the most memorable show off ‘Lightscapes’
After I saw the show twice before I headed out of the gardens. I walked through the ‘Winter Cathedral’ which had been the biggest part of the light show a couple of years ago. This is most impressive.
The ‘Winter Cathedral’ at the end of the tour
The lights are so spectacular in the evening
The last display before I left the park was the ‘Lantern Garden’ at the original area of the gardens entrance.
The sign for ‘The Lantern Garden’
The ‘Lantern Garden’ at the end of the garden
The ‘Lantern Garden’
I exited the gardens after almost two hours of walking around and it started to get cold outside. It was still really busy in the gardens as the later ticket holders will still coming in.
The exit of the show at the Eastern Parkway entrance
Before I returned to Manhattan, I had a quick dinner at Bahn Mi Sandwich on Washington Avenue. Their Vietnamese sandwiches are always wonderful.
After cold night in the gardens, I stopped to have a sandwich and eat inside the restaurant. It was so nice and warm and the sandwich was excellent. I ordered the Shredded Chicken Banh Mi and it was delicious. Lots of steamed chicken tucked inside a chewy bun with fresh vegetables. I really enjoy their sandwiches.
The sandwich was a perfect way to end the evening
Before I left Manhattan for the evening, I walked through Bryant Park on the way back to Port Authority. The Christmas tree was still up surprisingly and the most of the food vendors around the skating rink were still open.
The Skating Rink at Bryant Park at the end of the holidays
The food vendors were still open at the end of the season
The Christmas tree was still ablaze at the end of the 12 Days of Christmas
Bryant Park is so spectacular during the holidays
For anyone who says New York City or even Philly for that matter are boring during the holidays have not walked the parks and streets. There are so many beautiful and spectacular things to do and see.
You all have to experience them for yourself in eleven months!
Post Christmas visit during the Philadelphia Flower Show 2025:Macy’s Closing
What was sad though when I returned two months later for the Flower Show, it was announced that Macy’s was shutting down the downtown store as part of the store cuts as Macy’s was downsizing the company.
Macy’s Closing at the Wanamaker’s Building
Almost all the inner city stores like Brooklyn and Philadelphia were going to join stores like Pittsburgh and Minneapolis. It was a sad day for Philly.
Macy’s during my day of touring
Sad day in Philly
It reminded me of when B. Altman closed in New York City
The display windows said it all but had been very festive just two months earlier
The once elegant Men’s Department
The mannequins for sale
Me with the ‘Mannequins’ on the first floor
Me with the decorations that once adorned the first floor during Christmas
It’s so sad to see where John Wanamaker once walked and Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall once danced down the aisles has now been reduced to thisbargain sale
The empty cases were once filled with beautiful jewels and fancy perfumes
All the Christmas decorations from two months before were all sold
The beautiful atrium where I watched the light show a few months before
The Accessories Department
No one was near the Eagle that day
The back part of the Atrium
The sadness of the Clothing Department
The Cosmetics Department had nothing left
The beautiful embellishments around the Cosmetics Department of the Eastern States. This is of Massachutes
This is the New Jersey emblem
Where Kim Cattrell and Andrew McCarthy danced in the film
The lion guarding the stairs
The actors dancing in the film “Mannequin”
The front of the old Wanamakers store where the opening scene of ‘Mannequin’ was shot
Not what John Wanamaker envisioned for his store
It is a sad day as this was once one of the most beautiful and creative stores in the country now reduced to a bargain sale.
I had been shopping in the Boscov’s Department Store in Woodbridge Center in Woodbridge, NJ recently and I walked into their Candy Department on the second floor to admire all their candy selections.
The shelves were ladened with products from Hershey’s Easter candies which rang true for a department store company based in Pennsylvania. So many wonderful food companies are based in the Lancaster and surrounding communities.
On one table I eyed one of my favorite holiday treats on the display table near the register, a decorated butter cream Easter Egg by the Lerro’s Candy Company. The beautifully decorated egg came in two sizes, and I preferred the larger one that would last until Easter morning.
This sweet Easter Egg was nicely decorated with all sorts of flowers and edible embellishments. The center of…
Shane Confectionery at 110 Market Street in Philadelphia
What can I say about this little chocolate/candy store in the heart of Old Town Philadelphia? It is so charming and welcoming and a step back into time when buying candy was a luxury treat. The store looks like a jewelry store for candies with a wide aisle, wrought iron glass cases and overhanging lights that gas jets once lit the store (now electric). Still the store looks like something from the turn of the last century.
The interior of Shane Confectionery has not change since the turn of the last century
They were preparing for the Halloween holidays when I visited in the early Fall but I was looking at all the interesting handmade candies, made inhouse. All the trays of chocolate…
On a recent trip to Philadelphia for the Cornell versus Penn Football Game (We won!), I had on my bucket list a series of small museums that I wanted to visit. One of them was the Museum of the American Revolution at 101 South 3rd Street in Old Town Philadelphia.
What was supposed to be a two-hour visit ended up being almost four hours of fascinating artifacts, paintings, murals, flags, ammunition and cold hard facts about the Revolutionary War and its beginnings, battles and finally peace.
My first stop in the museum was the exhibition “Liberty: Don Troiani’s Paintings of the Revolutionary War” which showed the artists interpretations of the historical battles and occurrences that took…
I came across this interesting little historical museum when I was touring Elfreth’s Alley in Old Town, Philadelphia. What an interesting look back at the merchant trade class of the 18th century. It really showed how the average worker used both their home as a business and as a home. The home had been former business of a pair of dressmakers who used the front parlor as their store and showroom, the side room used as the kitchen, the upstairs room was the living quarters for a very large family (I believe that the family had eight children according to the tour guide) and a nice sized garden in the back of the home.
I visited the Betsy Ross House Museum when touring the small museums of Old Town Philadelphia. What an interesting historical site. You felt like you were invited into Betsy Ross’s house by Betsy Ross herself.
The house and museum is broken up into different sections. When you walk into the museum complex, you will get to visit a very patriotic gift shop stocked with Revolutionary War memorabilia. Out side the gift shop is the formal gardens and the courtyard which is a nice place to relax and enjoy the weather.
When you enter the house, you will be able to visit all the rooms of the house and the kitchen area on the…
I took some time out of ‘MywalkinManhattan” and decided to head down to Philadelphia to see the annual Philadelphia Flower Show. The gloom and cold of the winter was driving me crazy and I needed a change of scene. The trip was a spur of the moment decision with an excellent package deal with the tickets and hotel. I had not made my usual trip at Christmas and having a cheesesteak fix, off I went. The theme of the show this year was “Flower Power” for the anniversary of Woodstock. It was everything 60’s man.
Just packing for the overnight, I worked in the Soup Kitchen that morning. We had a busy day on the Bread station as usual and I was exhausted when I got to Penn Station. I could not check into the hotel until four that afternoon so I was in no rush. That is what I love about taking the Acela to Philly, you get there in record time and it is a smooth ride down with not many stops.
It was a little gloomy when I got down to Philly that afternoon but still I enjoy the walk from the train station to Center City. Penn Station is always cheerful though and it is nice to walk around the station and look at the architecture of the building and the ongoing renovations that preserve the structure. I walked around a little to see if any new restaurants had opened and then the long walk to Center City Philadelphia, which takes me a whopping twenty minutes to walk. It is a straight line right to the hotel.
When I visit Philly I like to stay in the downtown area to be close to the museums and Chinatown and this time I stayed at the Courtyard Hotel (See review on TripAdvisor) right across the street from City Hall and around the corner from Macy’s Center City (the old Wanamaker’s Department Store). What I like about the Courtyard is not just its location but the rooms are large and they have the best mattresses that are firm yet soft and you get the best night’s sleep on.
Downtown Philadelphia Courtyard Hotel (changed name of the hotel)
Dropping off my luggage, I made a b-line to the Reading Market. The one thing I love about the Market is the wonderful food that you can get that you can’t find in New York City or in Northern New Jersey. What I mean by that is you can a cheesesteak in New Jersey but not the way you get one in Philly with the thin little steaks and Cheese Wiz at Carmine’s and you can get a good doughnut but not a Beiler’s Apple filled with cinnamon icing the way they make it. They are prepared for people from Philly not from New York. Every time I want a Cheesesteak in New York, they want to make some upscale Steak sandwich. I like the real thing.
A real Philly cheesesteak at Carmine’s Cheesesteaks (Closed in October 2024)
Yum!
So off I went to start my lunch feast at the Reading Terminal Market (See review on TripAdvisor) at Carmine’s Famous Italian Hoagie’s and Cheesesteaks at 51 North 12th Street (See review on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com) for my favorite sandwich, a cheesesteak loaded with Cheese Wiz ($8.00). I swear when you bite into that soft roll and keep going there is nothing like it. It is the combination of the caramelized meat and the sharp cheese is delicious and washed down with a Coke, it is the best.
Carmine’s Cheesesteaks (Closed in October 2024)
For dessert, I had two things. I went to Beiler’s Bakery and Bassett’s Ice Cream, both in the Reading Market around the corner from Carmine’s. I had one of Beiler’s apple filled jelly doughnuts with a thick cinnamon icing on it and it is delicious.
Beiler’s at 3900 Chestnut Avenue fries all their doughnuts and then hand fill them with homemade fillings. The sweetness of the fresh apples and the thick glaze give it a fantastic taste.
At Bassett’s Ice Cream, I had a craving for their homemade Cookies & Cream Ice Cream on a cone and even though it was my second dessert it was well worth it. The ice cream has a high count of butterfat which makes it creamer and they load it up with pieces of cookie in it. Everyone just looked at me with the big smile on my face walking out of Reading Market eating that cone. It was so rich and good!
Now that my cravings were fulfilled and I had walked all over the Market checking out the other foods, I decided it was time to walk off the lunch and I headed to the Philadelphia Art Museum (See review on TripAdvisor). Since I am a member of the Newark Museum (See my review on VisitingaMuseum.com and TripAdvisor), we have a reciprocal program with the museum and I can get in for free.
I had not been to the museum since the previous Christmas I had wanted to see how the renovations were coming along and see two of the exhibitions at would be closing the next week, “Fabulous Fashions: From Dior’s New Look to Now” and “Little Ladies: Victorian Fashion Dolls and the the Feminine Ideal”. Both of which were excellent. The one thing I like about the Philadelphia Museum as opposed to the Met is that they don’t over-whelm you with the exhibition. The show is long enough to enjoy but not long enough where it over-loads you with information.
The “Fabulous Fashions” exhibition was really interesting in that it showed how fashion changed since the end of World War II. The exhibit covered fashions from the “A” look to more modern garments that show the comfort a woman expected from designers then and now. It was a series of dresses on mannequins that showed the progress of this over the years.
Dior Show at the Philadelphia Art Museum
“Little Ladies: Victorian Fashion Dolls” exhibition was centered around the ideal of the Victorian woman that girls would see in their mothers and the women that surrounded them. The dolls represented the fashions and mood of the time and preparing young girls for marriage and motherhood and the ideal values of life. It is amazing to see the change of attitude in just a hundred years. It was not just what the dolls were it was what they represented in way of fashion and accessories but in the attitude of the times. Everyone knew their place and played the role as best they could in the values of the times.
Victorian Wedding Doll
Both were interesting to walk around and explore what the curators were trying to convey. The Philadelphia Art Museum does a nice job mounting their exhibitions and since they were not the huge over-whelming exhibitions of other museums, it gave me the rest of the evening to explore the museum.
On Friday nights, the museum has live entertainment and I sat on the stairs inside the courtyard of the museum and listened to the jazz combo while I watched everyone eating at the museum’s restaurant that surrounded the stairs. It was an evening of cocktails and music for most of the patrons. I was still stuffed from lunch so I just sat back and relaxed and listened to the music. I highly recommend Friday nights (they are open until 8:45pm) at the Philadelphia Art Museum with their late night music concerts. It is a relaxing way to spend the evening.
On the way back to the museum, I all of a sudden got hungry. It was getting colder out and I did not want to explore all around Chinatown at 8:30pm at night. I remembered this tiny noodle and dumpling restaurant by the bus terminal near the convention center and decided to stop there. It had been four years since I ate there so I was not sure if it was even there any more. Not only was it there but it had doubled in size over the years.
Tom’s Dim Sum at 59 North 11th Street (See review on TripAdvisor) in downtown Philly used to be this tiny hole in the wall restaurant but popularity of the place made it expand. Even this late at night the place was mobbed with people slurping noodle soups and soup dumplings. The TV crowd was going strong with the games.
I was still a little stuffed because of the cheesesteak so I ordered soup dumplings, roast pork buns and Wonton soup to warm it up. The food is just a good as I remembered. The soup dumplings ($5.95) were juicy filled with nicely spiced ground pork and it was fun slurping them down. The Roast Pork buns ($4.95) were filled with a sweet pork mixture and steamed perfectly. The Wonton Soup ($2.95) finished off the meal nicely with the rich broth that was warming me up after the long walk.
The Soup Dumplings here are excellent!
The Roast Pork Buns were delicious
The Wonton Soup is loaded with Cilantro and Sea wood so it is an acquired taste
What I liked best about the restaurant was the excitement of the games even though they were not my teams. The whole restaurant had a lot of energy and it does not come off as your average Chinese restaurant just off Chinatown.
By the time I got back to the room at 10:00pm, I was exhausted. Between both jobs, the Soup Kitchen, my writing and running around with the Fire Department, I was pooped. Thank God that the restaurant was so close to the hotel. Still it gave me a chance to admire the windows at Macy’s before heading back to the hotel room. This part of downtown Philadelphia rolls up its sleeves right after 5:00pm.
I did not get much done at the hotel even though I brought all my work. The moment that I took a shower and got changed and sat down to read a book, I decided to just shut the light off for a bit and relax. I woke up at eight in the morning the next day getting almost nine hours of sleep in. That’s how comfortable the bed was in the room.
The next morning, after I got ready, I packed up and checked my luggage and headed off to Reading Terminal Market again before I left for the Flower Show. I had breakfast at the Dutch Eating Place (See reviews on both TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com), where I love to go for breakfast and lunch when I visit Philadelphia. The place was mobbed and it seems that everyone wanted to eat there because the place was about ten deep. Everyone wanted to have breakfast before the show started.
The Dutch Eating Place in the Reading Terminal Market
I was able to snag a seat immediately being one person and dove into breakfast, my favorite meal of the day. I had the Apple Cinnamon French Toast ($4.75) and a side of sausage ($2.75) and scrambled eggs ($1.25). It was one of those meals that transcend eating to a new place because it was so good I wanted to lick the plate.
The French Toast was made with freshly baked bread and freshly churned butter and the sausage was made from their own butchers and been spiced and smoked perfectly. It was one of the best breakfasts I had in a long time. The best part was that everyone who works there is so nice. It is so much fun to eat there that I highly recommend it when in Philly.
Don’t miss the Apple Cinnamon French Toast
The Apple French Toast at the Dutch Eating Place is amazing
I got to the Flower Show just as it opened which was nice and the crowds moved quickly through security. It was the first day so people were very excited about it. Once inside, everyone headed left to see all the floral displays while I headed right and walked through the vendor booths. I swear there must have been a record number of people selling everything from gardening supplies to maple syrup. There were even wine merchants sampling local wines. It thought it was a little much for the Flower Show.
Just as the crowds started to shift to the vendors, I made my way through the show and went through the Philadelphia Horticultural Plant Competition where an array of flowers were being displayed, from tulips and orchids bloomed and roses were on parade. They even had a Children’s section where the kids could compete and this was some contest. These gardeners took this very seriously and the blue ribbon meant something.
I finally made my way over to the flower displays which never stopped being crowded. I swear the crowds kept pouring in all day. I was most impressed by the 60’s commune display by Mark Cook Landscape & Nursery and Hunter Hayes Landscape and Design. They must have teamed up to put this display together because it was pretty detailed.
The jeep in the display
Also on display in a spray of flowers and design was elegant bridge by Burke Brothers Landscape Design/Build that was multi layered with flowers and colors. It made quite the statement.
The colorful bridge of flowers
Around the corner from the displays, there were many competitors who were working in teams creating flower design displays and you got to see first hand their creations. People had come from all over the world to compete in this contest so you got to see how the country culture shaped the design with more elaborate displays from the Americans to the simplistic elegance of the Japanese. Many different designs with a multitude of flowers.
Yet it was all about ‘Flower Power’ and I had to take several laps around the displays before the crowds got to me. I swear I spent so much time looking over the merchant vendors that I felt like the displays were being crowded out. There did not seem like as many of the big displays as before. Still I walked this section more slowly getting bumped around by the crowds of people entering the Convention Center that were getting larger.
Still it is about ‘Flower Power’
Tiring of the crowds and having a long trip home, I left the show after about four hours of touring the displays and contests. I went through the travel and tourist areas where a lot of Jersey shore towns were displaying their tour guides. I got some ideas for small trips down the shore before Memorial Day Weekend.
After touring the whole show, I left the convention center before I headed home. I really wanted some lunch. I had had Chinese food the night before and was not much interested about eating it again. There is one annoying fact about Philadelphia’s Chinatown, most restaurants don’t take credit cards and I hate using cash. So it was back to the Dutch Eating Place for lunch and a Hot Turkey Sandwich.
That was delicious! It was layers of freshly cooked turkey on fresh white bread with a side of real mashed potatoes topped with a thick turkey gravy with a side of cranberry sauce and Cole slaw. The waiter and everyone around me could see the joy in my face and the ‘mmms’ I let out with each bite. Lunch there is a pleasure.
The Hot Turkey sandwich at the Dutch Eating Place
After a short walk around Chinatown again to work off lunch, it was time to go home. I had to stop back at the hotel and pick up my luggage. I made one last trip around the Reading Market and stopped at Miller’s Twist (51 North Street) for a fresh pretzel ($1.25). They are so soft and buttery and chewy with each bite. I don’t know where my appetite came from but in the end I think I was more excited about the food at Reading Terminal Market than I was about the Flower Show.
It was a nice overnight trip with great food, wonderful hospitality in the restaurants and lots of beautiful flowers showing their “Flower Power”. Philadelphia is a great walking city and there is lots to do and see in a small space of a few blocks. I will be back in a few months for the Cornell-Penn football game and then, oh darn, I will have to make my way over the Reading Terminal Market for breakfast again.
Sometimes the pleasure of life comes in the small things.
The Philadelphia Flower Show 2025:
I was able to return to Philadelphia in 2025 for the Flower Show with the theme, “Gardens of the Future”. I was looking forward to it. I had just been to Philadelphia at the end of December for the Macy’s Light Show and Dickens Village and really had a nice day visit
I wanted to arrange my hotel through the Flower Show website but the packages were rather expensive and did not offer me the flexibility I wanted. So I looked at the participating hotels and searched the web and a great deal with the Motto Philadelphia. I had never heard of the chain but it was part of the Hilton chain. So I booked the room, bought my flower show tickets for a late visit and went on my way.
When I returned to Philadelphia, Macy’s had announced the closing of the same downtown store I had just enjoyed the Light Show. The Macy’s store, which is the old Wanamaker’s, is on the chopping block of the 66 stores closing across the country.
That morning I ran some earrings and then headed into the City and caught the train down to Philadelphia. The trip was only about and hour and a half and then I walked to the hotel.
What I liked about the Motto Hotel was the concept and price. It was created for people that needed a hotel room but did not plan on spending time in it. On top of the location, which was in Rittenhouse Square which was close to the Convention Center, Chinatown, Old Town and Penn Station, it worked out fine.
The walk from the train station to the hotel
I arranged my Flower Show tickets for Saturday afternoon knowing I would only need two hours at the show (the most you need at the show is less than three hours). Getting the ‘Twilight Tickets’, which you enter the show at 4:00pm is the best advice I can give people. The crowds are less than in the morning and afternoon and the main displays you can see in a half hour.
I settled into my room which was really pleasant. It had a great view of downtown, a comfortable bed and two nice restaurants in the lobby. My game plan was to revisit all the museums, shops and restaurants I had been to on previous trips to Philly and retake all the pictures for the previous blogs. Then I would spend time at the Flower Show Saturday night and then on Sunday after breakfast finish my touring in time to watch the Michigan-Michigan State basketball game before heading home. Organized game plan.
The view from my room at the Motto
The bedroom and view at the Motto were really nice both nights
On Friday my plans were to see the Penn Museum, see what was happening at the Macy’s closing and then go to the Philadelphia Art Museum to tour the galleries and enjoy the Friday night entertainment. It would be a lot of running around for the next three days.
I started my afternoon with a quick lunch at the Reading Terminal Market. I wanted to take more stock pictures for my blog and revisit many of the restaurants I had eaten at in the past. It was not such an awful plan. So I started my afternoon with lunch at the Dutch Eating Place.
I revisited the menu and started with the same meal I had six years earlier, the Chicken Pie. Unlike the one I had in 2019, this was the traditional Chicken Pot Pie in the crust and not the one they normally served with the dumplings. I would sit at lunch time here and watch people order it. Then when it came to the table and most of the customers had this ‘what the hell is this?” look on their faces. It did not make a difference. Both are really good.
The delicious Chicken pie at the Dutch Eating Place
Then for dessert I had to have the Apple Dumpling again.
The Apple Dumpling is a real treat
There is no better dessert on a cold day than a hot Apple Dumpling with whipped cream
Before I headed to the Penn Museum after lunch, I stopped at Macy’s to see what it looked like inside during the Closing Sale. I had not seen something this sad since B. Altman closed in 1991. The store had looked so beautiful at Christmas and now two months later it looked like a fire sale.
Nothing is sadder than a grand department store closing for business
It was so sad outside
It was as sad inside as well
The front of this iconic store
The Grand Atrium which I had just seen the Christmas Light Show two months befor
The fire sale at Macy’s Philadelphia
The first floor was mostly empty by the time J returned to the store
The Christmas decorations that once lined the store at the holidays reduced to sale items
It looked like the opening scene in ‘Mannequin’
Video from ‘Mannequin:
Video on Closing:
The store that John Wanamaker once walked the floor and Kim Cattrall and Andrew McCarthy dance down was reduced to s bargain bin
Me taking my ‘Mannequin’ moment in the store
When I returned in November of 2024, there was a committee to revive it
After lunch and my tour of Macy’s, it was off to the Penn Museum and the evening at the Philadelphia Art Museum. It was a nice walk through the Penn Campus.
Heading past Franklin Stadium where I attended many Cornell-Penn games
Passing the statue of Benjamin Franklin at Penn Stadium
The stadium looks so quiet when there is no football game
I only had about an hour and a half to explore the museum but I quickly went through each floor and gallery and snapped pictures of some of my favorite art objects.
In the Egyptian Gallery:
The Mummies
Artwork from Egypt
The Middle Eastern Galleries:
The famous ‘Ram in the Thicket’
One of the harps from the city of Ur
Queen Puabi outfit and jewels
The Roman and Greek Galleries:
The artwork from Rome
The works in the Greek Galleries
There was so much to see in detail that I would have to wait until my next trip. I did get some great pictures though to update my blog on the museum.
After the Penn Museum closed, I walked to the Philadelphia Museum of Art as I knew they were going to have entertainment that night. Unfortunately K knew most of the big exhibitions had closed so in between relaxing and listening to the musical combo in the main gallery, I wondered the halls of the museum.
The Philadelphia Art Museum at 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
It was a really nice evening at the museum. I finally got to sit down and relax after the trip from New York to Philly. They had a band performing from 6:00pm to 8:00pm with a bar set up for museum patrons and the main hall was packed with people.
Looking back at downtown from the museum
The famous ‘Rocky’ statue from the movie ‘Rocky’ in front of the museum
I took a seat on the stairs inside the main gallery and listened to the band for the first half hour in the museum. The concert was excellent.
The trio that evening
The musician who led the group
While the concert went on, I wondered the hallways and admired the artwork.
Walking the British Galleries
Admiring the painting ‘Ruins of a Roman Bath’
I thought that ‘Ruins of a Roman Bath’ was one of the nicest paintings I saw that evening
After I toured the main galleries. I went to see the special exhibition by artist Christina Ramberg.
Her works were quite unusual and very unique in a contemporary way
After I finished walking around the museum and the musical combo was finishing for the night, I headed to Chinatown for dinner. I knew where I wanted to go from the last time I was in town, Tom’s Dim Sum at 59 North 11th Street.
I needed some thing to warm me up as it cooled down that evening.
How beautiful the downtown was when I left the museum
Downtown Philadelphia at night
Downtown Philadelphia at night
Tom’s has been my ‘go to’ place in Philadelphia’s Chinatown on my last could have visits because of the quality and price of the food and their selection. Also because they are one of the few restaurants in Chinatown that is not ‘cash only’. I still can’t believe these restaurants are still that archaic.
The dinner was excellent. I started off with their Hot & Sour Soup, which really warmed me up. I kept thinking that a cold was coming on but this was the perfect medicine to ward off anything.
The Hot & Sour Soup was delicious that evening
I next had the Pan-Fried Tiny Pork buds that were popular with a lot of the tables
The Spring Rolls were delicious that evening
I kept dinner light the first evening with all the running around I had to do. The food at Tom’s Dim Sum is really good and there are a lot of Dim Sum choices to make. I picked some delicious items.
I walked back to the hotel and have to say that the views around the Downtown were really spectacular. The walk through Chinatown was pretty interesting with all the new restaurants that have opened. City Hall is just breathtaking at night.
Passing City Hall and its dazzling lights
The Beer Garden area around City Hall
The view of the middle of Downtown Philadelphia at night by City Hall
Even Chinatown looked really nice at night
Philadelphia Chinatown at night
I could not believe how soundly I slept that evening and was ready for a tour of museums and then the Flower Show in the late afternoon. Since this was a picture taking trip for various blogs that I had done on Philadelphia, I had a series of places I wanted to revisit. This started the morning at the Dutch Eating Place at the Reading Terminal Market.
I was thinking about the Apple French Toast platter that I had years earlier the last time I came down so I ordered it again. It was just as good as it was six years earlier.
The Apple French Toast platter the Dutch Eating Place
It was funny that even after this big breakfast I still was hungry (it must have been all the walking the day before) and I went back to Miller’s Pretzels for a buttery pretzel. I swear nothing changed there in five years.
Miller’s Twist Pretzels at the Reading Terminal Market
The selection of Breakfast pretzels at Millers Twist
The delicious soft buttery warm pretzel
These pretzels are made so fast and sold so fast they are still hot out of the oven when you get them. Nothing is better than a soft pretzel in the morning.
After breakfast was done and a quick walk around the marketplace, I was ready for my morning of museum hopping and exploring Old Town Philadelphia again. I had a productive morning going from one museum to the next taking lots of pictures and revisiting museums that I had seen years ago. I started at the Museum of the American Revolution at 101 South Third Street.
The Museum of the American Revolution at 101 South Third Street
I had not been to the museum in a few years and was able to take my time and really visit and walk the museum. Some of my favorite highlights of the museum were the artifacts from the fallen statue of King George from Bowling Green Park.
The story of the fallen statue and the start of the war. I never realized that these pieces still existed.
Pieces of the actual statue still exist
The history of the Boston Tea Party
The Boston Massacre from the eyes of the Americans
General George Washington’s role in the war
I stayed and watched the film on General Washington’s tent and the sacrifices that were made during the war to win freedom and each display gave me more insights on the creation of the country.
The next museum I visited was the Betsy Ross House at 239 Arch Street. This small museum was once home to Betsy Ross and her family and her iconic business that created our original flag of this country. The interesting part of the house is that she did not own it but rented the space.
The museum takes you back in time to before the Revolutionary War when Betsy Ross was running a successful upholstery business. What I learned from my visit is the George Washington had worked with her before and copies of the bills were at the museum. That’s when they approached her on creating the flag.
The story of the creation of the flag
The Parlor where she met General Washington
The family bedroom and the creation of the original flag done in secret
Meeting Betsy herself and hearing her story
Walking the outside grounds of the museum
The next museum that I visited but was closed for the season was Elfreth’s Alley Museum. Still I got to tour this historic block with its unique Federal Houses.
The museum was still closed for the season and would not be opening up until April (it probably is not insulated) but I was able to walk around the neighborhood and take pictures.
The historic homes of Elfreth’s Alley
The historic homes of Elfreth’s Alley
Walking through Bladen’s Court
Walking through Bladen’s Court in-between the homes
The first floor display of Elfreth’s Alley Museum
The second floor bedroom and loft
The last museum in the neighborhood that was on my list was Firemen’s Hall Museum at 147 North Second Street.
The Firemen’s Hall Museum at 147 North Second Street
This is one of the most interesting firefighting museums that I have visited because Philadelphia is the home of the start of the modern volunteer fire department starting with Benjamin Franklin.
Fire fighter Benjamin Franklin, one of the creators of the modern fire service
The former Engine 9 fire house serves as the home for this museum
The Chief’s office at the museum
Fire patches from all the companies in Philadelphia
The fire equipment display with the old Steam engine
Various antique fire engines, ladders and pumpers
For any kid, big or small, the museum is a firefighters dream.
After my tour of the revisit of these four wonderful museums, it was time to tour Old Town Philadelphia and the stores and restaurants that I had shopped and dined at in the past few trips. Old Town Philadelphia is the original part of the City and now houses many boutiques, shops, restaurants and cafes.
The first place I went to was Claudia Mills Carpet shop at 133 North Third Street.
I got to meet Claudia herself on the trip and we talked for a bit in between customers about her career in weaving and about the colorful rugs she creates. She told me she had been creating and designing since college. I love her work.
Claudia Mills Rugs sign
The beautiful and colorful rugs of the showroom
The looms she uses to create the rugs
The colorful rugs and pillows she created
The next store I visited was Shane Confectionary at 110 Market Street which had been around since the late 1800’s.
Shane Confectionary has been in existence for over a 100 years and has that feel of an old fashioned business. The candy is of high quality and is showcased behind glass counters like so many jewels in a case.
The creative selection of candies at Shane Confectionary
The store was decorated with St. Patrick’s Day and Easter merchandise and all the delicious candies that come with it. I was tempted by so many things and decided on four piece chocolate box and some all natural jelly beans. I enjoyed both when I got home.
The back of the store where hot beverages are sold
The clear toy candies
Before I left for the Flower Show that afternoon, I stopped for a cheesesteak at Campos Cheesesteaks at 214 Market Street for lunch. I had not been here in years since my last trip to Philly and the cheesesteak was excellent.
I forgot how good the cheesesteaks were here. I talked with the current owners daughter who is the third generation to work here. When I ordered my lunch she sold me on her mother’s homemade Macaroni Salad. I am glad she did because it was excellent.
The inside of Campos Cheesesteak with the fourth generation manning the counter
My lunch before the show, a Cheesesteak with Wiz and the homemade Macaroni Salad salad
Yum!
After a wonderful lunch and a short walk around the Old Town Philadelphia neighborhood, it was time to head back to the convention center for the Flower Show.
Old Town Philadelphia
The Flower Show’s theme this year was ‘Garden’s of Tomorrow’.
The theme ‘Gardens of Tomorrow’ sign
The entrance of the ‘Garden’s of Tomorrow’ show
I walked through all the displays that the gardening groups had created. Each display was one piece of art after another. The grouping of flowers and plants each had its unique twist.
The first garden at the entrance
Another ‘Garden of the Future’
Beautiful arrangements
The unique arrangements
The dinner guests at this house of flowers
The flower dinner party
The dinner party through the windows of the house
The beautiful array of colors
The City Gardens of the Future
A burst of colors
From another angle
Descending stairs
A walk through the forest
One of the winning displays
Hanging out to dry
A roller coaster ride
Backyard landscaping
Part of the commercial design
Bush people
Backyard landscaping
After I saw the bigger displays by the gardening clubs, I moved onto the flower displays and some of the more commercial aspects of the show. The crowds did not wane even after 6:00pm. They still kept coming.
The crowds never stopped at the show
In the middle of the convention center, there were creative displays of flower arrangement, floral plant competitions and vendors selling both gardening and non gardening products.
Beautiful floral displays
Some of the more unique ways to display flowers
Award winning plants
Unique floral pieces
Colorful lights and sounds
Rows of tulips by the roller coaster
Futuristic garden decorations
The entrance garden sign as I was leavingI
I was at the show for just over two hours admiring all the displays, walking through different retail vendors and admiring the plant and flower competitions, I left for the evening having toured the show twice.
As I left, the crowds were still large but I was able to get better pictures of the entrance garden of the show. You want to see originality, just see the front display of the show.
The ‘Garden of the Future’
The ‘Garden of the Future’
The Flower Chandelier at the entrance of the show
After an enjoyable evening at the Flower Show and great visits to all the small museums and still stuffed from the cheesesteak, I just wanted a light snack to tide me over. So I walked through Chinatown behind the convention center and explored my opinions. I stopped at Asia Bakery for some buns.
I remembered the wonderful Roast Pork Buns they had the last time I was in Philly and ordered one of those and a Cream Bun. They were less than $5.00 and hit the spot.
The Roast Pork and Cream buns at Asia Bakery
After the Flower Show had finished for the evening, I walked around the downtown area again, admiring the lights. There really is a beauty to a city in the evenings and it was funny that I thought Philly was really quiet at night.
Walking around Chinatown after dinner
Walking around Chinatown at night
Finished walking around Chinatown and then I walked through the Business district which was really pretty at night.
City Hall is especially beautiful lit up
Macy’s closed for the night
By the end of March it will join Strawbridge & Clothier and Lit’s as retail memories in Downtown Philadelphia
I got back to the hotel and went straight to bed. It was a long day of running around and revisiting everything from previous trips. I got all my picture taking accomplished and visited every site on my list. With Macy’s closing, I am glad I came down on New Year’s Eve day to take pictures of the decorations and the Lightshow.
The next morning was so relaxing. I did not have to be anywhere or do anything. The Michigan State basketball team was playing Michigan for the end of the season game as we won the Big Ten Championship the week before at Iowa. So I decided to stay in Philly and watch the game here after breakfast.
When I returned to the Reading Market, all the Pennsylvania Dutch businesses were closed for the weekend as they went home. So I went to Pearl’s Oyster where I had dined before for breakfast.
I love the food here as well and had the same breakfast from the last time, the Scrambled Eggs with a side of French Toast. The food and the service here are excellent.
The delicious breakfast that morning
The one thing about Pearl’s Oyster is that the do not skimp on the portion sizes
After breakfast was over, I walked around the Market again to all the places that were open and I love all the sites and smells of all the booths. It’s almost like looking at the food stalls in Singapore. Its so hard when there are so many delicious foods to look at and smell that you want to eat at all these places.
The pastries at the bakeries
The delicious Italian food at another stall
More pastries and cookies
I had to get out of there because I was getting hungry again. So I walked down the bar/restaurant where the Michigan State Alumni met in Old Town Philly. It closed! I checked the Alumni website and there was no alternative, so I looked at the Google map on my phone. I went to a bar restaurant around the corner, The National Mechanics Bar & Grill at 22 South Third Street #24, that had TVs inside and asked to put the game on.
Since I had to order something while I was watching the game and was not really hungry, I took the suggestion from the bartender and ordered a Chicken Quesadilla. What a great suggestion. It was nice to just sit at the bar and watch us kick the Wolverine’s butts!
The National Mechanics Bar & Grill at 22 South Third Street #24
What a nice surprise this bar was to come to that afternoon. Not only was it beautiful inside but the food and the service were excellent as well. The bartender turned the channel for me so that I could watch the Michigan State versus Michigan basketball game and kept it on quiet so I would not annoy the other guests eating. I still offer and tagged with each play.
The inside bar of the National Mechanics Bar & Grill
The ceiling and decorations
Since I was still stuffed from breakfast, I just ordered a Chicken Quesadilla with a Coke. I could not believe how big the thing was that filled up the entire plate. It was enough to share. It was delicious.
The Chicken Quesadilla for lunch
What an enjoyable meal
We were winning at half time and the bar started to get a bit busier. Not wanting to lose my place at the bar and now hungry again, the bartender suggested dessert and I said ‘why not’? Good decision as I ordered the Apple Empanadas topped with Cinnamon ice cream. They were made in house and they were delicious.
The Apple filled Empanadas
I highly recommend this dessert.
The Apple filled Empanadas were so good
The dessert was the perfect way to end the afternoon as we beat Michigan 79-62. Go Green!
After the game was over, I walked back to the hotel, picked up my luggage and left for Penn Station on my way home. I got home before 8:00pm and was able to relax for the rest of the evening. It was another great trip to the Flower Show.
Passing Congress Hall on the way back to the hotel
Passing through Downtown Philly on the way home
It was a great trip! I really enjoyed my three day trip to Philly. I will be back.
My blog on Visiting Philadelphia at Christmas time:
Monday: 10:00am-1:00pm/Tuesday through Friday: 8:30am-4:30pm/Saturday and Sunday: 10:00am-4:30p
Fee: Adults $18.00/Seniors $16.00 (over 65)/Children 17-5 $13.00/Military and Children under 5 and Members Free/Penn Museum Members/Penn Card Holders/HUP/CHOP Employees: Free
As I have been walking all over the Upper East & West Sides of Manhattan plus in all the up and coming neighborhoods all over the City and out in the suburbs, I am discovering so many trendy and unique little stores, whose merchants are proving that you don’t have to flock to Amazon to find the latest fashion forward and eclectic merchandise. These tiny stores all over the metropolitan area are bucking the trend of online shopping and proving that the original ‘store keeper’ is a thing of the present.
The Hungarian Pastry Shop at 1030 Amsterdam Avenue
I was inspired by stores such as Tiny Doll House (314 East 78th Street) and La Librairie des Enfants (163 East 92nd Street) on the Upper East Side (now closed) and John Koch Antiques (201 West 84th Street) on the Upper West Side of Manhattan (relocated to Long Island) with their unique and inspiring merchandise that screams “buy me” when you walk in the door.
Even in my own town of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, I visit Young Fashions (208 Boulevard) and The Religious Shoppe (220 Boulevard) for merchandise that you will no longer find in the department stores. These establishments stand out for their personalized service where you will work with the owners to merchandise you will find for that extra special gift.
Religious Shoppe at 220 Boulevard in Hasbrouck Heights NJ
Even some of the food stores and gourmet shops (that don’t fit into my DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com site) I have come across show that restaurants and gourmet food can display their goods in a beautiful way and still taste good but not be expensive such as Harbs on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. These stores get a local gathering of residents and tourists lucky enough to find them.
Domus-Unaffected Living at 413 West 44th Street
My review on LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com:
So as I do “MywalkinManhattan.com”, let’s go shopping on “LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com” and eat something along the way as I guide you past the department stores and the expensive boutiques to show how Merchandising Management is not dead and how the experience of personal service and friendly shop owners is alive and well in all parts of New York City and beyond.
*Author’s Note: “LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com is an extension of my site, “MywalkinManhattan.com” along with “VisitingaMuseum.com” and “DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com” to complete your touring experience around the Metropolitan area and beyond.
I put my walk in Manhattan aside for the day and walked the streets of Philadelphia, PA for my annual trip on the Acela to visit the ‘City of Brotherly Love’. I go down to Philly twice a year on purpose for my cheesesteak fix at Carmen’s Famous Italian Hoagie’s Cheesesteaks and to have Beiler’s Doughnuts and Basset’s Ice Cream, foods that you just can’t replicate in New York City or New Jersey. Not the way they do it. This requires a trip on the Acela to the Reading Terminal Market downtown.
Downtown Philadelphia Christmas Market 2024
During the holiday season, I also like to see the light show at Macy’s (which I still call Wanamaker’s) and visit the tree at City Hall. Philadelphia has its own magic at holidays. There is such a beautiful holiday market that surrounds City Hall with all sorts of artisan crafted foods and handmade products. There was a slew of singers, actors and musicians that were entertaining the public.
Downtown Philadelphia’s Christmas Market in 2024
The City Hall Christmas Tree may not be as big as the one in New York but no less nice. It was beautifully decorated and at twilight, covered with colorful lights. A lot of people were taking pictures around it or were getting ready to skate around the makeshift skating rink. It is not Rockefeller Center, but the affect was just as nice, and it really did put me in the Christmas spirit.
The Christmas tree by City Hall in Center City Philadelphia
The beautiful downtown Christmas tree with Downtown Philadelphia in the distance
The first part of my trip was to see the light show at Macy’s next to City Hall. I still have a hard time calling it Macy’s considering it was the old Wanamaker’s store since its inception. This beautiful grand dame of the department store industry was so much nicer when it was Wanamaker’s.
Macy’s Center City Philadelphia-The old Wanamaker’s Department Store
The Windows at Macy’s Philadelphia were nicely decorated similar to the windows in Manhattan
The Macy’s Windows based on the New York windows
Window Two at Macy’s Philadelphia
Window Three at Macy’s Philadelphia
Window Four at Macy’s Philadelphia
The beginning of “Mannequin”:
There were beautiful restaurants, luxury departments and it was always nicely decorated for the holidays. Macy’s does a nice job, but it was a different store in the 80’s and early 90’s. I still see traces of the old store in the movie “Mannequin”.
The movie trailer for “Mannequin” was shot at the store in 1986
The famous opening scene that was shot in front of the old Wanamaker Department Store
My favorite song from the movie “Mannequin”
The movie “Mannequin”
I can still see traces of the old store here and there. It was beautifully decorated for the holidays and it was really pretty in the store. The displays were very colorful and the main rotunda was so festive. It was not the same as the old Wanamaker’s but more like a Macy’s store in New York.
The Rotunda of Macy’s Philadelphia (former Wanamaker’s)
The beauty of the Rotunda decorated during the holidays
The decorations in the Fine Jewelry Department
The Eagle in the Rotunda
The Women’s Accessories Department during Christmas
The Men’s Department during Christmas
The decorations of the main floor
I have seen the light show about five times now and I know I can see the whole thing on YouTube, but it is still fun to see it live in the store and hear the organist play the famous pipe organ. It really is an exciting show. I love the music and I love the way they display the story line. Julie Andrews does a nice job narrating the story.
It is such a colorful program with all the lights and music. I love it when she says, “Goodbye Frosty” to Frosty the Snowman. The crowds are huge and all over the main level, so if you go see it in the future get there early.
Julie Andrews saying goodbye to Frosty!
The video on the Lightshow with Frosty the Snowman:
The light show is only during the holiday season so take the special trip out to see it. It is only about twenty minutes long but still it is one of the things I look forward to seeing.
This is one of the nicest shots of the show I could find online:
The Macy’s Christmas Show in the rotunda of the store
One of the reasons I came down to Macy’s Philadelphia not just to see the windows, see the Lightshow but I made a reservation to see the Dickens Village, which was a relic of Strawbridge & Clothier created in 1984 by the former rival of Wanamaker’s.
The Macy’s Dickens Village is now located on the Third Floor of the store which was the old Executive Offices
The start of the tour of the “Dickens Tour”
The start of the “Dickens Tour”
The Dickens display with Charles Dickens narrating
The Dickens display with Scrooge confronted by members of the Charities
The Dickens display The Ghost of Christmas Past
The Dickens display of Fuzzywink’s Party scene
The Dickens display Meeting Ghost of Christmas Present
The Dickens display Nephew Fred’s Party
The Dickens display Scrooge meeting the Ghost of Christmas Future
The Dickens display The end of the story with a Revelation by Scrooge
The Dickens Village is a lot of fun to walk through and it is a fun way to learn the story and understand the lessons about the story. It is nice to see that Macy’s is keeping these traditions going (for now). After seeing the Lightshow and walking through Dickens Village and walking around the store to see the decorations and what the store looks like, I wanted to get some lunch.
My main purpose and then I made a B-line to be the Reading Terminal Market for lunch. Somehow there are just regions where you cannot replicate the foods from that area. Philly is one of those places.
The sign for the Reading Terminal Market
I had not been to the city since the spring, and I needed my serious cheesesteak fix and the best place to do that in the downtown area is Carmen’s Famous Italian Hoagies & Cheesesteaks (Closed October 2024).
The Reading Market Terminal for all those wonderful restaurants
Located in the center of the Reading Terminal Market, which is only about two blocks from City Hall, Carmen’s has some of the best sandwiches in the city. I have my usual plain Cheesesteak with Cheese Wiz.
Inside the Reading Market Terminal in the seating area by all the restaurants
My favorite places to eat at the Reading Market, Beiler’s Bakery and Doughnuts and the Dutch Eating Place
Sorry New York City, we do a lot of things great up here but cheesesteaks like this are not one of them. They load a fresh, soft chewy hoagie bun up with thin sliced steaks and then load that up with loads of Cheese Wiz.
The amazing Cheesesteaks from Carmines
Biting into that sandwich is heaven on earth and I enjoy every bite of it. It is always funny to see the staff watch me enjoy my sandwich and the guy that looks like the owner likes it that I enjoy it so much (See TripAdvisor review). It is also fun to talk to the other guests because they come here from all over for the same reason.
When I returned to Philadelphia in December of 2024, Carmines closed in October upon the retirement of the owner to be replaced by Gus’s Cheesesteaks. Now the Cheesesteaks are $17.00. They still look good but a little expensive.
Carmine’s at North 51 12th Street for Cheesesteaks is great! (Closed October 2024)
Carmine’s Cheesesteaks was replaced by Gus’s Cheesesteaks and the cheesesteaks are now $17.00
When I returned to the Reading Terminal Market in 2024, Carmine’s had closed and replaced by Uncle Gus’s Cheesesteaks and their sandwiches were $17.00! I thought this was way too expensive so I went back to the Dutch Eating Place a few rows over whose prices and portion sizes were still close to what they were when I last visited. The food is still excellent.
I had not had a chance to eat a Thanksgiving dinner because of work, I had to have the Roast Turkey platter. This was lots of sliced turkey between thick slices of freshly made white bread served with Mashed Potatoes with lots of thick gravy with a side of Cole slaw and cranberry sauce. I ordered a freshly made Pink Lemonade for a drink with my meal. It was excellent and what was nice was talking with the other patrons. We had a nice conversation about my dining blog, DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com. They got a kick out it.
The Roast Turkey platter at Dutch Eating Place is so good and a very generous portion for lunch
Yum! This was delicious!
My next part of the trip was to Beiler’s Bakery, which has some of the best doughnuts in the world. These little gems are so beautifully displayed and are constantly being refilled that I do not think that there is a stale doughnut ever in that case. The line wrapped around the counter.
Don’t miss the selection of doughnuts at Beiler’s at 51 North 12th Street.
It is fun to watch the doughnuts fried out in front of you and then cooled on the racks. Then each doughnut is hand filled and glazed right in front of the customers behind the glass. All of their fillings are hand-made and are oh so good.
The employees making the fresh fillings and filling the freshly made doughnuts
The fresh fillings of the Beiler’s Doughnuts
I had a strawberry glazed with what tasted like fresh strawberry jelly and I had a peppermint cream filled doughnut that was a specialty for the holidays that had just a hint of the peppermint sweetness. It was a hard choice though. I could have eaten a dozen but you have to be good here (See TripAdvisor review).
When I made a beeline back to Beiler’s in 2024, I wanted to try some of the classic and creative doughnuts. I tried a Glaze Doughnut and a Lemon cream filled Lemon Doughnut which I went outside and devoured pretty quickly. The doughnuts are excellent and I really missed coming here. It had been three years since I had been to Philadelphia and I really missed Beiler’s.
The Glazed doughnuts really impressed me in the case
The Glazed Doughnuts are delicious
The Lemon Cream filled doughnuts are amazing
After lunch was over it was off to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see the “Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism 1910-1950”, which was well-worth the trip. You don’t get to see much of this art in New York museums or just on a smaller scale than this. The exhibition showed such a wide range of art from the traditional landscapes to cubism and the modern person. I liked the way the way that the curator set the exhibit up. It jumped around and as it flowed you saw the art from many perspectives. I advise readers in the New York area to take a trip down to see this exhibition.
Philadelphia Art Museum at 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
I walked around the city after my museum visit and saw all the different holiday displays downtown. Philly really is a pretty city and the downtown has been much improved in the last ten years. It is so much more vibrant and safer than in years past. I walked down the main shopping district to look at the closed department stores of the past, Strawbridge & Clothier and Lit’s. Downtown Philadelphia is improving but still has a ways to go since you can’t always build office buildings in an economy that is still working remote.
The old Strawbridge & Clothier in Downtown Philadelphia
Before I took the train back up to New York City, I took one more stop at the Reading Market to go to Basset’s Ice Cream for a cone and stop at Beiler’s Bakery across from their doughnut stand to take some baked goods home. I can’t get Shoofly pie or proper moon pies at home.
Again the place was still so busy and I was able to load up on Whoopie Pies, Shoofly Pie and Sweet Rolls for the trip home and some Whoopie Pies for my aunt who needed some cheering up. They are so well-baked and delicious I wanted to eat them there. Everyone at the stand was so patient with me as I had to make my decisions. Add in a few fry pies and I was done for the day (See review on TripAdvisor).
Beiler’s Bakery was fully stocked on New Year’s Eve and was really busy
Next was off to Basset’s Ice Cream for a cone for my walk back to the station. I settled on the holiday Eggnog flavor (Yum) and the Pomegranate and Blueberry flavor (unusual and worked). On a fresh waffle cone there is nothing like it even in the winter. Everyone I passed saw the huge smile on my face and made comments about eating ice cream in the winter. Sorry folks, there is nothing like ice cream with butter fat in it to make a man smile (See review on TripAdvisor). It was a great walk back to the train station. All the lights went on in downtown and the City Hall Market looked even more festive.
Basset’s Ice Cream at 45 North 12th Street at the Reading Terminal Market
The train station was beautifully decorated with lights, wreaths and a huge tree and it was nice to just sit back and relax until the train came. On the way back, the city was all lite in front of me. The boat houses on the river were lit with Christmas lights and boats passed by lit up as well.
The Christmas tree in Penn Station in Penn Station in Philadelphia
The tree was truly beautiful at the end of the Christmas season
The latter part of the evening when I got back to New York City was a quick trip to the Met to see their Christmas Tree and an evening of looking at the windows of Barney’s, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor.
Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City at 611 Fifth Avenue
The entrance to Saks Fifth Avenue during Christmas holiday
I took a quick trip through the holiday market in Bryant Park and then to Port Authority. It really was the perfect day to get into the holiday mood.
Post Christmas visit during the Philadelphia Flower Show 2025:
What was sad though when I returned two months later for the Flower Show, it was announced that Macy’s was shutting down the downtown store as part of the store cuts as Macy’s was downsizing the company. Almost all the inner city stores like Brooklyn and Philadelphia were going to join stores like Pittsburgh and Minneapolis. It was a sad day for Philly.
Macy’s during my day of touring
Sad day in Philly
It reminded me of when B. Altman closed in New York City
The display windows said it all but had been very festive just two months earlier
The once elegant Men’s Department
The mannequins for sale
Me with the ‘Mannequins’ on the first floor
Me with the decorations that once adorned the first floor during Christmas
It’s so sad to see where John Wanamaker once walked and Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall once danced down the aisles has now been reduced to abargain sale
The empty cases were once filled with beautiful jewels and fancy perfumes
All the Christmas decorations from two months before were all sold
The beautiful atrium where I watched the light show a few months before
The Accessories Department
No one was near the Eagle that day
The back part of the Atrium
The sadness of the Clothing Department
The Cosmetics Department had nothing left
The beautiful embellishments around the Cosmetics Department of the Eastern States. This is of Massachutes
This is the New Jersey emblem
Where Kim Cattrell and Andrew McCarthy danced in the film
The lion guarding the stairs
The actors dancing in the film “Mannequin”
The front of the old Wanamakers store where the opening scene of ‘Mannequin’ was shot
Not what John Wanamaker envisioned for his store
When I returned in November of 2025, they were trying to keep the tradition alive.
It is a sad day as this was once one of the most beautiful and creative stores in the country now reduced to a bargain sale.
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