Day 3: Finally.
Day 3. Redemption for Philly. Ever since I came into town, I’ve been waiting to get my hands on Reading Terminal. I passed by it in the cab on my way to the hotel, and thought, “Hey, I think I’d like to go there.” Unfortunately, it closes at 6:00 each day, and conference obligations have made it impossible to get over there. But today, we were on our own for lunch, and I marched on over.
Glory. Finally something that I can really, really like.
Reading Terminal is a bustling hub of activity. Food vendors of all sorts – bakeries, delis, cheese steaks, tons of butchers and seafood vendors with amazing looking goods, and fabulous looking produce at amazing prices. And tons and tons of people and energy. It was crowded, it was hard to move around, and it was great. I wandered for a while, taking it all in. I wished that I lived here so that I could pick up some spinach (so deeply green it was almost glowing), fresh apples, corn, tomatoes, fresh bread, and go back home to cook up something amazing. It also made me wish I ate meat. The deli sandwiches, piled high with thin slices of corned beef, turkey, ham, roast beef. The cheese steaks slapped down on the grill and chopped with metal spatulas before being piled into a hoagie roll. And it also made me wish, deeply, that I wasn’t recently diagnosed as being lactose intolerant. The cheeses made my mouth water. Sharp cheddars, creamy provolones, soft bries, and romanos and parmesans in shavings so thin that they melt in your mouth. If I could have grabbed a hunk of cheese and a piece of bread, I would have been a happy, happy woman.
The other great part was the incredible variety of people. Young, old, Black, White, Asian, Muslim, Amish, tourists, business types, looky-loos, serious shoppers – everyone was there, mingling together. They also had live music – two guitar players singing Cuban songs (one was, incongruously, a very white, non-Hispanic, older man while the other was appropriately authentic) and a piano player tucked into a little nook in a remote corner of the building.
I wish I could say that my meal lived up to the rest of my experience, but the fact of the matter is that I was overwhelmed by choices and trying to figure out what I could eat that would be vegetarian and non-dairy, or seafood that wasn’t fried. I settled on a Mediterranean deli where I ordered a falafel salad and discovered that these people wouldn’t know a falafel if it bit them on the ass. I can’t really describe what it was, but it seemed like they had taken hummus, thickened it up with flour, formed it into a ball, and baked it somehow until it became very dense…almost like a hummus dumpling, but not as soft. Very strange, and not particularly tasty. Also, they put yogurt dressing on it, unbeknownst to me until I saw it. At that point, I just decided to eat it, and can safely say that it was the final piece of evidence I needed that I am indeed lactose intolerant. However, I did attempt to redeem my experience by grabbing a gorgeous looking cinnamon raisin walnut cookie on the way out – haven’t tasted it yet, but it smells heavenly.
From there, I walked only a little bit, since Philly is still in the midst of a heat wave. However, I did manage to see the Court House, which was majestic. It stands proud, more than holding its own in the midst of the modern buildings that surround it. Beautiful carvings and architecture – just an impressive presence.
On my way back to the hotel, I passed by an unremarkable Macy’s, and then noticed the sign that it used to be the John Wanamaker’s. I remember Wanamaker’s from growing up – it was THE department store, even though we didn’t have one in our area. As I recall, my Uncle John worked there for a while as well – security maybe? For some reason, selling suits also pops into my head, but I could be making that up completely. At any rate, I consider Wanamaker’s a true Philly landmark.
Now I’m sitting in a quiet corner of the hotel, writing. A few more sessions and I’ll be on my way back to NC. I’m tired, but it’s been a good trip. I feel like I’ve learned a lot and I’ve been stimulated to think in new ways, make new connections, and challenge my existing perspective. Not bad. Plus, on this final day, Philly was able to redeem itself.
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