Taste of Philly Food Tour


LOVE FOOD?

You’ll love this 75-minute walking tour about Philly food favorites like cheesesteaks, hoagies and pretzels and the vibrant Reading Terminal Market where they’re sold. Leaves from the Market information desk, 12th and Filbert sts., at 10 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday by reservation. (Group private tours at other days and times are also available). Only $15.95. Click here to reserve your spot.



The affordable Philly food tour led by the author of the definitive "Great Philly Cheesesteak Book"!


Recession-busting Philly Travel Tips

from the Owner of Philly’s Most Affordable Food Tour


1. Take the local train to and from the Airport. The R-1 train picks up at all the airport terminals and has three dropoffs in the heart of Center City Philly. Then get around Philly on one of SEPTA’s one-day convenience passes for $6, $10 or $25 (the latter covers unlimited bus/train/subway/trolley rides for a family of five, including your train ride in from the airport but the passes can’t be purchased at the airport – present your receipt from the R-1 at a SEPTA ticket counter downtown and it will be credited when you buy your pass). These are great deals considering that a single bus or subway ride is $2, and that the train ticket from the airport is $7, as is the minimum price of a single local cab ride to/from anywhere in Center City. Or, if you’re 65 or over, just show your Medicare card for free SEPTA bus/train/trolley and $1 train rides.

2. Score a $10 “community rush” seat to a Philadelphia Orchestra concert at the Kimmel Center as well as any other event listed on the Kimmel Center Web site as ...read more

Member of the

How to Order a Cheesesteak:

A Guide for Tourists


There is a protocol to ordering a cheesesteak at the cheesesteak epicenter of Ninth and Wharton, which, if not followed, can result in being sent to the back of the line Soup Nazi–style, or even worse, getting less meat.

At Pat’s and Geno’s, you must order by saying the name of the cheese you want and then “with” or “without” (or as it is often pronounced in South Philly, “wit” or "witout"), which means with or without grilled onions.

A correct and traditional order there would be “Whiz wit.” “Mushrooms witout” will get you a steak sandwich with mushrooms but no onions or cheese. You order and pay for your drinks and fries at a separate window.

This ordering system is chiefly used at high-volume shops, which need to keep their lines moving quickly, or other places (many out-of-town) who are trying to provide an “authentic” Philly cheesesteak experience. Slavishly adhering to the “wit or witout” phraseology at a more low-key neighborhood joint in Philly will mark you as a nervous tourist. Many of these out-of-the-limelight...read more




News

It’s Never Off-Season for Us!
Next tours leave the Info desk at the 12th and Filbert corner of Reading Terminal Market at 10 a.m. this Wednesday and Saturday. Reservations required. Click here for info on how to do that.

Tea and Philly
My slightly outdated but hopefully still helpful Dish mag roundup on the city’s hotel afternoon tea offerings. (The Ritz-Carlton has since stopped doing theirs; the Park Hyatt’s is now Saturdays only.)

A Glass-ful of Valentine's Day Romance
Is there a more romantic place to spend Valentine’s Day than in one of Pocono Palace resort’s giant champagne glasses? Yes, but few more fun, as you can read here.


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