I’m a Philly girl through and through. I’ve enjoyed many a cheesesteak in my meat eating days; Krimpets, soft pretzels, Frank’s soda, the Liberty Bell and Rocky are all apart of what makes this place unique, but visiting Reading Terminal is something I didn’t experience much until I was an adult. My mother was a fan of the Italian Market. That was where we headed on our meat and veggie stock up trips. Reading Terminal is the same type of experience, but different.The sights, sounds & smells are similar. The hustle and bustle of moving bodies, pull-along carts and the occasional tourist are similar. The thing about Reading Terminal I like the most and what sets them apart is that it’s indoors! It was raining today (and still is) and the prospect of walking back and forth down 9th street, bumping umbrellas, and getting soaked down through the bone was not appealing.
We lined up before 8:00am and waited for the doors to open. We were greeted by a friendly staffer and all given shopping bags.
Iovine’s Brothers Produce was the first stop. One of the best places in the city to get fresh (mostly conventionally grown) produce. The veggie skyscrapers of collard greens, mounds of bell peppers & chorus of fresh herbs put a big old smile on my face. The early morning shoppers were a pleasant sort. Folks were as happy as I was to be there before the impending mob scene that was due to happen any moment.
My oldest son, Steven, loves turkey sage sausage in his stuffing and asked me to get some. Usually, I get my sausage & chicken from 9th street so I was taking a chance and had my fingers crossed I could find a merchant who sold it. Eureka! Godshall’s had it, along with any poultry product you could find. Although, the prices on 9th street are lower, I was just happy I found it.
We settled on breakfast at the Down Home Diner; a cute little sit down spot that had a good breakfast menu. Their staff was pleasant & the food was flavorful. Darryl gave them props for the pancakes and the shrimp & grits were good as well. Most diners serve up crappy rye toast, this bread was great, smelled even better ! It even had caraway seeds on it! He said they skimped on the shrimp (I think they gave me his portion) and was none to please, but overall, a good breakfast.
I’m glad I made the trip to this Philly institution for turkey day shopping. It felt kind of cool to be able to partake of a piece of Philly.
Here are a few other flicks of the sights we took in today. If you’re ever in the city of Brotherly love & Sisterly affection, make sure you pay Reading Terminal a visit.
scooterphoenix 