We had planned to spend a day together as a family since we had gone our separate paths this past week, but Jess got an invite to go to the aquarium with her cousins and she was looking forward to the trip. So Jenn and I took Jacob into the city to explore (taking a note from Man vs. Food), and we made our first stop at the Reading Terminal.
Reading Terminal reminds me a lot of Faneuil Hall in Boston, with lots of specialty foods and shops for your tasting pleasure. Jenn is a sucker for crepes, so she got one from a shop with Nutella, strawberries and bananas (although the Frenchmen forgot the bananas). It was delicious. I went to DiNic’s for a roast pork sandwich with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe. We loved the sandwich (although I wouldn’t go as far as thinking it could ever replace the cheesesteak as the official Philly sandwich), and I don’t think I’ve ever had sharp provolone before (not to be missed). 
Jacob went to Miller’s and had a Philly pretzel freshly made by the Amish. He was a trouper, posing nicely for the camera, and was rewarded with one of the best whoopie pies I’ve ever had. Whoopie pies were invented by the Amish, no matter what those charlatans up in Maine may say.
Next we went to the Franklin Mint, part of the US Treasury system, to see how money is made. It was cool, they make over 8 billion pennies a year, and Jacob was impressed with all the money. I liked that the tour was free. We then walked farther down Chestnut St. to the Franklin Fountain, an old time ice cream shoppe that was also featured on Man vs. Food. There were too many choices, so we went with a local classic, the Franklin Mint.
Mint chip and vanilla ice creams covered with chocolate syrup, fluffy marshmallow glaze and crème menthe finished with homemade whipped cream and a mint green maraschino cherry. Jenn was in heaven, and Jacob appeared to like it too. The highlight for Jacob was to take SEPTA three stops back to our car (Jenn was glad she didn’t have to walk back too). We stopped by Yards Brewing (http://www.yardsbrewing.com/) on the way out (something for Daddy), and I was glad to see that they had their Love Stout on Cask.
We had a great day, and I was able to share some quality beers with my cousin Brian that night and the next. He brought the Goose Island Bourbon County Vanilla Stout and the Surly Darkness, and I was able to return the favor with the Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale and the Mikkeller Rauch Geek Breakfast, both of which I was able to pick up from Capone’s in Norristown (http://caponesdraftlist.blogspot.com/). I had run over while the family was exploring IKEA, and the bottle shop was as loaded as ever (I also got to sample the Hill Farmstead Ephraim double IPA while there). It is great to compare notes with a fellow beer enthusiast, and we even shared with our other family members (no, not with Keira).
We had an Easter egg hunt on Sunday, and then I headed on home (I really didn’t need the calories my mom can pile on at Easter dinner). It was a busy week, and I needed a break. Thank goodness I had the opportunity to get back to work. – 5771/10570
"Work is the curse of the drinking class." – Oscar Wilde
Reading Terminal reminds me a lot of Faneuil Hall in Boston, with lots of specialty foods and shops for your tasting pleasure. Jenn is a sucker for crepes, so she got one from a shop with Nutella, strawberries and bananas (although the Frenchmen forgot the bananas). It was delicious. I went to DiNic’s for a roast pork sandwich with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe. We loved the sandwich (although I wouldn’t go as far as thinking it could ever replace the cheesesteak as the official Philly sandwich), and I don’t think I’ve ever had sharp provolone before (not to be missed). 
Jacob went to Miller’s and had a Philly pretzel freshly made by the Amish. He was a trouper, posing nicely for the camera, and was rewarded with one of the best whoopie pies I’ve ever had. Whoopie pies were invented by the Amish, no matter what those charlatans up in Maine may say.Next we went to the Franklin Mint, part of the US Treasury system, to see how money is made. It was cool, they make over 8 billion pennies a year, and Jacob was impressed with all the money. I liked that the tour was free. We then walked farther down Chestnut St. to the Franklin Fountain, an old time ice cream shoppe that was also featured on Man vs. Food. There were too many choices, so we went with a local classic, the Franklin Mint.
Mint chip and vanilla ice creams covered with chocolate syrup, fluffy marshmallow glaze and crème menthe finished with homemade whipped cream and a mint green maraschino cherry. Jenn was in heaven, and Jacob appeared to like it too. The highlight for Jacob was to take SEPTA three stops back to our car (Jenn was glad she didn’t have to walk back too). We stopped by Yards Brewing (http://www.yardsbrewing.com/) on the way out (something for Daddy), and I was glad to see that they had their Love Stout on Cask.
We had a great day, and I was able to share some quality beers with my cousin Brian that night and the next. He brought the Goose Island Bourbon County Vanilla Stout and the Surly Darkness, and I was able to return the favor with the Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale and the Mikkeller Rauch Geek Breakfast, both of which I was able to pick up from Capone’s in Norristown (http://caponesdraftlist.blogspot.com/). I had run over while the family was exploring IKEA, and the bottle shop was as loaded as ever (I also got to sample the Hill Farmstead Ephraim double IPA while there). It is great to compare notes with a fellow beer enthusiast, and we even shared with our other family members (no, not with Keira).We had an Easter egg hunt on Sunday, and then I headed on home (I really didn’t need the calories my mom can pile on at Easter dinner). It was a busy week, and I needed a break. Thank goodness I had the opportunity to get back to work. – 5771/10570
"Work is the curse of the drinking class." – Oscar Wilde
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