Travelog

Arrived at my hotel, right in the heart of Center City, at about 3:30pm on Friday evening

Nice hotel.

The lobby was nice. It had computers for the guest, a TV, lots of chairs, and couches.

There was even a fireplace. I never found out if it worked or not. Security was a little uptight about me trying to light it. Maybe it was gas. Dunno.

The rooms were small, but clean. I didn't mind. There was a refrigerator and microwave. That would come in handy later for the Arista, a sandwich that I would buy from Paesano's to eat as a late night snack. (Arista is roast suckling pig, broccoli rabe, long hots and sharp provolone) More on that later.

The bed was nice and had clean sheets. This picture is a little dark. I forgot my camera, so I had to use my iphone. So, no flash. Oh well. I took a quick nap and shower before dinner, then I was off to Meme!

Friday night I had dinner at Meme

This place was recommended to me by the chef that was responsible for all the food recommendations on this trip. He was spot on with all of his info.

Cute little place near Rittenhouse Square.

I had the bone marrow with parsley radish salad to start. Then the whole baked Bronzini with new potatoes and heirloom tomato salad. I had a glass of australian Semillon with it.

Friday night I went to see She and Him at Penn's Landing

This is an event area set up on the Delaware river where Penn apparently landed.

They do a sort of retro type of music. The lead singer wrote a bunch of songs and the guy that plays guitar arranges them. It is derivative of 50's and 60's music. All the young ladys there were emulating the lead singer by wearing vintage dresses and boots. Nancy Sinatra should be getting royalties for this.

I was tired after a long drive, dinner, and a concert. I went back to the hotel to rest up for a long day on Saturday. I had a lot of eating left to do.

Saturday morning I found this place

Dibruno Bros. I was just looking for coffee, but they had great breakfast sandwiches for $3.99, and that came with a small coffee. I got the caprese. Scrambled eggs, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil. I couldn't refuse.

I wanted to buy some nitrated meats, and fresh pasta, and cheese, but I just had no time to eat it.

I had to just walk away. I needed to lay down after that breakfast, but I was ready for the Mutter!

After Breakfast, I went to the Mutter Museum

Entrance to the Mutter Museum

The secret tumor of Grover Cleveland, the thorax of John Wilkes Booth and a really big 9-foot colon are just a few of the wonders that you can expect to encounter at Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum, a museum of historical pathology containing about 20,000 fluid-preserved anatomical and pathological specimens, models, medical instruments, and memorabilia of famous scientists and physicians.

The inside was beautiful.

See the “Soap Lady”—the body of a woman who died of Yellow Fever during the 19th century that turned into soap due to the chemical properties of the soil she was buried in.

Then there’s the huge 9-foot colon of a man who took a dump only once a month for his whole life until he died. It is perhaps no great surprise that he only lived into his late 20s.

If that wasn’t enough for you, there are skeletons of a giant and a midget, various skull collections, the brains of epileptics and a murderer, and drawers filled with objects removed from the windpipes of choking people.

The woman is Madame Dimanche, or Widow Sunday. She lived in Paris around the beginning of the nineteenth century. The horn on her forehead attained a length of 9.8" by her eighty-second year, having begun to form six years earlier. It was successfully removed by Br. Joseph Souberbeille (1754 -1846), a noted French surgeon.

Feast your eyes on a plaster cast of the conjoined twins Chang and Eng, various baby deformities and many more displays that will fascinate you and make you feel totally creeped-out.

Saturday afternoon I had lunch at Paesano's...my mouth is still watering just thinking about it.

This was probably the highlight of my trip, believe it or not. This place was so good. I went specifically to get the Gustaio. I don't know how to describe how good this sandwich was. I loved all the other places I ate, but I will go back to Philly just for this sandwich!

This is the Gustaio before being wrapped up. Roasted lamb sausage, dried cherry mustarda (an Italian condiment that is made with fruit and mustard syrup), gorganzola, and fennel. The sun dried cherry mustarda creates a sweet and sour note that brings the whole sandwich to a new level.