Where in the World?

Next to the Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia is a wonderfully diverse place called the Reading Terminal Market. It began in 1892 and has survived the Depression and the two world wars. Currently, over 80 vendors sell their wares daily. There is a dizzying array of merchandise; ethnic foods, poultry, fish, vegetables, fruit, baked goods, cheese, Amish wares, restaurants, spices, flowers, seafood, jewelry and etc.

I love these kinds of markets not only because of the variety but for the interesting aromas and goods that abound at every turn. We ate at a great diner each morning for breakfast. It was a fast paced environment complete with music playing from an old jukebox but that didn’t distract from having a relaxing breakfast.

I enjoyed walking around, exploring the different shops and watching the people interact with each other. Markets like these are gems. It’s one of the main reasons I love to travel. I love finding places like this as it is a great way to explore the local culture. You can get a good feel for how life runs in a particular place. Plus it’s just a lot of fun seeing new things for the first time.

How about getting out and exploring a little bit today? Go somewhere you haven’t been. You don’t have to go far.

Hope you are having a great day!

Michael

I flew into Philadelphia today. I’ve never really spent any time here. I’ve only flown into the airport for some meetings in New Jersey. So, it was nice to fly in and meet Erica while she is exhibiting at a show in the convention center.

Since we couldn’t spend Valentine’s Day together, we decided to celebrate the day after. After the show ended at 6:00 p.m., we walked down Market Street to a restaurant called Tangerine. We really liked this place. It had a Moroccan edge to it. The decorations inside were lovely. There was a long wall; maybe 50 feet long and 8 feet tall full of indentations holding lit candles. The feeling was like walking into a grotto. Quite spectacular.

For appetizers, we ordered the crunchy calamari (red pepper aioli, kalamata olives, argula salad), shortrib spanikopita (shredded beef, spinach, feta, almond sugar) and the chopped Mediterranean salad (crispy rock shrimp, feta, artichoke confit). We split the Mediterranean spiced whole bronzino (a type of bass) for the main course. It was topped with a cucumber-tomato salad and cilantro basmati rice. Desert was a banana creme brule which was heavenly and a dish of coconut and tangerine sorbet.

There were lots of new flavors to experience. I really enjoy trying new dishes when I travel. It adds to the adventure. One of the things I like about Erica is that she loves to experience new things, travel and try out new restaurants

Overall, tonight was one of those perfect evenings.

Michael