Rocky was here

Once in PA we decided to go to Philadelphia. Once in Philadelphia we decided to try to find a good Philly cheesesteak sandwich. We asked around and we were told the best place was Pat’s Steaks. We looked it up online and off we went to find it.

We drove through some very narrow Philadelphia streets, with cars parked on both sides. It was a tight fit for Bella. We were both biting our nails. Turning at a really tight corner, Bernie even had to get out and look at both sides of Bella to make sure we could fit. We drove through both the historic district and the shopping district, and saw several very cool murals, painted and mosaic, by looking down some of the side streets.

We were very lucky to find a good parking spot for Bella and went in search of that good Philly cheesesteak sandwich. We ate at Pat's which was featured in the movie Rocky. There is a sign on the floor on the spot where Rocky stood. But the two most memorable things about PA are: how dirty downtown is and how rude people are. Since we just came from spending quite a bit of time in the south, we were certainly not prepared for this ice wave.

Before we ate, we had checked out another cheesesteak stand across the street, which will remain nameless. This place looked cleaner so we almost ate there instead. That was until we stood in line to order and saw a picture of the owner with a huge grin pointing to a sign that said to speak English when ordering, and another sign offering “Speak English” t-shirts for sale. That was enough, Mar’s first language is not English, and there is no way she’s spending a penny at any place displaying such disrespectful public insults.

So we went back to Pat’s, where we split the mushroom cheesesteak and fries. It could have been better but at least it was an experience. We have the pictures to go along with the memories.

With our bellies full we went back to Bella and hit the road again. We are both still very tired from two days in a row of early-to-rise and late-to-bed. This is rough, you know, we need our beauty sleep.

We drove to NY and found the Walmart in Albany where we spent the night. We parked as far away as possible from the front doors, trying to find a quiet spot for the night. We need our beauty sleep.

It sure wasn't cheap getting here. We had to stop at many toll plazas along the way and spent about $30 just in tolls, jeez ...

P.S. Today is Sara’s birthday, she is now 20 years old. Sara is Mar’s youngest. Happy birthday, Sara!