Italian Market

As the weather has begun to get warmer I'm reminded of the fun I had this summer spending time walking around for hours to different Philadelphia neighborhoods to explore. That's one thing that I love about Philadelphia, the diversity and various neighborhoods throughout the city and out into the suburbs.

I heard about the Italian Market, but one afternoon I just so happened to find it. It's located at S. 9th Street in the city. It has a rich history and I enjoyed just walking around and taking in all the sites. You can get everything under the sun throughout the Italian market. There are several stores that sell fresh cut pasta and fresh sauces that I want to pick up for dinner one day. I loved looking at all of the Italian products and listening to the Italian accents.












I ran across these pictures in the window of a store front. I'm not sure when they were taken, but they definitely caught my eye. While I was standing there a man probably in his 40s came up with his daughter. He pointed at this picture and said this is your grandmother and she used to live right around the corner. He didn't go into much detail other than that, but I thought what a special moment. I wanted to go into interviewer mode and ask him some questions, but I refrained.









Grocery shopping carts are a must in the city. Unfortunately ours has been in hibernation during the winter as we have driven to the grocery store, but I think it's about time for it to make it's reappearance.









So if you have time, along with Reading Terminal Market, you should check out the Italian Market. It's a unique area in the city that I can't wait to get back to soon.

Reading Terminal Market

I love love love Reading Terminal Market! It's located at 12th and Arch streets in Center City. If you like food, come here. If you like people watching, come here. If you like music, come here. There is always something going on and it's different everyday. I'd highly recommend coming if you're ever in the city.

There is every type of cuisine you could imagine - Thai, Chinese, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Italian, American and the list goes on. Oh and did I mention it's not all food? Yep they have little clothing and jewelry boutiques, cook books, crafts, flowers and more. The Pennsylvania Dutch also have a big presence at the Market. There are over 80 merchants here.

There's a piano player near one of the seating areas that I think adds a nice touch. Every Wednesday they also have a live local musical act to entertain you during lunch time.

J and I have been shopping here for all of our produce and seafood as we've compared prices and most things are less expensive than the grocery store that we go to for other items. The produce merchant we've been using even has a 10% discount for students that I will be taking advantage of as soon as I get my student ID!

Lastly, the Market offers tours and cooking classes. We haven't taken advantage of either of these things yet, but it's another thing that I'm adding to my Philly to do list!