By George

If this doesn’t make you hungry, I don’t know what will…

The first sandwich was the Roma which has provolone cheese, mozzarella cheese, sopressata, prosciutto, onion, lettuce, roasted red peppers, tomato, and balsamic vinaigrette. And the second sandwich was the Chicken Caesar which had grilled chicken, lettuce, onions, roasted red peppers, tomato, and Caesar dressing.

And let me tell you – they were so so SO good. Mmm mmm Mmm.

Mark and I went downtown last week and got lunch at Reading Terminal Market, which is in Center City Philadelphia. There are a ton of vendors there selling items ranging from produce, to seafood, to Amish beef jerky and goods from Lancaster, to Italian food – like the lunch we got from By George. We get our food there every single time and they always deliver… if you’re ever in Philadelphia you absolutely HAVE TO GO to Reading Terminal. You won’t be disappointed.

 

We sat right by this cute little new/used book store that we had never seen before, it must be new… and I just thought it was so adorable. In a somewhat (mostly) dirty market full of smelly fish, dirty trash, busy people, and delicious treats, there sat this quaint bookstore. The owner is there in the bottom left of the photo. She sat to the side of the stand reading the entire time we were there… she must learn so much… between her books and meeting the people that come to her shop… I’m jealous of her :) I wish I owned a bookstore!!
She seemed like the most interesting woman…

That’s one of the things I love about the city the most… everywhere you look there are people of different ages, races, backgrounds, ethnicities, etc. And everyone has their own story. Their own upbringing. Their own desires, plans, hopes, dreams. Their own perspective. Their own reason for being in the exact same place you are.

From the time I was born until I was five, my family lived on a Christian camp in a very rural area. I ate dinner in the dining room, swam in the lake, and played on the jungle gym without a care in the world. There was never any fear of getting lost, being taken from my parents, or coming into contact with anything scary at all. I was very sheltered in a quiet place, and as a result, had this amazing childhood. When I was five we moved to the suburbs of Philadelphia, where we still live today. Growing up in one of the largest school districts around, I came into contact with so many ideas, peoples, languages, music genres, clothing styles, and the list goes on and on. I never felt out of place in my 3,000+ high school. I just embraced the eccentricities and unique differences that each person brought to the table. I think living in a very enclosed environment as a young child fostered my ability and desire to explore, trust, and experience the world around me. As I got older, those three things only continued to grow. I love going downtown because its busy and there’s always something to look at, always something to observe, always things to be inspired by, always things to learn…

It’s true the city never sleeps, so that is why I like going downtown and not living there, but if you get the chance to go to a big city – or even live close but never bother to visit – I challenge you to go for it. What do you have to lose? Surround yourself in the all city has to offer… You might be surprised what you stumble upon and you might even learn a little more about yourself :)