Philly: Reading Terminal Market

On my first visit to Philly, we briefly stopped in Reading Terminal Market to buy a pie (which turned out to be one of the best pies I've ever eaten). We didn't have much time to spend browsing and it was very crowded, but I'd seen enough to know that I should make an effort to come back the next time I was in town.

We managed to squeeze in a visit on our recent trip before we had to catch our train, and this time it was not crowded at all because it was a Sunday. I didn't realize that a lot of the vendors are Amish, and therefore closed on Sundays. This means I didn't get to buy another life-changing pie, but I was just as enamored by the neon signage and various offerings as I was on my first visit.

We weren't hungry at the time, which was a shame because the market is filled with so many delicious-looking (and smelling) things including cheesesteaks, ice cream, donuts, Chinese food, pretzels and a really cute diner counter. Almost every single booth has a neon sign better than the last, with swishing lobster tails, beautiful scripts and illustrations of various foods. I'm a huge fan of judging a book by its cover—or a store or restaurant by its signage—and Reading Terminal Market passes this test with flying (neon) colors.