Weekend trip

FISHER'S PRETZELS...Warm out of the oven, painted with melted butter and traced with brown mustard, they are that good. Best to get a bag full for the trip home.

DOWN HOME DINER...Monday - Saturday
7 AM to 8 PM
For breakfast: sausage and biscuits with sawmill gravy, ham and biscuits with red eye gravy, Low Country shrimp and grits (Jack takes a few liberties here), Chipped Beef, Corned Beef Hash - all down washable with 200 mile coffee. One of the two best breakfasts in Philadelphia.

For lunch and supper: skillet fried chicken, pulled pork barbecue, brunswick stew, short ribs, Granny's meatloaf. Not sure what happened to the chicken fried steak or the chicken and dumplings. Most likely I was the only Philadelphian who ever ordered them. Dang, I miss 'em

DINIC'S ROAST BEEF

9am-5pm Tue-Sun; closed Mon

Independence Hall tours are offered every 30 minutes from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; timed tickets are not required in January and February.

Closed Tuesdays....
Cute, right next to the Italian Market, and serving fantastic food. On Sunday morning there was a short line at 8 a.m. and many of the tables were full by 8:30. The coffee is local, strong, and refilled regularly. You might consider splitting an order, as my son and I finished mine and waddled out with half of his breakfast to take home. The portions are giant even with quality that is over the top. The French toast is stuffed and HUGE.

Sabrina's serves breakfast and lunch through the mid afternoon. Had corn cakes one breakfast and the above, pumpkin pancakes with cranberries and vanilla sauce another time. For lunch, one of the many specials, a crab cake sandwich with parmesan sprinkled fresh cut french fries.

The center is an interactive (computer simulations, television, etc.) and very elaborate museum dedicated to the history of and stories surrounding the U.S. Constitution. Admission is $9 per person. For that price you get an approximately 15-minute multimedia floor show narrated by a live presenter (which we considered very emotionally powerful and stirring), a tour through the museum (which, if you're inclined to do everything they offer, could easily take 6-7 hours), and then an additional tour through its rotating second exhibit. When we attended, it was an exhibition of photographs about peoples' memorials to the victims of 9-11. At a minimum, budget 2 hours to nominally participate in the interactive exhibits, which include your ability to serve as a justice in historic Supreme Court decisions; to be sworn in as President of the United States; and to be a signer of the Constitution.

Wired to Win....Daily 10am, 2pm, 4pm. Tickets are $9.

Pat's is across the street

Regular Cafe Hours

Monday-Saturday 6:30am-7pm
Sunday 8am-5pm

Know Before You Go
Reservations are accepted every night except Saturday nights--the busiest night of the week.

What To Drink
Remember, this is old-school Bella Vista, not Old City. There's no Vox vodka, no microbrews and there's a very good chance your Chianti or Merlot will be served chilled.