For those of you that thought Philadelphia was famous only for Cheesesteaks, an old bell, Rocky and that Tom Hanks movie with the song by Bruce Springsteen then you should know about Rita’s.

Although not that old in comparison to the Liberty Bell (1752 for the bell, 1984 for Rita’s) it has become something of a local speciality (so much so that a local will probably want to take you straight there from the airport before doing anything else!).

I can only attest to the Italian Ice (which tastes a lot like ice from other parts of the world) but am looking forward to trying the frozen custard next time.

It’s worth including a photo of the famous Liberty Bell, if only to point out that it cracked on it’s first ringing. How’s that for product failure? (Note, the present crack is from later - as it was twice recast).

But then maybe it wouldn’t be so famous if it wasn’t cracked?

I’d like to say I managed to make it to Pat’s King of Steaks (or Geno’s) for a real Philly Cheesesteak (I’d probably go to Pat’s, because they claim to have invented this sandwich), but I didn’t. If I did I would probably go for the Whiz Wit:

In case it wasn’t already obvious the key ingredients to a cheesesteak are steak and cheese. In addition you get onions and peppers, all fried up and served on a bread roll. This is not something for the healthy conscious, or anyone with heart problems (but is good for those thinking of trying heart problems).

In Pat’s you get to choose what you want (by saying “wit”).

The Whiz Wit comes with Cheese Whiz, a type of cheese unlikely to be found in the cheese connoisseur's larder and almost certainly free from all natural ingredients.

Finally, no discussion of Philadelphia would be complete without reference to the city’s famous mayor:

Yes, Michael Nutter is still the mayor (see here for a previous reference) proving that, like Albert Pujols of the St Louis Cardinals does, a silly name need not be an inhibitor to personal success. It must make for interesting discussions on polling day though: “I’m voting for the Nutter” - something normally only heard in London when Boris Johnson is standing for election.