Unusual places to visit in Philly

Taste of Portugal is an excellent place to eat authentic Portuguese cuisine. Only a 10-minute drive from center city, it is worth taking a drive. Our first experience eating here was memorable. We hit traffic on the expressway. We were over half an hour late. We were wondering if it was worth the trip, but it was. The host held our table and sat us by the window.

The waiter brought out our complimentary marinated olives. They were excellent. We had questions about the menu and he was very helpful. I decided to have the steak and shrimp on a shish kabob and my husband had the seafood combination and Spanish clams as an appetizer. The entire time we were waiting for our meal, we watched what everyone was having for dinner. We saw flaming Portuguese sausage, things come out in a big pot, and things hanging from a stick. We could not wait until we saw ours. Another thing we saw was that everyone was drinking something out of a clay pitcher. We asked the waiter and he told us it was sangria. We decided to order a pitcher. It is their special blend of wine, fruit, and a special ingredient. We could not stop drinking it. On Friday night, they have entertainment. It was so festive and we felt like we were in Portugal. We then had the house salad. The waiter brings it out on a big plate. It is something like an Italian salad. The dressing was a light oil and vinegar. Next were the clams. It came in a big iron pot. The clams were marinated in onions and tomatoes. The sauce was as good as the clams. We could not stop dipping our Portuguese bread in the sauce. We had to stop and save room for our main course. Our waiter brings out our dinners. My dinner was the one hanging from and stick and my husband was the one in a big pot. The steak and shrimp was the best I have ever tasted. Whatever they use to marinate it, it was excellent. The dinner also came with potatoes. They look like chips. They were absolutely great. My husband's dinner was a variety of clams, mussels, shrimp, lobster and calamari with rice, marinated in a special sauce. It was outstanding. He had so much, he had to take some of it home. He got all of that for only $18 per person.

If you think Philly is only a place to eat cheese steaks, hoagies, and soft pretzels, you are wrong. To something different and eat Portuguese. You won't be disappointed. Taste of Portugal does take the Entertainment book. It is good any time for up to an $18 value.

Poe lived in Philadelphia for six years from 1838-1844. During this period, he wrote "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Pit and the Pendulum", and "The Masque of the Red Death". He lived in several houses, only one is still standing.

If you visit Philadelphia, I would recommend visiting the Poe house in the Spring Garden area of the city. Admission is free and a guided tour is offered.

You enter the museum in the house next door. The park ranger greets you and briefly gives you information about the house. In the next room is a short video on Poe. Then you enter the eerie house of Poe.

The rooms are very small with layers of paint peeling off. The house has two floors. As I walked up the creepy steps, I could picture his solemn face. But the most disturbing part of the house is the basement. This was were Poe wrote the Pit and the Pendulum. The steps are so decrepit, they were roped off. The basement was very cold and dark, only daylight from a small window. This was the end of the tour and I was happy to leave this dark area.

Do something other than the usual when visiting Philadelphia, take a trip to Spring Garden and see the Poe house.

The Mutter Museum has a unique collection of bones, tumors, organs, and medical instruments. The Travel Channel voted this one of the MUST things to do before you die. If you are squeamish, I would not recommend this place. The day I visited the museum, a group of high school students was taking a tour. The entire time I was there, I only heard the students say "eeuuu" and "aahhh."

How did it all start? Dr. Thomas Mutter donated his collections of anatomical and pathological materials he used as a teacher before he retired. From that, the collection grew.

Some of the unusual things you will see are: siamese twins' connected livers and a plaster cast of their torsos, obsolete medical instruments, Florence Nightingale's sewing kit, and President Grover Cleveland’s cancerous tumor.

If you are visiting Philadelphia, and you already visited the usual sights, do the unusual and visit the Mutter Museum.

Hours of operation: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily
Admission: $9.00 Adults, $6.00 Children and Seniors