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Getting older doesn't mean smarter When Bone wanted an early flight he didn't mean 7:30 in Morning!!!! Poor Mike had to get up at 3:30 in the morning to make his connection. So by 9:00 AM the boys were already in Philly to start the tomfoolery.
Not having a Cheese Steak? In Philly, its just silly
With accommodations taken care of, the boys were determined to have a breakfast of chumps, (instead of Champions). When in Rome eat pizza, when in Philly, eat Cheese Steaks!! So the boys jumped into a Cab to South Philly and Cheese Steak Country.
Pat's Cheese Steak, the "Heart Smart Meal"
"Wid" or Wid Out?", The Pat's is the home of the original Philly Cheese Steak, it is just a little Metal Shack that doles out chopped up steak (substance), fried in oil and served with cheese whiz and onion on an extremely tasty roll. Having laid a base, the boys decided to explore South Philly, home of the Italian Market.
Bone's Secret Business, (unknown even to him !!)
The Boys at the Italian Market, thinkin' about pizza !!
Hey!! Quit choking my chicken !! Being typical mid-westerners, Mike and Bone assumed that all food begins and ends in the Super Market, cleansed and pre-wrapped. Walking through the Italian Market, the boys senses were assaulted with the pungent smells of fresh fruits, and vegetables; sharp cheeses such as romano; prosciutto ham, and the death screams of chickens?!? The Italian Market has a store where you can walk in, find a live chicken based on size and breed, have it taking in back and butchered for dinner that evening. This was way too much for Bone, who thought that chicken was born at the Tyson Plant, pre-packaged in plastic wrap. There was an interesting side note to the trip in the Butcher Shop, there was an extremely irate African-dressed Muslim man who insisted in going in the back to watch and pray while the chicken was being butchered, which made Bone question the man's sanity.... who would want to eat something after you watched in being killed?
With this "excitement" over, the boys headed north to South Street (Yep! north to South Street), to check out the bohemian and punk scene, on the way to Independence Park.
For whom the (Liberty) Bell Tolls !?!
Takin' a constitutional in George Washington's chair in the Constitutional Convention !!
Mike and Bone were in there best behaviour touring the site where luminaries such as Washington; Franklin; Adams, Jefferson created our great country. The boys respectfully asked questions such as: how many bars did they have back then? Did they drink Guinness?
Heroes of the Revolution: Washington; Franklin; Adams; Jefferson; Spencer ?!? Giordano ?!?
Getting "Euro" Trashed !!
Since it was a Chilly May, and Mike had not brought a coat, after touring Independence Plaza, the boys decided to prepare for an evening Philly-Style, so Mike needed to buy a coat. Walking north to a Men's Wearhouse on Chestnut Street, Bone observed a plethora of local bars and Irish Taverns, Which led to a battle plan, that the boys were destined to lose.
The Road to Perdition After buying Mike a jacket for the evening, they retired to assuage their thirst in the first local bar found. After having a Sam Adams and a single-malt Scotch, Bone came up with one of his typical bone-headed ideas: let's drink two Guinness's, and a shot of Bushmills Irish Whiskey in every Irish Pub, on the way back to the Omni Hotel at Independence Park. Now this mission was daunting since they were in the Irish part of town, however it was only 5:00 PM, plenty of time to complete the mission.
Oy Vey!! By 8:30 the boys were back to the Hotel, after visiting 5 taverns, consuming 10 pints a piece of Guinness and 5 shots each of Bushmills. Even though, they had a plate of chicken wings at one of the Pubs (despite the emotional memories of the Italian Market), they were well primed for the evening.
Life of the Party By 9:00 the boys were back out on the streets. Now there is no better way to enliven a bored bar establishment than introduce Bone and Mike after a few (too many!). They went into an establishment just South of Independence Mall called "Euro", where the boys took it upon themselves to introduce themselves to every patron and bar employee, much to the astonishment of all involved.
By Mid-Night the boys had made friends with everyone in the bar, and since we were new to Philly, the Bar Crowd decide to give them a tour of some of the other establishments. One such establishment was the Artful Dodger, were the boys became Philadelphia 76's fan's during a game and hooted and hollered with the best of them.
Beginning and Ending the day with a Sandwich: Tony Lukes By 12:30 the boys had been drinking since 5:00 and decided it was time to surrender the cause. Some of the locals strongly urged them to join them for Chicken Cheese Steaks and yet another famous Cheese Steak restaurant Tony Lukes. Tony Lukes is just like Pats, outdoors only, and excellent food. After wolfing down a couple of chicken sandwiches, the boys decided to bring the evening to a close. Unfortunately for Mike, he decided that he did not like the chicken sandwich and returned it in the Lobby Bathroom of the Omni Hotel.
After quite the memorable day (starting at 3:30 for Mike) they crashed hard.