The Philadelphia Report: Day 3- Yes, We Won!

On Tuesday we knew we needed to limit ourselves a bit more than the day before, so we chose to go find the final square, and then explore the Reading Terminal Market before returning to the hotel to rest up for the soccer match.

Rittenhouse Square is where upscale residential meets commercial.  It's an easy walk from the French style 1800's neighborhood to the steel and glass high rise office towers.

It had rained overnight, but the water here is from the new water feature at the brand new Dillworth Plaza at City Hall.  City Hall was our continuing landmark to and from the hotel.

 We'll be coming back to that shiny, cloud reflecting tower. ↓

 Rittenhouse Square ↓

 This billy goat has been a climbing toy for children since 1919, and its horns and tail are well polished. 

 Walking in the neighborhood around the square.  We stopped to talk to a local who told us a house being gutted had just sold for $2 million.

 Got beer!

 Roy Lichenstein sculpture called "Brush Strokes". ↓

 The Comcast Center, built in 2009,  is the tallest in Philly. It is said to resemble a giant USB Memory stick. 

 In the lobby is a 10 million pixel video display with ever changing subject matter. 

 And "permanent watchers" decorate the floor and overhead beams.

From the Comcast Center we walked back to our hotel to leave our jackets and then walk across the street to the train station and the Reading Terminal Market at the ground floor level. 

 The pretzel maker's hands were almost to fast to capture.

 Pudding, anyone? ↓ ↑

 Making Philly cheese steaks, using presliced beef.

 Real Beef, for the best cheese steak sandwiches,  The line was long here.

 I have to say Termini Bros. was my favorite place. We bought the chocolate mousse and the tiramisu cakes to take back to the hotel, ↑ and one of these wonderful almond crescents for the next day's breakfast. ↓

 I had a baked pretzel wrapped cheese steak sandwich for my lunch.

 A local had told us about the old train head house being turned into a ballroom for the convention center so we checked it out.

 Here's what it used to be.↓

 Back in our room we rested and enjoyed coffee and dessert.

About 4:00 went went back across the street to catch the local train out to PPL Park, site of the US Open Cup final.  There we joined in the tail gate party put on by the Emerald City Supporters and the Sounders FC.

 We were right under the bridge over the Delaware River. 

 We sang and chanted our way into the stadium as the sun was setting.

 At the end of 90 minutes the score was tied 1-1, so we went into a 30 minute overtime. And of course we stood and sang and chanted the whole time.

 Finally we were victorious 3-1 and it was time to celebrate!

I couldn't really get good photos, so I borrowed this one from the Internet ↓

You can see us standing at the rail in the background, left of the photo, both dressed in Rave green. 

We met another couple who had a rented car and were in a hotel next to ours, and we hitched a ride back into the city.  

And then we read and unwound and ate the cannoli we had purchased earlier at the market. It was after midnight before we even tried to go to sleep. 

Since this game was our impetus for coming to Philadelphia, it was wonderful to get the win.  I am still singing and chanting in my head.