crowded markets, cheesesteaks, & cannolis

I recently had a long layover in Philadelphia, PA and as you may have guessed from the title of this post, I indulged a bit. In the gluten. Due to my terrible decision to succumb to the gluten, I was sick the rest of my layover. So, if you're gluten free, reading this, and planning to go to Philadelphia...do not follow my example. It-was-not-worth-it. But, fear not gluten free friends! I found a handful of options there that you can read about here :)

We stayed at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown which was within walking distance of Reading Market (pronounced Redding). Another flight attendant that used to live in Philly recommended I go to there since it happened to be pouring rain when we arrived. The entire market is inside so I was still able to enjoy Philly and stay dry at the same time! (Unlike that one time in Miami) 

I love Reading. It is a crowded market filled with an assortment of local restaurants and shops selling fabric, herbs, homemade honey, etc.

One of my favorite parts was the produce section. There was a variety of options to choose from and I love that it was all locally grown.

Anndd...here comes the gluten. I had never tried a Philly cheesesteak before so I convinced myself that it was worth trying since I was actually in Philly! I was wrong. Gluten is bad. Cheesesteaks are delicious.

While I was thoroughly enjoying my cheesesteak, I became friends with one of the employees there, Kate. After chatting for a while, she insisted that I try a cannoli from another cafe in Reading. I figured I had already had some gluten, what would a little more hurt? Answer: a lot. It hurt a lot.

Ohh Kate. Thanks for the cannoli. It was insanely good.

At that point, Kate and I left Reading, chatted as we walked to the bus stop, and parted ways there. I headed back to the hotel to spend the rest of the evening in misery from my irresponsible gluten consumption. But overall, I had a great time in Philly (aside from the previously mentioned agony). There is so much to explore and I hope the next time I go the rain holds off so I can go out and see more of the city!

Until next time...xoxo