Deodapper
Philadelphia: Magic Gardens, Italian Market, Cheesesteak
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US · 6 stops · 15.2 mi (24 km) · about 45 min driving · 15 spoken stories
Dive into South Philadelphia's art, food, and street culture in 45 minutes. Start at Reading Terminal Market, cruise past Isaiah Zagar's mosaic labyrinth and the Italian Market's barrel fires, settle the Pat's vs. Geno's cheesesteak debate, swing through Fishtown's murals, and end in Manayunk.
Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
From Reading Terminal Market to Main Street, Manayunk
The stops
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1
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens is a non-profit organization, folk art environment, and gallery space on South Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the largest work created by mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar. The Magic Gardens spans three city lots, and includes indoor galleries and a large outdoor labyrinth.
“Here we are at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, right on South Street, and if you came to this city for mosaics and outsider art, this is the heart of it.”
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2
Italian Market (9th Street)
The Italian Market is the popular name for the South 9th Street Curb Market, an area of South Philadelphia featuring awning covered sidewalks, curb carts, grocery shops, cafes, restaurants, bakeries, cheese shops, butcher shops, etc., many with an Italian influence.
“Welcome to the Italian Market, which is really the South Ninth Street Curb Market.”
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3
Pat's King of Steaks
lunchPat's King of Steaks is a restaurant that specializes in cheesesteaks. It is located at the intersection of South 9th Street, Wharton Street and East Passyunk Avenue in the Passyunk Square section of South Philadelphia, directly across the street from rival Geno's Steaks.
“This is Pat's King of Steaks, sitting where South Ninth Street, Wharton Street and East Passyunk Avenue all meet in Passyunk Square, directly across from its rival, Geno's.”
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4
Geno's Steaks
Geno's Steaks is a Philadelphia restaurant specializing in cheesesteaks, founded in 1966 by Joey Vento. Geno's is located in South Philadelphia at the intersection of 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue, directly across the street from rival Pat's King of Steaks, which is generally credited with having invented the cheesest…
“And here's the other half of the rivalry, Geno's Steaks, glowing away at Ninth and Passyunk, staring straight across the intersection at Pat's.”
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5
Fishtown
Fishtown is a neighborhood in the River Wards section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Located northeast of Center City Philadelphia, its borders are somewhat disputed today due to many factors, but are roughly defined by the triangle created by the Delaware River, Front Street, and York Street.
“This is Fishtown, part of the River Wards, northeast of Center City.”
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6
Common Threads mural
Mural Arts Philadelphia is a non-profit organization that supports the creation of public murals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1986 as the Mural Arts Program, the organization was renamed in 2016. Having ushered more than 4,000 murals into being, it calls itself "the nation’s largest public art program.
“Coming up is one of the walls that made Philadelphia the mural capital, and a perfect place to meet Mural Arts Philadelphia.”
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