Lulu’s Pizza Bar

If you’re on the east side of center city Philadelphia and you need a snack, try Lulu’s Pizza Bar. It’s located between 2nd and 3rd Streets on the south side of Market Street. They have affordable specials, like a couple slices and a Coke for around $7 at the time of this writing. Here’s a look at the pizza:

It was great pizza with friendly service and no waiting. I like popping into these joints, listening to the conversations, which is a great way to pick up dialog for the books I write. Incredible what people say to each other. At any rate, a slice of pizza hits the rights spot, so give it a try.

Published in: on April 25, 2012 at 5:57 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market

Today, I had the good fortune to pay a visit to the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market. Every type of fruit and vegetable is on sale here to anyone willing to buy the minimum of a case. And you have to see all this produce, straight from the farm, in a single place, for sale from multiple vendors, all of which means the best prices around. Let’s take a look:

It was interesting to learn how the bananas are ripened, which is quite a process. Not to mention learning about where all this stuff comes from. Then there are the characters here, each operation has a personality and if you do some buying, you’ll meet them. There’s also the other customers, from the mom and pop shops to the restaurant purveyors to the people simply looking for a large quantity of something in particular. Markets like this are a marvel. I highly recommend a visit when in you’re in the mood to buy in bulk.

Published in: on January 20, 2012 at 1:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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John’s Roast Pork, video review

It’s been too long since I last posted about John’s Roast Pork. And it’s been a much longer time since I first stopped in here with my friend, the captain. He was the one who took me from our side of South Philadelphia to the other side for a roast pork sandwich that became my gold standard. That was 20 years ago this month. I’ve been plugging my arteries ever since. Here’s a video review of the place.

I hope to interview John himself one of these days and also his mother, Vonda, who with her husband John, started this institution back in the 1930’s. Seriously, if you want a cheesesteak or a roast pork sandwich, go nowhere else. Go to John’s.

Published in: on October 26, 2011 at 10:51 am  Leave a Comment  
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Tugboat Tour, video

In conversations at book signings and other events, people ask me how I came to be a writer. It was a winding path, though plenty of interesting places. One of those locales was the Philadelphia waterfront, including the Delaware River and Bay as well as the Atlantic Ocean. Part of my business involved tugboats and barges. So, here’s a video tour of the tug High Roller, a boat that I worked with while in that environment.

That’s quite a piece of floating machinery, isn’t it? One of the main engines has just been rebuilt, to the tune of about $250,000. That gives you an idea of what things cost in this field. While underway, the boat burns close to a hundred gallons of diesel fuel an hour. Do the math at today’s prices and you come up with a steep number indeed. Nonetheless, the job has to be done and working with the High Roller was always a fun challenge. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to interview the owner, a fellow who is a real character. Stay tuned.

Published in: on October 17, 2011 at 12:52 pm  Leave a Comment  
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