10/15/2020, Chickie and Pete's, Philadelphia, PA

 This was one of the first places I went when COVID restrictions started to relax. By "relax" I mean they were replaced with other, equally ridiculous restrictions that made even less sense. Like the one for indoor dining at restaurants. Instead of wearing a mask while you ate, you now had to wear a mask while waiting and walking to your table. Once you were seated, the mask restriction vanished and suddenly you and everyone around you was immune from COVID! So apparently the virus isn't interested in you if you are seated. Only when you're standing up. Got it.

So Joey and I set out to meet my uncle Richard at Chickie and Pete's. Just a short drive down to Packer Ave from the Navy Yard area where we were staying. Uncle Richard was in to process of selling the business he built and retiring, mostly due to the failed economic and social policies of the local Philly govt. Bottom line is that his business didn't get burned to the ground like many others, so I guess he's one of the lucky ones. 

But were here to eat, not bitch about useless governments! Uncle Richard had chicken strips (allegedly the best around) and Joey had an Italian sausage hoagie. I had a Blue Crab Caesar salad.

Actually, before i go on, the biggest scam on the east coast concerning seafood is the Blue Crab. Sure they taste good, but they are TINY. I mean, you have to get 8-10 of them just to get a good amount of meat to cover, say, a salad. Don't get me wrong there was a LOT of crab on this salad, but you gotta wonder how may crabs they had to shell to get it. Now, on the west coast we have this crab called the Dungeness, which is HUGE compared to the Blue. One Dungy could beat up at least 6 Blues no problem. Additionally, you can catch 5 of these a day in Washington and the license costs $11. Play your crabbing trips right and your gear, your license and probably your boat gas are paid for in less than one season. Plus they are big and easy to clean, and they taste WAY better than a Blue. East coast people, you have been bamboozled!!

The food was really good. You can screw up a salad too badly, but Joey said his hoagie was probably the best ever. I mean, we were in Philly, probably the best place for a sandwich, ever. The service was also really good and our waitress made us feel like we were the only ones in the place. and they had about 200 TVs with every conceivable sporting event (the ones that were allowed to play that is). The important things are that Joey got to see his Great Uncle and spend some time with cousins in New Jersey as well. 

Some new places, Finally.

Since we are now closing in on Year Two of "two weeks to flatten the curve", we have seen some restrictions lifted, some not, and others try to "out-ridiculous" the former restrictions. Thankfully, most places have lifted most, if not all restrictions and we can finally go out to eat again! 

In 2020 I was considered "essential" and went to several places. However, these were all places that had the most stringent restrictions, and the best you could do was Grubhub or DoorDash, and even then a LOT of places werent doing that. I went to California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida.

One of the things I noticed in Pennsylvania: in the city you had to practically wear a mask to bed. In the rural areas, nobody cared what you did. I went to a winery in Somerset with my cousin, and there was no forced masking at all at the winery, because it was private property and they set their own rules. Apparently that doesnt matter in Philadelphia, however.

In any case, there will be new stories coming out about the places I was able to go during the lockdown, and the new places Im going now, since most places have finally come to their senses.