Delco. What do I know about Delco? Virtually nothing. I lived in Philadelphia for over thirty years and could not name a single time I’ve ever visited or seen an attraction or ate a meal in Delaware County. Since returning to Philadelphia I have made a concerted effort to visit Delco, because without a concerted, focused effort, I would probably keep skipping over this section of the Philadelphia Metropolitan area, which is a same, because each time I visit, it feels like a new experience, a section of the world I’ve never been to before, which makes it a great place for an afternoon drive.
Media is similar to West Chester in that the town has a heavy Federal Style architecture defining it’s historical center. A couple of key differences/defining features that makes Media standout not just from West Chester but its other county seat counterparts. First, the county courthouse is on a whooooole other level. One of the best country courthouses I’ve ever seen and that includes those built with coal fortunes during the heyday of coal mining. William Jennings Bryan supposedly spoke at the courthouse steps once…so it has that going for it too. Second, a trolley runs along State Street, the main commercial street in town. As someone who doesn’t have trolleys running through his county seat, I think this is very, very cool. Third, there are some massive old buildings, such as an armory, that have been repurposed for modern society—the armory is now a Trader Joe’s.
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Beyond the armory becoming a Trader Joe’s, Media has done a relatively good job of retaining its small town feel. There’s a place called Scoops, that serves ice cream. A place called Deals, a general store with all sorts of deals, and original hardwood flooring and a tin ceiling. There’s a place called Quotations, which is a bar with quotations written on the wall. The local coffee shop is Burlap and Bean—I’ve been to Media three times and have never timed a visit to coincide with this coffee shops opening. A little further west on State Street from Burlap and Bean is Sterling Pig, a popular brewery but one that I’m not a huge fan of. I would prefer to drink a beer at Brick and Mortar.
During the summer months, Media does a Dining Under the Stars, where State Street is closed to car (and trolley traffic?) and people can dine in the street. I’ve been meaning to dine for the past two summers which brings me to the one downside of Media, there’s no great restaurants. The dining scene is lackluster compared to West Chester and Doylestown. If a new, quality restaurant was to open in Media, I already have a name picked out I can supply the owner—Quality Food Restaurant. It will fit right in with Scoops and Deals.
During the summer months, Media does a Dining Under the Stars, where State Street is closed to car (and trolley traffic?) and people can dine in the street. I’ve been meaning to dine for the past two summers which brings me to the one downside of Media, there’s no great restaurants. The dining scene is lackluster compared to West Chester and Doylestown. If a new, quality restaurant was to open in Media, I already have a name picked out I can supply the owner—Quality Food Restaurant. It will fit right in with Scoops and Deals.
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My embarrassing failure to not visit places in Delco means that the first time I visited Swathmore was when I was 38 years old. Swathmore is a liberal arts college town with a commercial section that runs for a block or two with BLANK, a coffee shop and worthy destination, on the northern end. While I’m embarrassed it took me so long to visit Swathmore, it will also likely be another 38 years (or more) until I visit Swathmore again—it’s a nice town, it’s just small.
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Then there’s Upper Darby, which you could be forgiven if you thought was part of Philadelphia. Philadelphia and Upper Darby are divided at 69th Street and it’s a sort of blurry line between where the city ends and Upper Darby begins because the 69th Street shopping corridor is a heavy commercial area with tall buildings and wide storefronts. This district contains the Tower Theater which attracts young musical talent before they hit it big. There’s a massive, old school façade movie theater. A block away is the Terminal Square area—circling this block is like circling the world—the cuisine is diverse and from all cuisines. Across from here is a monstrous city hall, easily the largest city hall in the Philadelphia suburbs and another sign of the blurred delineation between Philadelphia and Upper Darby.
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There’s a residential pocket below the Philadelphia International Airport called Essington / Tinicum that is isolated by the Delaware River, I-95, and the Darby Creek. Along the Delaware is a ballroom held in a former U.S. Immigration / Quarantine building. Immigrants coming to Philadelphia would need to wait here before being admitted to the country. Ballroom invitation or not, this is a cool building to wander around on a weekend morning. Essington has a waterfront park and is also home to Romano’s, an Italian Restaurant where the Stromboli was supposedly invented. Now I have another reason to check out this secluded Delco area.
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I’m not sure who Linvalla Orchard’s hype man is but this place receives a ton of “marketing” on www.uwishunu.com, one of Philadelphia’s tourism promotion websites. The place positions itself like the Peddler’s Village of Delco. I finally committed to visiting Linvalla for their peach festival…and…Linvalla ain’t Peddler’s Village.
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Future Stops
Charlie's Hamburgers
Duke's Tavern
Hobb's
Clam Tavern
Upper Darby
Media
Regency Cafe - Lansdowne
Charlie's Hamburgers
Duke's Tavern
Hobb's
Clam Tavern
Upper Darby
Media
Regency Cafe - Lansdowne