Franklin Fountain

This is one of those silly, meaningless, what-happened-in-my-life-today posts. You've been warned!

...because it's not at all meaningless to me. Today, I finally experienced the delight that was the Franklin Fountain (link at bottom). It's an old-school (although not that old) ice cream shop at the corner of Second and Market, here in Philadelphia. And while the establishment is only a few years old, everything inside seems like it's been waiting for you for a half-century or more. That's not entirely true- the ice cream is fresh and delicious. The rest, however, is as old-fashioned as it gets. Want to see the oldest working soda fountain, with some sort of fantastic name like the Draft Tower? It's there. Clear-Toy Candy or Teaberry flavored gum? Check. Servers with knit hairnets or armbands? Of course. Marble, brass, and old wood... even belt fans. The winter menu, available for only a few days more this season, offers hot milkshakes (toasted marshmallow, anyone?), mead, hot sodas, and hot chocolate. Me? I got a hot chocolate float, with butter pecan ice cream. Jesse and Dan, in their second round, split an apple pie milkshake. What's that? Why, it's a vanilla milkshake- with a genuine slice of hot apple pie in it. Ridiculous? Yes- in the best way possible.

Oh, and all this goodness? Comes with a paper straw.

The Franklin Fountain

Life is good,
-m.