In Philadelphia: Breakfast, anyone?

Switching planes in Philadelphia on our way from Manchester, N.H. to Chicago this morning. And what's the first thing we see upon arriving in the city of Brotherly Love?


And in case that doesn't whet your appetite, how about this?



How interesting for us to pass through Philadelphia during the Great Plate Shortage of 2011!

I thought the purpose of food displays was to attract people, but I think I get what's going on here. This is actually a brilliant crowd management device to keep customers at bay, thus preventing long lines from forming in the concourse's narrow corridor and keeping passengers from missing tight connections. My mistake!

Actually, I'm disappointed, as I gave Philadelphia pretty high marks when making a connection earlier this year. Here's the post. But this scene, spotted in the B Concourse, is pretty awful. Another off-note was a wine bar (open at 9 a.m.!) staffed by one very bored-looking young lady.

Flying U.S. Airways, and the good news is that both our flights are using the same concourse, meaning no long hike or bus trip between gates. But the bad news is: it's the B Concourse, which seems to be the oldest and most tired at Philly.