Polish Food Tour (Optional Stop at Graffiti Pier)

DESCRIPTION

Pierogi, Golabki, Kielbasa....Oh My!!! Join us as we eat our way through the Port Richmond and Fishtown neighborhoods of Philadelphia, enjoying an Eastern European, mostly Polish, feast with some other treats and delectable stops thrown in for good measure. Port Richmond, Bridesburg, and Fishtown were the heart of the Polish American community in Philadelphia for a century and still contain the best bakeries, butcher shops, and delis to satisfy cravings for both traditional and modern takes on classic Slavic food. We may even be able to take a peak behind the scenes at some establishments for a quick tour of how this fair gets produced and speak one on one with the owners/proprietors. 

This is a walking and eating tour of the city. We will purchase small items to taste or larger items to share with the group at several tops, while at others it will be up to you to purchase anything you might want to taste. We happily can cater to individual preferences but please note this is NOT a kosher, vegeterian, or vegan friendly tour!!! We respect everyone's palettes equally, but this is designed for the omnivores of the universe!

Part of the cost of the tour is to cover the expense of purchasing items for all participants to try. You do not have to participate and you do not need to purchase anything, though we highly recommend coming hungry and with an open mind and a ready mouth! 

We will provide utensils, napkins, plates, wipes, sanitzier, and other necessary items but please note a lot of stops will require us eating on the streets and/or with our hands!

This tour features treats and eats from many different ethnicities and cultures including Polish, German, Ukranian and other European ethnicities. 

At the end participants are welcome to join the guide for a quick tour of the nearby famous landmark known as Graffiti Pier. For almost forty years now, this once hidden abandoned railroad trestle still lures reknowed artists looking to engage in some, now legal, street art.

BASIC INFORMATION

• Start Time: 10:00 AM
• End Time: 2:30 - 3:00 PM  (Varies) (You may leave at any point upon telling the tour guide)
• Distance: 6.2 Miles or 7.2 Miles (if you go to Graffiti Pier)
• Meeting Location: IGA Supermarket  at Fishtown Crossing - 2497 Aramingo Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19125
• Meeting Note: If the weather is nice we will gather outside of the IGA Supermarket. If it's not nice, we'll check in outside and then folks can wait in their cars or inside of a store until the tour starts.
• Meeting Note:  Look for a 6^0 tall guy with a big blue bag on his back or at his feet with a flagpole sticking out of it high into the air.

TRANSPORTATION & PARKING

• Free parking in the shopping center. 
• DO NOT leave any valuables in your car or any important/sentimental items visible in your car either.
• The starting/end point of the tour is about a twenty minute walk from the Berks station on the SEPTA Market-Frankford Elevated (Blue) Line.
• The starting/end point is within a few blocks of stops for SEPTA Bus Routes 15, 25, 39, 43, and 89.

WHAT TO BRING (GEAR)

• CASH! Some locations are cash only, while at others, cash will help expedite your checkout. 
• Good, solid, comfortable walking shoes that you can walk 6+ miles in on concrete pavements  & sidewalks. We adivsed not to wear flip-flops or any other flimsy footwear. We also advise that you not wear anything that you would mind getty dirty, dusty, wet, etc., depending on conditions.
• A bottle or two of water
• A bag or other means of carrying personal items
• We HIGHLY recommend bringing freezer packs or insulated cooler bags during the summer to help keep any purchases you may make to take home nice and cold as needed.
• Cameras & cellphones (for pictures) welcome! Make sure they're fully charged!
• Appropriate clothing based on the forecasted weather conditions - temperature, precipitation, etc. for the duration of the tour/event. Please reach out to info@seekexplorewander.com with any questions or concerns about clothing or other gear to bring before any tour/event.

CHILDREN

• Children 10-18 years of age are welcome. We do not encourage younger children to attend as it will be hard to navigate through some of the markets/shops with a stroller and younger children may get cranky and probably won't be that willing to try new food. HOWEVER, they are welcome so long as they are supervised and there is one adult over 21 years of age for each child in a family/group.

BREAKS/BATHROOMS

• There will be one fifteen minute break/bathroom stop along the way about 2/3 of the way through (distance wise).
• Public bathrooms available near the starting/end point of the tour.
• Other bathrooms needs/stops will be up to participants to find, use, and then rejoin the group

PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS

• You can pay via the website, which will add a small fee
• You can also pay (and receive a manual ticket) via PayPal or Venmo
• Paypal Name: Seek-Explore-Wander
• Venmo Name: Seek-Explore-Wander
• If you pay via PayPal or Venmo, please include your name, the date and name of the tour/activity, and the # and type of tickets you are purchasing for the specific tour/activity.

NO-SHOWS & LATE ARRIVALS

• No-Shows for a tour/activity may be barred from future events. No-Shows will not be granted refunds or credits of any sort.
• If you arrive late and miss the tour you will not receive a refund or credit. All participants receive an email the day before a tour/event with the tour guide's contact information. If you are running late, it is your job to reach out to the tour guide to discuss if it's possible to catch up with the tour/group at a specific time and location BEFORE the listed start time of an event. Once an event begins it is not the tour guide's nor company's responsibility to respond to any phone calls, emails, text messages, etc. if you did not make it on time. Likewise, there's no guarantee that you be able to catch up with the group though we will try our best to accomodate reasonable requests due to unforseen circumstances.

CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS

• You may cancel up to twenty-four hours before the listed start time of this tour and receive a full refund. If you purchase via credit card you may not receive the transaction fee back, depending on circumstances. Please allow 3-5 business days (Monday to Friday) for all refunds to be processed.
• If you cancel within twenty-four hours you will not receive a refund. No exceptions.
• The company does not cancel tours/events for inclement weather such as light rain, cold or hot temperatures, etc. We only cancel tours/events for conditions that we consider dangerous to participants either during the tour/event or for getting to/from the meeting location. Examples would be heavy flooding conditions and/or severe thunderstorms for the duration of the tour/event, ice or thick snow before, during, or immediately after the tour/event. If/when the company decides that the weather conditions warrant cancellation of an event, all participants will receive a full refund, minus any processing fees assessed by third party credit/finance companies/apps., within 3 to 5 business days.