Author Irene Levy Baker discussed her books, 100 Things To Do In Philly Before You Die and Unique Eats and Eateries of Philadelphia.  She discussed her career working with the Pennsylvania Convention Center working with travel and tourism and how she learned the city inside and out promoting it to tourists, conventioneers and locals.  She noted the importance of the attractions and restaurants on our local economy, not just in filled hotel rooms, but in server tips, housekeeping, cabbies and Uber drivers, and more and we discussed how many of our best attractions have been dedicated within the past ten years.  Irene mentioned that hotel management was an excellent career choice, you can work your way up through the ranks.   She described the process in choosing sites for 100 Things and suggested an inexpensive day trip for a family, including a stop at the Reading Terminal Market, miniature golf at Franklin Square, the Betsy Ross House and other historic sites.  She suggested families could take a photo with each of the hole feature on the mini golf course – each is a replica of a famous Philadelphia destination, then taking a photo at the real site as a great ‘souvenir’ of the day.   She noted that shoe is  not a food critic, her new book looks at the stories behind the restaurants that make up Philly’s food scene.  We talked about restaurants driving the neighborhood revivals and how small retailers and restauranteurs should remember marketing is important to getting notice, a nod to Irene’s public relations business, Spotlight.

For more information, plus links to purchase 100 Things To Do In Philly Before You Die and Unique Eats and Eateries in Philadelphia, also available at local bookstores and Amazon.com, visit uniqueeatsphilly.com