I’m popping in here to share with you a short and sweet recap of my absolutely perfect day in Philadelphia this past Saturday. I went with three of my friends, and this was our second trip all together. The first was Charlottesville last semester, but this time we decided we wanted a big city experience. I honestly didn’t have too many expectations; I’d been in Philly only once before on a middle school trip, and I didn’t remember too much.

I ended up LOVING it. I think part of it is definitely the circumstances surrounding the visit, the weather, the time of year, the people you are with, your general mental state. But whatever it was, Philly was exactly what the doc ordered for all four of us.

I know for me, every particle in my body was itching for a change, begging for an adventure. The constant stress and hard work, and the general pressure-filled environment at Georgetown, was really getting to me, leaving me depleted and feeling totally out of sorts.

Well, let me just say, an adventure cures all. There is nothing quite like traveling someplace new to experience true wonder and magic. You’re so present, so connected to your surroundings, and so THERE that it’s hard to worry about the small everyday things. And in fact, at absolutely no point in the day did the thought of school cross my mind. It felt like a total break from reality, and we all agreed on the drive back that the day just felt surreal and it didn’t feel real that we were going to be back on campus in a couple hours, or had been there only that morning.

But anyway, I want to recap what we did because A) I would highly recommend all of these spots to anyone going to Philly for a day and B) I selfishly want this recount to look back on in the future when the memories get more hazy. Here goes.

Reading Terminal Market

This is where we started our adventure, the bustling, loud, crazy food emporium known as Reading Terminal Market (pronounced like red, not read). Right away, you’re hit with the most delicious smells, pretzels and hoagies and Dutch pancakes and Amish pastries. We roamed for a half hour through the market, just looking at everything, before we finally decided to make a lap and choose our food.

I opted for a turkey cheddar pretzel dog from Miller’s Twist because Philly is known for their pretzels. We were also planning on getting soup dumplings immediately after, so I didn’t want anything too heavy. This is not what I normally would opt for, but it was exactly what I wanted, and you guys, it was one of the most delicious things I’ve had in a long time. Definitely the best pretzel dog I’ve ever had.

Tom’s Dim Sum

Right near Reading is a small dim sum spot that one of my friends had extensively researched. He loves soup dumplings and was intent on trying out Philly’s Chinatown food scene. I was actually pretty full from the pretzel dog, but I had two soup dumplings because they were impossible to resist and so so delicious.

Also every time I look at dumplings I think of that short film with the little dumpling boy. Does anyone know what I’m talking about?!

Philadelphia Art Museum and Rocky Steps

This was the only museum we had on our plan, mostly because of limited time but also because it’s so big and iconic. It was really a great museum, though we were all pretty wiped after 2 hours of traversing it. I don’t think we got through even half. A must-see here is definitely the Asian Art section. They have these beautiful rooms that are furnished to look like actual temples of different Asian traditions. Also, the museum has some gorgeous Monet’s (one of my favorite artists!).

Yes, we all ran up the Rocky Steps. I was wearing heels, and it was quite the adventure. :p

Philadelphia Historical District

By the time we got here using the Phlash bus, it was pretty dark (heyyy 5pm sunsets), but that made this part even better. We unfortunately were too late to get into the Independence Hall building or the Liberty Bell building, but we saw both from the outside, which was perfectly sufficient. I should note it was absolutely freezing, so were all slightly delirious from the cold haha. But we were also laughing like crazy and jumping around, and the cold somehow added to the whimsical feel of the evening.

Menagerie Coffee

I’m always in charge of the coffee spots, and I had chosen this one a few days in advance. It had the perfect combo of great reviews, an awesome location, and a super cute interior. We stopped in here during our touring of the historical district to warm up with some lattes. It was so nice to sit there and chat with these delicious warm beverages in front of us. I also absolutely adore late-night coffee with friends; there’s something so sweet about it.

Elfreth’s Alley

This is a small alley in the district that is absolutely adorable and has basically looked the same since the 1700s. Apparently most of the houses have been owned by the same families since then too. Crazy!

I peeked into a couple windows, and the interiors were as adorable as the exteriors hehe.

Philly Cheesesteaks

Ah, best for last. I totally didn’t know what to expect from this; it’s DEFINITELY not my usual food scene, but I knew I would be remiss not to try it. We ended up getting 2 cheesesteaks from Pat’s and 2 from Geno’s, which are the main rivals. While opinions vary, those two are usually on the top of the list for best Philly cheesesteaks, so we wanted to make our own judgments.

Well, after an extensive taste test in our car, in the garage, with the heater on full blast, we all agreed that Pat’s was the clear winner. They somehow manage to really nail the bread to steak to cheese ratio in a way that Geno’s falls a tad short. But I would highly recommend doing what we did and trying both because you never know until you try it!

And just like that, we had to take off. It was an absolutely magical 12 hours in Philly, and we all agreed we had to go back senior year to see everything we missed and also check out the lively bar and nightlife scene. We passed a little wine shop that was having tastings and live music, and I was like, oh my god this is SO 21 YEAR OLD ME’S SCENE!

I feel unbelievably grateful for this experience, and for my lovely friends, and this trip really just gave me the most necessary energy and magic boost. I hope it will be useful if you’re planning on visiting Philly, and I would recommend this charming, gritty, and homey city in a heartbeat.

 

Linking up with Meg for Week in Review

Ever been to Philly?