Nadiyah goes to Philadelphia

So Nadiyah has gone to college and to the fair but she had never been to a big city. We actually are taking her to NYC on Saturday to see the Rockettes and she could not be more excited after her experience in Philadelphia.

OK, moving on ... When we realized that Nadiyah had never been to a big city we decided that a day trip to Philadelphia while she was visiting us was a must. Philadelphia is a mere hour away so it’s an easy trip to do whenever we need a big city fix (which I’ll admit I need more than Sean does).

We parked in Rittenhouse Square and immediately happened upon a farmer’s market. We didn’t need to pick up anything but I couldn’t help but to take a few pictures of the lovely scene.

I ate at this restaurant last year (Parc) and it was amazing.
I am hoping to go back again soon, maybe New Year's Eve!



Philadelphia is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorite cities to visit.





We wanted Nadiyah to get a 360 degree view of the city so we went to
the One Liberty Observation Deck for her to take it all in.























After the observation deck we walked around to give Nadiyah a feel of the city.

















We checked out Logan Fountain and Love Park because, well, duh.















Just living her best life :)





We did more sightseeing before stopping at Copabanana for lunch and then we picked up some new records at Repo Records.





Before we left we knew that we needed to take her to see the Rocky statue. What we didn't know was that there was a Made in America concert going on (with the likes of Cardi B, etc) so it was all blocked off.
Next time, Nadiyah!

When we got home we realized that Nadiyah did not have a true Philly cheesesteak experience so we did the next best thing and went to Matey’s for dinner. In my (humble) opinion they have the best Philly cheesesteak (I always get their Cooper Cheesesteak!) I’ve ever had … and their milkshakes are out of this world.

It was another lovely day with our niece but we had to get to bed early because we were heading to the beach bright and early in the morning.

Girl's Weekend in Philadelphia ♥

Last weekend, my girlfriend from college (Jihae) and I spent the weekend together in Philadelphia for a late birthday celebration. We are two days apart! We initially were going to do Charleston but decided that for just the weekend the travel time alone would take up too much time from our weekend. When Sean suggested we do Philadelphia I wondered why I hadn’t thought the same thing. Since Jihae lives in New York City it made so much more sense. We each would have a much shorter commute which would mean more time to spend together which of course made a trip to Philly seem more attractive.

Spoiler alert: We had an amazing time! We made sure to do a few touristy things, eat a whole lot and of course talk until we couldn’t talk anymore. We arrived early Friday afternoon and immediately after checking in (we stayed at The Windsor Suites – such a great location as we were walking distance to so many attractions!) we headed straight to Jim’s Steak.

The line at Jim’s Steak was long and we waited about 30 minutes but it didn’t bother us because the weather was rather nice so we just talked while we waited. Our Philly steak sandwiches were good but not the best one I’ve had. When I know the best one in Philly, I’ll definitely share but until then it is a lot of fun trying as many as I can.

There is mosaic art all throughout South Street!

After lunch we walked over to check out Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens. It is a $10 entry fee (completely worth it!) and is absolutely stunning. I can’t imagine having the type of brain to create something out of nothing. “Philadelphia's Magic Gardens is a non-profit organization, folk art environment, and gallery space on South Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To date, it is the largest work created by mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar. The Magic Gardens spans three city lots, and includes indoor galleries and a large outdoor labyrinth.” The artist is from Brooklyn so I immediately thought, of course, haha.

After the magic garden we went back to our hotel to get ready for the evening. We went to Parc in Rittenhouse Square
for dinner and it was delicious! It is a French restaurant and I felt like I was back in Paris for a minute.
They had the best Pinor Noir I've ever had so I’m looking forward to going back again!













After dinner, we went to Byblos for drinks and hookah. I do not have the lungs at all but we definitely had a good time.
After that we walked back to our hotel and called it a night.



Saturday morning, I woke up rather early but I did not move from bed as Jihae was catching up on some beauty rest as she isn’t able to sleep like she use to with two little kiddos at home. She slept for nine hours and said that she felt like a new woman, haha. When Jihae finally woke up we got ready for the day and headed to City Hall and then to Elfreth’s Alley which is the oldest residential street in America.

There are 32 houses on the street (people still live in them) and they were built between 1728 and 1836.





The homes along Elfreth's Alley have been well kept over the years and the cobblestones make everything so much more charming.



























After that we headed to Harper’s Garden for brunch. The restaurant’s décor is so on point and the food was just as great. Everything was so fresh and tasty. Jihae’s meal came with a side of arugula salad and she had me try it.
It was so delicious that we ended up ordering a big plate to share.













After eating we went shopping. I picked up a pair of jeans from Madewell and Jihae picked up a
bunch of things for herself and family.

After shopping we headed back to our hotel where we rested our feet for about an hour before getting ready for dinner. We had dinner at Pietro’s Italian on Walnut street and had amazing meals. The arugula pizza is out of this world!
Our server was incredible and so personable and we just had a wonderful experience here.













After dinner, we walked to Chris' Jazz Café for a night of live jazz music. It was great to be still and listen to jazz with one of my greatest friends in this world. We had such a good evening and when there was no more music to listen to we headed back to our hotel and called it a night.

The following morning we had breakfast at Sabrina’s Café. The wait is long but if you call ahead of time they will put you on the waiting list and tell you how long you’ll have to wait. So we arranged for us to get to the restaurant
around the time our table would be available.

We went to Au Pain Quotidien for coffee first (to kill time) and then when we headed to Sabrina’s Café we had a less than 10 minute wait. Our food was so good and our server was so accommodating when we told her that we needed to move quick
to ensure that Jihae did not miss her train.








We then headed back to our hotel room to gather all our belongings and then I dropped Jihae off at the train station. It is always such a bummer when a weekend you had been looking forward to for months is over but I really had such a great time. It’s amazing to me that we’ve been friends since I was 18 years old but we still have not skipped a beat. It’s so important to me to ensure that friendships like these remain treasured and intentional regardless of distance and time.

It was truly a wonderful weekend and I can’t wait until the next one.