I spent Friday night at home in Washington for the first time in five or six weeks. But the rare Friday night here turned into a usual weekend away. Ben and I traveled to Philadelphia for a one-night trip.
We traveled for a couple of reasons.
First, why not? We're young and who knows if we'll ever live out here or get the chance again. We're addicted to seeing each other. Ben put in near all-nighters at work so he could free up the weekend. But I didn't really want to make the trip all the way to NYC. So we met in the middle. And last, Ben wants to visit every baseball stadium in the country.
We both were supposed to board buses at 5 a.m. (me) and 6 a.m. Saturday. My bus left an hour and a half late. I think it's because the driver didn't show up, and the company had to get a substitute. I'm not 100 percent certain. Greyhound Bus Company has such a laid back, "I don't give a shit" attitude about letting its customers know why trips are delayed. And the company isn't the least apologetic when its drivers get lost for an hour in Queens.
OK, enough for the paragraph-long venting episode.
We made it to Philadelphia and went to Reading Terminal for breakfast. Basically it's the biggest market I've ever seen and full of food stalls with fresh food, to-go food and sit-down dining. It also has flower shops and stores. It also has a beer garden inside. Cool, huh?
We then dropped our bags off at our hotel and made our way east toward the Liberty Bell (which Ben insisted on me seeing), Independence Hall (just the outside buildings) and more of the old town. We're big on the river, so we checked out the water. I saw my first submarine and a really old ship.
When you travel, there's kind of this rule about enjoying the food as much as the sights. We ate at Jim's -- where the best cheese steaks in town are sold. I ate my first, sans the cheese whiz. Ugh, I couldn't get over the idea of eating a cheese steak with the same kind of cheese I use to spread on crackers and celery when I was little. I went for the American cheese. South Street, where the restaurant (if you want to call it that) is located, is probably heaven to young ladies like me who don't mind shopping, especially when the price is right. It was like Uptown times 10, with way cooler shops, mainly independent stores and restaurants and the street was within walking distance of everything else. It felt urban, but reminded me of a small town, too.
The Phillies vs Astros game started around 4 p.m., so we took the subway just before 3. The game was alright. I don't mind baseball. At least, I'm liking it more than I used to. But I was tired and fell asleep on Ben's shoulder for an inning. He has the embarrassing photos. It's a roofless stadium, and I had never been to one of those before.
The weather cooperated all day. We had expected the rain -- part of a big East Coast storm -- to hit in the afternoon. But we were lucky. We rested at the hotel, went to a diner from the '70s and made it to the art museum where Rocky does his little victory dance, or whatever you want to call it. Ben and I ran up the stairs. He wanted to race, but it was no competition. I was too worried I'd fall on my face, so he made it to the top several seconds ahead of me.
Today we slept in. Ben needed it more than I did. He worked past 1 a.m. nearly every day this week and put in the time until about 4:30 a.m. Friday. Yikes! By this morning, the weather was awful. It rained hard and the wind picked up. We returned to the market for one last meal there and then went shopping before we had to go to the bus station.
In 30 hours, I fell in love with Philly. I'll post photos soon.
Oh, and my bus left 45 minutes late today, too. Can't rely on Greyhound for anything. Maybe next time I'll take the train.
