Epic Philly Weekend

I'm on the Greyhound back to New York, tuckered out from a packed anniversary weekend! Dave and I were determined to be tourists in Philly this weekend, taking in the historic sights, eating out, and paying for parking. We paid for parking multiple times and didn't even fight about it! Life progress.

On Saturday, Dave and I went to check out the historic sites in Old City. Though we wanted to act like tourists, we neglected to plan like tourists, so many of the tours were already booked up. We did, however, get to visit Old City Hall and the old Congress Hall. We missed Independence Hall, and the line for the Liberty Bell was too long, but we achieved at least one goal: an encounter with the visitor center's mascots.

Then we fulfilled Dave's longtime dream by visiting the U.S. Mint. I have an intellectual block in which I can't deal with anything having to do with coins, but the visit was actually pretty interesting. I guess in theory, numismatics is interesting and important. It's just when I come face to face with a coin that I want to run away. I took no pictures of the Mint. We do, however, have other touristy pictures: the Barnes Foundation, Logan Fountain, and Elfreth's Alley.

The primary reason we were in Philly was to celebrate the wedding of my lovely friends, A. and A. The ceremony and reception were held at Bartram's Garden, a beautiful historic garden just off Island Avenue. It was peaceful and rustic, yet convenient to I-95. Who knew? The weather was absolutely perfect, as is the couple. The collage below includes a picture of the bride doing a traditional Greek dance to bouzouki music with her parents!

We spent our actual anniversary at the Philadelphia Zoo. It felt like summer's already in full swing, with the hordes of children, warm weather, and my craving for ice cream.

And finally, let's talk about food. Cheesesteaks from Tony Luke's (whiz wit', please), real Italian hoagies, Franklin Fountain Ice Cream, an 11-course tasting menu at Serpico, and "Choo-choo Train," my favorite Vietnamese restaurant whose real name I can't pronounce. Ah, the tastes of home.