Week 2

Today I started watching the movie Under the Tuscan Sun and I started to feel a bit inspired. Not that Philly is anything at all like Tuscany (in fact I could think of no place more distant) but it does have its charms. The other day, Jess came to visit and we had a great day. Our first stop of the day, the Kimmel Performing Arts Center. It seemed appropriate. From there we went to the fantastic little cafe, Così. Nothing like a turkey and brie sandwich on homemade flat bread to kick off the day. And of course, we had to have dessert. Down the street, we found a Max Brenner Chocolate shop. Oh man, talk about chocolate overload. I had a chocolate chai and Jess had hot chocolate (made by dissolving chocolate pieces in steamed milk over a tea light fire in the bottom of the cup... really cool). Then! The barista decided that we needed to try a handmade chocolate milkshake. 8 oz. of shake each (neither of which were finished) and we were so full on the delicious chocolate, we decided we'd better quit while we were ahead. So, onward and upward we went. Next stop, the Liberty Bell. Neat. (ok, admittedly, I feel like American history is not so much history as it is just the recent past, so while it was cool...) After the bell, we tried to find the Jewish Museum but it was being renovated and moved so instead, we ended up in the synagogue where this sweet little old lady gave us a half-hr long spiel on how Judaism ended up in the US. While this sounds dull, it was kind of awesome. Her enthusiasm was contagious and her historical knowledge was inspiring. After a short trip to see the grave of Benjamin Franklin, we decided that it just wouldn't be a proper excursion in Philadelphia without a cheesesteak. With the advice of Jess' boyfriend, we set of on a taste test to determine who had the better steaks, Pat's or Geno's (the are literally across the street from one another). The winner.... Pat's. Hand's down, Pat's. If you want onions, you order a Steak and Whiz Wit. All in all, great day. All 10 new lbs. of it ;)

I guess while I am on the topic of food, I will post a few pictures of the many food varieties we have here in Philadelphia. Now, I'm not talking about types of foods necessarily (though there are many), I am talking about the many variants on how you go about getting your food. Need some water (or a pie?)? There are people standing in the median, ready to sell it to you through your car window at the stop light. Want some water ice (Philly's version of the snow cone), there are stands everywhere. My favorite though... the food trucks. Whether it is fruit salad or Irie food you are looking for, we have a truck for that (possibly even on the same truck). Bon appetite!