It’s always sunny
Hi friends! How are ya?
Philly is GORGEOUS <3
We made it in late last night (after our mild travel snafu), grabbed a cab and headed to the hotel.
The room is super clean and lovely.
+ they have a Keurig! I’ve been wanting to get one, so it will be fun to play around this weekend and see if it’s a worthy investment.
[$5.50 for a bottle of Fiji, however, is not]
Of course, we ordered midnight room service. In between flights, we didn’t get to grab dinner so we were starvin’.
Giant Caesar salad beast for her, bacon cheeseburger for him 🙂
This morning, the Pilot slept in and I went over to the HLS events. I love going to blog conferences and summits when I can- it’s always fun to see old blog friends again and meet new ones 🙂
After an awesome session on How to Write a Better Recipe, I came back to the hotel to get the Pilot so we could go explore the Reading Terminal Market with Gabriela.
It was AMAZING- so many unique vendors and stands
with a variety of ethnic foods, baked goodies, spices, chocolates, meats, cheese, coffees, flowers, produce…
+ pretzels!!! These are the REAL DEAL.
The Pilot and I watched a “How it’s made” show about pretzels a couple of weeks ago that was randomly on. Did you know 80% of the nations pretzels come from Pennsylvania? Aaaaand a fast pretzel-twister can twist 40-something pretzels per minute. Mad skillz right there.
I’m having a blasty so far 🙂 Heading back to the afternoon events right now, but I’ll see ya later this afternoon with farmer’s market pics <3
Hope you’re enjoying your Saturday!
xoxo
Gina
Something to talk about: Have you ever been to Philly?? Any must-sees or must-dos over the next couple of days?
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Glad you’re enjoying Philly! I work in the city and live right outside, so I’m happy to give suggestions! If you’re up for historical stuff, head to the liberty bell, independence hall, etc. Also it’s always fun to get a pic
By the LOVE sign in love park. Great shopping (including lulu, anthro flagship, etc) is on Walnut street. Some restaurant recommendations are horizons (Delian vegan), farmicia (local foods), Lolita (mexican). For exercise, id recommend Philly power yoga, dhyana yoga, or possibly lulus free Sunday class?? Have fun! 🙂
I loveeee! I need some of dem pretzels — I don’t know how I missed those at the reading terminal market.
Art Museum steps… climb like Rocky! If you have time to walk along Kelly Drive and see Boat House Row, I suggest it! Hope you’re having fun 🙂
LOVE my Keurig!
I really want a Keurig too!! I haven’t gotten up the nerve to spend the money though. That bakery looks incredible too.
I grew up in Philly! And moved to FL about 10 years ago! You did Reading terminal Market, that was my make sure to do! And the other touristy things like go and see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell!
All this blogging about the Reading Market has me itching to get to Philly ASAP!
I love Philly!! If you’re craving chocolate, definitely go to The Naked Chocolate Cafe…so good!!
I live about 20 minutes outside Philly, so we often catch the train (because driving in such a pain) and walk around Philly. There is an awesome restaurant called Cuba Libre that has fantastic cuban food, and on the weekends after 10 (I think) turns into a nite club of sorts, they push the tables back and play some awesome salsa music. There are some awesome bakeries around the area as well, just ask the people working the front desk, they should know. I second the art museum steps and Boat House Row. South Street is a lot of fun, but I would stick to that in the day, as the evening can get a little too wild up and down. Dont forget to get the pilot a philly cheesesteak!
I live about an hour and a half from Philly in lovely Lancaster County and we love to head to Philly for weekend trips. I highly recommend City Food Tours for some different tastes of the city. We did the Northern Liberties tour last year and had a blast. the tours are very small groups and the guides are hilarious. The ethnic one is next on my list! Here is their website:
http://www.cityfoodtours.com/philadelphia/philly-food-tours-general-info.html
Get the Keurig… Totally worth it! Also, your outfit looks really comfortable! Especially the capris. Do you mind if I ask where you got them?
I want to go for a swim in that cheese display case.
Also, midnight room service tastes better than room service at any other time 😉
yes! i did my undergrad in philly and miss it so much! i lived in center city right across from rittenhouse park. enjoy your time… reading your posts make me miss it soooo much!
A keurig is totallyyyy worth the investment, there are so many coffees/teas favors to choose from!! 😀
Enjoy the rest of your trip!!
I love/hate my keurig. It broke 4 x but each time they replaced it without much struggle at all. However, it was a pain to keep replacing! They coffee also is subpar to other methods, but is a HUGE time savor. How long are you guys in philly for? I would love to meet you guys if you have time!!!
I am so upset that I didn’t go to Reading Terminal when in Philly. I visited my boyfriend when he was in grad school at Nova and I am just seeing this amazing place now. He says hes never heard of it. Guess we will just have to go again!
We live about an hour north of Philly in the Lehigh Valley…glad you got in late! It was stormy in the early evening and a lot of flights got delayed!
Your travel snafu’s and snags, no dinner, running around like crazy…AND while being pregnant…you’re doing great for keeping it all together 🙂
$5.50 for water. Ugh. Don’t they know that pregnant women are supposed to keep really well hydrated? I think there should be a pregnant lady water discount 🙂
The pic of you and Gabriela is adorable and I love the pics you posted..thanks for showing up how great it all looks!
SO I have heard the pilot is a hit at HLS 🙂
YOU WILL LOVE SWEET FREEDOM BAKERY!!! they are open on sundays 10am-4pm (but not mondays) and you must go. their baked goods are gluten free, vegan, dairy free, egg free, soy free, peanut free and refined sugar free… and somehow AMAZING. i am from philadelphia and go there frequently when i’m home. it’s located on south street near broad st.
http://www.sweetfreedombakery.com/
you will adore it.
I’m running the Philly marathon in November, which will be my first trip there! I am living vicariously through everyone’s posts so I know exactly what to visit when I go there. 🙂
Philly is on my list of places to visit! Glad you guys got there safely 🙂 We have a keurig and I LOVE it! Definitely worth the investment.
Keurig is fantastic BUT it’s lifespan isn’t very long. 3 in 1.5 years:(….least they replaced the first that broke, for free:)
I love Philly! It’s such a fun city to explore. My major recommendation was Reading Terminal Market, buuuuut you beat me to it. 😉 I love that place!
Hey, so I’m a long time reader and never comment…but I thought I should delurk to tell you about this awesome restaurant in Philadelphia! My parents and I were touring colleges there for me a couple weeks ago. It’s called Farmacia, and it is all about local and organic produce, meats and dairy…you should totally check them out 🙂 best meal of our 4 state, 2 week trip! It got mixed reviews on yelp and stuff but ignore them…it’s a phenomenal place for a nice dinner. I hear they also do a great brunch but we only had dinner. I dont know if they still have them, but for an appetizer we had squash blossoms filled with goat cheese and they were…as you would say, foodgasmic!!! I don’t remember what GF items they had but I’d be shocked if they had none because there were a couple vegan and vegetarian options.
Also, in Reading Terminal there’s a GREAT organic juice bar! I went 3 times in 2 days 😛 and if you want to do the tourist thang, use the phlash. $5 all day…such a deal. enjoy Philly!!!!
omg, the shots from straight in front make it hard to even tell you’re preggers! The only giveaway is that the shirt bunches up just a tad on your belly : ) Too cute!
Ahhhhhh your in my old backyard:):):):) i grew up in jersey, right across the bridge from philly and i would go in all the time! Its such an awesome city but doesnt get the attention it deserves:(
If ya got time definitely go to South Street and browse around and go to Magic Gardens!!!! http://www.phillymagicgardens.org/ They have super cool mosaics:) And the artist in me tells ya that you have to go to the art museum! Even if you dont get a chance to go in (sad face) you have to run up the steps Rocky style!
I am a Kurieg addict. I love mine!! I also love that there are lots of teas available for it too. And you can use it to just get a cup of hot water for whatever in seconds. I’m A total enabler. Haha.
Yeah I love my Keurig also. I have a filter that you can snap into it that allows you to buy your own coffee and brew it single-cup style in the Keurig. It’s fantastic!
There is a great ice cream place called the Franklin Fountain http://www.franklinfountain.com/ . It is designed like an Old-Time soda fountain, and they hand make all their ice cream flavors and have a lot of turn-of-the century candy and treats. Kitschey, fun, and delicious!
That market looks amazing! My in-laws have a keurig and I love it when I go visit! Definitely worth the investment!
Love my Keurig! My coffee is ALWAYS perfect.
Can anyone go to blogging conferences? Or do you have to have a special invitation? They look like so much fun! (:
Sounds like an amazing trip! I wish I could have made it out to the conference, seems like there’s a ton of great info to be learned.
I live in the city and LOVE it. For cultural stuff, check out the art museum– I think Sundays are “pay what you want,” but I don’t remember for sure. For foodies, my FI and my fave restaurant is Monk’s Belgian Cafe, but there are actually a lot of great Cuban restaurants, too (Alma de Cuba, Amada, etc.). Old City is bee-yoo-tiful!!! There’s also a restaurant near UPenn called the White Dog Cafe which has a lot of local and organic ingredients; I went there a lot when I was in school. No matter what area you’re staying in, you’ll find amazing food!
Aw, I love Philly. And my Keurig. If you get one, you’ll never go back to a regular coffee maker. And now you can buy Sleepytime Tea K-cups. Winning!!
I live in Philly! Don’t miss Sweet Freedom – it’s a gluten-free, vegan bakery off Broad and South.
Never been to Philly… I wish! That market looks amazing! Enjoy!
the reading terminal market looks exciting (for me) in the morning 🙂 i love pretzels 🙂 it’s so nice for th epilot to accompany you in the summit 🙂
That place looks just like our Granville Island Market in Vancouver! So cool. Can you imagine being able to twist that many pretzels? I don’t know if I would be proud, or a little sad that I had practiced that much…
I currently live in the city and I’d say to definitely check out south street, get froyo (tutti frutti on 13th and walnut is my personal favorite) talk a walk, bike ride, jog on kelly drive, boathouse row is really pretty (all lit up at night) and the Philly Zoo is also a personal favorite! The italian market (9th and Christian) has amazing fresh produce along with great restaurants, fresh baked goods and unique shops! Enjoy your time, its a gorgeous weekend here!
You have to go to a lithe class!!! it’s amazing and you will love it. They have new class for mom’s with baby’s called High Roller (i think) and you take your kids in the stroller and do a kick ass workout across town. I recently moved to Bombay from Philly – I lived in Rittenhouse/Fitler Square Area. I’m so homesick from all these amazing photos.
lithemethod.com they’re in Rittenhouse too so it’s close and easy 🙂
The Keurig is also great for having tea water instantly.
I should add that our’s has lasted over 2 years despite that we rarely do that vinegar clean out you’re supposed to do on it. And that Costco typically has a nice combo set around this time of year, for Christmas shoppers.
there are hot water machines that do that better and are cheaper
I love my Keurig! It tends to get a little pricey replacing the idividual coffee servings so I would suggest buying a K-cup. It fits right in the keurig and you can put a couple of tablespoons of the coffee of your choice to make one cup. It’s lovely!!!
there is something like “blog conferences and summits” in the us? how cool is that!!! wish we had a similar community here in germany. but guess there are just not enough weirdos like me around here 😉
anyway, the market looks like a lot of fun. enjoy your stay!
Really glad your enjoying it, love the look of that market!!
Yesterday was my birthday and took myself on student rush to Catch Me if You Can. It was fun, I wanted to go to Cafe Frida which is this Mex restaurant i Highly recommend but no one asked would come or could make it.
I do not recommend Keurig cups, not if you have any discerning taste in coffee, and I don’t particularly think the company is that good either (learned about them through a job) . Lavazza auto espresso machines are a little better, but …seeing you pregnant is seriously strange! But I’m a person who is anti breeding . .. .. looks like ur having fun though
plus Keurig is wasteful! the company is called Green Mountain- but it’s ANYTHING but green
happy belated birthday!
THanks! and NYC is apparently a 20 dollar rt busride from philly – fyi all
Hey Gina,
Capogiro is sooo good for housemate gelato and sorbet.
Looks like you already hit up Rittenhouse Square.
Continental is really fun for food/drinks.
Maoz is a delicious build your own falafel spot on Walnut.
Good Dog is a great divey bar/restaurant. They have a salad there that I think you’d go crazy for- the good dog salad. It involves lots of fresh goat cheese and an amazing spiced vanilla bean vinaigrette.
Ok those are my recs! Oh and maybe go for a walk down on the Schuylkill river. Have fun!
I used to live in Philly for three years. Your pictures make me realize how much I MISS it. Good thing my company is flying me out there for a couple of days this week to do interviews at my aluma matter. :p If you are looking for eats, I HIGHLY recommend Audrey Claire at 20th and Spruce (you can walk it from the Marriot but it is a walk). I used to live on the top floor of the building AC is in. Just an FYI that you may, may not have known, Philly is mainly BYOB for the small restaurants so hit up the wine and spirit store on 19th and Chestnut on your way to pick up a bottle of wine to enjoy with your food.
ETA: Or rather, for the pilot to enjoy with his food.
that’s amazing- i had no idea!!
The flowers in the background of the picture of you and Gabriella are beautiful!
I was in Philly a couple of years ago – we were in NYC and got the train up (other half is a trainspotting nerd so it was a real treat for him!). It was lovely but so so so so windy on the day, I even got struck by a wheelie bin in the Chinatown area! 🙁 That market looks familiar, I think I may have been in it! We went over to the museum with the Rocky statue (very cultural). Boyfriend had never heard of the running up the steps moment so he didn’t believe me until he saw people doing it and jumping for joy at the top ha..
Someone may have told you this already but the Irish Independent weekend supplement has a web foodie page and they listed you as a recommended person to follow on Twitter last Saturday. I’m sure you have plenty of Irish fans already but you should pick up a few more 😉