Between a Philly cheesesteak and The Big Apple, we had ourselves another whirlwind month, folks. We spent the latter half of August and the first half of September spending the weekdays in Philadelphia and our weekends in New York City. There’s a chance it was even more exhausting than that sounds. However, of course, it was also yet another nomadic stop of a lifetime! We weren’t able to check off every single bucket list item in each location (because there are dozens, let’s be honest). Yet, we still had a remarkable time. We are all so grateful for the experiences we shared! 

We found a great AirBnb in a northeast neighborhood in Philadelphia and settled in. I know I have a tendency to ramble, get lost in the weeds, perhaps even overshare? Thus, we’re switching up the game a little this time around. I’m going to do a basic sum up of our highlights from Philly. Also, because it’s important to keep it real, I’ll throw in some lowlights as well. While we had an amazing time, there definitely were some. I intended to include our six days spent in New York, but this would have easily become an hour long read, simply due to the volume of pictures. Next post will be coming out shortly, eventually linked here, and that will describe our myriad adventures in NYC. 

Philadelphia

A Philly Cheesesteak

Let’s start with this one, because truth be told, I have some regrets. Some of our extended family recently visited Philadelphia, and they vigorously recommended the Philly cheesesteak from Dalessandro’s. Vehemently. Enthusiastically. I don’t know how else to say it, they were pumped and told us that’s where we had to go. Now, I have no good reason for this, but we put it off. We kept putting it off until we had about a week and a half left, so I said it was time to go try one.

Dalessandro’s was closed. Not just for the day, but for two weeks, beyond when we’d be leaving. I was less than pleased. As luck would have it, Chubby’s is directly across the street, serving their own cheesesteaks. We scoured the reviews of both, eager to understand the differences and how they stacked up against each other. Eventually, we decided to give it a go. 

Verdict? Frank did Not care for it. His was a basic cheesesteak with provolone cheese. I got one with cheese whiz and added sautéed onions. I thought it was Fine, but didn’t quite get the hype. So who knows? Maybe Dalessandro’s is better and we missed out. Maybe somewhere else would’ve been even better. Or, maybe we aren’t Philly cheesesteak people. Regardless, we tried it, and Have a Philly cheesesteak in Philadelphia is ✅.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Rocky Steps! There they are! No, we did not do the run up, but it was still neat to see them. This is a remarkable museum, yet, it was not our best museum experience. We might’ve chosen the wrong time of day to go, because the kids were having a much harder time keeping their hands to themselves and having inside voices. Eventually, Frank took them back to the car, and I sprinted all over the museum trying to find the highlights on the museum map. 

Ceremonial Teahouse

Yes, that is a life-size Japanese ceremonial teahouse! The museum describes it best, so I’ll use their words:

“The name of this teahouse, Sunkaraku (Evanescent Joys), reflects the spirit of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony as a temporary refuge from the complexities of daily life. The architecture reveals a special delight in natural materials, such as bamboo and cedar.

Using elements from an eighteenth-century teahouse, Ōgi Rodō designed this retreat around 1917 for the grounds of his Tokyo home. Among the guests he hosted at Sunkaraku were Japanese financial and political leaders for whom he designed country homes and teahouses. Acquired by the museum from the architect in 1928, this is the only example of his work outside Japan. It is still used for tea ceremonies on special occasions.”

It was actually a massive walkable space, with far more than this little slice captured here. The stillness and beauty was breathtaking, and I want everyone to see it!

Fanghu Isle of the Immortals

A much newer piece, but it seemed so ancient! Made in 2021, this massive handscroll was over six feet tall and formed a U-shaped space to walk through. It is made from ink on silk, and the whole exhibit was so quiet and peaceful. 

Sunflowers

Vincent van Gogh. Many words have been spilled about the great van Gogh. To be completely and utterly honest, I have now seen his Irises, Sunflowers, and I think a Self Portrait? I liked the Portrait, but the flowers have been pretty, but also left me with, “Huh, so that’s them. Interesting.” I know his works are highly praised by everyone and their mother, yet I’m rarely completely wowed by them.

Portrait of Mademoiselle Legrand

I included this one because I do genuinely tend to enjoy Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s work. I think the Mademoiselle looks lovely, I like his style, and it always makes me happy to come across a Renoir!

Choir Screen over an Altarpiece Showing Scenes from The Passion

The amount of intricate detail on each of these pieces…we lingered here for ages. There was so very much to see, for such a long time. The altarpiece was made in 1535 by Antwerp artisans, and, “At least four artists (and their workshops) collaborated on such an altarpiece, constructing the cabinetry, carving the sculpture, gilding and painting the carvings, and painting the pictures on the panels. Surprisingly, such works were not especially expensive, partly because their parts were prefabricated and depicted standardized themes.”

Portrait of Lady Rodney (born Anne Harley) over a Pair of Jugs

I thought this was another lovely portrait of a beautiful woman and thus wanted to include this shot as well. An oil on canvas, this was painted by Thomas Gainsborough of a young woman named Anne Harley several months after her marriage. The caption states: “It has been suggested that…Anne’s delicate gesture of lifting her train to her stomach signals pregnancy and deep contentment at approaching motherhood.” I thought this was a lovely notion, and hope she had a pleasant marriage, pregnancy, and motherhood experience.

Fountain from the Monastery of Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa

This was from a French monastery, with an unknown artist from the Roussillon region of France. This fountain was built between 1125-1150 and designed in the Romanesque style. As lovely as it would be for artifacts like these to remain in their original locations, I know I always appreciate the efforts to preserve them. It is also rather neat that we can walk through this monastery and see this fountain without needing to first go to France.

Frank missed out on many of these gems. I have great hopes we’ll be able to return one day and see more of this place.

Philly’s Beautiful Churches

I had researched the area ahead of time and noticed the abundance of gorgeous churches in Philadelphia. Here are a few of my favorite shots! 

Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens

While I had a few bucket list items in the area that weren’t churches, I knew very little about what else to do with our time. Therefore, I did some extensive research on the best things to do in Philly beyond the art museum and a Philly cheesesteak. I stumbled upon one of the most unique attractions we have ever encountered. Their website describes it best: Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens is “an immersive mixed media art environment that is completely covered with mosaics. The creator, Isaiah Zagar, used handmade tiles, bottles, bicycle wheels, mirror, and international folk art to chronicle his life and influences.” He is in his early 80’s and still creates to this day. This place must be experienced to be believed. We spent a decent amount of time here and recognized it would take many, many repeat visits to possibly even glimpse every nook and cranny. 

Philadelphia’s Murals

While driving around town (which I did a Lot, the kids nap well in the car), we noticed a multitude of stunning and intricate murals. I know there are dozens I missed, but here are a few of my favorites that I did get to photograph. 

I also drove around and around trying to find the LOVE statue, and couldn’t find it without getting out of the car. Unfortunately, there was next to no parking, and Dominic was sleeping. C’est la vie, I’ll find it next time. I did see the AMOR statue, but they were repainting it so I didn’t bother with a picture. Lastly, I did take an extra long walk once to be able to see the City Hall building in real life. The Gothic architecture was quite a sight, and I enjoyed the exercise while pushing Dominic in the stroller.

Foodie Highlights and Lowlights

I tried iced coffee from both Elixr and Old City Coffee, and both were quite lovely, no regrets there. Old City Coffee was found in the fascinating, stimulating tourist trap that is Reading Terminal Market. I don’t regret going there, but I do deeply regret one meal.

DiNic’s

We stopped at the Market to grab lunch before our Art Museum visit. We had seen the roast pork sandwich from Tommy DiNic’s heartily recommended on a YouTube video, so I was excited to try it. This was easily the most disappointing sandwich that I haven’t yet blocked from memory. While the pork was moist, it had no flavor whatsoever. The provolone cheese was pungent and had a weird texture. I added broccoli rabe (pronounced like “Rob”). Apparently, it’s supposed to be bitter?

I just looked into it and saw an article stating, “…That aggressive flavor is wonderful for cutting through heavier sauces and proteins, most notably in Italian cuisine. You may have devoured a saucy, fatty Italian roast pork sandwich, which, especially in Philadelphia, is topped with provolone and broccoli rabe. The bitterness pairs perfectly with all that rich meat and fluffy roll.” Sorry, Bon Appetit, you’re wrong. You just are. The roll was fluffy though, I will give them that.

On our last night in Philadelphia, we also tried a restaurant in Philly’s Chinatown. The meat was a little too salty, even for my taste, and the dumplings left something to be desired. Thus, possibly undeservedly, Philly’s Chinatown ranks a bit low on our list.

In the opposite direction, we had surprisingly excellent Nashville Hot Chicken from a food truck a few times! The sushi we tried in north Philly also never let us down, and most importantly, Frank found his new favorite pizza place! (Possibly second favorite to Chicago’s Renaldi’s, it depends on the day.)

Solly Pizza

I thought it was perfectly fine, nice crust, good sauce, and the toppings were well done. Frank’s thoughts: “It had everything right about it! Thin, but not too thin; the sauce was delicious; a little greasy, but not too greasy; and the toppings were delicious!” We got it multiple times because Frank loves pizza; when he finds a really good one, he wants it over and over again!

Liberty Bell and Constitution Hall

I took only Dominic, who of course is too young to remember it, but it was still a good time. I happened to go at a convenient time, where the line to get in to see the Bell was not long. Taking a picture of the Bell did take some patience, but going through the Liberty Bell’s entire exhibit was quick for me. 

On the way back to our car, Dominic kicked off one of his shoes. It was never seen again. It was also his only pair, at the time. I felt some very big feelings.

Summary

That’s more or less all I’ve got on Philadelphia at the moment. We definitely had some good times throughout our stay. Yet, we really enjoyed our weekend visits to New York more than anything. We did SO MANY THINGS in New York, so I will sadly save that for the next one. I promise, it is coming out very shortly!