Muse: March 2011

Philadelphia

I've only ever been to the historic city of Philadelphia once before. But as I've grown fonder of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, I've wondered if there could be more to the city whose most famous landmark is the Liberty Bell. If Danny DeVito can make a Philly dive bar look like a blast, then I had some investigating to do. Our first stop was Redding Terminal, a former train station turned food warehouse. The vast open space was packed to the brim with people on Saturday afternoon--locals and tourists alike. The Terminal housed an overwhelming number of vendors. Whether you're looking for the quintessential Philly cheesesteak, flavored popcorn, or in my case, a hearty sandwich, Redding Terminal has a vendor for you. Or if you prefer some ethnic delight? Try the baklava at the Turkish vendor or the chicken tiki masala at the Indian stand. Personally, I had had enough with roaming around the Terminal and getting elbowed from all sides while trying to look for the perfect lunch. I decided to pick the first sandwich stand I saw next and grab a spot in the ever-lengthening lines. Lucky for me, the first sandwich vendor I spotted happened to be Hershel's East Side. My eyes were immediately attracted to the huge slabs of red meat glistening under heat lamps. I hadn't seen meat like that since France (the concept of "rare" seems to scare people in Delaware). Everyone seemed to be ordering the Reuben special (corn beef, sauerkraut and sharp swiss on grilled rye), but I went for the Corn Beef Special--a thickly-stacked sandwich of corn beef, cole slaw and sweet thousand island dressing on (what else?) Rye. I've never felt more American. Unfortunately, I could only eat half before my stomach started making sickly sounds and the pangs of too much corn beef started pounding against my rib cage. Of course I felt a bit weighty for the rest of the day while walking around Philly, but I'm guessing that's how they want you to feel. You're not supposed to feel healthy after trying to local speciality. After all, a cheesesteak is no cobb salad.

The infamous Corn Beef Special from Hershel's East Side.

After waiting in line for 20 minutes, I got so hungry that I forgot to take a picture before devouring the first half. Oops!

Where we stopped for a caffeine break and sat outside to enjoy the sun

I absolutely LOVE used book stores. They are always inevitable messy and smell like dust--but you can really find some old treasures for dirt cheap. I also enjoy the smell of old books. When I was little I used to judge if a book was good or not by flipping the pages and rating the scent. Futile as it may seem, it usually gave me accurate results. But it a used book store? Works every time.

Anne, Allegra and I outside the bookshop

Anne, Courtney, Allegra and Cathy

What's a day in the city without some vintage shopping?

Alleyways in New York? Creepy

Alleyways in Philadelphia? Adorable.

White Clay Park

Newark, DE

Instead of mopping around on Main Street with the other 5,000 university students on Sunday, a couple of friends and I decided to take our bikes and ride through White Clay Park and snap some photos. I hadn't taken pictures since I was traveling in Europe (mostly because my day-to-day life in Delaware is boring enough for me to live through, let alone photograph), and genuinely missed it. So Anne, Remi and I biked around the park and discovered some beautiful little areas. Small wooden bridges, crystal clear ponds and abandoned brick houses were among some of the "diamonds in the rough," that we spotted. We even bumped in to a family out on a hike whose toddler confidently informed me that the brown liquid I had stuck my fingers into was, in fact, tree sap. I never thought I would learn anything from a five year old wearing a bear hat, but on that Sunday, I was proved wrong.