philadelphia

Birthplace of America?

I visited one of my closest friends since childhood, Lillie, in Philadelphia during May 2023. She had been living there for a while and put together an awesome itinerary for me, making the trip much more enjoyable. 

I never considered going to Philly and there was a lot I didn’t know about the city until I visited. I didn’t know it’s the mural capital of the world and also known as the “City of Brotherly Love”. This one may come off as a “duh”, but I didn’t know Rocky ran up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. And there’s a statue of Rocky right next to it!

I stayed at the Canopy Hotel on Ludlow St., which put me in proximity to places like City Hall, Love Park and Reading Terminal Market. It was an optimal place for someone like me not familiar with the city. 

Reading Terminal Market was our first stop once I arrived. It’s one of America’s largest and oldest public markets offering an array of baked goods, confections, locally sourced meats and more. As mentioned I didn’t know much about Philly and certainly didn’t know about the market, so I’m glad I got a chance to see it.

One thing that I did know about Philly is that they are famous for their cheesesteaks, meaning I definitely had to try one or two. I wanted to try as many spots as possible, but only ended up having enough room in my stomach for two spots - Woodrow’s Sandwich Shop and another place I can’t recall. Overall, I could’ve eaten at either place again and been pleased with their cheesesteaks. The locals take cheesesteaks pretty seriously and have clear criteria for what makes one “good”.

Lillie listed an array of options for dinner and we ended up going to a tapas restaurant called Harp & Crown. Their lamb meatball with date relish, mint and yogurt was 10/10. Tapas are ideal for me when trying a new spot, because I can order different things instead of depending on one entree to hit the mark. 

At some point, we ran into Independence Hall and Liberty Bell, both of which were insightful for me (and also places I didn’t know were in Philly!). Lots of history runs through the city, which I appreciated. I definitely

learned more about “the birthplace of America” while visiting than I had in any history class.

Most of all, it was great catching up with Lillie.