Vacation Day 5 - Philly to New Jersey

On Wednesday we went to Terme Di Aroma day spa for facials and massages. Mom deserved after being dragged around the city for days. I deserved it for doing the same but with a broken toe. They did a very nice job and would recommend. Then we stopped at a small, private boutique (where you have to make an appointment) and I bought a necklace to wear with my dress for the wedding. the necklace I brought broke :(  Mom bought an awesome purse. The designs in the "store" were very unique. Then it was back to the inn and a long cab ride to New Jersey.

We stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn in Westampton New Jersey. The first day there we didn't have a car so we rested and ate at the sports bar attached to the hotel (yucky). I loved the chandelier in the lobby.

Me in the elevator. I don't remember why I took a photo of myself in the elevator. Probably because we had no transportation or plans so I was entertaining myself.

Vacation Day 3 - Philly & New Jersey

Nice start of the day!

First stop - the Liberty Bell! Truth be told, I was itching to see the bell from the moment we landed. It was very hard to wait until day 3. It was very moving.

And there's Independence Hall. We didn't get the inside tour - save that for another trip. I do hope to come back to Philadelphia sometime and visit the museums. The city is polluted with them! lol

Mom wanted a ride via horse carriage since the sound system and the view on the double decker bus wasn't so hot on the lower level.

Love the houses.

So many nice flower boxes too. Philly was much greener than I expected.

Saying goodbye to our horse.

A cement and tile park across the street from Reading Terminal Market.

It's ALL candy. It's the only inside photo I took of the market but it was awesome.

Nachos at Hard Rock so I could buy a shot glass for a work friend.

Organ inside Christ Church

That night Cousin Maureen and her Hank came and got us and took us to a restaurant in New Jersey called The Library 2. Food was good and company even better. Amazing how you can cross into different states so quickly and easily - in Florida we have to drive about 8 hours just to cross the state line! Me and Cousin Maureen (below).

After dinner we had a quick trip to Audubon to Hank and Maureen's house. I spied this HUGE sunflower across the street. Hank is standing by it so you can tell just how tall it really is.

Vacation Day 2 - Some Sightseeing

Day two started with one of those double decker bus/trolley tours where you can jump off and on at any stop for the day. The buses have a tour guide. We got a late start and had to finish early to make it to our boat trip. We decided to make the Betsy Ross house our stop since it wasn't as busy as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. There was no time for the museums but Philadelphia sure has a lot of them - we decided museums would be a trip of their own,.



 After spending time touring around the City and the Betsy Ross house we decided to have a slice nearby. The paper plate under it is full size but is dwarfed by the huge slice. We could have shared one.

After a short rest we headed to the Schuykill River banks so a 2 hour ride from Walnut street on the Schuykill River to Walnut street on the Delaware (Penn's Landing area). It was a very informative ride because the Schuykill used to be so polluted that planes flying overhead could smell it. The banks have been updated to a very nice recreation path for bikers, walkers, runners, etc. It's always interesting to see a city from it's rivers.

This is the old water works plant. It hasn't been used for that in a very long time and has been through several transformations since that time.

The Philly skyline from the Schuykill side. Notice that square looking area on top of the tallest building? That is filled with water to stabilize the building because it's narrow and light. The water adds weight.

The USS New Jersey on the Delaware side moored in Camden. They use it as an event venue. We saw lots of large boats in the shipyards that were in different stages of decommission. One was the USS John F Kennedy.

The Philadelphia skyline from the Delaware - had to shoot toward the sun, sorry.

When we left the boat we hailed a cab and went to Chinatown for dinner. I just love the friendship gates.

The best wonton soup noodles ever! (The first restaurant we stopped at advertised seafood and had aquariums in the window with live fish, lobsters, and FROGS! We kept moving - I am used to live lobsters waiting to be dinner but not frogs.)

Dinner was very yummy but again, we should have shared. We talked to the couple sitting next to us. They were from Hersey and she worked for Hersey's. She said she gets all the free chocolate she can eat. I asked her how much she pays to work there ;)

The menu - actually it's only half the menu. The other half was in English.

Didn't mean to upload this one but since it's here. This is me in the morning waiting to leave for the day.

Vacation Day 1 - Arrival in Philadelphia

Shortly after arriving at the Philadelphia airport we saw hundreds of people with flags. Some were wearing tee-shirts with "Hawgs and Heros" and I heard one say they were meeting an Army Captain. They were everywhere and so many flags was quite moving.

Our accommodations were Penn's View Inn. It is in the Penn's Landing area of the city. It was close to the Delaware River but with Interstate 95 separating it, (who puts an interstate between a historic section of town and a waterfront?)

Out hotel room. Notice the diminutive closet (on the right). What you can't see is the beautiful old hardwood floors. Nice. Oh, and the bathroom was fabulous with a Jacuzzi tub.

Another shot of the room.

There were a couple cut outs to show that the walls are actually brick but covered with plaster and paper.

A statue near our hotel.

We arrived hungry yet we had dinner plans so we split a Philly Cheesesteak on Market St near our inn.

We went for a short stroll and I came across this historic post office called the Benjamin Franklin post office. If I recall from the tour the next day, it's in a building that Mr. Franklin used to own (a multi-family rental).

A "street" near our hotel. It looks like an alley because it is narrow yet there are houses that open onto this street. It's obviously wide enough for a horse carriage as you can see by the droppings.

A little further down the street the sidewalk widened and houses looked more like individual houses than doors to a common building.

 Same as above but shot from the other end. The architecture in Philly is beautiful and well preserved in many areas (we were staying in what is known as Old City and filled with historical significance.)

We rested up a bit then got ready for a Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre in Society Hill at Bistro Romano. The first half hour was cocktails and appetizers on the street level (restaurants was on lower level) then up to the second floor for the show and dinner. I thought this was a beautiful view while we waited.

I took this photo of the houses across the street from the restaurant while we enjoyed our drink and nibbles. Philadelphia is remarkably green with trees and plants - in fact, it makes it difficult for the tour buses with people having the bend and dodge.

The performance was about a murder at a 12 step meeting. The actors are the waiters. Ours played a hipster so it was his jobto be putout by the mundane job as he delivered our food and cleared the table.

Mom at our table

Me slumped in my chair.

My computer just told me my battery is low and that's the last photo taken on day 1. On day 2 we take a tour bus/trolly and do a bit of sight seeing. Stay tuned.

Wedding, Birthday, & Office Party

Last weekend mom, Daisey & I traveled over to the east coast of Florida to perform the wedding of friends. I know these folks because a) they are Ratbone volunteers and foster home, and b) they are friends through the internet rat terrier social networking I belong to. This was my first time to meet and I married them! lol

What is better than a rat terrier on top of your wedding cake?

Widdle Kiara - love visiting a house full of rat terriers.

Their Nala Belle. Beautiful dog and I know the owner of the mother and siblings of this dog.

We returned on Sunday which was Mom's birthday so we made a side trip to the beach since she had never been to an Atlantic beach. Took her 75 years to get there! Whoops, did I just tell her age?

Daisey enjoyed the beach despite the wind, mist, and cold temp.

When we got back to Clearwater we then picked up Jerry & his mom and went to Bonefish Grill in St. Petersburg for mom's birthday dinner. Cake is from Publix and it was yummy!

Goofy photo of mom blowing out the candles - sorry mom. hee hee

Yesterday was work Christmas party and pot luck. I brought Paella. I even included a few Alaska scallops from my treasured stash!