Philadelphia

Memorial Day on 31 May marks the start of summer. To kick off the season, we had a uber long weekend that lasted from Friday to Monday. Nice.

I only wish every summer weekend was like that. Keep wishin'.

With the long weekend, a case of tickling feet set in and we took the opportunity to check out our friendly neighbour down south - Philadelphia. Popular nicknames include Philly and The City of Brotherly Love, from the literal meaning of the city's name in Greek "brotherly love", compounded from φίλος philos "love" and ἀδελφός adelphos "brother").

The 2-hour commute to Philly was easy breezy, pretty effortless in  fact, and only half of the only other commute I know - Boston - NY. I didn't have much expectations of Philly, so there were not many peaks and troughs during the trip. Philly Cheesesteak (as is FOOD) was on the agenda, as was the Mutter Museum, Rocky and the Liberty Bell. If I had to take a 500 MCQ test for my green card, the preparation would involve a museum run in Philly and the Freedom Trail in Boston. Historically speaking, Philly was a centrepiece of American history and birthplace of the American revolution and independence. Which might explain the city's architectural tributes like the Independence Hall, Philadelphia Museum of Art, City Hall, to name a few.  The city was orderly, clean and quiet, perhaps due to the long weekend where most big cities empty out, and in that sense, Philly was somewhat reminiscent of Boston.

All in all, I would describe Philly as a simplified 15 piece jigsaw puzzle version of its bigger, badder sibling. It possesses the grit of a big city with the relative ease and size of a small town. And here is a piece of Philly trivia for you: The city served as the temporary national capital from 1790 to 1800 while Washington, D.C. was under construction. Bet you didn't know that. And, there is no sales tax = tax free shopping!

1st picture above: L - R
Philadelphia skyline, a statue of Benjamin Franklin, the Liberty Bell, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia City Hall and Independence Hall.


2nd picture above: L - R
scrapple (go figure), diner breakfast of pancakes and turkey bacon, mushroom & cheese omelette, shrimp salad, Jim's famous Philly cheesesteak, their accolades and a beautiful bread basket (the cranberry & walnut bread was delish)