other reasons to love Philadelphia

So, Budget Travel (which I am not yet a regular reader of) published a story of their 25 Reasons to Love Philadelphia here. I've already covered some of their favorites (Halloween's "Terror Behind the Walls" at Eastern State Penitentiary, photos of Elfreth's Alley from my August tourist tour, the epic cheesesteak battle, my immense love for Rittenhouse Square at Christmas or in warm weather). But now is the time to conquer the rest, especially visiting Bartram's Garden, kayaking the Schuylkill, and art viewing at The Barnes Foundation. Fortunately, I have already purchased many a 1/4 lb. of cheese at DiBruno Brothers (the enormous Rittenhouse location is my food mecca even more than Whole Foods), eaten at a Jose Garces restaurant (Tinto, his Basque-inspired outpost), and stuffed myself with the many delightful flavors of Capogiro Gelato.

As for sports superstitions, the Flyers lost in the playoffs. Is it wrong that I'm now rooting for the Caps?

Coming up this weekend: Winterthur Point-to-Point, the Delawarean answer to the Kentucky Derby, Charlottesville's Foxfields Races, and Richmond's Strawberry Hill Races. All of which are partially an excuse to get dressed up, wear a big hat, and consume alcohol very early on in the day. Thank goodness this tradition is not limited to the South.

Thanksgiving break review

Going back home to Virginia really made the differences between here and there all the more obvious. Of course, VA means old friends and family, while Philadelphia equates to over a million strangers and a few dozen acquaintances. But there are other things. Driving in Virginia is fun, for one. Even with a stick shift. The amount of traffic in Richmond and its suburbs is incredibly smaller than Philadelphia and its suburbs. I rode around with my Dad on Friday and braved the Black Friday crowds to buy greeting cards and my first pepper spray. Dad actually reached for the enormous can of Bear Repellent first (we were at a hunting/fishing geared outdoors store). On Saturday, my Mom lent me her car and I zoomed around, listening to Talking Heads and Bob Dylan. I slept a tremendous amount, going to bed around 11PM and waking up around 9AM each day. I helped cook and bake food for Thanksgiving, much to my Mom's surprise and delight. Despite having no cell phone reception at home, I still managed to take a long-distance call and dial out to other people. I neglected to take any photos, but rest assured they all would have been of family, friends, adorable pets, and late autumn in the woods. One caveat about Richmond: people can still smoke in bars, which leads to everything reeking of smoke. Then again, the beer there is at happy hour prices in the city.

I was fortunate enough to take a train in between RIC and PHL both ways, which made my vacation that much more relaxing. No stop and go traffic on I-95, no driving late at night to avoid said traffic. Just me, my iPod, some books, and many other passengers. It was a step up from last year's epic 14-hour rail journey on the Vermonter.

I posted more photos from the month of October: Enjoy.