Philly: some final thoughts

Hey y'all! I leave Philly tomorrow and just wanted to update you.

Right away, I was loving this city! It is pretty clean, well laid out and people are really friendly. This morning, almost every person I passed said "Good Morning Darling. How you doin'?". Awesome! I managed to see the major sights in a day and a bit. By the time I got in on Saturday, I was beat and ended up chatting with a girl who just finished Oz. I was pretty exhausted from the night before. I didn't end up going out because the sky opened up and it absolutely poured all evening. Damn Hurricane Bill! But I still managed to stay up until 3am with some boys at the hostel.

Anyways, I digress. Philly, well lots to see and rain was not going to coop me up. It had a mysterious and haunting quality with pouring rain and flooding streets. That was last night. Today, fabulously hot and humid weather! And I thought it was going to rain so I wore my jeans... not a good idea! But I walked to the Rodin Museum (I just can't get enough) and then ran the famous Rocky steps. Not as many as I thought and I could still breathe when I got to the top... sweet! After the museum, I went to jail. Well, actually it was a penitentiary, Eastern State Penitentiary to be exact. Closed in 1971, it has not been maintained and is a decrepit but awesome building. Very well thought out and a lot of freedom to just walk around! Just a note: Al "Scarface" Capone lived well!

My other mission in Philly was to try some Philly Cheesesteak and I have the results. I managed to eat two Cheesesteaks (I know, doesn't seem like a lot) but it was all I needed. First one was from Campo's: Cheesesteak with Provolone cheese and onions. Verdict: Meh! Was not what I expected and was a little disappointed. But was satisfactory. Second was from the hostel staff recommended joint, Jim's on South Street: Cheesesteak with whiz cheese and onions. Verdict: better than Campo's but again, not what I wanted. Both had dry beef, not enough cheese and plain buns. Again, I think my expectations were a little too high! I know what some may be saying, "What about Pat's?". Well, I was told by a few native Philadelphians that Pat's is overrated. So I opted to try a local spot. Maybe I should have ventured out to Pat's. At this point, I was sad and upset that Philly's food was a bust. And then I remembered a restaurant Jamie and I had seen on the Food Network, Buddakan. They have Dip Sum Doughnuts... so I went to check it out (fate? It's a block away!). Verdict: YUMMY! It consisted of amazing doughnuts (better than Tim Horton's... yeah, I went there :) and three dippers: berry jam, ginger cream, and dark chocolate ganache. I was in heaven! And it definately made up for the lack of good food in Philly the rest of the time.

So my trip to Philly wasn't a bust. It was a safe and friendly city, clean and full of character. And Buddakan.

So, I am off for New York City tomorrow. So excited!

Love you all, Lisa