THE CITY OF (brotherly) LOVE

I am officially in love with Philadelphia. Maybe because we went for Valentine's day, or maybe just because it totally exceeded my expectations. While there are many who have traveled much more than I have, with London, Madrid, Paris, Dublin, Rome and Milan under my belt, I certainly wouldn't call myself a stranger to large European cities. And Philly turned out to be just as cool (except for maybe not actually being located in Europe). The architecture, the history, the monuments and fountains, the long straight parkway with roundabouts. If you can't afford Europe, go to Philly. I liked it better than New York. (Though we're headed to NYC again in April, so we'll see if it moves up in rank then...)

Here are some highlights of our trip.

Cheesesteak at Tony Luke's
Since you can't go to Philly without eating cheesesteak, we started our trip with dinner. Some friends recommended this place, and it did not disappoint. Delicious (though probably not too nutritious...)

(one of the stranger photos I have ever taken of Jon, but proof that we were there)

Boat House Row
These are a bunch of rowing clubs that are lit up along the Schuylkill River (after spending three days there, and hearing it said several times, I'm still not sure how to pronounce it). Lit up so that you can boat at night and not run into the shore, I guess. Either way, really beautiful.

Hop-on, Hop-off Trolley Tour
We decided to do this tour, and it was definitely a good choice. The transportation was easy and reliable, and the guides were great, plus, you could spend as much time as you wanted doing whatever...I usually hate tours because I like to be more independent, and this was a perfect combination.
The Liberty Bell
Cool to see, and free! We learned a lot about the history of the bell, how it came to be cracked, etc.

Independence Hall
Probably my favorite stop. This is an amazing place. Here we are in the room where the Declaration of Independence AND the constitution came about and were ratified. Jon and I recently watched BYU's "A More Perfect Union", and it really helped me appreciate what went on here.
Benjamin Franklin's Grave
Pretty neat to see where he is buried. What an amazing man!
Benjamin Franklin Parkway
This was one part of the city that really reminded me of Europe. This road was designed after the Champs-Élysées in Paris. It is lined with flags from different countries of the world, and lots of the city's main attractions run along it. This photo doesn't do it justice, but it really is beautiful. Incidentally, our hotel was at 1776 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. Kinda fun. Reading Station Market
This one I do know how to pronounce, and it's not like it looks. It's RED-ing (like the color) as opposed to READ-ing (like the verb). Anyway, it was another favorite. It is an indoor market with all kinds of reataurants, shops, etc. It actually reminded me a lot of the central market in San Jose, CR, except cleaner. Anyway, this candy stand was one of my faves, and the produce is totally gorgeous. We had lunch here, and also grabbed desert (a giant chocolate-chip cookie drenched in chocolate...it was incredible and we may go back to Philly just to get another one). Incidentally, if you remember the scene in National Treasure where they are hiding from the bad guys behind the meat counter, that was here.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art
First of all, the building itself is beautiful, secondly, the steps are famous, because they are the steps Rocky ran up in the movie (I have personally never seen said movie, but apparently it's a big deal), and third, they have an amazing collection of art, and really interesting displays.

This statue of Rock is right outside the museum, and, according to one of our trolley guides, is (second to the Liberty Bell) the most visited attraction in Philadelphia. This seems true, considering we had to stand in line to take this picture. I don't know if that fact is really funny, or just really sad. Either way.
We got to see one of my favorite all-time paintings, and lots of other great Van Gogh's and Monets, which made me really happy. The museum is HUGE though, and has a great collection all around.
South Street
We took some time to walk the South Street and check out the shops and restaurants. Some of what we saw was a little racy for my taste, but it was a fun atmosphere, and I got some really good white hot chocolate. Jon decided that he liked his caramel hot apple cider better, after about drinking half of my drink, but I only needed a sip of his to know where my allegiances lie. We also went into a cool hat shop and tried on some fun hats.

There's more, but I wouldn't want to bore you (or make you jealous). It was truly a fantastic trip, and I hope to return!! I give Philly a HIGH recommendation!