The City of Brotherly Love...and Cheese Steaks
Well, you can guess by the title.
We went to Philadelphia this weekend for the wedding of Jenny's college roommate, Anne Marie, and her beau-now-husband, Wayne. A lovely wedding, tres classy. The Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul made a lovely setting. Dang nice organ, too.
The reception, excellent.
Didn't get to do much sightseeing, but some. We did get a much-welcomed chance to stroll about a bit Friday evening, saw Rittenhouse Square and Logan Circle. And a VERY much welcomed chance to spend some quality time with good friends Willie and Pam, commiserating about life and salving our wounded psyches with pizza and authentic sandwich-shop cheese steaks.
Jake's, on the corner of Broad and Race Streets. Not fancy, but goooooood. The hotel desk clerk referred us to a fancy pub. We got Jake's from one of the bellhops. I got a stern cultural lesson from the chef, who made a point of noting that in Central Philly they use slices of American cheese, not Cheez Whiz. Strictly South Philly, that. My mouth was far too full of tasty sandwich to quibble.
We did stop in at Independence Square on the way out on Sunday, where Steve indulged his childlike awe at thinking that he might be standing on a very same pavingstone where Thomas Jefferson or John Adams stood and argued about the Declaration of Independence -- or at least where Ben Franklin propositioned a comely wench twenty years his junior.
Also saw the Liberty Bell. The new Visitor's Center and Liberty Bell Pavillion is rather well done and very professional. They didn't stint on the design, architecture or construction (hey, it's the birth of our country, I've got no problem with the idea of spending more than a buck fifty to make it look nice). That said (and at the risk of breaking our promise to keep politics off this website), we could not help but feel a twinge of irony. The first display you see when you enter the Liberty Bell pavillion talks about the Bell as a symbol of liberties achieved and liberties denied, just after you've passed through a metal quonset hut where they make you remove even your belts and shoes to get x-rayed, scanned and inspected.
Anyway. Traffic up was a bit of a bear. Four and a half hours. Ugh. The ride home was far easier. Two hours fifteen, despite pouring rain half the time.
It was a lovely wedding and a very nice trip. And good cheesesteaks.
Have to go back for the Franklin Institute...next time!
Cheers,
S & J
We went to Philadelphia this weekend for the wedding of Jenny's college roommate, Anne Marie, and her beau-now-husband, Wayne. A lovely wedding, tres classy. The Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul made a lovely setting. Dang nice organ, too.
The reception, excellent.
Didn't get to do much sightseeing, but some. We did get a much-welcomed chance to stroll about a bit Friday evening, saw Rittenhouse Square and Logan Circle. And a VERY much welcomed chance to spend some quality time with good friends Willie and Pam, commiserating about life and salving our wounded psyches with pizza and authentic sandwich-shop cheese steaks.
Jake's, on the corner of Broad and Race Streets. Not fancy, but goooooood. The hotel desk clerk referred us to a fancy pub. We got Jake's from one of the bellhops. I got a stern cultural lesson from the chef, who made a point of noting that in Central Philly they use slices of American cheese, not Cheez Whiz. Strictly South Philly, that. My mouth was far too full of tasty sandwich to quibble.We did stop in at Independence Square on the way out on Sunday, where Steve indulged his childlike awe at thinking that he might be standing on a very same pavingstone where Thomas Jefferson or John Adams stood and argued about the Declaration of Independence -- or at least where Ben Franklin propositioned a comely wench twenty years his junior.
Also saw the Liberty Bell. The new Visitor's Center and Liberty Bell Pavillion is rather well done and very professional. They didn't stint on the design, architecture or construction (hey, it's the birth of our country, I've got no problem with the idea of spending more than a buck fifty to make it look nice). That said (and at the risk of breaking our promise to keep politics off this website), we could not help but feel a twinge of irony. The first display you see when you enter the Liberty Bell pavillion talks about the Bell as a symbol of liberties achieved and liberties denied, just after you've passed through a metal quonset hut where they make you remove even your belts and shoes to get x-rayed, scanned and inspected.
Anyway. Traffic up was a bit of a bear. Four and a half hours. Ugh. The ride home was far easier. Two hours fifteen, despite pouring rain half the time.
It was a lovely wedding and a very nice trip. And good cheesesteaks.
Have to go back for the Franklin Institute...next time!
Cheers,
S & J
posted by Steve, Jenny, Aubrey and Zachary at 9:28 AM
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