A Rainy Day in Philadelphia.

After a couple days in DC and a quick lunch in Delaware so Joey could reconnect with an old friend, we headed to Philadelphia to stay with our good friends from SVU, Rachel and Nelson!

The night we got there the weather wasn't too bad, but of course the next day (and the day we planned on sight seeing and walking around) was grey, drizzly, and cold. I mean pretty much non-stop rain. All day. But hey, at least it was cool and we didn't get sweaty! Glass half full, people.

Rachel had to work (boo!) so Nelson took us out in the morning to see some of the major Philly sites. First stop was the Liberty Bell!

I loved the way the building was designed so that you can see the bell's former home, Independence Hall, behind it through the glass.

Our awesome friend and tour guide Nelson. Thanks for showing us around and getting soaked with us!

Next stop was Independence Hall which was a very exciting and humbling experience.

We're aware this photo's not in focus, but Joey liked it so its on here!

Loved the herringbone brick!

Another favorite part of Philadelphia was the murals throughout the city. Unfortunately because of the weather we didn't get a chance to see most of them, but I think its such a great initiative. The world can always use a little more art!

We got out of the rain for a bit and visited Reading Terminal Market. This place was totally up our alley. There were dozens of awesome artisans and food vendors, including a place called The Tubby Olive that sold a wide (and quite tasty) variety of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Knowing that we were tentatively planning a trip to Italy in the fall (unaware that our trip would be much sooner than we thought! more on that later...) we decided to skip on the olive oil, but I did beg and plead for a beautiful glass jar of pure, raw clover honey. Joey just can't resist me ;)

Of course we had to try a philly cheesesteak while we were in Philly. Now, Nelson told us that the best one he's ever had is actually in DC near the temple, but you kinda just have to eat a Philly cheesesteak in Philly ("I wanted to eat pigs in a blanket, in a blanket"---can you name it?). You just have to. And though we didn't go on a hunt for the best place in Philly, I'm happy to report that ours was delicious and wonderful.

We also tried an Italian pulled pork sandwich from Dinics, which apparently has quite the reputation---best sandwich in America, in fact! It did not disappoint. While the sharp provolone was a little too overwhelming for my liking, Joey went crazy for that sandwich. Definitely a great eat!

And of course we had to try the peanut butter milkshake from Bassett's, America's oldest ice cream shop. This institution has been making ice cream since 1861! And just like our Italian pulled pork, the peanut butter milkshake did not disappoint!

After lunch at the market we met up with Nelson's mom---well not so much as met up with, more like she pulled up in the street and we quickly hopped in her van---who gave us a little driving tour around Philly. Nelson, your mom is fearless! But we had a lot of fun jumping out to see something then hopping back in the van and driving to the next stop. I don't think we could've had anyone better to show us the highlights of Philadelphia!

One of the stops was a sketchy, hole in the wall chinese cookie place. Now I'll be honest, when Nelson's mom told us that she loves getting their delicious fortune cookies, we were skeptical. All we could think about were the yellow cookies we get at a chinese restaurant that we break open solely for the fortune (which most times isn't even really a fortune) and then toss in the garbage. We were so wrong! I get that not everyone likes fortune cookies, but these were mighty tasty. Nothing like the ones you normally get. They were crunchy and light and so fresh---we actually saw them making some! A whole bag was dirt cheap--what, like $1.75 for a few dozen? Lucky for us we got the rest of the bag to take with us to Connecticut and we ate as many as we could before they started to go stale---it was a big bag for only two people! Oh and ps: try them with a little dab of peanut butter. Mind blowing.

We filled the rest of our time in Philadelphia with warm, dry clothes, naps, water ice (which Nelson swore up and down is not Italian ice), and some really fun dinners with Nelson's family. I was sad when I looked through our photos and realized that we didn't have a single one with Rachel, but so glad that we got to see her and Nelson for a couple days. We love you guys! Thank you again for hosting us and being so wonderful!