Category Archives: Food

Philadelphia

So we made it to Philadelphia and I gathered the quick impression that the “City of Brotherly Love” is more of a sarcastic comment than anything. Other than that we had a really great time even though it wasn’t nearly long enough of a visit. Dave and Audrey lived in the historic area with brick streets and in an old charming apartment that was just super cozy.

Here are some of places we got to check out:

Independence Hall

The Liberty Bell

Little story regarding the Liberty Bell. We thought you had to pay to get into the building to be “up close” to the bell so we just ended up taking this picture outside thru the glass. Turns out going inside is free. Just FYI for all of your future visits, haha!

A monument in the park.

Now, who goes to Philly without trying out a cheesesteak? Not us! We went to Jim’s on South Street. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’ve ever been so stressed when ordering food. These guys didn’t mess around. When it was your turn be ready quick and to the point on how you want your sandwich done. Seriously – be quick. I also learned, cheesewiz goes on these bad boys and it was delicious!

On our last day, we woke up super early to get ready to hit the road and then we realized… we hadn’t climbed the Rocky steps!?! Detour!

The steps are actually at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Honestly, they’re not as big as I thought they would be but the view was better than I could’ve imagined!

And yes, I made it to the top of the steps! Look, I think I even see the car parked down there!

Now, off to Kentucky!

This Past Weekend…

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We traveled down to Houston yesterday to our friend’s dad’s house for a crawfish boil. Unfortunately, I didn’t end up taking one picture the entire time we were there. It was pouring down rain from the moment we left up until about an hour from where we live on the way back home. As much as the rain kind of put a damper on things the drive wasn’t so bad.

On the way down and who are we kidding here, on the way back too, we stopped at the Czech Stop in West. If you are looking for a good pit stop off Interstate 35, this is it. Yes, it’s going to be busy – that’s not uncommon but stop anyway… trust me on this one. If you would like some recommendations – try the Lemon Cream Cheese and the breakfast sausage Kolache. Yummy!

When we hit Waco we swung over to Route 6. This has to be one of my favorite drives in Texas that I’ve been on so far. It really gets you into the country, shows you a few glimpses of history and is a pretty easy drive. You end up going thru a few tiny towns like Hearne and Calvert and if you pay attention you will even see a yellow statue of a biker (Lance Armstrong). These little ole Texas towns are places that I love driving thru and on days like this weekend, getting into the country is even better. You’ll pass many historical landmarks and those large entrances to Texas ranches. Although it was pouring down rain, the fields were as green as could be, bluebonnets were blooming on the side of the highway and those lone tractors, solo old barns and solid oak trees out in the middle of the fields with the cows are screaming for pictures to be taken. However I was not screaming in excitement to get out of the car in pouring rain…so it had to wait for a better day. We even ran into some big ole trucks shipping windmill propellers (they’re huge!) and a lone coyote running across the highway. I think it was my first time seeing one of them!

And for the event that we were waiting for… the crawfish. Just as good as last year!

Now… it’s time for a nap.

Check out the links on this page to check out my visits to these places in the past year!

Breaking New Grounds

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I was looking through some pictures and I completely left out one of my favorite stops while I was in New Hampshire – Breaking New Grounds in Portsmouth.

One of the things that I miss most about Burlington and I guess its common throughout New England are coffee shops, especially in the winter. Walking into a small shop, fresh smell of coffee, fresh muffins and pastries just waiting to be eaten – does anything get much better. The atmosphere is warm and cozy and it’s just the place where you could find yourself sitting for hours, reading, doing homework, relaxing, playing card games or just catching up with friends.

Obviously, the sweets have got this guy intrigued. Who wouldn’t be?!

Now I will be honest and say I don’t drink coffee (but I do love the smell) and how stuffed I was from my great lunch at the River House, I settled for a hot chocolate. Let me tell you, it was probably the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had in my life. Chris said he thinks it was made from real chocolate. I don’t know, I don’t care but it was so delicious and most importantly the temperature was just right. Don’t you hate it when you go to take a sip of a hot drink and you end up burning your mouth and cursing yourself. Didn’t happen folks. It was perfection in a to-go cup! As for the coffee you ask – Chris and Cody both got one and they found them fantastic. What did they have? I have no clue but I’m pretty sure you’ll be satisfied with whatever you try – I mean, look at the line….

So if you find yourself in Portsmouth and it happens to be a cold chilly day, I’m pointing you in the direction that you need to go, or at least the place that I would go. And it’s located right in downtown, you can’t be in a better location. Try it out and as always, let me know if you liked it!