Category Archives: Pennsylvania

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!

March 13, 2008

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Leading up to March 13th, 2008, I was preparing for my life changing trip. My car had been looked over, new tires put on, tearful goodbye’s said, boxes packed with what was being shipped, car packed and everything else was snugly tucked away at my parents. We even went to the Lincoln Inn in Essex to have a final Tuesday night ritual listening to bluegrass. My roommate and I were regulars, they would save us a table and know what we were ordering every week – oh what was I leaving behind?! On the 13th, I woke up around 4am, planning to begin my long journey around 5am. The temperature outside was around 10 below. Just a little on the chilly side. (It’s amazing how weather is, I talked to my mom today and it was 75 degrees in Vermont!). Alright, back on track… my car was packed, and ready to go. I did my tearful see ya laters with my parents and brother and we were off. I say we – Sy had flown up to take the 2,000 mile drive to Texas with me.

(This picture was taken a couple days before we left at Oakledge Park in Burlington, VT.)

The first leg of the trip was going to take us from Northern Vermont over to New York and down to Philadelphia where we were going to stay and catch up with my friends from college Audrey and Dave. Seriously, I haven’t seen these two since this visit and it’s long overdue but I was so excited to spend some time with them. Looking back, I remember this surreal feeling like “am I really about to do this?”. Moving out of state was always something that I had in my mind. “If I move and hate it, I can always come back so why not do it” was really what I was thinking. I also remember this feeling like, once we get through Kentucky, I can have a sigh of relief. I’m not really sure why, I think I was more nervous that something was going to go wrong with my car than anything else. Have I mentioned I’m slightly paranoid?

After an eight hour drive over Lake Champlain, thru the Adirondack Mountain where the snow was so high we couldn’t see the picnic tables at the rest areas, trash flying around in dirty Jersey and over the Ben Franklin bridge, we finally arrived at our destination in historic Philadelphia, where there was no snow. And most of all – Hello Audrey and Dave!

Views and Brews

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A month from now I will be back home in Vermont, filling up on all the necessities that I have been missing – fresh air, hearing cows moo-ing when I wake up, dirt roads, creemees, microbrews, mama’s cookin’, four wheeling, canoeing, hiking and just gazing at the mountains. I think the mountains and breweries are what I miss the most, besides my grandmother.

Last week, one of my co-workers just got back from his vacation in his home state of Massachusetts. He brought me back an edition of the Yankee Brew News. Apparently, I have been living under a rock since I’ve never heard of this paper… I’ve been missing out.

The first article I see immediately grabs my attention “Beer and Hiking”. Well that sounds pretty darn right to me. Views and Brews, created by Tom Rankin, reaches out to others like me who love hiking and beer. The main objective is to visit breweries and hike (at least a mile) one of the mountains / trails nearby. If you complete x amount (as listed on the site), you become eligible to receive a patch. There are different patches for each state (NY, VT, RI, NH, CT, NJ, WV, MA, ME, DE, PA) and even Quebec. This really gives you something to aim for, see the views from a few different peaks and try out a few different brews.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there!