Last week, as the temps were warming up in Mississippi and the garden was begging for new plants, I joined hubby for a trip to chilly Philadelphia, PA.
We arrived Thursday afternoon following the “bomb blizzard.” Snow was piled up everywhere, but it was rapidly melting, leaving very wet streets and lots of muddy puddles.
Our Uber driver said, “It wasn’t so bad.”
Thanks to our conference planners and a free upgrade, we were ensconced in a corner room on the 9th floor of The Element by Westin in downtown. It was a spacious room with a great view of the sunrise on the varied styles of architecture in this old town.
Arriving mid-afternoon, Hubby and I sought out an early dinner nearby. There are tons of great restaurants in Philly! We found Dizengoff, a Michelin 2025 winner, within walking distance.
It’s Israeli cuisine, our favorite! We ordered the Jerushalmi (hummus with beef) and a full red fish, butterflied and coated in a spicy herb mixture, served with fluffy saffron rice and cucumber salad.
We left feeling stuffed but still able to walk!
Since we needed some steps, we headed to the Liberty Bell about a mile away. The exhibit is free to all after a security check.
We decided to walk back to our hotel via Market St. to scope out more of our surroundings. Walking into a tunnel, we noticed a sort of supermarket and stepped inside to check it out. We’re so happy we did! It is the Reading Terminal Market, a foodie’s delight with about 80 vendors of international and local food.
It reminded us of Borough Market in London, where every food imaginable is available for purchase. Oh, the options!!!
We both paused a while at the Georgian booth, as neither of us had ever experienced Russian food. We ordered a Nutella-strawberry pastry and a focaccia pizza (buy one get one free deal) and a sourdough-brie-honey-walnut thing to take back to our efficiency kitchen. We did get a little hungry later in the evening and feasted on the Russian fare!
On the bumpy plane ride, Hubby and I had overheard a conversation about the Philadelphia Flower Show, now in its 200th year! Our eyes met over the aisle between us, and both of us knew then what I’d be doing while he was in sessions at his conference.
As soon as I was able, I became a member of the Philadelphia Horticulture Society and ordered my ticket for the member’s preview on February 27. I’ll let you know in my next post how it went!
