Philadelphia, PA

The Reason:

I had an oral exam the Tuesday after our anniversary so I had to study over the weekend, so we didn't get to do anything special.  So we decided to take advantage of the proximity of cities in the northeast, and take a weekend to visit Philadelphia.  Neither of us had been here before so it was just a good way to celebrate 3 years of marriage!

Richard and I had an amazing time, on our anniversary weekend.  Saturday we went to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Christ Church and the Christ Church Graveyard, Carpenter's Hall, the First National Bank, etc...  It was interesting to think about being in the birthplace of our nation, and pretty amazing to stand in the very same room that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed. 

After a morning full of history, we headed to the Franklin Institute.  This is an interactive science museum in honour of Benjamin Franklin, it was so much fun.  They had a giant heart, and you could walk through the chambers along the path of blood flow.  They also had an OR suite set up, so I was able to show Richard what I do everyday.  If you have kids or are just a big kid yourself, and are planning a visit to Philly, you must go here.  It was very entertaining, but the reason we went was to attend a temporary exhibit called "Cleopatra: The search for the last Queen of Egypt".  This is a National Geographic exhibit, very similar to the King Tut exhibit, so if you enjoyed that, you will definately enjoy Cleopatra.

Sunday, before heading home we visited the Rodin Museum (definately worth a look).  Before taking a trip up the famed "Rocky Steps", to see the best view of the city.  Then we headed to Pat's steaks for treat for the road. 

Hotel:

Sheraton City Center

Hotel Review:

A+.  It was very nice hotel, in a PERFECT location.  Situated right on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a short stroll from all the museums and the Love park, and about a 15-20 minute walk to all the historic stuff.  The view was great too!

Restaurant Reviews:

Bistro 7****: We ate here friday night.  Fabulous, intimate BYO restaurant, near the historic center.  Very romantic atmosphere with an organic decor.  The food was mostly local, seasonal.  The highlight was the fresh butternut squash ravioli in a sage bacon cream.

Reading Terminal Market*****: Saturday Breakfast.  HIGHLIGHT of my trip.  This place was like heaven for me.  It's a huge indoor market with all kinds of local fresh food, produce, candy, seafood, meat, everything you can imagine.   It was wonderful, they have just about any kind of food you could hope for from classic homestyle cooking, to crepes, to Indian, to Cajun and everything in between.  We had Amazing crepes at Profi's Creperie (I highly reccommend), just as good as a streetcart in Paris.  We also had the famous fresh blueberry pancakes at the Dutch Eating Place, a must!  These were the lightest fluffiest pancakes, and you've only tasted blueberries this fresh if you've picked them yourself.

Gigi**: This was a wild card, we hadn't planned on eating here, but they had patio dining on a beautiful day and we were nearby so we stopped to eat.  The hummus was great, it was combined with a traditional pesto, great combo.  The sandwiches were good, but average, with a fresh delicious seasonal side salad.  It's ok, but don't go out of your way to go here.

Kanella*****: This is a Greek BYO.  The food is fantastic, seasonal/local (see the theme) menu changes monthly.  The atmosphere is lively and homey, feels very much like you are having an animated family dinner.  We had Rabbit White Bean casserole as an appetizer, it was tender, hearty, and had a very luxurious feel.  Try it out if it's on the menu.

Sabrina's Cafe*****: This is one of the best breakfast's I've had at a restaurant and the chef seem's to have an obsession with Chuck Norris (which is always a plus).  It's very popular, get there early on the weekend.  We had the french toast, it was made out of inch thick brioche slices, soo soo great!  Also, all their savory breakfast options come served with delicious crispy homestyle potatoes.  

Pat's King of Steaks****: The birthplace of the Philly Cheesesteak.  The line was about 20 minutes long at noon on a Sunday.  It was delicious, and we didn't even eat it for about 2 hours.  I reccommend trying the Cheese Whiz, untraditional for most of us, but worth a try.  Caveat: I've never been to Geno's so I can offer no comparison as of now.