Ten Things in Ten Days: My First Take on Philadelphia

For me, the most exciting thing about summer is the feeling of possibility. This is the feeling that no matter what is going on right now, summer guarantees exciting new adventures. This summer that feeling of excitement is especially high as I have moved my fabulous self to a brand new city. For the next three months, I will blogging from the brotherly lovin’, cheese steak eatin’, Rocky Stairs runnin’ city of Philadelphia. I am not gainfully employed (yet) but I am rowing for Penn AC’s intermediate program. Practice hasn’t started yet so in between applying for real jobs and trying to keep my out-of-shape self from getting more out of shape, I have been exploring things this great city has to offer. This isn’t a traditional “Tory’s Top Ten” but here is a list of ten things I’ve done in the past ten days since I moved.

1. Run the Rocky Stairs. This was the first thing I had to do. Granted, I did it as a workout and not to re-enact that famous scene (as many tourists do). In the five or so other days that I’ve run them, it’s cool to see just how many different types of people pay homage to Rocky on the Art Museum Stairs. On top of running them at the end of each of my jogs, I’ve also done 3x8 sets with 3’ rest and 5x5’ of steps with 5’ rest. While it’s not as hard as a true 5x5’ workout, it was definitely not easy.

2. Eaten old fashioned ice cream at Franklin Fountain. These interestingly named sundaes were a little expensive, but worth the wait and the money. I had never had a banana split before so I tried “Banana Split for My Baby” which is a smaller version of a banana split with more peanut butter. So kind of like one of my shakes …only way, way unhealthier and way, way tastier.

3. Enjoyed healthy eats at The Couch Tomato. When I ventured to Manayunk, I was overwhelmed how many restaurants I wanted to eat at. The Couch Tomato stuck out because it was a funky looking spot off the main street. The food was great (I tried the Holy Chipotle and BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad). Even if the food had been so-so, they won me over when I was asked if I wanted my dressing on the side and I didn’t have to feel like a picky snob for ordering it that way. (Even though you can’t really tell from this list, I am dieting…yeah, I swear!) Any salad can be made into a wrap and they have a ton of vegetarian options, or you can make your own. The ingredients taste as fresh as they are guaranteed to be and if you sit outside, it’s a great place for people watching.

4. Partied at The Bike Race. The Philadelphia International Cycling Championship, known in Philly as The Bike Race, is a pro bicycling race that snakes its way through Philadelphia every June. I thought people only drank before 10 a.m. if they were being hazed but when we arrived at “The Wall” at 10:45 a.m., spectators were already slurring their commentary. It was like an outrageous day-long frat party to support the bikers. “The Wall”, one of the best places to watch, refers to a giant hill in Manayunk where the riders slow down enough that I could almost high five them. If they hadn’t been climbing a hill giant enough that walking up it just once made me need a nap.

5. Got a brain freeze at Philly Flavors. Anyone who knows me knows that I love Rita’s. This might be the better version of Rita’s…with more flavors, real ice cream as well as frozen yogurt and HUGE portions for about the same price (just don’t get a sundae because those will run your bill up). They will mix Italian ice with soft serve ice cream and it is so good. I highly recommend peach ice with vanilla soft serve. Just don’t eat it as fast as I did…brain freeze!

6. Used my college knowledge to crush Quizzo at North Star Bar. Ok, so maybe I only got one question right. But my team was really smart and that’s what counts. This trivia night, hosted by Johnny Goodtimes (who sometimes raps questions), was a low key pen-and-paper game with four rounds: easy, speed, themed and impossible, with some “guess-the-song” rounds in between. And no, the question I got right was not in the easy round. The wings were pretty good, the beers were better and the feeling of winning would have been the best. Guess I have to go back next Monday for that!

7. Had my first cheesesteak as a Philadelphia resident at Mama’s Pizzeria. While it might not be as famous as Pat’s or Geno’s, I could care less because it wasn’t crowded and the cheesesteaks were awesome. And by “cheesesteaks”, I have to confess that I could only eat half. But it was a fantastic half, with perfect roll and extra cheese and grilled onions and tasty steak. I will definitely be sampling a lot of cheesesteaks over the next three months but even if there is a better one out there, it probably won’t taste just as good microwaved for lunch the next day (but Mama’s did!)

8. Celebrated Beer Week at Memphis Taproom. If I had known that Beer Week existed, I probably would have moved here years ago. Who wouldn’t love a city that celebrates beer? Memphis Tap Room was a great place for me to go to kick off my first beer week. Not only did they have a no repeat beer week beer menu, they also have fried pickles (they taste WAY better than they sound) and delicious sandwiches for not too much money.

9. Devoured wings at PJ Wellihans. Thanks to Darby’s forty cent wing night, I discovered this year that I love wings, especially sweetly barbequed wings with a little bit of tang. I might not have had a long history of wing eating, but these wings are the best I have ever eaten. Ever. We ordered 30 Hot ‘n’ Honey wings for three of us, but I am pretty sure that I could have eaten all 30 by myself. And then wanted more. They were amazing.

10. Sampled my way through Whirled Peace. I went to this froyo place for the first time in March and I was totally in love. At that point, I didn’t know I was going to move to Philadelphia (perhaps subconsciously this is what made me chose) but I knew I loved this place. They have about ten flavors of frozen yogurt, from the typical chocolate and vanilla to some super weird sounding flavors that were actually kind of good. I don’t know because I’ve made ten trips, I know because they let you have free samples of every flavor. Actually, I'm not sure if they let you do this. I just know that there were sampling cups and I was in charge of getting my own. When you stop sampling, you can add a TON of different toppings for whatever craving you have that day. So delicious!

So what if three of my ten adventures were ice cream related? Clearly I have my priorities in order. While I have done these ten things, some highlights so far that didn’t make the Top Ten include getting a bike flat, falling off my bike, successfully parallel parking my car, erging in the Penn AC boathouse, riding my bike in the city at night, figuring out where I am (sometimes), going grocery shopping in a less than nice neighborhood and not getting any parking tickets (so far). I haven’t been on the water yet, which will make 22 days the longest amount of time I have not rowed (during rowing months) in the past three years. Other than that, I am enjoying myself immensely and look forward to a summer full of adventures! Do you have any adventure ideas for me? Leave a comment or send me an email!