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!
