Up Here In My Tree: Spontaneous Road Trips Are Fun

Those who know me well know I have the tendency to be spontaneous in life. When I was 20 years old, I decided to move to California and within two months I was there. Same with Utah--decided to move, was there a month later. Road trips happen quickly, too. And last weekend was just that. I heard my friend was going to Philadelphia, inquired about it, and she told me to come along! So, I did. And it was awesome. I had no idea that Philadelphia was only two hours away by bus. If I had know that, I would've gone long ago, I think. I only went for one night and a day, because I was speaking in church the next day. Still, it was really fun. There was definitely more I could've done and seen, but it actually was a perfect day and a half trip. I loved getting out of NYC and into a smaller, cleaner city for a change. I can check Philly off my list of major cities, now. See below for evidence of what I saw and did:

First place I saw was good ol' TJ's. I stopped in and bought a toothbrush.

Second stop, Jim's Steaks for a cheesesteak sandwich!

Third stop, a place listed as a "chocolate bar" called Golosa. Yes, please! The hot chocolate and desserts here were amazing. The owner is an award-winning chocolatier and this is the only shop in the whole country that has his chocolates.

I ordered flower tea and a biscotti cookie sampler that was priced as one item on the menu. Only $6.75! I love non-New York prices! And look at this presentation! Adorable.

This is the hostel we stayed in, called Chamounix Mansion:

It used to be an old mansion with amazing common rooms, like this one

And this was outside the room we stayed in. A nice touch, right?

Breakfast at this place called Green Eggs Cafe was amazing. I ordered an item called the "Kitchen Sink". It was a delicious conglomerate of eggs, cheese, potatoes, red and green peppers, onions, with fresh biscuits and gravy on top. It was so good! And so much food!

First stop after breakfast, Philadelphia Museum of Art! Yes, that is a statue of Rocky outside, since here is where he ran up the steps. True story. Rocky is real.

Saw some awesome paintings, like this one.

Next stop, the Eastern State Penitentiary. This place was massive and a little bit creepy. It closed down in the early 70s and was just abandoned, left to deteriorate.