A rare day in Philly...

 

When I lived in Philly, one of my favorite things to do on a day off was to grab a coffee and wander around Old City. I would window shop, sometimes actually shop, visit friends, and take lots of pictures of the city I love so dearly.

 

{Norwegian Arms at Johnny Brenda's...I highly recommend...)

 

Dan got to Philly on Friday evening, and after getting settled into the hotel we met up with friends at National Mechanics for dinner. After dinner we met up with more friends for beer, a live show and 3 am truck burritos at Johnny Brenda's in Fishtown.

 

{Fact: Burritos taste better at 3 am}

 

Six hours of sleep later we woke up to a full day off of being able to wander around the city. After working up an appetite checking out the Jonathan Adler store (which was new to me), and falling in love with every single piece in Vagabond, we headed back to National Mechanics for brunch and their weekend bloody mary bar...

 

 

...and while there, Beerbaumer (of Berlin fame) popped on down to grab a drink with us!

 

Post-Beerbaumer-time we headed out to check out the massive shelves at my favorite used book store, Book Trader, and picked up some new jams at AKA...
 

...before heading to Brave New Worlds to see my buddy and pick up the comics that were being held for me.

 

A quick hotel change and some takeout found me just straight up exhausted, and I'm pretty sure I fell asleep by 8:30 PM...
 

 

...because apparently somewhere over the last few years I officially became old.
 

After sleeping for literally 12 hours (hey, it had been a really long week), we had time the next morning to grab some donuts at Federal Donuts, and check out a thrift store or two in Old City before heading to the airport for Omaha...

 

...with a new sweet sweater, new jams, new reads, and 7 months worth of comics in tow.

 

Honestly, I really can't think of anything better than that.

 

Happy New Year's Eve Eve tout le monde!

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey 

Yoga Trip to Philly...

 

I was fortunate enough to teach my first and second Bikram yoga classes at Bikram Yoga Philadelphia last week before heading out (mid)west, and am so thankful for having had the opportunity. There's just something so magical and wonderful about that studio, and despite the fact that I only am able to practice there once or twice a year, I continue to receive more support and mentorship there than from any other studio in the world. I feel so thankful to be a part of the Bikram Yoga Philly family, even if I'm kind of like the long lost cousin.

I stayed in one of my favorite neighborhoods in Philly, Old City, and despite nervously and anxiously studying my dialogue, I was able to venture out to some of my favorite spots in the city, and was able to catch up with some great friends in the process.

By Friday Doc was done working in North Jersey, and was able to join in on the Philly fun.

 

{Federal Donuts}

 

 

We also got to spend a rare day off just traipsing around the city, which is something I dearly miss about my hometown...

 

{My favorite park in the city, Washington Square...}

 

{Thrifting}

 

 

...but more on that tomorrow.

 

Right now there's a football game going on out in the street, and they may be in need of an instigator, er, I mean, ref.

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey

Omaha.

{All alone at Reagan Airport in DC...}

 

Happy Christmas everyone! It's been a busy holiday vacation for us, as Doc and I have spent time in, though not always together, North Jersey, Philadelphia, South Jersey, and Omaha...along with some unexpected time spent in the DC/Alexandria, VA area.

 

 

Can you believe our holiday travel plans found a fork being stuck in their gears? Impossible right? ;)

 

 

Yes, it had indeed been too long since we had dealt with involuntary changes to our travel plans, so honestly, we really were due.

 

{Airport breakfast}

 

Fear not, because US Airways found a way to balance out the system for the year (I hope), by overbooking our flight from DC to Omaha, and bumping Doc off the flight....

 

{Hampton Inn Dinner}

 

...which was awesome because, well, I had a first class seat...

 

Le sigh.

 

Long story short, instead of making it to Omaha the day before Christmas Eve, we found ourselves eating Cup O' Noodle at the not so nearby Hampton Inn in Alexandria, and being rebooked for a flight on Christmas Eve afternoon...

 

...thanks US Airways.

 

 

We did it make it though, which is probably more than some other passengers can say for their flights, and had a great Christmas despite it all.

 

 

How was Christmas in your neck of the woods? Anyone else have to be involuntarily flexible?

 

Hope everyone made it to their destinations and back home, with some killer presents from Santa/your specific holiday present giving entity in tow!

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey



Food shopping.

 

When I was in California, we were about a one mile walk from the Ralph's and Trader Joe's, and in the beginning people used to be surprised that my roommate and I would walk there, and not take the shuttle.

 

 

Well, this week I did my first Migros run by myself in quite sometime, and I now remember what it's like to walk 4 miles down and back up a mountain with as much food as my little arms and Philly tote bag can carry.

 

 

What I had forgotten was that no matter what, the magic number for me, when it comes to the amount I *should* carry back, comes out to about 20 euro...

 

 

 

...really doesn't matter too much what the 20 euro is, but it always seems that 20 euro averages out to being a comfortable amount of items for me to haul home.

 

 

This trip, I brought home 29 euro worth of goods, plus two dinner plates, and I realized that it was going to be an uncomfortable 2 mile walk home once I started walking away from the cashier.

 

 

But, I did it, got everything back in once piece, without my trusty Philly tote bag breaking...

 

 

...yet.

 

 

And, once I got about halfway home, it started snowing like crazy.

 

 

 

It always surprises me how the slight change in elevation from the Val Thoiry to Thoiry can be the difference of rain or snow.

 

 

So, needless to say, catching snowflakes on my tongue did cheer me up a bit.

 

 

Oh, and in other news, the town's officially put the phallic santas back up on the light posts...

 

 

...which means it is really starting to feel a lot like Christmas in Thoiry.

 

Phew!

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey