Philly II

Last I left you I was sitting on Erik’s big couch, feet up, typing away in front of the Jumbotron. First stop of the day, Laura’s In South Philly. Then we hit the old hood and walked East Passyunk. It was a gorgeous bright fall like day. There was a great breeze that brought a feeling of possibility. No place to be and anything can happen. It felt like being at the beach in the fall.

First stop B2, I got 2 tiny vegan doughnuts and a juice of celery, basil, cucumber, and I forget what else but it was refreshing. We walked down to Stogie Joe’s on a quest for tomato pie. It was a failure but it had a garage style front and sitting there with the breeze was worthwhile. The pizza was fine and Laura loved her salad. Laura informed my that the owner’s wife had said some negative things about homosexuals which made me not want to spend money there.

Then we headed further south to the Navy Yards to check out the koi at Urban Outfitters HQ. A friend works there and we had worked together at Urban in Center City. The Navy Yard offices were a wonderful surprise. We visited building 54 where there is a gym, café, cafeteria, offices, and two koi ponds. The buildings seem to all have original exterior and a strong Navy influence. The interior used many heavy chains, steel garters, and industrial elements mixed with contemporary art. Seemed like a great place to work.

We jumped on 76, which slowed near what used to be South Street Bridge and I was able to get some nice pictures. Got off by the Art museum and headed down Kelly Drive, next stop Laurel Hill Cemetery. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful place. It wasn’t sad or depressing, but seemed like a place of honor to rest in peace. All my time in Philly I never knew you could just go in a walk around the place. We also drove my ‘lil car around, taking pictures from our seats.

After a change in dinner plans, we went off to Nodding Head to meet Chris Fox. It was just after 5 in Center City and everyone was heading home. The luck of the magic parking fairy was with us as we parked right out front at a broken meter. Nodding Head had the best crab cake in Philly but it is no longer on the menu. I settled for a Salmon, Crab, and Corn cake but first Mussels. We had our mussels Moroccan style with ginger, garlic, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, lemon zest, and tomato sauce. Served with a basket of fries and a roll, they were a wonderful indulgence. Fox drank a Fava’s revenge which I sipped and found amazingly delicious. It is brewed with Rye and was sweet, citrusy, and slightly malty.

Headed south, stopped into Girl Bike Dog and picked up some local music. Then I was off, running home to my love. Got out of Philly at 8, hit DC at 10, and got home at 10:30 with one pit stop for gas. It was fun to drive home on a cool night with the top down, radio blasting, and seat warmers toasty. More posts will come about this weekend such as: A Guide to Philly punks and What happened at Southwark