Tag: Philadelphia

Blog, Life, Travel

Weekend Trip: Philadelphia

theclassyacademic

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to present a poster at the Society for Research in Child Development Special Topics Meeting held in Philadelphia. Although I accidentally printed my poster with the wrong title (WHOOPS! and SOO embarrassed!), I still learned so much from the conference and made some great connections. We first visited Philly last year when we won tickets to the Army Navy game and did all of the tourist stuff then. This time, we were able to venture out and check out all of the cool local favorites.

Thursday night we grabbed a quick bite to eat at Cleaver’s. It’s a small bar that serves great cheesesteaks. Last time we were in Philly we overdid it on the cheesesteaks, so this time we told ourselves that we would only have one.

For lunch on Friday we went to Monk’s Cafe, a restaurant/bar that has been open for more than 20 years and prides itself on serving world-class beers. We did some reading and all signs pointed to Monk’s! We tried the Monk’s mussels which were divine. They were steamed in beer, garlic, and parsley. These were the basic recipe, and we hope to go back and try the others. Also, the fries were ridiculously delicious! My absolute favorite was the Gaffel Kolsch beer. If you are able to buy this anywhere I highly recommend it!

Friday night we went to see a string quartet and before we stopped at Mac Mart. This restaurant started off as a food truck and due to its popularity they decided to open a flagship store. Let me tell you all…this place was TOPS. The mac and cheese here is probably the best I have ever had and definitely will make you super happy! We got the “In the Buff” which was their classic mac topped with buffalo chicken chunks, potato chip panko crunch, and Pam Pam’s Buttermilk Ranch. If you have a chance and need a quick bite to eat, I HIGHLY recommend stopping here!

Saturday morning we ventured over to Drexel University’s campus to grab breakfast at Sabrina’s Cafe. Several people recommended going here on my Instagram and on Reddit, so we knew we had to check it out. We got the Stuffed Challah French Toast (hands down the BEST french toast I have ever had) and Eggscellent Mexi Special. We left there happy and full. We could have easily taken a nap after eating here, but we had a full day of exploring ahead of us.

My favorite thing we did was walk over to University of Pennsylvania’s campus. It was SO gorgeous! The buildings were so pretty and the campus was lovely! Afterwards we took a train to Chestnut Hill because there was a Witches and Wizards festival happening. It was so fun to see all of the kids and everyone dressed up in Harry Potter costumes. The neighborhood of Chestnut Hill was SO charming and I could totally see ourselves living there one day.

To cap off our day, we headed over near Fish Town to check out The Philadelphia Brewing Company and Tired Hands Brewing Company. Both of these places had great beer and a great atmosphere! I highly recommend checking out these local businesses!

We seriously cannot wait to head back to Philly to check out more neighborhoods and local shops. If you have any recommendations for our next trip, let me know!

Cheers!

Kelly

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Southern Tide Giveaway Trip to the Army Navy Game

theclassyacademic

At the beginning of the football season this year, Mike and I went to the highly anticipated Florida State vs Alabama game to cheer on the Noles and tailgate. While we were there, Southern Tide had a sponsored tailgate to promote their Tailgate Tour. We entered their contest (through Cotton’s Instagram account) for a chance to win tickets to the Army Navy game in Philadelphia. Normally, you just don’t win these types of things, but a month or so later, it turns out that we (well Cotton) won! We were SO excited (even though Cotton wasn’t so thrilled he wasn’t able to come along on the trip he had won for us!) and couldn’t wait to plan our trip!

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My Outfit: Sweater: Southern Tide | Shirt: Southern Tide | Pants: Southern Tide | Beanie: The North Face | Coat: Steve Madden | Boots: Frye | Hand Mitt: Southern Tide
Mike’s Outfit: Jacket: The North Face | Pants: Southern Tide | Beanie: American Eagle Outfitters | Boots: UGG

The day of the game, we took over Southern Tide’s Instagram (which was pretty cool!). Southern Tide outfitted us for the game, gave us tickets to the game (not to mention Club Level access), gift cards, and paid expenses. Although it was at a busy time during the semester for us, for a graduate and law student, this was a much needed trip!

Sweater: Southern Tide | Shirt: Southern Tide | Hat: Southern Tide | Vest: J. Crew Factory | Pearls: Lauren Ralph Lauren | Boots: Frye

We were SO excited to visit Philadelphia and check out all of the sites and history, like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Also, Mike has never seen snow before (he’s from Florida), and boy did he get a great first experience of snow because it seemed like a blizzard hit during the game! Which by the way, this Southern boy had only packed boat shoes from Kiel James Patrick for the trip so we had to swing by the mall to pick him up a pair of UGG boots to keep him warm!

The bar and food scene in Philly is incredible. There is a huge debate over which establishment has the best cheesesteak, and although we didn’t go to Pat’s or Geno’s, we did try out Jim’s on South Street, and man was that the best cheesesteak I have ever had in my life!

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We also stumbled upon this amazing candy store, only to find out it is the oldest confectionary in America. So, if you’re ever in Philadephia, be sure to check out Shane confectionary. The staff there is amazing, not to mention, the chocolate is to die for. They will even make custom chocolate boxes for you!

Although it snowed during our trip, I think it definitely added to the experience and made everything so dreamy! Not to mention we were able to take some pretty wonderful pics! I think my favorite place we stumbled upon was Elfreth’s Alley which is America’s oldest residential street! I’m so glad we took pictures there, but it was even dreamier after the snow!