Volume II

Philadelphia, Philly, City of Brotherly Love, Home of the Cheese steak, etc. Things I loved- the houses. We have the beautiful antebellum/plantation-like homes, but most of theirs are made of stone/rock. Thinking of the city's historical past, it's just exciting to think about some of the 1st Americans living in the area, creating the foundation we have today! I am also fond of the 'ristorantes & pizzeria's'. So italiano :).

Let me introduce you to one of the greatest places ever- WaWa. Yes, WaWa. Kind of a weird name; comes from WaWa, PA. It's basically a little mini-mart (a little redundant, I know.) Some have gas, but others are just a convenient store w/ any & everything you need. They serve yummy bagels, flatbreads, hoagies, etc. They even have seafood salad in the cold section. I don't know why they haven't expanded throughout the US. Definitely would be an investment. Then again, they probably want to keep them all for themselves! Rita's -ice*custard*happiness- (slogan). They serve water ice (even more redundant.) Reminds me of shaved ice that we have down here. Soft pretzels- very good. I'm not a fan of mustard on my pretzels, so I ate them plain. I love marina/red sauce, so I loved the pizza.

We toured the city up & down. Went to Comcast- the tallest building in PA. I'm not too impressed w/ skyscrapers, but the view was awesome. You could see all these apartment complexes w/ pools & tennis courts on top. Pretty neat. However, I would be afraid that one intense gust of wind, & I'm a goner. Experienced my first train ride. The first train was an 'ole double decker w/ nice seats. The other one, not so much. Old wood vinyl or whatever that stuff is that old vans used to have in them. hah. I don't know if my anxiety would allow me to commute to & fro on a train by myself.

The Liberty Bell was a bit of a let down. I could have sworn it was a lot bigger than it is. We're at Independence Hall, and I'm looking all over. "Jackie, where's the Bell?!?" "Behind you." "That's a glass shed." "I know, it's in there." Pahhhh. What a misconception.

Listening to some jams headed to the NJ shore, we all sing along to "My prerogative"...I say "Galee, I love Prince!" "Well, that's cool, but Bobby Brown sings this." hahah.

Erin Express- one of the best experiences of my life. It was a St. Patty's celebration in which school buses took you from pub to pub at no cost! The city was drenched in green!!! (Only my favorite color!) We hop on the train to get there...it's packed!! The seats were full & the isles. Ppl were drinking cocktails, beers, & even out of pitchers! I score a seat w/ the 1 guy who's actually going to a real place. I've got a few brewskies myself in my purse. He looks at me, & assures me he won't tell. Plus, there were so many ppl on there that they weren't even taking up money. We engage in what seems to be quite the convo. I learned everything about him. For putting up w/ all of us so graciously, I give him a beer. He tries to return the favor w/ some illegal grass. I get really scared, & say, "No thanks!! I don't smoke!!" Awkward! It was a good thing to get off the train after that.

The Irish-Italian culture is significant! I LOVE IT! It's so much fun to be around ppl who grew up they way I did! In that, I mean, having the same values based on your ethnicity. That sounds weird, complicated, maybe even dumb. I can't explain it really. It just reminds me of every story I've ever heard from my dad's side (Connecticut/Chicago bred!) Every little thing reminded me of my grandparents & supplied my heart w/ a content feeling. Just like my TX trip in November. The culture there is so different, but made me feel right at home, as well. I totally embrace Irish-Mexican Catholic thing I have going on.

Don't get me wrong. I love where I come from. I appreciate Alabama w/ every little piece of my heart. You have the mountains/lakes, flat land, sand, beaches/bays. Variety. I will say it's difficult being Catholic here though. Spend half your days explaining to ppl that you do not worship statues or think that Mary is God. (Brief story: learning about dying in class, my ignorant teacher discusses religions/cultures, that she obviously knew nothing about. Says to a class of 120+, that "the child had been sprinkled Catholic". OH, this got me. I said, "WHAT did YOU just SAY? You mean Christened??" Sprinkled? You freaking sprinkle a cupcake, not a religion.)

Back to Philly. J has 3 brothers, a little different from my 3 sisters. Interesting to see the interaction. All I can say is thank goodness I didn't have brothers, I would have severe complexes. I'm too much of a scaredy cat girl. Her family was great, especially her Grandpop.

I've planned my next visit- Irish weekend on the last wknd in Sept! Yeauh!!

I also find it crazy that Rocky is all over the city, especially considering he's not real. But hey, it's the eye of the tiger...Hahha. I'm a nerd.

Have a good one! Love!