Weekend in Philly

When I was first invited to be a facilitator for a sorority training over the weekend in Philly I was excited. Not only was I thrilled about the prospect of a weekend away from DC, I also would have the chance to see sorority friends and family as the training was a partnership between my sorority and my dad's fraternity. Even better - he would be facilitating as well!

We agreed to arrive in Philly early so we had some time to explore and hang out. I left work early on Friday and took the train from DC to Philly. The ride was uneventful and I arrived on time. My dad flew into the airport and once he checked into our hotel, met me at the train station where we made our way to dinner.

Not only had Alex recommended the restaurant The Continental to me, but also Fred from her recent trip to the city. We had a great experience that surpassed our expectations!

 

My dad and I started off with cocktails. Can you guess whose is whose?

I had the Perfect Pear: Grey Goose la Poire, Thatcher's organic cucumber liqueur, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, lemon, and soda; my dad got a Cosmo.

We started with a Greek salad sans onion and dressing which was delicious.

My dad wanted his entree's picture taken, which he polished off completely: Seared Tuna with Mushroom Risotto

And I had the Rad Na Thai Chicken with rice noodles, served on a bed of romaine lettuce. This bowl was huge (mixing bowl size) and I left stuffed but felt like I hadn't made a dent in the dish. I loved how the crisp romaine contrasted with the hot chicken and noodles. The dish packed some heat as well which made it taste even better!

After dinner my dad had to tame his sweet tooth with some ice cream from Scoop deVille across the street. I was too full to get anything but his ice cream looked tasty. The only thing we didn't like was that as soon as the clock struck 10pm and the shop was then closed, the staff practically kicked us out of the shop declaring they had places to be. Rude.

The next morning we woke up, had breakfast at the hotel, and made our way to Reading Terminal Market. We loved everything we saw and took our time meandering up and down every aisle, checking out what each vendor had to offer.

We left the market and made our way to Philly's dedicated gluten free bakery, Sweet Freedom. All of their goodies looked delicious yet upon a sample, I knew I wouldn't be able to enjoy anything as coconut and I do not get along.

My dad picked up a few things to bring back with him though and I was happy to visit the bakery. It reminded me a lot of Babycakes in NYC - they are gluten, dairy, egg, soy, and corn free!

We grabbed lunch at the market (Dad had pastrami, I had chicken and okra soup from Beck's Cajun Cafe which was gluten free and delicious. Their staff were really patient and accommodating as well.

We headed back to the hotel afterward as my dad had an afternoon of meetings. I spent some quality time in the fitness center and did 4.35 miles in an hour plus some stretching.

The rest of the weekend was consumed by the all-day training and preparation. Sadly I don't have picture from it but it was a success. I love having the opportunity to interact with our undergrads!

I made it back to DC safely last night and loved that I got to spend the weekend with my dad, friends, and doing things that I love to do!

Do you like to travel with your family? Explore new cities? Do your travels often revolve around food like mine do? :)