Our epic adventure began on Saturday morning, around 8ish – we were on the road after a quick stop at the Hess Station (and an iced coffee stop!) It was pretty smooth sailing for the most part, until we reached the Beltway – expected, of course, but we did wonder where those people were going! We thought we’d be the weird people headed North for the weekend, but apparently, there were others with the same idea…

I love driving through tunnels. No wait, scratch that. I love riding through tunnels and taking pictures – when I am driving I feel kind of nervous for some reason – what’s not fun about a road trip though? Toll booths…

Lame long line for the cash lanes…

One-way, I think we paid about $12 in tolls. Considering the distance, it’s not too bad…but one would think that tolls = better roads. Not so sure about that! Hah…moving right along…

Before long, we were entering Delaware.

As we passed this sign, I excitedly exclaimed, “WOW! It’s my first time in Delaware!”

Hubs looked at me and said, “No, we went through Delaware when we took the bus up to New York.”

Hmmm.

“Well, I don’t remember it, or I was sleeping, so this is the first time I’ve ever been in Delaware and it is AWESOME!”

Alas, that experience didn’t last too long…

I really liked the PA sign – “State of Independence” – really a clever little tag-line if you ask me…

As we approached the city, we were impressed by the skyline and big bridges! It was neat to drive through the lower level of this one, as pictured above. I was pretty much stuck in a perpetual state of slack jaw from that moment, as I took in all the sights around us – all the way up to us parking the car at our hotel for the weekend – The Hilton Garden Inn – which shared a parking lot with the amazing Reading Terminal Market.

Since we had been in the car for about five hours, we were ready to stretch our legs…and grab a bite! So, I consulted Yelp and we made our way over to a place that was declared to be “worthy of skipping a Philly Cheesesteak for.”

…and I have to say I’d definitely agree! Hubs and I were lucky enough to snag a counter seat, amidst the huge wrap-around line and shared the most recommended item off of Yelp, the Roasted Pork Sandwich, with provolone and hot peppers. While the peppers were a little TOO hot for hubs, I loved them, and layered them on my own! DEELISH.

After the sandwich, it was time to explore! We set out of the market (after perusing a few more stalls, of  course) and headed out toward the historic district, with a side tour through Chinatown.

The temperatures were soaring and the humidity high, but it reached that point where it was just so steamy it didn’t feel that hot anymore.

I loved loved LOVED how walkable the city was…and it was super cool to turn a corner and see something totally different….

Like Elfreth’s Alley! Very neat place…which led to even more neat places….like the Betsy Ross House.

I felt IN AWE everywhere we walked. Sure, Virginia has some “cool old stuff” too – but this was different “cool old stuff”

Another side note: If there is anything I love more than seeing old buildings, it is seeing old trees (see above). I just really love them…which is why visiting Sequoia National Park is a huge (har har) item on my future places to visit bucket list. Okay, back to Philly.

After our walking adventures, hubs was pretty tired from the heat and the drive, so we checked in to our room and he settled in for a little cat nap. I, on the other hand, was ready to check out the market again! I picked up a sweet treat for later from the Flying Monkey Bakery

That evening, we kept it low-key and after a stroll around the nearby neighborhoods, we decided to call it an early night. I had mapped out my Sunday morning run for Kelly Drive and was hoping to beat the heat with a 6 AM run

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Stay tuned for Day 2!