Philadelphia - Staying at Mom's House

Congratulations to Becca of Everyday Life for guessing the correct answer!! We will be staying at David's mother's house. This is also the same house that he grew up in! His mom has lived in this same house for over 50 years!

David's parents divorced when David was about 18 years old. His father moved to Georgia. (That's how he and I met! **Smile**) Unfortunately, he is no longer with us. He developed Cancer and passed away about 10 years ago.

Philadelphia is known for it's "Row Homes". Many look like these...

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The homes are "stuck" together, one right next to the other. If you have to go around to the back of your house, from the front... you have to walk around the whole block to get there!

It's funny.... when I first met David, I had never been up north and had no idea what a "row home" was! I can still remember him pointing them out to me, the first time he took me to Philadelphia. They looked like huge apartment buildings to me! (That's what I grew up living in - apartments!)

David's mother grew up living in a row home a lot like the first picture above. The homes were each exactly alike!

The home that his mother now lives in is -- I "think" -- still considered a row home, but it is more like a "duplex". There are only TWO homes "stuck" together. There is a yard (a tiny one!) in between each two houses, like these....

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David's mother's home looks a LOT like this one! She has a bigger porch on the front, tho. There is an "alley" in the back and her driveway and garage are pack there. In Georgia... these would be called "duplexes" or "townhomes".

I look foward to taking pictures of her home while we are up there so that I can show you. (Hope she doesn't mind!)

Later today... check back for a new clue & hint for Day Two of our trip to Philadelphia!

Philadelphia - Hotel or not?

After touring historic Philadelphia and eating a yummy Philly Cheese Steak sandwich... we will need a place to stay.



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Where do you think we will be resting our pretty little heads while we are staying in Philadelphia?

HINT: If you remember.... David grew up in Philadelphia!

Independence Day Tablescape

HAPPY 4th of JULY!!

Please allow me to share my tablescape with you!

Don't you just love this patriotic bird house?

I can not remember where I bought it. I have had it for several years and love it! 

The red, white & blue plates are some that I have used in other tablescapes. I found these cute little blue "star" buckets at Goodwill.

The little tea-light's are from my "beachy" tablescape from June. I found the star candles at Hobby Lobby for under $3, along with the star garland.

In the background, you can see a cute little wagon. I "think" I bought that when I bough the birdhouse. I've had the baskets for quite a while, too.

I am really enjoying creating a new "look" for my table at the beginning of each month!



Philly Cheese Steak

Congratulation to "This is me" over at Southhamsdarling for guessing that we will be stopping to have a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich at Pat's Steaks!



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Doesn't that sandwich look yummy??

When we asked David what he was looking most forward to on our trip... THIS is what he said!! A Philly Cheese Steak sandwich from Pat's Steaks!

I'll post a new hint later today!!

I also want to show off my new Independence Day tablescape! So, you will be seeing pics of it sometime today, as well!

Philadelphia - Day One - Food!

After our tour of the historical area of Philadelphia, we will HUNGRY!



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We have already planned where we will eat lunch.

Philadelphia is famous for a certain kind of "sandwich".

What sandwich is Philadelphia famous for?

Bonus Question:

What is the name of the restaurant where this sandwich originated from?

(there are actually two places, but David only considers one to be the original! **Smile**)

Philadelphia - Day One - Visit to the City

Congratulations to Claudia of The Story for guessing the two places (or things) that we plan to visit while we are in Philadelphia!

She guessed The Liberty Bell & Independence Hall!

Here are a few pictures and a little bit of history and info to go along with them --

This following picture was taken in April of 2000. We drove to Philadelphia from Georgia (Long trip!) and spent one day touring the historical area of the city. This is Ashley standing by The Liberty Bell. There is a funny story to go along with this picture!

When we first planned this trip to Philly, all Miranda talked about how she wanted to see The Liberty Bell! She couldn't wait to "touch it" and had asked lots and lots of questions about it. 

When we arrived in downtown Philly, we planned our walking tour with our map. We decided to leave the best places for last -- The Liberty Bell & Independence Hall. Miranda asked all day long... "When are we going to get to The Liberty Bell?", and we kept saying... "We'll get there. We'll get there." Then, when we finally GOT THERE, she wouldn't go near it!!! We still tease her about it! **Smile**

I did get her to pose with Ashley and I outside the building where The Liberty Bell is! You can tell by the picture that she was NOT happy about it!

You can see Independence hall behind us.

Here is a better photo of it.

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 Here is a little bit of history regarding The Liberty Bell -

The Liberty Bell first rang on July 8, 1776 after the first public reading of The Declaration of Independence. The bell arrived in Philadelphia in August of 1752 from London. During The American Revolution, in 1777, it was taken down and moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania for safe keeping. It was replaced in 1778. Thereafter, the bell was rung on every July 4th and on every state occasion until 1835 when it was cracked while being tolled for the death of Chief Justice, John Marshall. In 1976, it was moved to it's present location, near Independence Hall. It weighs 2080 pounds and it is 12 feet in circumference at the lip.

Check back tomorrow for NEW hints & a question regarding our upcoming "return" trip to Philadelphia!

Philadelphia - Day One - Hint #1

Picture this... we arrive in Philadelphia by about 9:00am. The first thing that we will do, after we exit the plane, is to grab our ONE piece of "checked baggage" -- yes, the rest will be "carry-on's"!! (This trip is all about doing the MOST with the LEAST amount of money!)

Miranda has flown more than any of us and she has one ENORMOUS suitcase! We plan to pack our "extra" stuff (the stuff that won't fit into our carry-on's) into this suitcase and "check" it.

Miranda's suitcase is one that looks a lot like this one!! HUGE!! - Photo source

After that, we will proceed to the car rental area to pick up our rental car.

From the Philly airport, we will be driving into the heart of Philadelphia!

Here's your clue #1 for Day One of our trip ---- Philadelphia has many historical places and things to see. I have TWO things (or places) on my mind that are a MUST SEE if you visit Philadelphia.

Can you name which TWO that I am thinking of???

If no one guesses today, then I will give more clues tomorrow, with pictures!