Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Home Sweet Philadelphia!

Our Apartment and the Restaurant Below
I am kind of sort of in love with the neighborhood we are staying in while in Philadelphia. We are smack in the heart of Rittenhouse, two blocks from the square and every corner you turn there is something to charm the pants off of you; architecture, remnants of history or the quaint urban gardens.

The apartment itself  has these giant windows that flood the place with light, making everything bright and the open concept is great at hiding the smaller living space. We have landed in yet another walk up, no elevator, but Tom and I are becoming expert movers at this point and quickly handled the move into our new place while barely breaking a sweat. Although part of the easier moving might be due in large part to my continually sending things back to Utah; I am pretty sure Staci is starting to curse my monthly packages of shoes and clothing, I have now realized I didn't really need to bring the 20+ pairs of stilettos with us on the journey. I'm having moments where I wish I could go back in time and tell past Bonnie what future Bonnie knows now and maybe packed for our wanderings a little differently.

One of the cobblestone streets right around the corner from us
The high ceilings and crown molding add so much character to this place, it makes it easy to come back to after a day of walking and exploring all the rich history this city holds and just relax. Plus I have a dishwasher once again, still no washer and dryer, but the building has one, so I only have to trek down one floor in order to have clean clothes versus the three block excursion that we experienced in New York! I know, New Yorkers would just tell me to send it out, but I couldn't get past the idea of somebody else handling my delicates.

Parking in the city is a little crazy at times; everything in the area is either metered or you have parking garages galore if you aren't a resident; Tom and I had planned on going the parking garage route, but I was able to work my charm and get us a temporary parking permit for the month. Although charm might be pushing it, I really just had to ask and I figured the worst the city could do was tell me no. So I marched myself down to the city offices, Ethel in tow, with the lease for the month and low and behold, a glorious parking permit was bestowed upon me and completely reaffirms the mantra, it never hurts to ask!

Rittenhouse Park
Rittenhouse is hopping with great restaurants on every corner, and there is a cute little Italian place, La Fontana, right outside our door, people literally eat at the outdoor tables right below us; which is pretty awesome! We are also close to Philadelphia’s City Center and pretty much anything and everything we could want to see is in easy walking distance from us, not to mention all the fabulous shopping up on Walnut Street. Biggest plus is the park right around the corner; Ethel loves being able to visit the park a few times every day, it is almost like having a yard again. The area is a bit quieter than our New York neighborhood and she seems to be quite a bit happier here than she was there, which is good for us, because a happy dog, keeps me happy!

This apartment doesn't have a television, which might be a breaking deal for some, I find it to be a little slice of heaven. But I am not a big one for TV anyway, back home, it was maybe on for two hours on the weekends when Tom was home and that was it; plus if I find myself lacking entertainment, one can stream via the internet or better yet read! Who needs television when there is so much going on to experience, it’s like throwing moments of life away! Although it is easy to say this now only because the Game of Thrones withdrawals haven’t set in yet, so you know, if anybody wants to lend me their HBO Go account, I wouldn't object! 

So here she is our lovely Philadelphia and perfectly located apartment, rented again via Airbnb





2 comments:

  1. Philly looks like a very artistic place, at least where you are staying. I would love that, too. I've said it before but I just love your photos. You have a great eye for finding just the right shot. Your NYC trip sounds like it was a real adventure in both good and, shall we say interesting ways. :) Tony and I are so glad you had a nice anniversary and got to spend some quality time doing something fun and romantic. We are also glad that Ethel seems to deal with her changing surroundings. I'm sure there are some places she likes better than others for sure. So thanks for blogging about your trip. We are enjoying that so much. Hugs and Love to you, Tom and Ethel. :)

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