This 3 day, 2 night getaway to Philadelphia has reminded me that I don’t need to travel far away or for an extended amount of time to feel that rush of excitement that I always seem to get whenever I go away. I think that I have been so focused on exotic foreign destinations that I forgot how much there is to see and do much closer to home.
This trip came about because of an ice skating show, Holiday Dreams on Ice, on the Friday night of Christmas weekend, starring the one and only Johnny Weir and a cast of some young skaters. Once I was able to get the day off from work, and learned that some of my friends were also going to the show, the planning began. The fact that the performance was on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, where I attended as an undergraduate many years ago made me even more determined to go. Originally the plan was to just go down for the skating show and stay one night in Philadelphia but then an invitation from one of my folk dance friends to go to an Israeli dance marathon and stay with her on Saturday night turned this into a bona fide weekend escape. I couldn’t believe how well all the details of the weekend came together and how much fun it ended up being.
Friday morning I took the MegaBus from New York to Philadelphia with my friend Karen and her mom, Mary Sue. Despite some initial confusion and chaos (seriously, do the buses for Boston, Philadelphia and Washington DC all need to leave from the same place?) we were soon on our way. The bus conveniently stops at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, just a short walk from the Penn campus. The Sheraton University City at 36th Street and Chestnut was the official hotel of the skating show, so many of our friends were staying there.After checking in, a few of us went out to lunch at the White Dog Café, which I remembered from my time at Penn as being a bit upscale for those of us on a student budget. But 20-something years later, it didn’t seem quite as expensive and we had a delicious meal.
Following lunch, I took a break from socializing to reacquaint myself with the Penn campus. It was amazing to me how much had changed but so great to revisit familiar sites, including Hill House, my freshman and sophomore year dormitory, as well see both the historic and modern architecture of the campus. It was a very nostalgic experience.
Soon it was time to head over to the Class of 1932 Arena for Holiday Dreams on Ice. Since it was general admission seating, we got there very early (as did many other people) to get good seats. Being early paid off and we were in the front row. Johnny Weir did not disappoint, skating two fabulous numbers to “Bad Romance” and “Ave Maria.” The other skaters included Brandon Mroz, Ashley Wagner, Armin Mahbnoozadeh, Tamar Katz , 2 pairs teams that I wasn’t familiar with, and some very young skaters. Everyone did a great job, and despite almost freezing to death in the rink, the show was amazing.
Afterwards, we hung out for a while in the lobby of the hotel. I met the fabulous Binky, who blogs about all things Johnny Weir at http://misfitmimes.blogspot.com/. We also chatted a bit with the young skaters Tamar (currently a Penn student), Armin and Brandon, who were all very sweet, as well as Johnny’s agent Tara, who is also a Penn alumna.
Saturday morning I went out for breakfast with Wendy (who was my roommate), Karen, and Mary Sue. We had asked the receptionist at the hotel for a recommendation, and she sent us to an adorable place with delicious food called Sabrina’s Cafe, a few blocks away, on the Drexel University campus. I don’t know how the restaurant came up with the idea to put powdered sugar on sweet potato fries but somehow it worked.
After breakfast, Wendy needed to return home, Karen and her mom wanted to go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and I felt like wandering around Center City, so we split up. I went to see the Liberty Bell for the first time in I don’t know how many years, the Betsy Ross house and some other historic buildings, I also went to the Reading Terminal Market, which I somehow never managed to get to in my 4 years at Penn. I especially enjoyed seeing all of the Amish food vendors for some reason. After a quick stop at a holiday craft market near City Hall, I returned to the hotel for a quick rest. The Sheraton was nice enough to give us a late checkout, so I was able to keep the room for the afternoon, which was very convenient.
Next I continued exploring the Penn campus. Highlights of part 2 of my tour were Franklin Field, where I watched many a football game, and Smokey Joe’s, that iconic college pub, which unfortunately was closed on Christmas Eve day.
Soon it was time to say goodbye to University City and embark on the next part of my Philadelphia adventure. I walked with Karen and Mary Sue to 30th Street Station, where they caught the MegaBus back to New York, and I took a commuter train to my friend Ellen’s house. Ellen met me at the station, and we relaxed at at her apartment for a while catching up before participating in that very traditional Jewish ritual of a Christmas Eve Chinese food dinner before going to an Israeli folk dance marathon.
I went to the marathon with the expectation that I was not going to know many dances, since I have not been dancing much in recent years. My expectation was correct, but I had fun anyway, talking to old and new friends at the party. There were people there who I knew from when I danced in Philadelphia during my days as a student, which added to the feelings of nostalgia that I had already been experiencing since arriving the day before.
Ellen and I finally left the marathon around 3 AM (thankfully she lives just about 5 minutes away). We slept late the next day, and after a delicious breakfast that she prepared, it was time to return home on Sunday afternoon. It was a fabulous weekend for so many reasons and I am already trying to figure out when I can get back to Philadelphia–I really don’t want it to be another 20 years!
Fierce Sunflower 