Go - If You're Ever in Philly ...

Philadelphia is more than just history. It’s also a city of great spaces. The benefits of being on the Deleware River is the scenic views, cool breezes, and the way music echos across the water. Recently the Pier scene of Philly has exploded with them being revamped and restored for the perfect outings. You’ll find seating, hammocks, music, food. There are beer gardens, pop up shops, small dog areas, and substantial Philly arts presence.

I’ve lived in South Jersey, about fifteen minutes from South Philly for about three decades now and Philadelphia has always been, for me, the dark horse to always be compared with Manhattan. Over the years though, it has grown on me as our family started to grow and the two hour drive to New York wasn’t as easy as it used to be. Then Philly started to change. The art scene started to grow, the great restaurant offerings just continued to get better, and then the piers and pop up parks began. You had me at free day trips!

I grew up in Massachusetts, the middle of three girls. Family values were extremely traditional and my mom stayed at home and my dad was in construction. We grew up in a little house on a hill my parents purchased before I went into kindergarten on two acres of land, with woods behind to run free and a river to skate on in winter. When we weren’t home we traveled to Northern New Jersey and New York to visit family (where my love for New York started). Other than that my father was a fan of day or weekend trips. He would put us in the car and we’d drive to Vermont, Rhode Island, upstate New York, or where ever we could get to before my father didn’t feel like driving any more. We’d stop along the way and take pictures, pick flowers, look at scenery, and sometimes find a hotel for the night. I guess this is where my sense of adventure came from. It’s something that has been important for me to hand down to my children too.

So all the new sights in Philadelphia are wonderful and welcoming to me personally! We bring the kids and can spend a lazy day sightseeing, learning, people watching, eating, you name it. We explore in University City, shop and eat at Rittenhouse, hang out in South Philly, and now we do movie nights at The Oval, Concerts and Festivals at Festival Pier, drink rootbeer floats in hammocks at Spruce Street Pier, ice and roller skate at the Blue Cross River Rink at Penn’s Landing.

It’s Spring Break and we’re doing a staycation because we’re homeowners and this Spring is new siding and a new roof. Yesterday we took the kids to the newly renovated Cherry St Pier. A gorgeous space with the metal bones of the pier warehouse still in tact. The artist collective, Tiny Room for Elephants, has now found a permanent home there and the art is perfect for selfies and capturing your imagination. Just South of Race St Pier you could totally make a day of just Pier jumping and then walking the Philadelphia High Line.

So my friend, if you ever find yourself in Philly, don’t miss out on all that the “little big city” has to offer. You can make some great memories!