30 Things #14: Take a spontaneous road trip to a place I've never been

Happy Fall friends! I had hoped to get this posted in September but I am never on top of these things. Still, one of the best ways to say goodbye to summer and hello to cooler weather was a spontaneous trip headed north...where the weather was definitely cooler!


I have been to Mia's hometown a handful of times and it is a beautiful area of Pennsylvania full of corn fields and picturesque farms covering the countryside. However, in all the years of even living up north in New England, I have never had the chance to explore the city of Philadelphia, America's birthplace and home of some pretty great food staples I've always wanted to try. Mia had hoped to visit her family before the summer's end so we decided, why not make a spontaneous trip of it?!

We left Friday, drove 12 hrs, arrived in time for a delicious home cooked meal by sweet MaryAnn Hoover and settled in for a solid night's sleep in preparation to take in Philly on Saturday. I would have loved to have many days to explore, but this we managed to take in some major highlights of the city in just one day. Technically I have taken a train to Philly once but I had spent zero time there so this was definitely new for me.

Highlights included...

ROCKY! Yes I ran up the stair just like him. I tried to embrace the whole experience. It was a pretty great view too! Minus "Eye of the Tiger" playing. I sung it to myself.

The LOVE sign in John F. Kennedy Plaza. It was smaller than I expected it to be. But quite amusing to watch everyone try to get their picture with it. I love people watching.

Reading Market = YUMMMMMMMM. I would love to try ever single vender in that place. There are probably 30-40 places to grab food, shop, or pick up some fresh meat or produce in that place. We had a mishmash of food that was all amazing. If you visit Philly you have to go there.

I would have tried every single one

Apple cider donut + coffee? Heaven

Independence Hall + Liberty Bell = America's Birthplace! Pretty crazy to stand in the rooms we learned about is kiddos where our forefather's got it done. Rain you can't stop us!

Gino's vs. Pat's Philly Cheesesteaks......Geno's Won THIS time...

So. Good.

And we finished out the day at a Phillies Game

Such a pretty night + great seats!

What a fun city! What I enjoyed about this place was the mix of old and new, modern and historic. How cool to stand in the very room where the United States was first formed by such influential men...and at the same time get to experience some cultural iconic places as well as some really great food. The Hoovers are such a sweet family too, always so welcoming and generous that we just had a great time, even despite some rainy moments.

Sunday we had an equally pretty day enjoying the cooler temps and pretty country. Church, great lunch at a local brewery (awesome locally made root beer!), ventured out on the four wheeler, squeezed in a run (half-marathon training!) and rest with the fam.

It was a great weekend and so glad I got to share such a fun city with the Hoovers! I loved the mix of city and country, new experiences and rest. Yay for new places to visit and memories made :)