Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Cheesesteaks & Chocolate

Wanting to explore more of the US after being abroad for so long, when Labor Day came around in September, David and I looked at a map of the continental US, compared it against direct flights from Austin and places we had yet to visit, and decided to go to Philadelphia for the long weekend.  (It was basically like throwing a dart at a map, but it worked.) 

Friends recommended that we stay at the Loews Hotel in the heart of downtown Philly.  The Loews building was the first modern skyscraper constructed in the US, and housed the Philadelphia Saving Fund Society.  The bank was opened in 1932 and featured amenities like air conditioning and radio receivers, as well as luxury Cartier clocks on every floor.  The office building was eventually remodelled into a hotel, which opened in 2000.  David and I realized from the full flight and busy hotel lobby that we had just happened to book our trip during the same weekend as Made in America.

We’d been out of the states for four years, so we had an excuse for 1) not even knowing what Made in America is and 2) not realizing that the concert series was the same weekend as our trip.  Made in America, it turns out, is an annual music fest showcasing popular and up-and-coming artists.  It was started by Jay-Z, and takes place in LA and Philadelphia every summer. 

Coincidentally, Ankeeta, my college roommate, happened to be in Philadelphia for the festival, but we didn’t realize it until the night before her flight back to Dallas.  However, we were able to meet up with one of David’s high school friends, Mr. George Bickley Remmey IV.  (Or just Bickley, as he’s totally embarrassed when David calls him by his full name… in a posh British accent.)

We had dinner on Monday night with Bickley and his wife, Alice, at the Continental, a trendy diner that served up a variety of small plates from around the globe – French onion soup dumplings, Thai chicken lettuce wraps, and cheesesteak eggrolls with sriracha ketchup.  It was a delicious way to catch up with an old friend!

After checking into our historic hotel, we followed the crowds to Reading Terminal for lunch.  


I looked up ‘The 9 Best Things to Eat at Reading Terminal’ on Thrillist, and David and I went to town!  We had gator gumbo with a side of fried macaroni and cheese at Beck’s Cajun CafĂ© and split the famous reuben at Hershel’s East Side Deli.  For dessert, we devoured a chocolate chip cannoli at Termini Bros Bakery.


Our favorite, though, was the donuts from Beiler’s.  The Amish travel to Philadelphia from Lancaster County each day to sell their homemade goods and fresh foods.  And who knew the Amish were the best at making donuts?  But of course they are – they use fresh butter and cream to create perfect gooey donuts with creamy centers.  The line for Beiler’s was wrapped around the terminal, and it wasn’t hard to see why.  As David and I were savouring the snack, all I was thinking was, ‘This is the best donut I’ve ever had in my life.’  

Following lunch, we walked to Independence Park.  Once there, we saw the iconic Liberty Bell and took a tour of Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Continental Congress met to adopt the Constitution.




We then spent all of Sunday exploring America’s early history across Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia was founded in 1682 by William Penn as the capital of the Pennsylvania colony.  It became the largest city in British America in the mid-1700s and played a pivotal role during the American Revolution.  Not only did the founding fathers sign the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution at Independence Hall, Philadelphia also acted as the nation’s capital while Washington DC was under construction.



William Penn sits atop beautiful City Hall,

overlooking Love park

We toured Betsy Ross’ house, where she sewed the first American flag  

Down the street from her home is Elfreth’s Alley, America’s oldest continuously inhabited street

We walked down the cobblestone alleyway to admire the traditional homes

Nearby sits Christ Church, also known as ‘The Nation’s Church’ because so many of the founding fathers worshipped there, including Ben Franklin, who’s buried in the churchyard.  

William Penn, George Washington, and Betsy Ross also attended services at Christ Church 

The cemeteries around Society Hill, a residential area in Philadelphia with picturesque row houses, are filled with Revolutionary soldiers.  An original flag with thirteen stars attached to a small, round marker indicates that the person buried beneath fought in the war. 





Pennsylvania Hospital, the country’s first hospital, sits on the outskirts of Society Hill

We stopped for a break at the Franklin Fountain – a popular, authentic ice cream parlor and soda fountain 

One of the best parts of our historical tour of Philadelphia was spending a few hours locked up in Eastern State Penitentiary.


Following the Revolution, The Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons met at Ben Franklin’s home to set the international standard in prison design by building a penitentiary that would reform prisoners.  The society was founded on a Quaker-inspired concept of isolating the prisoners to help them think and repent on their evil deeds.  The inmates were even hooded any time they were outside their cells to prevent interactions with other prisoners, guards, or gaining knowledge of the prison’s design.  Visitors from South America, Europe, China, and Japan visited the prison to then return home and base their own prisons on the same structure.


Charles Dickens even visited the prison in 1842, but completely disagreed with what he saw.  He called the solitary confinement of the men inside, ‘worse than any torture of the body.’  Others agreed, and in the early 1900s, the Pennsylvania system was shut down.  


Today, the prison is known as one of the most haunted buildings in America.  Every year during Halloween, it opens its doors for Terror Behind the Walls, a haunted house experience.  Even walking through in broad daylight, we got an eerie feeling from the barren cells sealed with heavy doors, abandoned corridors, and the overgrown prison yard.



Al Capone spent his first prison sentence at Eastern State Pen for carrying a concealed, deadly weapon.  He spent his year behind bars in luxury compared to other inmates.  He had furniture, oriental rugs, and even a radio.  Pep the Dog is another notable prisoner.  The poor pup was sentenced for murdering the Pennsylvania governor’s wife’s cat.  He was even assigned an inmate number and had a mug shot taken.



On a lighter note, David and I also visited West Philadelphia, where the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was born and raised.  Our bus slowed as we approached the playground where he spent most of his days, chillin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool.  When I mentioned to some friends that we were headed to Philly for the holiday weekend, they asked what we were going to see and do.  I told them besides going for the history and cheesesteaks, we were going to check out the basketball court where Will Smith got in one little fight before moving to Bel Air.  ‘You know that’s not a real thing, right?’ was the response I got back.  So I am happy to say that in fact, it is a real thing and I saw it and took the picture to prove it!


After taking in the sites of Philadelphia for a couple of days, we decided to head outside the city to visit the Amish and (most importantly) Chocolate World in Hershey!


The small town of Hershey, PA is about 90 minutes outside the city.  David never deleted his Zipcar account after coming back to the states, and we were glad he didn’t, because finding a rental car company with extended hours on Labor Day is impossible.  Zipcar is inexpensive and everywhere, which made it incredibly convenient.  We found a car parked in a garage a few blocks from our hotel and booked it for the day.

From the moment we arrived in The Sweetest Place on Earth, our mouths started watering.  We could actually smell the chocolate as we drove into the adorable town! 

Even the street lights are shaped like Hershey kisses 

The old factory is still there, while construction for a more modern factory is undergoing a few blocks away 

We saw the house that Milton Hershey built after finally succeeding with his candy company, and learned about his vision for a place where his employees could have fun outside of work, which led to a huge amusement park adjacent to Chocolate World.  We also learned of Hershey’s commitment to helping underprivileged children.  As he had no kids of his own, it was his dream to help other children, so he built the Milton Hershey School and gave his entire fortune to it.  Today, Hershey is one of the wealthiest private schools in the world, and serves nearly 2,000 children.

Besides the tour of the town of Hershey, we also went on a tour of the factory to learn how our favourite candies like Reese’s peanut butter cups and Mounds bars are made.  From there, we took a lesson in chocolate-tasting and then made our own, personalized candy bars.



On our way back to Philadelphia, we stopped in Amish country for dinner.  We ate at a farmhouse called Good n Plenty in Lancaster County.  The menu consisted of country staples like fried chicken and honey-baked ham, with sides of butter noodles, mashed potatoes, fresh-baked bread with whipped butter, and pickled vegetables.  It was a simple, home-cooked meal.  For dessert, they didn’t have any donuts so we had the local favorite, whoopie pie.


As we drove back to the city, we couldn't help but notice all of the signs for the surrounding towns…  Intercourse, Fertility, Virginville, and the best one of all – Blue Ball.  Who came up with these names?  Was it the Amish, or someone poking fun at the Amish?  Either way, it made for an amusing car ride.

Before flying back to Austin on Tuesday, David and I took part in the cheesesteak challenge.  We had already tried Jim’s Steaks on South Street a couple of days prior, and that was pretty dang good, so we were excited to compare Pat’s vs Geno’s. 

Pat’s King of Steaks invented the cheesesteak back in 1930 when Pat Olivieri decided that instead of making hot dogs at his hot dog stand, he was going to try something different.  He grabbed some chopped meat from the butcher, cooked it on his grill, and combined the meat with onions in an Italian roll.  Years later, customers and employees alike suggested he add cheese.  Today, a traditional cheesesteak is considered chopped steak and cheese whiz on an Italian roll.


Thirty years later, Joey Vento decided to start selling cheesesteaks and figured he would open Geno’s Steaks where they were already eating them – across the street from Pat’s! So Pat’s and Geno’s are literally across the street from each other, at the corner of 9th and Passyunk in South Philly.

David and I first stopped at the original, Pat’s.  To avoid overeating, we decided to split one sandwich at each place.  At Jim’s, I preferred the original, which was just steak and cheese whiz on the specially-baked bread.  The steak at Jim’s was fresh off the grill, which made it super tender and moist.  However, they did not put enough cheese on my sandwich, which made me sad.  I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice, and asked for a simple steak with double whiz at Pat’s.  That’s what I’m talkin’ about!  However, the steak wasn’t as good as Jim’s... the meat was bland and chewy.  Even though I only had half a sandwich, by the time I finished all that cheese, I was too full to eat another half at Geno’s.


David was ready for a second helping, though, and ordered another sandwich across the street.  He asked for the steak sandwich with provolone and grilled onions.  Unfortunately the grilled onions were undercooked, and the taste of raw chopped onions overpowered everything else on the sandwich.  So our winner of the cheesesteak challenge was neither Pat’s nor Geno’s, but Jim’s! 

I gained four pounds over Labor Day weekend because of those damn sandwiches.

No joke.

To work off some, but apparently not all, of those calories, we booked it to the Museum of Art to run in Rocky’s footsteps.


David and I returned back to Austin not only weighing a bit more, but with more knowledge of American history, and we are looking forward to continuing our domestic travels to get to know the US even better!

Friday, December 5, 2014

A Little R&R in the DR

To commemorate our first Thanksgiving back in the states, we said ‘adios America!’ and headed to the Dominican Republic with our friends, Jill and Noah.  Instead of celebrating the good old fashioned way, we opted for a relaxing beach vacation in the Caribbean.

We flew out on the busiest travel day of the year, the Wednesday before Turkey Day, but had no issues getting from Austin to Dallas to Miami to Punta Cana.  We arrived at our all-inclusive, adults-only hotel, Excellence Punta Cana, by mid-day to enjoy the sun and warmth.


It had been years since we stayed at an all-inclusive resort and we enjoyed every minute of it!  Everyone at the hotel was so welcoming and friendly.  Every time we said ‘Hi, how are you?’ the staff responded with, ‘Excelente!


The resort has a world-class spa, a running trail around manicured gardens, multiple restaurants and bars, a casino, various pools, beach, and gym.  Everything was complimentary – from nightly entertainment to full-sized bottles of wine and liquor in our mini-bar to 24-hour room service. 


From the moment we arrived, we felt relaxed.  We were greeted on Wednesday afternoon with glasses of champagne, which the Excellence check-in desk encouraged us to drink quickly so they could refill.  We took a self-guided tour of the resort and then had dinner at Chez Isabelle, the French restaurant on-site.  We enjoyed bowls of bouillabaisse, potato leek soup, and then plates of Chateaubriand steaks and seafood.  For dessert, we had crème brulee and personal chocolate fondue pots with fruit for dipping.




That night’s entertainment was a live ‘Dating Game’ show.  We had fun watching four different couples make complete fools of themselves before heading into the casino, where we quickly lost some money…  To cap off the night, we ordered room service of nachos, quesadillas, and pizza at 2AM!  We took advantage of the free 24-hour room service every single night.  I don’t know where the guys were putting it!  Even after Thanksgiving dinner, David and Noah ordered pizza and sandwiches!  I guess that’s what happens when you’re at an all-inclusive resort – you feel compelled to keep eating and drinking to get your money’s worth.  Plus, the food and drinks were delicious!



We spent Thanksgiving Day lying around the beach and playing in the pool.  First, though, we had to work off all of those late-night cravings by sweating it out in Pilates class.  I encouraged everyone to join me, and while Jill was all for it, the guys weren't so sure.  But it turned out to be an intense 30-minute workout that we all enjoyed.  Plus we felt like we’d burned enough calories to go all-out on Thanksgiving, as Excellence was hosting a traditional Thanksgiving dinner next to the main pool later that night!

From the gym, we went to the beach and tried to jump the waves.  The riptide was so bad that there were red flags up and down the beach.  But Jill and I were both swimmers, and David and Noah could handle their own, so we began to wade deeper and deeper into the ocean to get to the big waves.   As we tried to get out past the break, the lifeguard blew his whistle at us to come back…  Not even our first full day in the DR and we were already causing trouble!




From then on, we decided to stick to the pools.  We played a game of pool volleyball, and then the Fun Club sponsored a diving contest.  The objective was to hold our breath and dive for as many dominoes as we could.  Whoever collected the most dominos, won!   Jill and I destroyed the other girls, and tied for the female win with 34 dominoes each!  But then an older man named Bobsy came along last and beat us with 41.  Bobsy (shakes fist in air)!!

We also played a game of putt-putt, which Noah won, and a game of foosball at the sports bar, which the Houses won.  With Jill taking the title of Phase 10 champion on the flight home, we were all winners on this trip!

The only true loser of the trip was Noah’s button on his baseball cap, which managed to get eaten by one of the Excellence macaws.  The hotel was home to two macaws, Big Red and Old Blue, and a family of flamingos that wandered the grounds (there was even a special cross-walk for them).


Big Red seemed to be the friendliest bird, and climbed up on Noah’s arm to say hello.  Little did we know he had spotted the button on Noah’s hat!  

'Wait... what is Big Red doing up there?!'

Once we realized it, I was afraid Big Red would choke on the plastic, so I rummaged around in my bag for the peanuts I’d taken from our mini-bar.  I traded peanuts for the button and all was well in the world (we didn’t want to get into trouble again on the first day for killing a macaw).  Big Red loved the peanuts I gave him, and started to dance to get more.  So naturally, we had a dance party!


That night, we were greeted by real turkeys (and of course, cooked ones) at our Thanksgiving feast!  We were served potatoes, cheesy veggies, and homemade rolls, with cupcakes and cake balls for dessert.  But the real stars of the meal were the turkeys!  The cooked turkeys were tender and juicy, while the real ones were sweet enough to pose for pics with crazy David and hungry Noah… 


Jill couldn't believe how soft the turkeys were!

Those turkeys were either too scared to move, or just really good sports!

Yep, we totally put those tongs back in the buffet line after we were done taking pics

On Friday, we decided to venture off the resort.  We took a short bus ride to the Caribbean side of the DR, and then hopped on a speed boat to a nearby man-made island, nicknamed ‘Miami Island.’

Once on the island, we were free to do whatever we wanted for the afternoon.  Jill and Noah tried paddle-boarding, we snorkeled, swam with sting-rays and sharks, and even got shell massages from the island’s team of masseuses.



To cap it off, we pretended we were James Bond and the Bond girls by gliding through the water on Sea-Doo underwater scooters.  It was really the only way to keep up with the sharks – those guys were fast!  We raced each other and took videos with the GoPro until it was time to head back home for Fiesta Friday, an all-we-could-eat taco bar set up on the beach for lunch!


That night, we had tapas at the Flavor Market and headed to bed early, as the guys had booked a deep sea fishing trip the next morning.  Jill and I slept in before heading to the spa for a day of relaxation!


Who wore it best???


The Excellence Spa was ahhhhmazing!  They were able to make same-day appointments for us, and book us in for the same time.  We were told to arrive an hour early to enjoy the amenities… or so we thought.  Little did we know the ‘relaxation’ area was also a torture chamber!

After being greeted by a man named Antonio, who directed us to the locker room for our robes and slippers, we were led into a couple of rain showers to rinse off.  After exactly one minute (it was a strict schedule we were on!), the showers turned off and Antonio burst through the doors to escort us to the steam room.  Here, we were to ‘relax’ for 10 minutes. 

10 minutes in a steam room is awful.  After just a few, I was finding it hard to breathe.  The couple already in the room across from us was also suffering and told us that our cold towels would come after five minutes.  Jill started counting down the seconds to distract herself, but our towels never came!  Finally the other couple couldn’t stand it any longer and got up and left, before their time was up.  Jill and I held out for the full ten minutes before Antonio came in to pick us up.  I’d never been happier to see him… but I was fooled again!

Antonio tricked us into entering another room that looked like a shower, but it was filled with ice.  He handed us two towels covered in ice and told us to scrub off the sweat.  Ouch!  Jill toughened it out by holding her breath, while I complained loudly.  Then we visited the sauna, which was nice.  We lied down with menthol towels over our faces, which cleared our pores and sinuses.  Jill had a cold earlier in the week, but after that treatment, her stuffy nose was gone!

We thought the torture was over and we’d continue to enjoy ourselves from then on, but next Jill and I were told we were going to take a rustic shower.  Hmmm… what did they mean by rustic?  We were about to find out!  We walked into another shower room with a wooden bucket suspended from the ceiling.  Curious, I asked what was in the bucket.  ‘Ice water.  Now move in,’ Antonio said.  Nooo!  I stood cowering near the door while Jill contemplated pulling the string to tip the bucket and release the freezing cold water.  When Antonio didn’t hear a splash, he opened the door and again, told me to move in.  I did as I was told and before I could move back, Antonio had slammed the door and Jill had pulled the lever.  We had completed our ice bucket challenge! 

Finally, we could relax.  We were allowed to soak in the hot tub, get a massage from a couple more showers, and even had a mini-head massage before heading to our treatments.  We both had 80-minute massages scheduled and we savored every second.  Oscar, my masseur, kept calling out, ‘Saarrah…’ to make sure I was awake.  He even sang to me (I wasn’t sure if that was part of my ‘native tradition’ massage or just because he liked to sing).

After our massages, they braided our hair with local flowers 

Meanwhile, the guys were catching mahi-mahi and even managed to rescue a huge sea turtle from a giant shark.  They noticed the sea turtle at the surface of the water, flapping around in distress, and moved the fishing boat towards him.  When they got there, they saw the shark circling underneath and quickly scooped up the turtle before he became lunch.  The turtle chilled on the boat with the guys for a while before being dropped off in the safety of shallow waters. 



Our heroes!

We met up for lunch on the beach and swapped stories of ice showers and heroic rescues, before doing what we did best on the trip – lounging in the infinity pool drinking Dirty Bananas (chocolate banana smoothies spiked with island rum).


That night, we had dinner at Agave, a Mexican restaurant known for its hella-strong margaritas.  After just one, we were making up words to songs, coming up with chants to cheers with, ordering way too much food, and then gambling the night away with Bobsy in the casino!  Margaritas are good luck for David – who won $40 at the black jack table!
We also met Michael Jackson that night after his tribute show. 





The next morning, we said goodbye to Punta Cana with a horse-back ride along the beach.  It started raining, so we didn’t feel as bad leaving because we couldn’t lie in the pool or swim in the ocean anyway.  



Oh, Bobsy!

It rained so hard! It's a good thing Jill was wearing her swimsuit underneath those white pants!

We found a Dominican Target and Home Depot and Sears... shacks along the beach selling local products like bracelets, paintings, and other souvenirs

But good news for us – we got to extend our vacation by one extra day when we missed our connecting flight in Charlotte!  It could’ve been a terrible situation, but none of us were Debbie Downers and decided to look on the bright side – sleepover in North Carolina! 

When we got back to Austin on Monday, we still didn’t want the vacation to end so we saw the latest Hunger Games film that evening.  When the movie was over, we were sad to say our vacation was also over.  But we vowed to travel together again soon!

This year for Thanksgiving, David and I are thankful for long-lasting friendships.  Even after being away from Texas for four years, we still managed to not only keep the bond with our close friends, but also grow our relationships.  And we’re glad we did because this vacation would not have been nearly as much fun without the Vennesesesesess!