philadelphia freedom

Last weekend, Renee and I flew up to The City of Brotherly Love to visit Gene and Laura and run, or attempt to run, a half marathon. We arrived early afternoon on Friday and were greeted by Laura at the airport. Laura gives a fantastic tour of Philadelphia, which we began soon after picking up our race packets in the busy Temple University area. First stop was the Reading Terminal Market where we bought delicious pretzels from an Amish man (somehow a joke got started about how I was attracted to the Amish man and I didn't live it down all weekend. While not unattractive, I wouldn't so much say that I had the hots for this bearded, suspendered specimen). There were all sorts of things to buy at the market, and it was buzzing with people. It was really cool to see Amish people. From there we moved on to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. We saw the ink well that was used to sign the constitution. Pretty neat. We took a long, cold walk through Old Town and by the river where you can see New Jersey on the opposite shore. It was beautiful at night.

The next day we ate breakfast at this quaint little diner called Morning Glory. It was voted best breakfast in Philly and for good reason - we all raved about our meals. I ate the best pancakes I've ever had. From there we headed to the Italian market where Gene and Laura purchased freshly grated cheese, fresh pasta, and shrimp for the delicious dinner that Laura prepared that night. I had never had fresh pasta before - it was awesome. I hope there is somewhere in Birmingham to buy it.

The next morning, Gene drove us to the downtown area where we were running the half marathon. Neither of us had trained much for the race, Renee due to an incredibly overstuffed schedule, me due to an injury. We weren't sure that we'd even make it through the first couple of miles, but we ended up running the entire race (with the exception of a couple of inclines) and finished only a few minutes slower than my first race time. I was happy with that. It was a great course and I would definitely like to run it again when I'm more prepared. It would be a great route for a first race, too. We wore our race blankets around our waists like skirts on the long trek back to the house, and they proved to be great conversation pieces. Despite surely looking like trash, we had several conversations with attractive Northern boys about the race (may I say the the people who voted Philly the most unattractive city are clearly insane). That night we went to Gene and Laura's church, City Church, and then headed home early to crash.

The next day, we spent most of our time trying to find our way around the city and spent a good deal of time on the subway and the train. We ate lunch at a fancy Cuban restaurant called Alma de Cuba, did a little shopping, lost and then found Renee's purse, and headed back to the airport for our flight home. It was a great trip and a cool city. I hope to return again soon!

Thanks again, Gene and Laura for being such generous hosts!