Philly and New Haven

After leaving DC, we spent one night in Philadelphia and then headed into Connecticut. Our place in Philly was very unique and spacious, and the owner of the Air BnB was kind and hospitable.

We arrived at around 1pm on Wednesday and set out on our journey to downtown. We took the train, and after one sprinting confusion about Eastbound vs Westbound, we figured everything out. Before we left for the trip, Bella reached out to the curator at the Fabric Workshop and Museum downtown, and he had a coworker give us a full tour of the museum, including not only the exhibition but also the studio and working spaces. I was really impressed by the current exhibition on display, which related to how bodies are represented by and interact with fabric. We also bought cute pins and finger puppets but left them at the bar we ate dinner at. 😦

We went to a local bar for happy hour, a recommendation from the museum staff. We got some really good burgers and fries for just $10 each. We then stopped by two of my favorite stores, Nordstrom Rack and Buffalo Exchange, on the way back to the Air BnB, where I got a cool vest that I’ve been wanting from my favorite brand, Free People, for half off and a pair of pajama pants from Urban Outfitters, also for half off. We finally headed back to our place and took a very refreshing shower. We actually stayed awake until 11:30pm that night, which I think is actually our latest night of the trip. Philly was a fun day trip, but I’m not sure I’d ever want to live there or spend more than a few days there.

The next morning, we walked a few blocks to a local coffee shop and split a bagel. I got an iced latte with raspberry syrup, and it was one of the best coffees I’ve had in a while. We then headed back to the Air BnB to quickly pack and try to get through NYC traffic before rush hour. However, once we began our drive, we realized that the federal holiday meant that many people were off work and instead taking day trips. Our 3.5 hour drive was about 5 hours, but we eventually made it, and the Connecticut part of the drive was absolutely beautiful, with bright green trees and blue skies the whole way. We didn’t stop until we got to CT, but it was cool to see the NYC skyline, too. In the Northeast, they have these cool service areas that resemble rest areas, right off the interstate, but they have gas pumps and different fast food restaurants all in one convenient cluster. On this drive, I also watched my brand new sunglasses fly off of the hood of my car onto the interstate, as I realized I sat them up there to get the bikes onto the bike racks before we left. I have taken a few sad losses this trip indeed.

Our place in CT is beautiful. The neighborhood is similar to neighborhoods in old North Knox, with nice sidewalks, flowers, etc. The Air BnB host lives here with her daughters, all who are extremely kind, happy, and welcoming. We decided to ride our bikes to downtown New Haven for dinner, and we went to a place called Barracuda, recommended to us by the host. I don’t know what I expected New Haven to be like, but it was certainly more of a city vibe than I thought it would be. Regardless, the food–a chicken quesadilla and short rib tacos–was really good, and we biked the 4.8 miles back to our room after cleaning our plates. Once we got back, I went on my 2.5 mile run, and Bella rode around on her bike beside me through the different neighborhoods. We ran through a sprinkler near the end, and it was the best feeling in the world. I am so excited to make it to the ocean in the next few days.

Although I hate getting sweaty and tired, I’ve really started to appreciate the relief of the nice shower I get to take after. However, it seems that while these areas are humid and hot, Cape Cod’s weather is much cooler and drier in comparison. Next week, the hottest day in Cape Cod is 79º, while in DC, it is 98º. Maybe not beach weather, but certainly amazing biking and farmers market shopping weather.

Tomorrow, we are planning on finding a local coffee shop (we ran out of homemade espresso until we make it to Provincetown, so we are using it as an excuse to see the coffee scenes) and then going to the various Yale museums, including an art museum and a museum of natural history. I also want to have time to go to some of the museums in Mystic, CT, so we’ll probably get on out of here after our museum visits. I can’t believe we’re actually in the Northeast; everything seems so similar yet so different to the South. I’m really grateful for this entire trip and the opportunity to spend each day just moving with my body and meeting my needs.