A few months ago, I decided to take a mini vacation to celebrate my birthday in September. I planned a solo long weekend in Philadelphia, a city I had not visited in decades even though it’s a short train ride away from my hometown of New York.
Getting there
Took the Amtrak Acela (the closest thing to a high-speed train in the U.S.) from Moynihan Train Hall in NY Penn Station to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. It took an hour and 12 minutes! My daily commute from central Queens to my office downtown used to take an hour and 15 minutes on a good day, when the subway lines were running on time, and an hour and a half when they weren’t.
Where I stayed
My home away from home was La Réserve B&B, a few blocks south of Rittenhouse Square. Lovely and comfortable lodgings in a very walkable and convenient location.
What I did
The focus of this short trip was art and food. I spent much of my arrival day at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and much of the next day at the Barnes Foundation and the Rodin Museum.
I loved them all! Joined the PMoA (which includes entrance to the Rodin) and the Barnes, because there is so much to see at both and they are close enough for a day or weekend trip.
After soaking up all this culture on days 1 and 2, I spent day 3 at Reading Terminal Market. What a place! I hit the vendors I had planned to and marveled at all the rest.
My chosen spots were:
- Sparrow’s, which sells gluten-free snacks, including—get this!—SOFT PRETZELS, which were just about my favorite food in the world when I could eat anything. I bought four pretzels (two twists and two braids), which I am delighted to report made it home safely in my prepacked ziplock bag and reheated beautifully in my toaster oven.
Pennsylvania General Store, for edible and nonedible souvenirs for the family
Bassett’s, the oldest ice cream parlor in the U.S. Sadly, no gluten-free cones, so I ordered a cup of pistachio and sat at the counter enjoying it while people-watching and viewing the video about the company’s history. It was a “small” cup, but it served as my lunch and kept me full until dinner time!