Last year, we started a new family travel tradition..... a Fall Road Trip. Last year, we drove up the West Coast to Carmel-by-the-Sea as a family of 3, and this year we went on our first 3-day East Coast road trip as a family of 4! We chose to do an adventure trip with both the city and country vibe, in the neighboring state of Pennsylvania. Its the best season to hit the road, because its not too cold yet and the foliage is so colorful! We drove 6 1/2 hours to the city of Philadelphia, driving through the Alleghany National Forest (where we also made potty stops.) Hey, when nature calls, you're only choice is to go pee "au natural" ...... lucky for Taj, he had his potty with him! (not so lucky for the rest of us, hee hee)
Once we made it to Philadelphia, 7ish on Friday evening, we checked-in to Embassy Suites (our favorite family hotel by far...... we refuse to stay anywhere else now since we are spoiled with a 2 -room suite and cooked-to-order breakfast.) We had a late dinner at TGI Fridays, then had a family slumber party. The boys slept so good in the cribs the hotel provided, (we brought our own crib sheets and a humidifier for Jax since he had a little cold)
Rise and Shine! The next morning, admiring the view of the museums from our 19th floor room balcony!
Breakfast in the city. We filled up our tummies and went sight-seeing.
Historic Philadelphia
Independence Hall
I loved the East Coast brick architecture, and all the historic buildings. We think Philly is one of the oldest largest cities in the US, so there are many beautiful historic buildings and churches. A little mix of Europe meets the East Coast.
Viewing the Liberty Bell through the window, the line to go inside was outrageous so we just did a little window viewing and picture taking instead :)
After our stroller tour of the city, we got in our car and drove 30 minutes out of the city to our favorite street....... Sesame Street! Yes! The ONLY Sesame Street theme park in the US: Sesame Place! Taj and Jax were in Elmo heaven! Both boys adore the Sesame Street characters, especially Elmo!
When we drove back to the hotel later that evening, we got in just in time before the big rainstorm hit. It was very cool watching the lightning and listening to thunder from our hotel room way up high. The lightning flashes would illuminate the city skyline. After we finished bathing and putting the boys to bed, Brad went on a mission to find an authentic Philly cheesesteak sandwich. When he came back to the room, the storm was over, and we pigged out on Philly cheesesteaks and watched the city's artsy light show outside.
After spending the last
almost 4 months out on the lake in rural nature, it was really fun to visit a big urban city! I love the hum of the city, the sound of taxi cabs and cars, the sights of skyscrapers and historic buildings, all the dining and shopping options, touring the city on foot, the action and interesting people, the smell of car smog, motorcycles, and air pollution (LOL). It really is fun to pop in and spend a couple nights in the fast-pace crazy city life (even with kids!), but then its even nicer to drive back home to serenity and wide open spaces. I think as a couple, Brad and I, will make many city visits to the neighboring East Coast cities, for weekend-long dates. Most cities (NYC, Boston, Massachusetts, Chicago, etc) are only a 1 hour flight, so we could just fly in, wine and dine for a couple nights, and have a romantic weekender! Why not, right?
After our second night in the city of Philly, we hit the road home the next morning, making a special stop at ?????......... oooooooh this second part to our road trip deserves its own post! Stay tuned!
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