…Attended a Phillies baseball game!

Sunday, August 8th, Reshica and I attended a Phillies professional baseball game!! We booked our tickets using http://www.stubhub.com/philadelphia-phillies-tickets/ a week prior to the game for about $20 a piece, Phillies vs. New York Mets!!

Reshica initially mentioned to me awhile back that one of the things on her to-do list was attend a Phillies baseball game. I was totally for this idea, since I have not stumbled upon many opportunities to attend professional baseball games! So after we booked our tickets, Reshica mentioned how she did not have much knowledge or experience with baseball. While I am not the biggest of baseball fans, but I did play softball in gradeschool and occasionally attend baseball games, I figured I would be able to provide enough education for her to understand the game.

The day before we went to the game, I found Reshica in the kitchen googling “How to learn baseball.” I then decided to start my explanation then, having her google image baseball diamond. So we started there, and I explained the bases, home plate and pitchers mound. The day of the game, I looked up directions on how to get to Citizens Bank Park using the subway system.

So with our directions and tickets and in hand, Reshica and I started off for our adventure! We were both unfamiliar with the certain subway route we took, so we figured it would be best to follow all the other people dressed in Red and White (as this was probably a good indication that they were traveling to the game too)! We arrived at our stop and followed the Red and White crowd to the Park. We passed a concert arena, the Flyers Hockey Arena and a football field as well.

Inside the park, we found our seats (AMAZING seats, especially for the price!!) and were amazed at the view!

We then ventured off before the first pitch to find some yummy ball park food. We found french fries and sodas. I vouched to get the souvenir cup (that was really less than a dollar more than the others) and headed back to our seat just in time for the national anthem.

And so the education began: It was best to explain baseball as it happened. So I informed her of strikes, foul balls, outs, bunts, homeruns, stealing the bases, innings, etc. This actually made the game pretty eventful, because we were each paying close attention to what was going on!

As the game continued, Reshica was catching up and learning the ongoings. She was even feeling bad for the Mets team because some Phillies fans were “booing” the Mets and she was upset that they did not have many fans there to support them.

Hey look – Go Physical Therapy!!!

So the final score was 6-5, and the Phillies won!! It was a very eventful game!

On our way back to the subway, there were people distributing Dr. Pepper drinks and energy drinks for promotion – so on our way to the subway, we picked up a few more drinks! It was a good end to the day!

So who would have thought that Id be teaching baseball, but Id like to say that I made a pretty good teacher :-)

…Been to South Street Philadelphia

So while this is a little bit later than when the event actually happened, I figured it was worthy of still mentioning (because after all, better late than never, right?!).

So Reshica, Kat and myself decided one Saturday night that we should go out on the town – Old City. So it was my responsibility to research good bars/clubs and Kat would take a train into the city to meet up with Reshica and myself. Needless to say, we are not timely individuals, so Kat arrived at our place and about an hour later, Reshica and I were ready about an hour later – oops.

I found that FLUID nightclub had free cover for ladies before 11pm and was located at 4th and South Street. So we decided to take the MFL (Market-Frankford Line) from 34th to 5th street. While we were there, we had to decide the directions ourselves to determine where 4th street was. Needless to say….we started going the wrong direction. At this point, it was shortly before 11 and we were determined to get to FLUID before free cover for ladies was over!!

We finally stumbled upon it, passing South Street. I wish we would have seen more of South Street, because this street has become a tourist landmark.

South Street is an east-west street in the Center City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The stretch of South Street between Front Street and Seventh Street is known for its "bohemian" atmosphere and its diverse and urban mix of shops, bars, and eateries. It is one of Philadelphia's largest tourist attractions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Street_%28Philadelphia%29)

So once we walked into FLUID (http://www.fluidnightclub.com/) we realized it was incredibly dark, minimal people on the dance floor – but we headed straight for the bar. We each ordered a drink (helping Reshica choose a drink that we thought she would enjoy), and were told $9. Initially, this is not a bad price for drinks in the city, but then the bartender told us it was $9 for all 3 drinks, or $3 a piece! Not only was it free cover for ladies, but discount on drinks till midnight!! So Kat and I reached for our debit cards, when the bartender tells us “$30 minimum on cards” !!! WHAT!! Now what were we to do, with $3 drinks and $30 minimum?!?!? Well, Kat decided she would just start a tab, and each of us would get 3 drinks and each owe her $10. So our night began.

We looked around, and realized the atmosphere at this club was not one in which we were very familiar with. So we saw a lonely lit-table in the corner and sat down with our drinks. We enjoyed our time, chatting and sharing stories while we just observed the ongoings at the club. We noticed the DJ approaching the bar, carrying the mic while holding a bottle of vodka in the other hand (talent).

Kat had coworkers who were out at another place in Old City, and since our tab was complete, we decided to move on to the next place! We walked from 4th and South Street to 2nd and Church Street. We walked through a part of Old City with cobblestone streets and brick buildings. It was a beautiful walk.

Once we arrived at the new place, Sugar Mom’s, we met up with Kat’s coworker and some of his friends. One of the greatest things about this bar…they had DUM-DUM lollipops! Ive never seen a bar that served DUM-DUMs! I was so excited that I didnt care about the drinks, I just hung out with everyone and enjoyed the company. While we were out, Reshica had been talking about how she liked the “idea of being from the south” and “southern accents,” so she decided that since we were meeting new people, she would introduce herself as from Kentucky with a country accent. So picture an adorable girl, from Napal, speaking in a decent country accent, telling people she is from Kentucky, with two Kentucky girls (who do NOT have country accents, haha). We were a sight, it was precious.

This was another first for me: It became 2am, and the bar was closing. I have never been out at a bar when they close, because at home the bars do not close until 4am (and I am never out that late!). So the large group of us were gathered together, discussing what we were going to do next. I asked if anyone knew of a Taco Bell/Waffle House/White Castle in Old City, but the response was NO. Really?!? So first of all, the bars close early and second of all….NO food?!? What a difference this was from Louisville’s 4th Street or Bardstown road!

Since it was closing time, and no food was to be seen, Reshica and I decided to venture back to our place. And since the subway stops running after 1230am (go figure, the subway stops before the bars close….hmm..), we had to take the Night Owl bus that runs the same course of the MFL. This was not as predictable as the subway schedule, and we were standing at the bus stop with others for about 45 minutes until the bus arrived. Once it finally did, Reshica asked the driver if he could drop us off right by our place (and he agreed – since it was on the course but not a typical stop). So together we sat on the bus, and watched as more people got on at each stop. The Night Owl, on a Saturday night, at 3am – an ADVENTURE!

We finally made it home…safe and sound – and crashed into bed. We had such a busy night…but I would not have traded it for the world!! Whenever you put Reshica, Kat and myself together = GREAT TIMES!

…Experienced the wonders of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

The date of this should really be August 7, 2010…but since its a little less than a month late, I better tell you all about it!!

My suitemate, Reshica, and I have been saying that we wanted to go to the art museum, but we had yet to get around to it. So that Saturday, we decided to just go for it! So we got ourselves ready and ventured out into the beautiful day (although we totally under predicted the heat of the beautiful day and wore jeans…when we probably would have best with something with less coverage!). So we took the MFL (Market-Frankford Line) to 30th street station and walked the Schuylkill River Trail all the way towards the art museum. This was a wonderful walk along the Schuylkill River and is available for walkers, runners, bikers, and all those just experiencing the glories of the day by the river. This walk was a decent walk, but with the sites all around us, we did not notice how far we had really walked!

Once we actually arrived to the Art Museum, we found the bathroom and wiped off our faces from the heat of the day (shew…) and then went to purchase our tickets. Reshica is a pharmaceutical intern and had been told that with her ID badge, she received free admission to the Art Museum. So together we walked up to the counter, she presented her ID badge and the lady kindly told us, “With your ID, you and a guest receive FREE admission.” I was blown away! I was not too excited to pay the $16 admission, but figured the Art Museum would be worth it – but now that I did not have to pay at all…well this was EVEN BETTER! With your admission to the museum, you receive a quaint little tag to place on your clothing, so that all security members know that you are a “paying” customer. Such a cute little idea.

So we put our tags on, and ventured out into the LARGE museum to see what we can learn! We walked up the large marble staircase (and when we descended the staircase, I mentioned how it made me feel like the movie, Titanic, when Jack is awaiting Rose at the landing of the staircase in the boat – corny ??) to find large exhibit hall entrances. We essentially started with Asian/European 1500 and worked our way to more contemporary art.

I had no idea what to expect once we walked in, but I never would have realized what I would learn that day! Together, Reshica and I made an interesting pair, because I was raised Roman Catholic in America and she was raised Hindu in Napal. So each of us were able to educate the other on significant pieces that represented our cultures. I provided information regarding Christ and Christianity, while she was aware of some of the history since she has been in America for 4 years now. But I spoke about the life of Jesus, importance of Saints, Stations of the Cross, the Crucifixion of Jesus and the importance of images regarding Mary. The exhibit halls were spectacular and seemed endless.

You would walk in, and feel as if you were actually in a French Cathedral, or feel as if you were stepping foot within a French flat with decorations from the chandeliers, to the window treatments, to the paintings to the furniture. You feel as if you are actually in the buildings, almost as if they took a crane and lofted the architecture and placed it into the museum!! Just look!

When we walked more into the Asian/European art, we startled stumbling across more Asian influence and Reshica was able to educate me on all the different gods and stories of the becoming of the gods. This was such a learning experience, that I know I would not have received had I gone with anyone else.

Just look at this fountain and architecture. The museum made it as if you are actually there with all the ambience. It was fantastic the way it was set up. And this doorway was enormous!! I could not even get the whole doorway in the shot!! All the stone and marble seemed seamlessly placed, as if it was built there.

Myself and Reshica in front of the LARGE marble staircase!!

A view to the outside, all the way to Center City. There were about 3 bridal parties taking their pictures out by the fountain.

We made our way through the museum, and ventured downstairs for the Contemporary Art exhibit…until…..a museum worker notified us that the museum was closing in 5 minutes and chances were that we were not going to see the rest of the exhibit. Mind you, we had only seen one room and the other two exhibits took us about an hour to get through each – So chances were that we were not going to see much contemporary art!

We left the museum and chose to walk through the rest of the city. While we were walking around the side, we saw a large line of people waiting…and then I realized….ROCKY!! We had to stop by the Rocky statue and get our picture!!

So the statue is sitting out front the museum, but it had its own line of people taking pictures with it, a man who deemed himself in charge of coordinating the line and even a man selling pretzels/water and ROCKY t-shirts!! It was its own tourist attraction!! So here we are!! GO ROCKY!

Overall, we had such a great day!! Who would have thought a simple Saturday, out at the Museum would become so educational!

So hope you enjoyed your tour of the museum….FREE OF CHARGE!

Been To New York City!

Saturday, July 24th, my suitemate, Reshica, and friend Kat, and I decided to head on up to New York City. We looked into the best way to travel to Manhattan, and we found the MegaBus which is a double decker bus that travels to many locations (one being Manhattan) for cheap rates. If you book your rate in far enough advance, you can purchase your tickets for $1! But sadly we did not purchase them in enough time and ours were about $12.

So Saturday morning, Reshica traveled to the bust stop…only to receive a phone call from Kat to say that the bus was LEAVING…without us!!! Kat was on the bus and we watched as she rode right past us. Fortunately, there was a bus in the next hour that Reshica and I could catch to then meet up with Kat (who would get into NYC an hour and half before us). So we wasted time at 30th Street Station until our bus arrived. We had to wait in line, almost as if we were on standby to make sure there were seats for us. Again, we were lucky enough to grab seats on this bus! We were now NYC bound!!

We arrived and met up with Kat about 1pm that afternoon at New York, 7th Ave & 28th St. At that point, Kat had already searched for food places and shopping so that once we arrived, we could grab some food. We ended up finding a delicious pizza place (my First NYC pizza), which had a large selection of pizzas. You searched for your option, told the workers and they placed your pieces in the oven to heat them up. I chose a chicken parmesan pizza and a broccoli/chicken pizza (which were both huge slices and very, very delicious)! Kat decided since she did not finish both pieces, that she would wrap up the second piece and give it to a homeless person (who we figured would graciously accept).

So we ventured out, into the city. With no real idea of what to do. Luckily, Reshica had a fellow intern that was living in NYC during the weekends who was willing to meet up with us. So we traveled from 7th Ave around town to meet her. I forgot to mention that the day we decided to go, was the hottest day NYC had seen this year (over 100), which was not entirely typical for them. So along the way, we found a 7-eleven store and bought Slurpies (Reshica’s first).

Once we found Megan, she started talking about things we could do in the city. We decided to trust her, and let her take us all over! So we went down to the subway, grabbed a metro pass and jumped on! We were headed to Battery Park and the Staten Island Ferry. Once we arrived to the Ferry, we had to wait inside for the next arriving Ferry. This is a free ferry which takes you over to Staten Island, past Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It didnt hurt either to take a boat on such a hot day! Once the Ferry arrived, everyone was hustling through the doorway to get onto the Ferry. I couldnt help but think that this seemed (to a minor degree) what Immigration was like. A large mass of people, trying to fit through a doorway to get onto the Ferry to take them to the new land. While on the Ferry, we stood up top to get a perfect view of the New York Harbor.

The ferry is the only non-vehicular mode of transportation between Staten Island and Manhattan. NYC DOT operates and maintains the nine vessel fleet as well as the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island, Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Manhattan, the City Island and Hart Island Facilities, The Battery Maritime Building and all floating dock building equipment. The 5 mile, 25 minute ride also provides a majestic view of New York Harbor and a no-hassle, even romantic, boat ride, for free! One guide book calls it "One of the world's greatest (and shortest) water voyages." (http://www.siferry.com/)

Upon leaving the Ferry, we traveled over to Ground Zero. This was a definite adventure and I was so grateful for the opportunity. We walked the blocks around Ground Zero and it was at that point that I realized how extensive the site was. There was construction all over and security check points to enter into the sites. We walked on over to the World Financial Center, which was a fantastic building in and of itself.

The World Financial Center is a complex of buildings across West Street from the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan in New York City, overlooking the Hudson River. This complex is home to offices of companies including Merrill Lynch, Nomura Group, the Wall Street Journal and American Express, as well as Dow Jones among others. The entire complex is owned by Brookfield Properties, except for the space occupied by American Express (which American Express owns). The complex also serves as the corporate headquarters for Brookfield Properties, which has its headquarters in Tower Three.

Designed by César Pelli, with Adamson Associates, the complex was built by Olympia and York between 1985 and 1988 on landfill used to build Battery Park City. The fill material came from dirt excavated during the building of the World Trade Center, as well as garbage, dirt and debris.

Portions of the complex, especially the Winter Garden, were severely damaged in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but have since been reopened after significant repairs.

The complex has its own zip code, 10281. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Financial_Center)

”

This building was so large and beautiful, and provided a nice escape from the city life. There is one large wall that serves as a window to overlook Ground Zero. It was here that you are able to look at the surroundings and see how much work is being done. It is mind blowing to see numerous sky-scrapper building and right there is a large and massive hole in the ground. Together, we were recalling the events to Reshica (who is living in the US for college, originally from Napal), and the recollection of events made me stop and pause. Wow….September 11 happened here…It really happened…and this is what is left…

We stayed here for some time…just talking. It was serene to just walk around the wonderful building and reflect on what this was…

We decided to head out of the World Financial Center and head over to Rockafellar Center to visit the Top of the Rock, which we wanted to catch before total night fall!

We traveled through the subway and by foot to Rockafellar Center. This was a really interesting walk, with lots of sights to see.

Rockefeller Center or Rockefeller Plaza is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres (89,000 m²) between 48th and 51st streets in New York City. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockefeller_Center)

The Top of the Rock allows you the opportunity to stand on top of the Rockafellar Center to observe all of NYC at its finest. You travel 70 stories up to be able to visit on multiple levels of the building to view NYC. This is a large tourist attraction and was a wonderful opportunity. I felt so much at peace just walking around and taking pictures.

Central Park The Hudson River

Times Square

Lovely View!!!

Empire State Building

After leaving the Top of the Rock, we had to hurry back to pick up our bus at Penn Station. We grabbed a taxi which took us through Times Square. So even though we didn’t officially see Times Square, at least I got to see a drive by view of it!!

We had already missed our scheduled return bus, but there was a bus that was an hour later than what we selected. So we had to wait in line, anxiously anticipating the bus and hoping that there were enough seats for the 3 of us!!! We sat, stood, hoped and prayed that there would be enough room….AND THERE WAS!! We were able to pick up the bus and head back home!! Overall, the bus was a fantastic way to travel, because the seats were similar to a Greyhound bus and provided a bathroom (which was handy after a long day in the city!).

We eventually made it home, traveling back to 30th street station where Kat took another train back to her place and Reshica and I grabbed a taxi to take us the rest of the way home.

Overall, we had a fantastic day and I felt so grateful for the opportunity. Thanks for riding along with me!

Coming soon…

- Trip to NYC

- The Girls out on the Town

- Phillies Game!

- Josh comes to visit Philly

Passed out while at work…

It was Monday morning, July 12, and I was ready to start back to my internship for a full week since returning from my total thyroidectomy. Today was now two peeks post op, and I could remove my steri-strips today. I was having a hard time determining if I should remove them before or after work, and finally decided I would wait until I came home from work. Well, as I realized, not all things go as planned.

It was about 10am, and I was in a patient’s room in the PICU with my Clinical Instructor, an Occupational Therapist, an OT student and the patient's nurse. The patient’s room whom I was in, was intubated and sedated, so I was delivering Passive Range of Motion (PROM) to her lower extremities. I had completed the stretches on her right leg, so I started working on her left leg. While I was starting to stretch her ankle, I started to feel lightheaded, have tunnel vision and cold fingers. With this, I tried to stay calm and mentioned to my CI that I wasn’t feeling well and needed to sit down. I walked over to the high back nurses chair in the room and sat down. About this time, I was starting to loose more vision, and heard my CI mention how she was going to grab some juice for me. In the meantime, the nurse had noticed all the color in my face had disappeared and my lips were white. She then decided if I were to pass out, it would be best not to do so in a chair that is about 5 feet off the ground. So she walked me over to the bedside couch, and in the meantime she mentioned that I lost consciousness for about 10 seconds.

The next thing I remember is seeing my hands on the couch. I mentioned that I thought I was still on the other chair. I was a little “out of it” to say the least. By this point, Kat, my CI had returned with some apple juice. I started drinking this and realized that sweat was dripping like crazy down my face, chest and back. Since the nurse, OT and my CI were talking about how long I was out, and my color, I asked if my color had returned. With a concerned chuckle, they said, “Nooot really.” They then decided to take a blood pressure reading, which read 57/30 (Well, this is not too good…). The next thing I realize, is there is a full team of residents, PICU nurses, and security in my room. I thought that they were doing rounds on the patient whose room I was in and almost called out to them “Sorry I am in your way. Do not mind me, keep doing what you need to with the patient.” Little did I know that I WAS the patient now. They had called Rapid Response on me and they were now lying me back on the couch, raising my legs, testing my blood glucose levels, listening to my heart and breath sounds, starting an IV (which later on hurt because my veins in my hand were not well inflated, but at the time I felt no pain) and drawing blood.

They had seen my steri-strips and asked me about my surgery. I mentioned to them that I have been struggling with my Calcium levels and that today I had noticed an increase in my tingling. So the next thing, there is a gurney in the room, two security officers and they are talking about transporting me to the next door hospital (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania) via the underground tunnel. I looked around the room and saw the Rehab Physical Therapy Supervisor standing with my Clinical Instructor, talking about getting my items out of my locker downstairs.

So security is transporting me out of CHOP, through an underground tunnel (which reminded me of something similar to the underground railroad system) and to a pair of elevators that were painted like a rainforest jungle. One of the PICU nurses that was with me mentioned that I would soon realize that I was no longer in a children’s hospital (and boy was she right!). The atmosphere was totally different. When we arrived in the Emergency Department at HUP, there was more security officers and nurses awaiting my arrival (talk about an entrance). This was nice, because I didn’t have to wait to be seen.

So while I was there, they took a lot of blood and urine specimen to determine a reason as to my fainting. I had to go through my whole patient history, medical background and recent surgery. I also had to share with them that over the past 2-3 days, I had been having increased “bowel movements” (ok, I will be mature and say the word I really hate, “diarrhea”). Then all the nurses and attendings were gone for some time, awaiting my results.

It was incredibly nice that the physical therapy department at CHOP ensured that I was never alone. They made sure there was always one supervisor with me at all times. This helped me feel more at ease. It didn’t help that the ED was in the basement and I could not get any signal, so one of the supervisors would take my phone out and informed my parents of what was going on.

Then the attending came back, saying that my calcium levels were low, as well as several of my electrolytes (potassium and magnessium) and they would not feel comfortable with me walking out around society with levels this low, therefore the were going to admit me and give me fluids and monitor my response. Great. I have been out of the hospital for only 10 days, and here I am going right back in. So my supervisor called mom back and informed her and mom decided that she was going to find a flight out of Louisville that afternoon and fly into Philadelphia that night.

If I thought a Western Philadelphia Emergency Department was interesting, I was unprepared for the rooms that were upstairs. Now, this hospital is number 9 out of the top 10 hospitals in the nation, so it really is a nice place (medically) but the building appeared very old and they were squeezing a lot of things into a small place. (But then again, nothing could really compare to the Park Towers at Baptist East!).

So the rest of the day consisted of being admitted into my room, being seen my a team of endocrinologists, a team of internal medicine doctors and my nurse. By the time I got to my room, it was about 4pm. By then, one of the supervisors was out getting me lunch and then they were switching shifts of staying with me. It was really nice to have them around, because nothing is worse than being in a hospital, than if you are in a hospital 670 miles away from home and family. My room was not too bad. I had a roommate who was very sweet. The things that I thought were funny, was that I only had three channels on my TV (fit TV, ABC family, and some MSN news like channel). If I wanted more channels, I would have to pay via credit card to receive more. Also, my phone in the room could receive free calls, but in order to make calls, I needed to pay via credit card. How interesting…

The evening actually went quick. I had been receiving a plethora of fluids (IV, potassium, magnessium, calcium) because the overall reason they thought I fainted and or felt the way I did was due to dehydration and depletion of my electrolytes secondary to the diarrhea. So on top of my imbalance in calcium, I took myself to further levels. The Rehab supervisor was now with me and she generously went back to my room and picked up a few items for me as well as dinner. She stayed all the way until mom was in a cab at the airport (around midnight) before she went home. She was incredibly sweet.

Mom had arrived and it seemed like it was 10 days earlier with the two of us living in the hospital. (Sad thought, actually). Mom and I received the results of my blood tests and it seemed like my levels were responding very well to the fluids and my levels had climbed back up – yay.

So the next morning, the team rounded on me and decided to give me a little more fluids and send me home later that day. This was a good sign, since it took me several days to have my levels return to baseline before. During the day, I was visited by the other PT student at CHOP who came in on her way in for the morning. It was nice to catch up, because we were initially planning to grab lunch together on Wednesday to catch up – so I guess this took its place. And then around lunch time, my CI and one of the PT supervisors came by. It was nice to be far from home, yet still have visitors. Overall, the experience was a good one because the results turned out well. Mom and I made sure to find our own fun in the breakfast and lunch they brought us (they brought both of us a lunch plate that she ordered, which was handy so she didn’t have to walk to the cafe)!

I was discharged around 5:30 and transported down to the main entrance where mom had a decent adventure using the cab hotline to catch a cab. We took the cab about 6-7 blocks to my place and the two of us ventured up to my small room to crash. That night we picked up Italian from up the street and chatted the rest of the night. It was nice to see her again, since the last time I said bye, I was unsure of the next time I would see her. So overall, it was a bittersweet time. Neither of us were happy about the situation that required her to come up here, but we were both happy to have the time to spend together that we otherwise would not have had.

So I thought my excitement for Monday, July 12th was going to be taking off my steri-strips…BOY was I wrong!

Traveled to Redding Terminal Market…

On Saturday, July 10th, my suitemate, Reshica and I decided to travel to the Farmer’s Market at Redding Terminal Market. I had heard several suitemates talking about the great prices and produce available there, so I decided it was time for me to travel there too!

So Reshica and I had talked about going earlier in the week, so she stopped by to see if I wanted to go. We got our bags ready and walked to the 34th street station for the Market-Frankford Line that would take us right to 11th street for the Redding Terminal Market. We walked right out of the train station, and only had to cross a small street to get right into the market.

This is a must-see place for anyone who visits Philadelphia. This terminal market has just about everything from produce farmer’s market, meat stations, fish stations, florists, ice cream, Indian and Pakistani foods, Thai, Chinese, etc, etc. Below is the map of the entire market and shows all the booths.

Today, the Reading Terminal Market, considered by many as one of the finest public markets in the U.S., blends together state-of-the-art systems technology without sacrificing its historical integrity. It’s not only a popular hometown attraction, but also the most popular Philadelphia tourist destination after the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. More than 80 merchants offer patrons fresh produce, meats, fish, groceries, flowers, baked goods, crafts, books, clothing, as well as hard-to-find specialties and ethnic foods. Shopping and dining become a pleasure in this warm, inviting, and unique atmosphere. The Reading Terminal Market, as it was over a hundred years ago, is reminiscent of personal, neighborhood shopping, and still offers something for everyone. A trip to Philadelphia would not be complete without stopping here.

http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/about/somethingforeveryone

So as you can see, this market place has a little bit of everything! The farmer’s market is insanely cheap. I got: 4 kiwis, two heads of broccoli, 2 apricots, 2 cucumbers, and 2 green peppers for $4.10 (and that is even WITHOUT the student discount that they have every Sunday and Wednesday)! Reshica and I found our treasures and walked around some, but it is such a large place that you almost need to spend hours in (almost like a flea market) because you will never see it all in one quick tour!

From there, we traveled to Chinatown, because I mentioned to Reshica that I have never been to a Chinatown. She warned me that it was going to smell odd (and boy did it ever)! It was an odd smell, one that I could not describe if I wanted to. I was very tempted to go in one of the dozens of Chinese restaurants, but I wondered if I really wanted some food, how would I know WHICH one to go in?!?! There were too many to decide. Chinatown was about 4 blocks deep and 4 blocks wide. It was filled with other farmer’s markets, restaurants and several knick-knack type of stores. It was a very interesting adventure, but Reshica and I were talking throughout our walk that I almost missed most of it!

From Chinatown, we went into the Gallery which is connected to the 11th street SEPTA station. It declares itself to be:

Sensational Shopping in Center City Philadelphia

The Gallery at Market East is prominently located in the heart of Philadelphia’s thriving Center City. Adjacent to major historical attractions, The Gallery is amazingly convenient and bustling with activity. More than 40,000 people enter The Gallery each day for great stores and eateries, all accessible through one of the city’s busiest transportation hubs. With its giant directory sculptures and soaring four-story atrium, The Gallery is one of the city’s premier shopping destinations.

http://www.galleryatmarketeast.com/about_us

The Gallery was a neat place because it had stores that I recognized, such as Old Navy, Burlington Coat Factory, Claires, Bath and Body Works, but there were also stores that were not familiar. These included Five Below (which is similar to a Dollar General except that all items range from $1-$5), Kicks USA, Underground Market, and several others. While we were walking around, Reshica decided that she wanted to get her left cartilage pierced (and who am I to tell someone not to), so I supported her! We walked into a store and I helped her decide which color gem she should get and helped her decide at which location on her cartilage she should get it pierced. It was a fun and eventful time, and completely out of the blue! Overall, she was pleased with her decision and she said that it doesn’t hurt even now (which is awesome).

From the Gallery, I had mentioned an exchange store, Buffalo Exchange, that I had stumbled upon when I ventured into the city once before. Reshica was enthralled by the idea, so we decided to head there next. On the way through the city, we stumbled across LOVE Park, which I had been wanting to see! This is a park that was built in the 1960’s at the eastern end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway across from City Hall.

LOVE Park in Philadelphia is famous as a mixed-use urban space and world capital of skateboarding, celebrated by millions as one of the most recognized landmarks of a $2 billion-a-year industry.

http://www.ushistory.org/lovepark/

To me, this park is extremely special because of the fantastic LOVE sign at one of the ends of the fountain. So Reshica told me that she would take my picture in front of the sign (YAY!). While I was standing in line (yes, there was a line to get your picture taken with this sign, it is that popular), we noticed a wedding party that had stopped at the park to take pictures in front of the water fountains and I am only certain that the LOVE sign was also included in their pictures (adorable thought!).

I hope that when more people come to visit, this is a place that we can come for SEVERAL photo opportunities! I LOVE Love Park!

We finally found Buffalo Exchange and had a nice time looking around for clothes. We each found a treasure and while we were there, we both decided that we needed to take a NYC trip with another suitemate of ours (Alyssa), and find more exchange stores. I have so far found 3 fabulous finds at this store and it is always fun because every time you go in, there are new items. People can buy, sell or trade clothing. So if you are willing, you can find some fantastic finds!

We ventured back to our place, with bags full of produce and clothes. We decided to close off the evening watching Grey’s Anatomy episodes on my Netflix account and eating popcorn. I would say it was an overall fantastic Saturday out on the town. Not only did I find some great places, but I also found a great friend in my suitemate.

Thanks for traveling along with me!