My beautiful cousin, Ruth, got married in Doylestown, PA, and I, having never been to Philadelphia before, flew in the night before the rehearsal dinner and saw as much of the city as I could.

I never disliked history class in school. It was easier than English, math and science and I think I found it as interesting as I could. As a teenager, my primary focus was on friends, boyfriends, and sports, so there were a lot of priorities to manage and I did my best. You understand. As an adult, I hadn’t given history much thought until 23andMe, Ancestry and shows like Outlander came into my life and sparked my interest again.

Philadelphia - the birthplace of the United States, established in the late 1600s - is an amazing combination of historic charm, culture and metropolitan convenience. There’s great food, beer, shopping, walkability, art and museums, sports, diversity, music. Philly is an eclectic vibe.

I stayed at the Warwick Hotel Rittenhouse Square and after arriving late in the afternoon, I went out to explore the area. I ordered the lobster at Devon Seafood Grill, perused stores like Anthropologie and Madewell on Walnut Street, and got drenched in the rain on my way to get ice cream at Van Leeuwen. The next morning, I woke up determined to see as much as I could, so I walked east on Walnut towards City Hall. I skipped the official tour but walked around Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the constitution were signed. I then went past the Liberty Bell, Carpenter Hall, First Bank of the United States, and stopped in the Museum of American Revolution. It was more sobering that I expected, and I was able to take it in much differently that years ago in school, especially given the state of America and politics today. On to more fun things, like LOVE Park and Reading (pronounced Redding soooo ok) Terminal Market. The food? Incredible. The options? Overwhelming in the best way. I had the best salad of my life at Molly Malloy’s. Yes, I said salad. I chose a salad over a cheesesteak. Judge away.

That concluded my trip. I missed the art museum, the Rocky stairs, and a half dozen other things from a list I’d found on Pinterest. My best advice? Do a little research on things to see and places to eat (like this), stay in a central location, and then just open your maps app and start walking (until you’re tired and then grab an Uber to another part of the city). Until next time, Philly!