Dave and I had a pleasant weekend, although with a bit extra effort due to the unprecedented Pope's visit to Philadelphia on Sep 26-27. We wanted to walk around the Fairmount park during Dave's visit and the Friday before the big event seemed to be the best time we could try. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is also right next to the park, although it was closed in preparation for the event. There was notice that many roads would be closed, but we only realized how serious it was after we got off the bus and saw guards everywhere, with their fancy army jeeps. Nevertheless, we passed the security and walked quite a long way before we eventually arrived at the park and saw the river. On the way to the park, we also passed the Whole Foods market (Yay! Best place to get fruit tarts!) Before long, some army officers informed us that we would not be allowed to walk back the way we came if we continued on. At this point, a walk into the park didn't seem to be optimal. So we decided to go to Chinatown and enjoy a nice Dim Sum lunch.
Once you are at Chinatown and you are also an Asian-food lover, you'll realize there are too many options. We tried the Dim Sum Garden, a decent looking restaurant with reasonable reviews, and ordered juicy pork dumplings, steamed veggie dumplings, scallion pancakes and fried pumpkin cakes. Everything was splendid, except for the pumpkin cakes (in my opinion), which were cooked differently from what I remembered. When there's a chance for a visit to China, especially Shanghai, we should definitely check out the fried pumpkin cakes. They are so delicious!
Although it was only Friday, people started gathering on the streets. We saw lots of guests wearing specially designed T-shirts and transparent backpacks getting off the buses. They were here for the World Meeting of Families and the Pope. I wanted to show Dave the interesting market that I found a while ago, and it was right next to the crowd. After a little hesitation, we decided to go inside anyway and look for the lovely donuts from Beiler's Bakery. There were lots of people walking and lots of stands selling a variety of foods, some of which reminded me of European style farmer's markets. Maybe we went from the wrong end, but we didn't see the bakery and instead went into a candy shop. Dave was excited to see his favorite licorice on the shelf, while I got some honey roasted cashews and raisins. "This seems to be an OK place", said Dave, "and we should come back next time." "Certainly, my captain!" I replied. Next time we shall find the donuts!
(to be continued: Sunday)
Salmon Omelet
Dave looking through a window
Guess what's in front of us?
That afternoon we walked around the campus, checked out the Art Museum and the bookstore. I still like this place a lot, as I did when I first visited more than two years ago. I asked Dave what he thought of the city. He said, "Splendid! It would be quite a nice place to live." There are more signs of Fall in Princeton than Philly, but it's another beautiful season.
We returned to Philly around 7pm and went to Ramen Bar for dinner. This was our first time trying out ramen in Philly and we both liked it! Nothing is more fulfilling than a bowel of delicious soup on a windy fall evening.
