I thought I was being smart leaving a bit after 5 am for my 13-hour drive to Philadelphia Friday morning, but it ended up putting me into the city right smack dab in the middle of rush hour. It’s more than a bit disconcerting when the time-until-arrival on the GPS keeps increasing, no matter how much further along I get!
After arrival, parking is always the issue. The block where our daughter’s apartment is located has free parking on either side. Everywhere else, you can park overnight or two hours free during the day. But as I found out once to my ticketed chagrin, other than that, you pay (although my ticket was probably less than the cost of a garage for the day).
So far I’ve never had to pay, but this time I had to resort to a garage. However, after dinner, a number of spots had opened up along the street, so I dashed (yes, actually jogged) to the lot, liberated the car ($10 for the one hour), and hurried back to find…the spots were still open. The car will now stay there until I leave.
After that day, we went to the Ramen Bar and had a hasty but delicious dinner, which I share with you now.
My vegetable and tofu tempura
One version of the specialty of the house
This, that and the other thing 
Looks so yummy!
Looks delicious!
I’m so tired from driving and traffic and looking for and jogging to parking spots and throwing up from paying $10.00 an hour to a parking garage that I just couldn’t even begin to appreciate dinner.
Randy
It was a bit of a long day, Randy, although the drive to Philly wasn’t bad at all. Just long once I arrived! I did enjoy dinner, although finding a parking spot afterwards was even better!
janet
I was in Philadelphia only once. My husband and I were there for a Full Gospel Businessmen’s International Convention, and we stayed just outside the city itself, so had to drive in every day for the meetings. I loved the time we had there, and the opportunities to see so many of the places that are important to our heritage, but what I actually remember most is two things that have to do with the driving.
At that time — and it was more than 15 years ago — there were so many one-way streets that it was really hard to get where we wanted to go — or even figure out HOW to get where we wanted to go. At one point — when we were headed to the airport to pick up a delivery being flow in for one of the ministries at the convention — my husband stopped a policeman who was directing traffic and asked about which streets in the vicinity were one-way, so we’d know how to plan the route. The policeman thought for a minute, and then said, “I really don’t know.” Now, when even the policeman directing traffic doesn’t know which streets are one-way and which aren’t — the city has tooooooo many one-way streets.
The other incident took place as my hubby and I were driving in from our hotel in Valley Forge. As we were moving briskly along on the 3-lane highway into the city, we spotted a car off on a very broad lay-bye up ahead, and a man in tan shorts and seemingly no shirt standing out close to the road just swinging his arms back and forth as if exercising. However when we got just about up to him, we realized that he didn’t have on tan shorts after all. He had on nothing at all. And he was displaying all that he didn’t have on to every passing motorist.
Yes, all in all, Philadelphia left lasting memories with us — and not just because of the Liberty Bell.
Hey, I had so much fun remembering this stuff and telling you this story that I think I’ll turn it into a post and put it up on my blog too.
Gotta love the Schuylkill Expressway… 😉
True. 😉
janet
Welcome back to the East Coast and more bitter cold–hope that you’re staying until the end of the week. Then days will become warmer and warmer. Enjoy.
I have to head back Tuesday morning. Wish I had time to meet, but it will have to be later in the year.
janet
Let’s plan when it’s WARM.
Definitely!!
Just as it is dinner time here in New Zealand I get to see your yummy photos. They look so delicicous.
They both were. I had the tempura but next time I’ll be having a ramen bowl as well. So good, especially when it’s cold outside.
janet
I haven’t had tempura in ages, but you’ve got me seriously craving it now. It looks so perfectly crisp and not too heavy, which can be tough to achieve.
It was definitely not heavy, but light and crisp…and delicious!
janet