ye olde larp fest

the gang packed up and headed to anna's cabin for a weekend of 'larping' (larping- for those who are not familiar with the term- is short for live action role playing. you dress up, adopt a character for the weekend, then fight in the woods. our larping wasn't so much fighting as dressing up and dancing to the lord of the rings soundtrack.) the theme of the larp was 'fantasy characters from books and movies'. with friends going as pirate wenches and link from zelda, i was really stuck on what i should be. then i remembered that i happen to own a blue unitard. and blue paint. so i decided to dress as an avatar for the first night. i thought i was looking pretty cool- i had painted my hands, toes, face, even my friggin ears- but no one knew what i was. thought i was a smurf. meh. win some, lose some. plus, i got to break out my bodysuit which is a rarity. the weekend was pretty much spent eating (mr. elias made mesquite grilled chicken!) and sleeping and saying 'ye' and 'thine' and dancing around in the woods. no complaints here. i also came back with a thousand times fewer bug bites than our last visit up there. and me and liz and mr. elias got some good bonding time- tim is a crazy dude. hope all your weekends were equally costumed and glorious!

oh dear

dear philadelphia,

who decides where to put the bike lanes? you know- who's the guy who says "this street and this side of this street" etc? because i'd like to sock him a good one. has he ever even seen the streets he's setting up bike lanes on? it's like he purposely chose to mark lanes on the bumpiest, most pot-hole-ridden, 10,000 manholes everywhere streets. do you know what that's like to ride over? your butt begins to hate you and your tires deflate. this is especially infuriating considering that the other side of the street always seems to be smooth and even, with 0% obstacles. the bike lane assigner guy, is a douchebag.

love,
caitlin

ps- thank god for curtis at via bicycle who can fix philly street-induced flat tires. (and do it for a relatively cheap price!)

dear apartment,

our body count is up to seven now. two downstairs; five in christine's bed. where are you keeping all of these mice? i know you had it rough before and your previous owners did not treat you the way you ought to be treated. but we've been good to you- vacuuming you and scrubbing down the cabinets. we never leave food scattered on your countertops or things fermenting and turning into small fuzzy green monsters in the fridge. so please- cut us some slack. evict the mice. it's getting ridiculous.

love,
caitlin

phorgotten philly phavorites

is it getting to be too much? maybe?

things i totally missed but are still awesome in the city'o'bro'love!

• Eastern State Penitentiary - opened in October of 1829, the penitentiary was in operation for 142 years until it closed in April of 1971. It was designed with the Quaker idea of penitence and those kept there were confined to small, solitary cells with no human contact. Drove a lot of people crazy. Later on, that principle was cast aside and the prison became overcrowded. This is seriously a cool, creepy-ass historic spot that is well worth the admission few. It's a walking audio tour that takes you through the somewhat dilapidated prison. And I swear, even if it's 90 degrees outside, you'll still leave with goosebumps.
• Naked Chocolate- local choco company! full of chocolate! chocolate chocolate chocolate! no seriously- tons of chocolate. drinking chocolate, exotic truffles- the works. several locations in and around center city including one right around the corner from buffalo exchange.
• Center City Soft Pretzel Company - here's the deal: they open at midnight. you go at midnight. you get in line at a teeny tiny counter at the practically camoflauged spot, you slam your 35 cents down on the counter and you recieve your hot-from-the-oven, perfectly-salted, crunchy, yet chewy soft pretzel. you select your dipping sauces. you sit on the curb and consider changing your entire evening routinue to make midnight pretzel runs a feasible option. (ps- tuesday is pretzel bike ride night- the bikers all start at the art museum and bike to south philly for their soft pretzels. lots of smelly punk bikers but still cool to see such a huge herd of two-wheeled nerds.) (also: this jawn is right near the italian market/pats&genos.)

new favorites

picked up these glasses at the boardwalk dollar store last night. and i think i'm in love with them. they have built in eye-makeup and skeptical eyebrows. i'm going to wear them everyday, forever and ever, amen.

oh papa. what a guy. i am continually in awe of how great this dude is. growing up, my brother and i always thought he just had this crazy knowledge of everything. whatever our problems were, he just always seemed to know exactly what to do. we later learned that the reason he had all of this specific knowledge wasn't because he had taken a crash course in 'knowing-everything-101', but because he believes that anyone has the ability to solve their own problems. if the dryer broke, he would read books about how dryers worked and try to figure out what happened and how to fix it. if a new programing software was developed, he was the first one to tear through the manual, learning everything possible about the new equipment. he realizes how much power is in knowledge and takes things into his own hands- he isn't one to complain, he's a man of action. there are so many important things i've learned from my dad. i feel incredibly lucky to have such a good, strong male role model in my life- one who treats everyone around him with love and respect and takes pride in his work. happy father's day big guy- you're setting the bar pretty high for dudes in my life.

Philly Phavorites: Part III

shopping is very difficult to do when you have no money, so this is actually going to be the shortest post ever. if you're a good window shopper (ie someone who can window shop without becoming extremely depressed about how many cool things you'll never be able to afford) there's an abundance of cute boutiques and shopping streets to browse. i recommend old city, particularly the market and 3rd/market and 4th area- there's some cute vintage spots and tons of awesome (albeit overpriced) boutiques. they also have a nice record store and a lot of cute coffee places. if you're looking to hit up some major chain stores, the walnut/chestnut area is your deal. lush, h&m, express, urban outfitters- it's pretty much all present. the following are a list of stores that, when i do decide to spend money on things other than food, are places i frequent:

phavorite philly shopping spots:

1. Philly Aids Thrift
   why it's baller: this is essentially a two-story junk shop. everything is super cramped which is ideal for those who like the hunting/gathering aspect of thrifting. it's fairly cheap and the selection, though sometimes miss, often produces a hit somewhere along the line. they have a ton of old national geographics and the back of the second floor is their 'vintage' area. there's also boxes of free stuff outside- always interesting to go through...
   neighborhood: south philly (right off of south street)
   cost on a scale of rags to riches: your beat up adidas sneakers from middle school.
2. Buffalo Exchange
   why it's baller: do you guys have these? i'm not sure if it's exclusive to philly but it's still worth checking out. it's a consignment shop, and though it can get a bit pricey ($20 for a dress?!? who am i- captain moneypants?), the selection is well-chosen and there are those hidden gems that make it all worthwhile.
   neighborhood: center city (near rittenhouse, di bruno brothers, and naked chocolate!)
   cost on a scale of plastic to plantinum: a nice sturdy, wood. generally in the $7-30 range depending on what you're looking at . . .
3. Antiquarian's Delight
   why it's baller: it's literally a fest for the eyes. you could spend hours in this neat hidden away building off of south street, checking out merch from a wide variety of vendors. along with antique furniture and paintings, they also have a plethora of cute vintage clothes, purses, hats, and jewelry to admire. the one woman even sells vintage glasses frames that can be fitted with your prescription at a local optometrists! it's a little on the pricey side, but worth browsing. wonderful eye candy.
   neighborhood: south philly (right off of south street)
   cost on a scale of cinderella to cruella de ville: wayyy more cruella. there's the occasional sale but expect to drop close to $15 on that brooch you're eying up.
4. Anthropologie
   why it's baller: i know, i know. i said this would be a list of places for the empty-pocketed folks out there. and i know you all have anthropologies where you come from. but seriously, this one is beautiful. i could spend hours in there. it's in a gorgeous old building across the street from rittenhouse and has four floor of immaculately decorating, swoon-worthy anthro goodness. the clearance section is decent (though i still do not count a $70 dress as a 'steal') but it's really just great for looking around and getting inspiration. the picture at the top is from a visit to anthropologie earlier this year- a giant ostrich made out of old national geographics. visiting anthropology is like going to an art museum. and gawking is totally free.
   neighborhood: center city
   cost on a scale of- no seriously. you guys know how expensive that place is. you have to be a serious millionaire to shop there.
5. South Street
   why it's baller: though it is one of the more 'tourist-y' spots in town, south street is lined with shops- mostly trashy stripper clothes and plastic jewelry but there are a few golden nuggets in there. repo records is cute and has a decent selection of new and used vinyl. right next store is retrospect, featuring an awesome selection of vintage clothes, shoes, and housewares. it's moderately priced ($10-20 for a dress) and pretty much always has some sale stuff. you'll probably have to go to condom kingdom just because of the ridiculous name- and don't worry, the store definitely lives up to it. i'm not going to describe all the crazy stuff they have in there but if you're like me and have the sense of humor of a twelve-year old boy, then you'll enjoy stopping by. phileo yogurt is always a stop for my friends and i on the street- it's a do-it-yo'self yogurt place, where you serve out your own frozen yogurt and heap on the toppings from blackberries to cookie dough. just don't go overboard- you pay by the ounce. (apparently gummy bears are pretty heavy because i always end up spending a fortune . . . ) oh! and the magic garden is also on south street- super cool walk through art space covered in mirrors and mosaics. the small admission fee is well worth it from what i've heard.
   neighborhood: south philly
   cost on a scale of tramp to lady: fran from the nanny. not exactly the queen of england, but she's no lo-class broad. expect to pay a moderate rate for things on the famous shopping street.
6. Spool and Loop
   why it's baller: should you choose to go down west south street (the less popular direction), you'll stumble upon spool and loop- sisters shops selling high-end fabric and yarn (respectively.) and while it's not priced for the paupers, it is fun to browse through and day dream about how much better your life would be with a yard of bright blue wood grain cotton.
   neighborhood: south philly
   cost on a scale of pleather to suede: velvet.

so that's it! my philly phavorites more or less! i'm sure i'm forgetting some and i'll come running back with an extra post next week. but for now, that's all folks. so hop in yer cars or catch a train and come to philly! the subway is easy to use (only two lines!) and it's easily walkable. gimme a call if you decide to hit up south philly and i'll probably meet up with you and talk your ear off about things i love in philly. now doesn't that sound nice? eh?

Philly Phavorites: Part II

i could seriously go on for days about food. it makes me so ridiculously happy and giddy- if i could, i would marry food. that's how in love i am with it. if you ask me about my day, it will probably be centered around what i ate. again, i give the disclaimer that i'm pretty friggin broke so i don't know much about high-end eats in philly, but really. there's no need to be a snob about this stuff. you can get some seriously good grub for less cash (or way more grub for the same amount) if you know where to go. so without further ado:

phavorite philly phoods:

(that looks so odd spelled like that)

1. Sabrina's
   wby it's baller: sabrina's is a local place just around the corner from my apartment that's pretty well-known for it's brunches. there's pretty much always a long wait (especially on weekends!) so i would definitely recommend calling in advance. it's also not the cheapest- breakfast dishes run about $7-12. but it is so worth it. sabrina's is just as magical and charming as the it's movie counterparts (the witch and the chauffer's daughter respecitively). the decor is adorable- very mismatched and vintage and just plain 'ol quaint. on top of that the portions are out of control. one order of their stuffed challah french toast could easily feed two, and leave those said two still feeling gluttonous afterwards. they food is incredible and not your average breakfast fare (read: blue cheese, spinach, and caramelized onion frittata.) it's a must if you're in the hood.
   neighborhood: south philly (italian market!)
   cost on a scale of oj from concentrate to mimosas: it's that simply orange juice stuff that comes in the nice bottle. pricey(er) but worth it.
   
2. Sam's Morning Glory (A Finer Diner)
   why it's baller: though the waitstaff aren't always in the sunniest of moods (partially understandable when you consider how packed this place always seems to be. . . ) the homemade biscuits make everything worthwhile. i would willingly take a harsh rant from some hybrid demon/joan rivers waitress for a single bite of one of their perfectly-moist, just sweet-enough biscuits slathered in homemade raspberry jam. drooling. all over my computer. too much. it's seriously like food porn. so good.
   neighborhood: south philly (also italian market! so close to where i live! call me if you're going and i'll meet you!)
   cost on a scale of generic american singles to aged brie: a decent havarti. entrees run about $7-12 but a biscuit is about $3 (i think . . . )
   
3. MexiCali
   why it's baller: no frills. cheap. delicious. not only do they serve the classics but their menu also includes fan (and by fan, i mean me) favorites like the plantain burrito and the sweet potato burrito. very fancy.
   neighborhood: west philly (a feasible walk from clark park/wxpn. right near penn's campus. this whole little area (university city) is full of shopping and food and though most of it is chains, there are some gems tucked away if you look)
   cost on a scale of el cucaracha to el nino: speedy gonzales. (translation: $4-7 per burrito)
   
4. Isgro's
   why it's baller: delicious italian pastries (most notably the cannolis which are usually available for 'sampling' in the form of a generous half of a cannoli).
   neighborhood: south philly (italian market! once you finish stuffing your face at sabrinas or morning glory you can continue the feeding fest at isgros! perfecto!)
   cost on a scale of mario to the godfather: probably a mid-level hitman. about $3 for a cannoli that will make you openly weep. go with the custard one.
   
5. Buttercream Cupcake Truck
   why it's baller: the owner of buttercream quit her job as a lawyer, decorated a truck like a giant cupcake, and drives around selling ridiculously good treats all day. living the dream. the flavors change daily along with the location so be sure to check the website so you know where to stalk/what flavor to daydream about.
   neighborhood: varies
   cost on a scale of cup to cake: it's $2 a cupcake ($1 with a student id!)
6. Capogiros
   why it's baller: made fresh every day gelato that comes in a thousand different friggin' flavors. uses all local, seasonal ingredients and comes in the most ridiculous flavors ever. honey and rosemary? thai coconut? salt? you could really get anything here and walk away feeling wonderful.
   neighborhood: there are several locations including one near rittenhouse square, one near the italian market, and another in the gayborhood.
   cost on a scale of skim milk to whole: soy. this stuff is pretty fancy and one small cup (comes with two flavors of your choice) will run you $5. but totally worth it.
7. DiBruno Brothers
   why it's baller: free cheese samples! and on wednesdays, free beer and chesese samples! and it's fancy cheese too. so. fancy. this ain't yo' kraft singles mmkkk? this is grown-up cheese some of which is older than i am.
   neighborhood: the one on chestnut is good for poppin' in and scooping up samples/perusing the merch/crying hysterically because you'll never be rich enough to maintain the fancy cheese habit you'd ideally like to develop. the one in the Italian market is smaller but has a more knowledgeable staff. it also plays host to free beer (locally brewed!) and cheese nights on wednesday! delish!
   cost on a scale of pbr to guinness: sam adam's utopias'. seriously. it's really expensive. just eat the samples. they're free.
8. Reading Terminal Market
   why it's baller: famous. tons of different stalls = tons of delicious food. plus it was in nataional treasure! ooooo! also good for people watching. besides selling food there are some good kitchen supply/knick-knack/candle type places and it just always seems to be bustling in the best possible way. they also have a public bathroom! yay!
   neighborhood: center city
   cost on a scale of flea market to stock market: meh. depends what you're getting. i recommend the famous cookies near the market entrance.
   
9. Pat's
   why it's baller: how you gonna come to philly and not get a cheesesteak? really? you just have to. or people will tease you. the two big'ens are Pats & Genos which happen to sit right across from one another (and a mere two blocks for my apartment- call me if you're in the hood!). geno's is flashy (literally, like the vegas of south philly. lights-wise at least.) and has a reputation for being racist/xenophobic (they hung signs demanding customers 'speak english!' along with several other incidents.) besides that, their sandwiches are especially bread-y. pat's is a more humble establishment, looks a bit beat up from the outside and the ordering process is reminiscent of the soup nazi scene in seinfeld but it's well-worth it. super greasy. super delicious. just follow the instructions to order and enjoy your philly trademark meal.
   neighborhood: south philly (italian market-ish)
   cost on a scale of rocky to diamonds: maybe rocky after he won a fight? and got a prize? i don't even remember that movie very well. it's like eight bucks for a cheesesteak with onions.
   
   other notable eateries:
   
   
   
   

• Alma De Cuba, Parc, and Plough & the Stars are all ridiculously delicious- and they have the price tags to match. But if you're looking for a good, high-class place to grab a meal they're my picks.
  
• Abyssinia is bangin' if you're into Ethiopian. A little out of the way in west philly but still yummy.
• The Cantina has premium prickly pear margaritas (though for $6 a pop they better be premium. . . ) and good fried plantains. kind of a hipster crowd but in a cute section of town (near the south philly capogiros!)

that's it for now m'ladies and lords. next up: philadelphia shopping guide for people with no money. should be interesting. brace yourself.

Philly Phavorites: Part I

So one of my favorite bloggers, Sarah, is visiting Philly soon and I offered to put together a list of my favorite places in the city. I figure I'll just share it with the whole blogging community in an attempt to lure more of you to the city of brotherly love. Keep in mind, Philly is a pretty big place and I've only lived here for two years so there's probably a bunch of stuff missing. I also can't help out on good places to grab an adult beverage since I am not yet of the legal age. Another side note: I'm a stereotypical broke college kid so a lot of this stuff is cheap/free/so awesome it's worth spending money on despite the fact that i have none. Imma break this jawn down into a few posts so consider this part uno. Here we go!

phavorite things to do in philthy:

1. The Wagner Free Institute of Science
   why it's baller: this place is a museum of a musuem. some dude in the late 1800's opened a museum full of his taxidermy animals/bug collection and the place has stayed the exact same since it opened. it's full of creepy stuffed seals and birds and handwritten captions. my favorite part? a pile of bones in the corner, marked off with velvet ropes and a small sign that read 'dinosaur bones'. this place is beautiful in a creepy Victorian way AND it happens to be free. double score.
   neighborhood: north philly (right near Temple University!)
   cost on a scale of annie to daddy warbucks: 100% annie
2. The Mutter's Museum
   why it's baller: the mutter's museum is full of medical oddities- Siamese babies in a jar, books bound in human flesh, freakishly tall skeletons- it's pretty creepy. but that's it's charm. it was originally established as a physician's museum but these days it's mostly just average joes mucking around getting grossed out. again, it kind of has an old-timey feel and i always end up slack-jawed at some point during my visit.
   neighborhood: in between center city and west philly (right near trader joe's and a decent salvation army!)
   cost on a scale of oliver to richie rich: theodore "beaver" cleaver. it's pretty average- something like ten bucks. well worth it in my book.
3. Rittenhouse Square
   why it's baller: it's the ideal spot for baby and puppy watching. there are always some random musicians playing and if the weather's nice, there's nothing better than laying in the grass and people watching. just a really nice park overall.
   neighborhood: center city
   cost on a scale of aladdin to the sultan: totally aladdin. maybe even abu the monkey.
4. clark park
   why it's baller: pretty much every saturday there's a flea market or farmer's market in the park. you can check the schedule here. on most saturdays, a giant herd of kids show up at the park and play this crazy game with massive foam swords. pretty entertaining to watch but i get a little jealous of their cool games. again, just a really nice park in a pretty area of west philly.
   neighborhood: west philly
   cost on a scale of newsies to pulitzer: newsies. even crutchy. it's a park- it's totz fo' free.
5. WXPN Free at Noon Concerts
   why it's baller: durr- free music! every friday at noon WXPN hosts a free concert. a lot of really cool bands come in- they've had dr. dog, spinto band, the hold steady, etc. in the past . and even if you don't know the band that's playing just go! it's free and you get to hear a new band! they band is only guarenteed to play thirty minutes but they almost always do an encore so you get a solid 45-60 minutes of jams. there's also usually a meet and greet afterwards. all you have to do is sign up on the website- signups begin a week in advance. it's totally free and takes like two seconds to sign up for. this friday it's truth & salvage co and next friday gogol bordello is coming! so good!
   neighborhood: west philly
   
   cost on a scale of hot dogs to filet mignon: a fresh frank from the t-ball snack bar
   

other stuff to check out:

• UWishUNu - great site to check for upcoming events in philly. also lists good deals around the city. I check this site religiously.
• Philadelphia Weekly and Philadelphia City Paper also have good events listings- check 'em regularly! They list everything from upcoming concerts to bizarre karaoke contests to comic conventions to mr. america pageants to block parties- seriously, everything.
• R5Productions is a great place to look for concerts if you're in a musical mode. Most shows run in the $10-15 range which ain't too shabby. The shows are held in different venues all over the city but my favorite is the First Unitarian Church- the basement shows remind me of seeing local bands in high school and the santuary shows are especially intimate.
  

Up Next: stuff to eat. wear your spandex pants.

i hope history repeats itself

this weekend was beautiful. my friends from home came down to visit. we had a historical showdown on friday- everyone dressed like their favorite character from history and competed in arm wrestling and an intense spelling bee. it was thomas edison vs. jacque cousteau, jackie o. vs. martha washington, juan valdez vs. the huck finn. beautiful. we ate spaghetti on the roof. someone spilled laundry detergent all over the floor so it smelled like fresh laundry. montezuma left gold coins everywhere. we had good sing-a-longs. so many other silly things happened. i woke up in a room surrounded by sleeping friends which is one of my favorite things ever. we all got a good breakfast then headed to rittenhouse square for coloring and games. we had wheelbarrow races, handstand contests, cartwheel contests, played gregor tag (remind me to tell you more about this game- it's my absolute favorite), and played miniature tanks which is a BALLER new game- everyone gets on all fours in a circle and the object is to get to the other side of the circle BUT you have to be on all fours and you have to say "miniature tanks miniature tanks" over and over again. it is so silly. so much fun. my arms are killing me. last night we went to tim & scott's- made homemade face paint (corn syrup and flour and food coloring = fail. so sticky) and danced and played leap frog all over the house and googled videos of old people and fell asleep in a pile. today mis amigos went home and i had a chance to sleep and clean.

glorious weekend. i hope every weekend is like this one.

home & my homies

it's been a nice visit to the 717. it's weird to even call it a visit. but i guess it is, since i don't really live here anymore and won't ever really live here again unless i graduate and give up on life and move back in with mom & pops. went to the diner with a bunch of pals- had a super rude waitress who informed us that there's a $2 minimum per person. SINCE WHEEENN??? i totally went on a bitch fit. because seriously- it's a diner. where do they get off charging a minimum? it was almost completely empty so it's not like we're taking space away from paying customers. and it's not like we're going there for the food- the beauty of the diner is that it's cheap and we can just sit there for hours. it doesn't have much else going for it. i was highly annoyed. (also: it might have just been that b of a waitress. i've never heard of a $2 minimum and i practically lived at that diner in high school.) we also hung out in sheetz and talked about candy for forty-five minutes. i have some seriously odd friends but it's incredible how much they mean to me- it's nice to have people who know you so well. the rest of the weekend was spent with family and thrifting and conquering the massive pile of laundry i brought home. and enjoying wireless internet (hence the thousand blog posts in the past two days). my mom made me wash my feet and clean them because they are seriously nasssttayyyyy. now it's back to philly- back to heat and dirty feet and my awesome roomie and my internship and the friends i have sprinkled throughout the city. it's a different kind of home but it's growing on me.

dancing queen

so my mom's tap dance recital was this week. she dances with the largest adult tap group in the country (which happens to be located in central pennsylvania . . . ) she was so cute and nervous before the show- she practiced all saturday night, making sure her routines were perfect since her teacher put her front and center in both dances (obviously a testament to my mama's skill and showmanship- she's quite the ham). we went to the forum with some of her buddies for the recital and it was hilarious- their were over 200 people in the dance recital ranging in ages from 22 to 85, the average age being 57. it was incredible to see these women get up there and be total divas from the beginner 1s all the way to the advanced class. they all have an opportunity to introduce themselves too and proudly state their age and occupation. it really runs the gamut- from retired marines to happy homemakers, hairdressers and attorneys. it was such a good, empowering thing- seeing women proud of thier age, trying things out of their comfort zone, meeting new people, and just strutting their stuff. of course, my mom was AMAZING. i was so proud of her. you can see a video of the end of her dance to material girl above. she's such a beautiful woman. i love my mom and i hope i'm half as cool as she is when i get older.