Bucket List of Best Bars in Philly. Starting with #1.

What we won't do in the name of friendship.

When Kevin suggested we check out all 50 best bars in the Philly Mag Foobooz list, what could we say but, “uh, okay.” 

And so the adventure began.  Last Friday.  Rich and I scrambled to be ready for a 5:00pm pick-up.  Our philosophy is to start the weekend early. It seems to last longer (as taught to us by the one and only, Marc P).

Met Lisa, Jeanne, and Todd at the Pub & Kitchen. Officially #1.  Oh, I guess we’re doing this in order?  Of course.  Kevin is ever organized.

Ratings:

Vibe:  Good energy. Friendly, neighborhood pub.

Server:  Hysterically funny. Danced. A lot. Camera shy, however.

Drinks:  Fantastic.  Love to see Lisa after two cocktails.

Food : Overall B.  Burgers great. Steak – meh…

Friendship: Sublime.

Stay tuned.  49 to go. This may take all year.

Two Cat-Cows

I noticed yesterday when I took a beginner’s yoga class that every so often the instructor would ask us to do two cat-cows to “recenter” ourselves.  To me, that was a fitting and beautiful metaphor for life.  

Before you embark on a new journey, return to the familiar to reestablish focus.  Take an inventory of where you want to go and what is best for you mentally, spiritually, and physically. 

Whether it’s a tough day at work or a new path you’re contemplating, allow yourself two cat-cows to restore your perspective.

Holiday Head Scratchers

Here’s to a happy new year, everyone!  I thought I’d share some of my favorite head scratch (otherwise known as wait, what) moments over the holidays:

I came upon this beautiful waterfall in the Poconos recently.  Amazing, right?

So why would someone put a dumpster smack dab in front of it?

Why, oh why, does this always happen to a string of lights?

I’m proud to use my mom’s cookbook from the 1940’s. I had to chuckle, though, when I spotted this ad for Crisco and its boast that “it’s digestible!”  Since you’re baking with it, wouldn’t that be a given?

 Happy 2014!

Someone Stole My Rat

It was only a dollar store rat. It’s not like I can’t run out and get another one – probably for half price since Halloween is old news.  Still, I feel really bent out of shape that someone stole my rat.

Maybe because Halloween is a time where you welcome people onto your porch, not thinking that they’ll violate your hospitality.

Maybe because “it’s not the money, it’s the principle of the thing.”

Maybe because the kids I suspect lifted it were with a parent.

Maybe because as an entitled ‘right now’ society, we have collectively forgotten that you don’t take something if it doesn’t belong to you.

It’s not the plastic rodent I mourn, it’s the kid who probably doesn’t know that he did anything wrong.

Contents of an Old Wallet

It’s amazing how things change so quickly.  I did a triple take when I stumbled upon these cards in a long forgotten wallet tucked in the back of my closet.  It not only shows how negligent I am in keeping my closet organized, but it illustrates the stunning fall of three giants.

Blockbuster peaked in 2004 with 9,000 stores and 60,000 employees.  By 2011, it was all over for them.  They simply couldn’t keep up with the pace of the changing marketplace and competitors who were ahead of the streaming technology curve.

A merchant named John Wanamaker pioneered the idea of a department store in Philadelphia in 1866.  He wrote his own ads and was the first to offer full cash refunds to customers. As family members died off in the 1920’s, the stores passed to a board of trustees.  Its doors closed in 1995 and Wanamaker’s is now a Macy’s. People still rendezvous at and refer to the 2,500 lb. bronze eagle, however, as the Wanamaker eagle.

Quakers Justus Strawbridge and Isaac Clothier founded Strawbridge & Clothier as a dry goods store in 1868. When the company combined their buildings into one magnificent limestone structure in 1931, they almost went bankrupt due to the staggering costs of the limestone. They held on and thrived for many years, but by 2006, in a painful decision, the family sold their stock.

I guess the lesson is that no matter how robust we are now, we can never take anything for granted. Change with the times, be open to new ideas, and don’t get in over our heads with debt.  What I thought was a long overdue closet cleaning turned out to be a metaphor for taking inventory of more than just my clothes.

Through the Screen Door

Autumn always brings out the bittersweet in me.  No other season provides such compelling evidence that change is in the air.  The cool breezes through the screen door and the vibrant backdrop dramatically announce the end of one era and the beginning of another.

How many times have my kids bounded down those front steps as the screen door closes, as only a screen door will.  Excruciatingly slow at first, and then a quick slam.  If you’re not careful, the cat will sneak out.

Autumn is indifferent as to whether you’re ready. It plows forward and starts the process without looking back.  As it should.

Thrift Store Finds and Never Minds

Thrift Store Finds and Never Minds

You never know what you’re going to find in a thrift store. That’s part of the fascination that keeps me coming back.  Sometimes what you spy is just plain funny and you scratch your head and wonder who owned it…and why.

Is that George Washington crossing the Delaware? On a pair of shorts? OK, then….

Wandering through a thrift store can be like therapy.  You laugh, you feel nostalgic, you feel gratitude, and every now and then, you just may find something that speaks to you.

Like this sweet basket for my bike.  Only $2.90. Now I can run to the market and get milk.

Or these beautiful, hand painted glasses jars. 99 cents each. From their marks, I tracked them down to Hazel Atlas glass company, which went out of business in 1964. They are listed on Ebay for $99 each. Maybe some day I’ll sell them, but for now, I bask in their beauty and my hundredfold score. 

Not to change the subject, but is that Fat Albert on a pair of jeans? See my point?

Happy thrifting…