Back from Philly and I couldn’t be sadder!! My weekend in the City of Brotherly Love was indeed a great time. The Love was extended mostly in the form of the Silk family, to whom I can’t thank enough for the great weekend I had. The Silks are my roommate Mare’s family. Like my own clan, they are large, loud, and oodles of fun. Here are some of my favorite memories from the trip:
Tour that ends in a bar…my favorite kind:
Mare and I arrived in Philly area just after midnight last Wednesday (technically Thursday). We were staying at her sister Shannon’s place in Swedsboro, New Jersey, located just a few miles from the city. We were welcomed instantly by Shannon and her hubby, Shawn, who had stayed up to make sure we arrived okay. I was greeted with hugs, not handshakes, which was such a great feeling. Shannon had our favorite beers chilling in the fridge and we drank a few while catching up with the pair. Good stuff.
The next morning, Mare and I were awakened by her nephew and niece, Shane and Maeve, who were getting ready for school. Shane is in the second grade and Maeve in kindergarten and they’re just about as cute as it gets. Very smart, well-mannered kids, and a general joy to be around.
After sending the kids off to school, me, Mare, Shannon, and Shawn took off for the city. The girls were getting their hair done so Shawn came along to show me the city. A very nice gesture, I thought. Anyway, he took me around "Old City" in Philly, which is essentially where all the historical stuff is. He showed me some sites and then said we had to check out his favorite bar. It was noon, so we were in the clear to have a beer. He took me to this place "Sugar Mom’s", which I couldn’t have loved more. It was in the basement of this old sugar factory and was almost as cool as TC’s Lounge in Boston. (Almost, Shawn. Almost). Like TC’s, Sugar Mom’s resembled someone’s really cool basement pad. The type of place high school kids would spend every weekend in. We had a beer and went back to the salon to get the girls.
We then made the trek over to South Street and went to "Jon’s" (I think) for lunch. This was the birthplace of Larry, from the Three Stooges. I had a turkey club panini that was to die for!! We then walked across the street to pick up a cheese pizza from Lorenzo’s for dinner. This pie was so big they had to cut it in halves and put it in two boxes!!
Sox Nation in Philly:
Woke up on Friday and made the trek over to Mare’s parents house, located just a few miles up from Shannon and Shawn’s. We were going to spend the next two nights there because they were heading off to their Shore house later that night. Mare’s boyfriend Howie and his daughter Dominique had joined us the night before after flying into Philly from Providence. We grabbed a quick shower and it was off to see the Sox/Phillies.
We were joined at the game by what seemed to be Mare’s entire family. It nearly was, but a few were missing. We had five tickets to the Club seating area and managed to get everyone up there by reusing the tickets. We were like a big posse up there and it was great!!
NESN commentators Jerry Remy and Don Orsilo were just a few sections away from us. We took pictures of them at the end of the game. Seats were great. Right behind home plate!! Sox were amazing in the game and we won, of course (I’m now 7-1 in games attended)!! Mare’s brother Tom tried to give me crap about the Sox, but I was on top of his every attempt at an attack!! I think because of where we were sitting, we didn’t get a lot of grief from the Philly fans. There were two obnoxious guys in front of us, but they were quieted by the three homeruns the Sox hit and the light’s out pitching by Mike Timlin and closer Jonathan Papelbon. I ask, do you still have your Papel-boner? Cuz I do!!
I sat next to two very nice Philly fans who were good sports to put up with my drunken cheers. (I had warned Mare’s family ahead of time that my nasally-loud voice could be annoying, particularly towards the end of the game). They seemed amused by my rants, but they may have just been humoring me!!
Whiffleball:
Upon seeing Mare’s parents’ backyard, I heard choirs of angels singing in my head. Seriously, this space was just about every lawn-sport’s nuts dream!! Accordingly, we decided to play a whiffleball game on Saturday. Mare had invited the family over to her parents house the night before. We were going to grill, play, and watch Round 2 of Sox vs. Phillies.
My team was comprised of: Me, Shannon, Shawn, Maeve, Howie, and Dom. Their was: Mare, Shane, Kevin (another brother), Colin (Kevin’s son), Katie (another sister), and Dave (Katie’s beau). Long story short, my team kicked a little tail. It almost wasn’t fair. I mean, we did have all the jocks!!
Highlights of the game: A) The pitching performance by Shane. The poor guy did everything he could to carry his team. Kevin actually did his part by stepping up the defense in the later innings when he snared three hard-hit liners by me, Howie, and Shawn. Although, he did get a little overzealous when he whipped the ball at me at second base. He caught the ball for the final out of the game and must have thought there was more to play because he fired the ball in an attempt to get me before I got back to second. Hit me in the left wrist and boy did that sting. He was sorry, but later joked it was revenge for me nearly knocking him at first en route to second on my lead-off double. (He was crowding the plate, people!!).
B) Mare’s willingness to pull out all the stops en route to second base. Someone hit a grounder to me at second and Mare came a charging from first. In an attempt to avoid my tag, Mare attempted to slide into the bag, but instead tripped over my foot and tumbled to the ground. And this in a denim skirt. That’s guts, folks.
Fast-food fear:
Never in my life had I been more afraid to order food than I was Saturday at Pat’s Cheese Steaks. After an afternoon of shopping on South Street, Mare, Dom, Howie and me made the trek over to the South side of the city for a cheese steak (the trademark delicacy in Philly).
Mare—a vegetarian—had attempted to explain to us how to order. The lines are so long that the place has a very strict ordering system in order to keep it moving. Failure to comply results in extreme embarrassment and I did not want to be "that girl" who screwed it up. Fortunately, they had a handy "how to order" sign located just before the window. It was a great help and I my order went seamlessly!! The steak was deliciously disgusting, dripping in grease and cheese whiz. I loved it.
Life in the fastlane:
I thought Mare was a scary driver. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh no!! Howie now takes that prize. On the drive home from Philly, Howie took control of the wheel in Connecticut and my life flashed before my eyes at least five times before dropping him and Dom at the Providence airport. Mare likes to tailgate and take turns at Mach-50. (I found out it’s a Silk family trait when Shannon drove us into the city back on Thursday). But Howie is even scarier. Every time I heard the engine revved I knew it was time to close my eyes. He dangerously wove in and out of lanes with only a few inches of space to spare. Seriously, I thought that ride was going to be my end and I told him "If we die, I’m going to kill you." Sounds like it doesn’t make sense, but trust me, it does!!
Got home around 7:30ish, unpacked, watched the Sopranos and went to bed. Back to the grind today!! Yuck!! I have two more Sox games on tap this week. Going tomorrow for Sox/Yankees and Thursday against Tampa Bay. Good times.
Thanks to the Silks/Donnellys for their hospitality. I can’t wait to come back, whether you want me back or not!! See you on the Shore hopefully this summer!!
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