Broad Street Run: Or how to survive when you haven't really trained for this

About:
Broad Street Run is a historic 10 miler, started in the 80s, that takes the runner through Philadelphia starting at Broad st and Somerville Ave. and ending at the Navy Yards.

Lifted from runverse.com/blog

Fact:

• It is such a popular run with over 50,000 (this number may not be completely accurate (give or take a few thousand)) participants that there is now a lottery to get in the run

Picture this...

• It's September. You and your friend are talking about how you need something to motivate you and how you will totally train for Broad Street.

• February commences and you and your friend talk about how you totally haven't trained but that you still have a few months until the race (You secretly hope that you won't make it into the lottery) And.....you win a spot in the lottery!

Where's the link for Denial?

• It's a WEEK BEFORE THE RACE. And you are completely unprepared. Completely.  Did I mention completely? You've been on your dreadmill a few times - jogged a couple of miles but when you do the math you start to freak out.

DON'T: 

• Panic.  It will be ok! I promise.  And if not - there are medics close by.

• Start out too fast.  You haven't really run much so just keep it to slow and steady.
• Think about how much more you have to go
• Or what that puddle is or how you spilled your water down the front of your shirt
• Or how you are on mile 5 and that woman cheering you on has already completed the race and double-backed
• Worry - there is always someone slower than you. Unless you are last. In which case, maybe you should worry a little.
• Turn into that person who has to put a sticker on your car declaring that you completed a race. I'm talking to you 13.1s and 26.2s. No one cares but you! And maybe me because I've turned this into a slight rant.

Do:

• Go to the bathroom before running - there are tons of people and lots of portables but it's still never enough.  (Warning! The below clip has strong language and blue dye)

• If you do need to use the bathroom before the start - DO make friends with someone who has toilet paper because the dumpster that you are peeing behind in an alley doesn't come stocked. (Not that that happened or anything)
•  Concentrate on your breathing. (Believe me it will save you from hyperventilating while thinking about how crazy you were to run this)
• Walk if you need to.  There is no shame in it. But maybe don't suddenly stop short in front of someone forcing them to either run into you or to stumble and fall. (Have you seen the detritus on the ground??)
• Think about how amazing that this many people are together running/jogging/walking/cheering
• Plan ahead of time where to meet your friends/family.  It's a madhouse out there!
• Have fun. It is a truly amazing experience. 

PS. I won't be there because I am lazy and out of shape so this a recollection of a couple years ago. (I now regret not training)  Go Philly!

Wilmington, Delaware: Or Nothing Like Philly

It's been almost a year since I posted.  I'm sure that you've all missed me! And now I must make my announcement!......  I've cured cancer!*


*(I didn't. But you can imagine what it would be like if I did)

Actually, I moved to Wilmington, Delaware.  That's right - I'm no longer a resident of Philadelphia but it is only a short 40 minute drive away! (Too bad that I hate to drive). But dry your tears! I will still post about Philly and now, as an added bonus, at no extra cost, Delaware!

Pros:

• Wilmington is  - as I already mentioned - close to Philadelphia! And Baltimore! And sort of - Washington, D.C.
• TAX FREE!!!! That's right mo-fos - no tax on food! Or drink! Or clothes! Or Amazon deliveries! And all sorts of other stuff!
• Parking doesn't cost a fortune! I can park in front of my residence - FOR FREE!
• Car State Inspection - FREE! Are you sensing a trend?
• It has the Riverfront.  It's very pretty and there are restaurants and a new IMAX theater.

This picture does not show said restaurants or IMAX

Cons:

• No Whole Foods (yeah, yeah, yeah, First World Problems)
• The city motto is kind of lame.  But I'll let you decide. 
  
  
• The Restaurants cannot compare to Philly - and we have really really tried to find great ones (We will settle for just good at this point)
• It's not Philly

Facts:

• I love Philly. I always will but it is nice to have a change.
• I like having a yard
• We also have a connection to William Penn! New Castle, Delaware was once part of Pennsylvania.

Statue of William Penn in historic New Castle

• There is a SEPTA train from Philly to Wilmington so you don't need to have a car to get here! (HINT HINT)

The Johnson Victrola Museum or The Only Thing Open in Dover, Delaware on a Saturday

So, I realize that I've been extremely lax in writing my blog and it's all your fault. But enough of blaming you, I've moved on.




We listened to a record on this.

 Facts:

• The Johnson Victrola Museum is not that easy to find.
• It is manned by volunteers - some who are very informative, some not so much.
• E.R Johnson grew up in Dover, DE and founded the Victor Talking Machine Company.
• The grammy is in the shape of a Victrola.



E.R Johnson's Posthumous Grammy. Notice that it's in the shape of a Victrola. Coincidence? No.

• The phrase "Put a sock in it" and "Put a lid on it" are based on controlling the volume of the Victrola.

Location:

• Johnson Victrola Museum, Museum Square, 375 S. New St., Dover, DE 19901

Hours:

• Wednesday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m

Admission:

• Free! Wheeeeeeeee! But you should donate something, you cheap bastards.



A recording horn. I still don't really get how it worked but somehow it recorded sound onto a record.

Do:

• Make sure to listen to the difference between an electric recording and an acoustic recording.
• You know the RCA logo? HMV? JVC? They all show Nipper. Also? HMV stands for His Master's Voice. (Nipper looks like he's listening. Get it?)

Nipper was the artist's dog. He was known to nip at people's heels.

Don't:

• Know what a Victrola is? A Victrola played records. If you don't know what a record is - well - then - I give up.
• Stare at the man giving the upstairs tour with a piece of black tape on his glasses. He's seeing double. Or he is a pirate! Arrrrr!

Philly Summers: Or sunblock and sewers

The sweltering heat, the sour smells, the fashionably challenged, the cranky citizens, the extremely annoying tourists.

Fact:

• Philadelphia in the summer does not always smell that great: wafts of sewers, eau de body odor, rotting garbage.
• Women tend to dress like trannie hookers
• Trannie hookers tend to dress like trannie hookers
• Men dress in appalling shorts, baggy shirts and flip flops. I prefer the trannie hookers.

Do:

• Wear shirts that cover your midriff. If your stomach is flat enough to show, chances are you're too young to be showing it, Lolita.
• Go to John's Water Ice on 7th and Christian - it's a great summer treat and you won't have to deal with the tourists lining the block for Rita's.
• Sit outside and enjoy the sun:
• More Than Just Ice Cream @ 11th and Locust
• Kanella @ 10th and Spruce
• Beau Monde (even though I've had such crappy service there) @6th and Bainbridge
• Parc (even though many of the clientele are douchebags) @ 18th and Rittenhouse

Don't:

• Wear flipflops! Dear lord, we are in a CITY! Flipflops are for shower stalls, the beach and hotel carpets!
• Wear cut-off jean shorts in public, you're no Daisy Duke. In fact, Daisy Duke is no Daisy Duke.




She still looks great. My only point is that unless you are 17 and living in the country, don't wear these shorts.


• Forget your deodorant. Yes, I know, you're all natural. You think your sweat doesn't smell. You. Are. WRONG.  

Fort Delaware: Or a kind of lame fort that you have to take a ferry to

Fact:

• My boyfriend (hi boo!) lives in Delaware and this fort is not really all that easy to get to via public transportation from Philadelphia but if you have a car it could be a fun trip. Maybe.
• Fort Delaware is on Pea Patch Island (one mile east of Delaware City) and in 1951 was made one of Delaware's first state parks.

• You have to take a ferry to get to the island and it's not that cheap but it is the best part of the trip.
• Construction on the fort began in 1819, then was destroyed by fire in 1832. The present fort was built in 1859. It closed in 1944.  
• 2,700 confederate soldiers died while prisoners at the fort.

Transport:

• Three Forts Ferry

Cost:

• $11 for adults
• $6 for children

Do:

• Try going a little later in the season. They have more activities.
• Go the third weekend in August for Garrison Weekend if you're into seeing reenactors doing infantry formations and artillery drills. And come on, who isn't? (Me. )
• Look for herons - they nest on the island.

Don't:

• Tease the guy in historical garb about his ability to play a sand bag tossing game as it may turn out that he is slightly handicapped.
• Expect a colonial Williamsburg type of experience.  Though it does make me think of this...

A Cooking Class at the Walnut Hill Restaurant School: Or how I nearly burned the place down

Over a year ago when I was starting to have fewer hours and the end was approaching at my last job - I decided I would become a renaissance woman. Not by being rubenesque (though I totally got fat) but by picking up the skill set I would need to live off the land or on a non-existent paycheck. These skills included sewing, knitting, gardening, and cooking. Which served the dual purpose of also being ready for a zombie apocalypse.

From AMC's Walking Dead which I've never seen, but yeah, I get it, it's awesome. I'll watch it. Really.

So I sewed up some dish towels and an apron and started my first community education cooking class at the  Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College.

Facts:

• Located at: 4207 Walnut Street • Philadelphia
• The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College offers majors in Culinary Arts, Pastry Arts, Restaurant Management and Hotel Management
• People like me (who aren't professional chefs but like to eat) can take courses through their community offerings
• You can also eat at their restaurants which are run and staffed by the students of the college  

Do:

• Bring your own: Knives, Spoons, Measuring Cups, Spatula and Tongs to class
• Check to make sure that the pot that is on the burner is filled with broth and not cooling oil from the previous class

Taken from Real Simple which in turn grabbed it from Getty Images

Don't:

• Spend a lot on your tools unless you're actually going to use them again (ahem)
• Think it's going to be like Top Chef, or that you'll be like Top Chef because it's kind of not like that
• Make the mistake of using the pot filled with oil (not broth) in your rissotto because you will then set your rissotto on fire and have everyone freak out

A.Kitchen: Or I really seem to write about food A.Lot

It's been a while since I last wrote.  Mostly because I am really really lazy. And I have a life, unlike you guys.

So my latest foray into Philadelphia was at A.Kitchen. Where there is a kitchen, and some tables, and lots and lots of waitstaff. (side note: there was this blond kid who looked exactly like the bad guy from the Karate Kid (original) and I wanted so badly to say, "Sweep the leg, Johnny!" but I was pretty sure that he would think I was crazy so I refrained)

Photo from their website

Fact:

• A.Kitchen is part of AKA Rittenhouse where many celebs stay.
• I saw Gerard Butler hanging outside AKA Rittenhouse a couple years ago. He looked like a scruffy dude - even though I was expecting King Leonidas.
• The food was really really good.

Do:

• Make a reservation as it is quite small.
• Have dessert - really totally awesome. Best poundcake I've ever had. No, really. I'm serious.

Don't:

• Wear black, as the cloth napkin left white lint.
• Be freaked out about the portion size - it's actually filling and you won't feel sick afterwards.

Not Gerard Butler

Location:
35 South 18th Street Philadelphia, PA 19103
Just north of Walnut Street at AKA Rittenhouse Square

Price:
Can be a bit spendy for the non-Rittenhouse folks but well worth it. Check out their menu for more info. (What? You wanted me to provide you with that too? Don't be so lazy. Look at their website!)