Quick Day Trip to Philadelphia in November 2020

I took a day trip to Philadelphia for a couple of appointments back on November 9, 2020. My first appointment was to tour an apartment and the second was to interview for a job. Before leaving, I hit some of my favorite places in the city. I had a good time.

My parents kindly dropped me off at the train station. My first time taking the business class train, instead of finding a seat in front of me, I had a table. It was nice experience. During the pandemic, there were only a few people in my car. 

Since I intend to move to Philadelphia, I first explored the area around the centrally-located apartment that I had an 11:30 appointment to tour. The block was cute. Older homes stood on either side of a tiny tree-lined street. Philadelphia is known for its murals and there were some on the side of buildings on other blocks. The one bedroom one bathroom apartment, itself, was small, only 450 square feet, but I liked it. The best part was its deck. The outdoor space was huge! Truly amazing… I could imagine it furnished and decorated. This outdoor space faced west for afternoon sun. It would be a nice space to entertain in. I adored the city view to the right.

This was the deck straight ahead when you first come out of the apartment’s back door…

This was the deck space to the left…

This was the city view to the right…

Inside, the kitchen was in between the bedroom door on the left and the front door (to the stairs down to the building door) on the right. One of my requirements is a bright kitchen with white cabinets.

The kitchen occupied one wall of the living area. The closet in the living room was pretty big. The stairs went up to the deck.

There was a brick wall in the bedroom. I didn’t even know that I wanted a brick wall… Such an urban feature! The bedroom also featured a window.

The white bathroom had a skylight!

Overall, the rent was an amazing value considering its central location and that spacious deck. It was quite a find and even though it was much smaller than the home I am used to, I could possibly see myself living there. It was definitely fun to tour a potential new home. I know that I will find my perfect apartment home.

After my tour, I walked to Shakespeare & Co. and bought the hardcover version of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. I wanted to chill out in this charming little bookshop until my job interview, but the seating in the café area was, unfortunately, closed. The Starbucks across the street also did not offer seating. I walked to the little mall nearby, but the seating in the open middle area had been removed. Finally, I found a seat upstairs in the food court. I ate a Chick fil A chicken sandwich quickly, barely eating the fries and drinking my coke.

I walked over to the block for my meeting. I did hang out outside for a few minutes. It was a beautiful day. 

I thought my interview went well. The woman I met with talked a lot. She asked me if I had questions, so I asked her the ten I wrote down. She did ask me why she should hire me. At the end. Seriously. I gave my answer, but also gave the better answers to all those common interview questions I had studied for. I paused towards the end of my response, thinking for a moment on how to wrap it up. Throughout our chat, I did sneak my qualifications in whenever possible. I was relieved that it was over and that it was easy. I would love to live in one of their buildings and the employee rent discount is great, but does not begin until 9 months on the job. I actually did not hear back from this company, but I know that I will score the job meant for me.

After my interview, I walked over to the nearby Nordstrom Rack and purchased two pairs of my signature cubic zirconia silver studs. Di Bruno Bros. was another favorite place on Chestnut Street that I visited. Crossing Broad Street, I walked to the Reading Terminal Market and picked up a pound of cranberry pistachio biscotti from one of its stands, Termini Bros. Turning around, I bought my sister and parents some chocolates from Mueller Chocolate Co. At the next stand, I purchased a couple of chocolate chip cookies from The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company.

 
I walked to the nearby Walgreens and bought a liter of water. Thirsty, I downed the entire thing while taking in the city from Love Park and Dilworth Park beside City Hall. I savored one of my cookies. It was so delicious. Then, I explored Dilworth Park’s Wintergarden before jumping on the subway to head to the train station.

It was fantastic to be in my city for the day and I simply cannot wait to move there! I look forward to starting a new chapter and being close to my favorite places!