90th in Philly

Once I was able to board my Amtrak train to Philly (after a 90 minute delay), things moved quickly. If you’ve never been on an Amtrak train, here’s a tip: don’t dawdle. The trains rarely wait more than a few minutes at each stop before departing. There were very few stops between New York and Philly and it seemed like barely any time had passed before I was seeing the city of Brotherly Love in the Golden Hour. Once I got to my Mom’s retirement community, I was greeted by the giant inflatable decoration that was in front for Halloween. Bryan - does this quality for a cat?



On the one day that I took some time for myself to go for a run (and breathe fresh air!), I was so happy to be able to experience Fall. This is the one season I miss from the East Coast.



Granted, the leaves had already turned and were falling off most of the trees, but I was still able to see some of those magical reds and golds.







Note: some of these photos were taken on my iPhone, so they aren’t necessarily up to snuff. However, when you are able to escape family and go for a run, you have to make do with what you have! The gas prices were almost as exhilarating as the leaves; at the time I left California, they were hovering around $7/gallon. The East Coast was almost $3 cheaper. Yowza.



For my Mom’s 90th birthday, I selected the General Warren Inne, which is also where we dined for her 70th. With the pandemic, you never know what you might get when you return to an old favorite.



I am happy to report that the Inne was the perfect venue (again) for Mom’s big celebration.



Established in 1745, it has seen a lot of history over the years, especially during the Revolutionary War.



My oldest brother and his wife were able to make it as well.



 A champagne toast to Mom was a great way to start off the evening. 



For dinner, I chose the Beef Wellington. It was delicious and melted in my mouth.



For Mom’s dessert, the firecracker candle lit up the room!





The service at the Inne was fantastic; our waitress gave the right level of attention and did everything she could to make it a special evening for Mom. All of us were pleased with the experience. Thanks, General Warren; see you in another 20 years? Actually, I hope to go back much sooner. Apparently they have a few rooms that they rent, and that’s something for my bucket list next time I return to the area.

For years, Mom had talked about how much she enjoyed lunch at Neiman Marcus in the King of Prussia Mall. I got tired of hearing about it and told her she better take me next time I’m in town, and she did!



I’m not much of a mall person anymore, so being inside this place really took me back in time.



The Neiman Marcus Cafe lived up to the hype.



One of my teachers from junior high (who also happens to be a very good friend of my Mom’s) joined us for lunch, too. The large popovers on our plate are a signature of NM’s lunches. I know I enjoyed mine!



Outside of the restroom, I enjoyed looking at the vintage ads hanging on the wall:



And that pretty much wraps up my East Coast trip. If it appears that all I did was eat, well…that’s just about what occurred. When the family gets together, you’re planning the next meal before you’ve finished eating the one in front of you. This is why I run!
 
See more Main Line photos at my main website.