Its Spring!

Its springtime in Philly and I'm back! So I took a few months off and was working like crazy, holing up with my new love, and generally just trying to stay inside. But now I'm ready for warm weather, beautiful views, and more exploring! 

These past couple of weekends I've had a lot of fun, the weather has been up and down but I am just happy to bring my spring wardrobe and shed the winter blues! This is what I've been up to:

Little sis and I went to NYC to spend the weekend with big sis. We had a blast catching up, eating good food, and shopping. On Saturday night we had dinner at Pop burger, a gay bar known for their loud music and crazy drinks. Our menus were made out of recycled album covers! I had a purple rain, yum! Got me in the mood for warm weather and maybe a little Prince...

The next morning we woke up early to have brunch at Northern Spy in the East Village. It was such a cute place! The menu was simple and delicious, there were candles burning in the bathroom, and we sat in a booth that was more like our own little cabin. Gotta love a place with their own style! It could be easily described as Anthropologie meets BYOB.

Then last weekend bf and I spent Sunday afternoon around the city. First on the list, the Philadelphia Zoo. I had gotten tickets on groupon for half price, only catch was we needed to use them before the end of March. So since it was a chilly day so we were in and out in less than 2 hours. I learned its our country's oldest zoo, Philly loves to make their claim to fame by saying they are the first with as much as they possibly can. They were also the first zoo to have elephants, but no longer have them. My favorite animals were the tigers. Bf and I joked about what would happen if my little fuzz ball was put in the same cage with these guys. We decided he would put them in their place, of course! I forgot to get pictures until after we left the gates, sorry!

After the zoo we excitedly headed to Northern Liberties, a neighborhood that has been recently revitalized to include lots of action. We walked to the center of it all which is the Piazza here you will find lots of trendy shops, galleries, bars, and restaurants.

The Piazza has a big screen where they show Philadelphia sports games, of course, and movies in the summer. They also have a farmers market year round on Saturdays. This area is surrounded by high rise apartment buildings, with the restaurants and shops are located on the ground level.

We went to the Piazza to try PYT Burger, a place that has been talked about a lot. We actually attempted to go before, after one of our first dates but we left because we assumed it was too early for the dj and dancing to have started. Well, now I wish we would have walked through those doors because it seems like its going on all day long! We were pleasantly surprised when opened the door to find this place crawling with fashionable young people grooving to hip hop being spun by a dj in the corner. It was afterall 3pm on a Sunday afternoon. Once we were seated and got the menu, we started chatting about the unique choices! Not to mention that I was texting away pictures of the menu because it was just too cool to keep to myself. 

We both ordered burgers and fries to share. I also couldn't pass up an "adult" milkshake. We ordered the Strawberry Slutcake Shake, which happened to be designed by our waitress. And I must say Nattie Ice knows what shes doing!

This past weekend bf and I went to El Vez, a trendy Mexican restaurant in Midtown Village. El Vez is one of Stephen Starr's restaurants. He is a famous Philly restauranteur who has more than fifteen restaurants in Philly. Each one has a unique environment that flows from the front door all the way to the bathroom. Some of the more unique and fun ones are a sushi bar called Pod in University City, Parc off of Rittenhouse Square, and Jones which is near Washington Square. I can't wait to see what he does next!

El Vez is one of my favorites because they have awesome margaritas and a cool atmosphere. We ordered a pitcher of the blood orange margaritas and the house guacomole and went to town! When I was there once last summer they had a creamsicle margarita on the menu and I fell in love. I've been dying to go back and get another since then! I was disappointed to hear that they only make special margaritas during the summer when they bring in another machine. Looks like I'll be stopping by once a week to see when they make it! Its going to be a fun summer!

Then on Sunday I met my friend for brunch at Beaumonde, a creperie south of South Street. We chatted away while enjoying our savory crepes and cappacinos. Then bf and I took a Philadelphia Trolley Tour which took us all over the city. We got off at the Farimount Park stop near Eastern State Penitentiary to get some coffee and take a quick walk. We've both been there before so its not on our list of to do's, but definitely a spooky place for tourists to go! So we crossed the street and found a busy coffee place called Mugshots. 

We found a spot at the bar by in the window and chatted while sharing lattes and a berry muffin. Our Sunday ended after some boutique shopping in Old City, wine and cheese on my balcony, and sushi at a new restaurant off the square. Always a good day with the bf! I'm so fortunate to have found such a nice bf as well as a partner that loves discovering the city as much as I do! I can't wait to see what comes next!