The First Night in Philly - Feel the Love

Last February I had the chance to travel to Long Beach, CA for a conference. Later on, my boss said we could not afford to go to the 2018 conference, so, much to my surprise when she called me in November to ask if I was available for the 2018 conference I jumped at the chance! This year it is in Philadelphia and I have never been, so of course Thickblackglasses tagged along too, we booked flights a few days early and here's what happened in the first 12 hours:

Our first few days were booked at the Klimpton Hotel Monaco. The staff was really friendly while checking us in, and recommended 3 cheesesteaks restaurants right away. Ishkabbible, Jim's, and Geno's. Jim's and Ishkabbible are just a few steps from each other, and when we reach Jim's the line was out the door - always a good sign, but we were hungry, so we turned a stepped toward Ishkabbible. It is a small, unassuming place, but it was packed. We stepped in the door, found a place at the bar, which was a mere 2 feet from the grill, and ordered up a cheesesteak "provolone without" and "wiz with" (picking up some of the lingo in web guides) and some fries.

"Wiz with" means cheese wiz and onions

We watched the chef cook all the meats right in front of us then stack it on the typical roll. It was a delicious first taste of the city. Gooey, a tad under-seasoned, but fresh and the roll was soft. We dug in without any hesitation and finished the lot. The restaurant only has seating for about 9 people, and 6 seats were taken when we arrived, but people were coming and going in a constant stream during our half hour at the bar.

Stepping back into the street we started to walk in one direction to check out the area. After a few blocks we stumbled upon the Tattooed Mom, which Thickblackglasses had read about before our arrival, so of course we had to visit. Right in the door we found a more mellow, restaurant area that was artfully decorated. The doorman directed us upstairs to a more rowdy and packed atmosphere. We ordered drinks at the bar and found a place to stand and take in the sites. The walls are covered in stickers, graffiti, and other art, plus the music was up-tempo and dance inducing. Tired of standing we decided to check out the first floor, a bit more calm yet still fun we were able to find a table and take in the sites. Our table faced a window full of very cool art. The waiter brought us temporary tattoos, and a few little plastic toys to keep us busy.

After posting on social media about the place, my boss immediately responded that it looked awesome, so I told her we would come back when she arrives in town in a few days.

It was time to hit the street again and discover another bar, this one German themed, called Brauhaus Schmitz. The waitresses were clad in the typical German wench get up and the menu was almost fully in German (with hints of what type of beer it was), so we bellied up to the bar and ordered. You cannot enter an German establishment and not eat a pretzel, so a soft, buttery roll was soon set before us!

3 liters later it was time to hit the streets again. Our goal was the hotel, but we happened by a poutine restaurant. Drinks had made us hungry and poutine seemed to be the cure, so we wandered in and ordered the original. Chunks of cheese curd were drenched in gravy topping the fries. We dug in with a fork and devoured it. My Canadian friends had now idea Smoke's Poutinerie had establishments south of the border - good to know it's straight from Canada!

It was successful first night and we fell asleep excited for the week ahead of us!