Super Bowl Sunday in Philly

Green lights leading up to the City Building

When watching a Super Bowl it is difficult to know who is going to win - each team is usually well matched, and this year was no different. A few weeks ago, upon hearing that the Eagles would be a contender in the Super Bowl we knew we would be in for some fun! Eagles fans can be rowdy and passionate about their team, and they have never won a Super Bowl, so win or lose, something was going to happen in this city after the game.

As seen in a window across from our hotel

The hotel bar, Red Owl Tavern, had a few extra TVs set up for the game and we were able to secure a spot only an hour before kickoff. We ordered some drinks and settled in. Several groups of Eagles fans had already gathered and were eating or drinking preparing for the ride. I wore my Broncos jersey to show my interest in football and solidarity against Tom Brady.

The Eagles played really well and managed to pull it out at the end of the game. We watched as fans stood for the last few minutes and swelled to excitement as the clock ticked down to mark the end of the game - some people were starting to put on their jackets to take to the streets. Cheers erupted and several people ran out the door. We joined them just to see what was happening. Already, there was so much noise around us, we could a roar from several sides, people cheering and setting off fireworks, along with car horns honking up and down the street.

Cheering after an official review benefits the Eagles

We ran up to our hotel room and grabbed our jackets to join the festivities. The majority of the crowd was moving west towards the major thoroughfare of Broad Street. After a mile walk we found the crowd gathered - cheering, screaming, igniting fireworks, dancing, etc. whatever they could do to show their joy. Both of us were on alert for the mob mentality and the start of a riot, but the majority of people just seemed to be enjoying the moment, very little destruction was happening in our line of sight.

After 20 minutes we decided to walk back toward our hotel. Almost all the way, there and back, we ran into fans walking the street. It was quite an awesome site to see so many people united in a single cause. The news was reporting on several areas around Pennsylvania and the tri-state area that were holding rallies in the streets, still very little destruction was being reported on.

Congrats to the Philadelphia Eagles and their victory in the Super Bowl (and for beating Tom Brady), there's no thrill like seeing your team become the champions within their sport - cheers!!

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!

Salem, MA

I do not even know where to start with Salem! Really I would have liked more time to explore and see more of the museums, maybe even take in a second ghost tour, but alas time was not on our side. We had about 5 hours in Salem, so we planned a visit to the Salem Witch Museum, shopping, and a ghost tour.

The Salem Witch Museum was surprisingly disappointing. You sit in a large room and watch the story unfold about how the Salem witch trials began and what happened to the poor souls who lost their lives during that time. Then you move into a room with some more stories about witches throughout the last few centuries since the witch trials (late 1600s) and that's it, now go shop. Overall, I would not really recommend this museum and that could contribute to why I wish we had more time in Salem.

Patrick Dougherty - Stickwork

Samantha from Bewitched

We had planned a ghost tour for the evening (of which I highly recommend!), but did not really plan the in-between time, so we wandered the town a bit. There is a lot of shopping to be had, and of course plenty of witch themed souvenirs. Keep in mind that real witches still inhabit the town of Salem, so you can find actual books, and supplies for those that practice Wicca. If you are interested, this is definitely the place to find out!

If you find yourself with some time in Salem or are not sure what to do, make your way toward the cemetery, a bit east of the main town. There you will find the Salem Witch Memorial.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's House of the Seven Gables is in Salem too, so be sure to save time to discover that gem!

Penscola Lighthouse

Penscola was just our entry and exit point for Alabama and the Gulf Shores, but it contains some shopping, some beautiful beaches, and a fantastic lighthouse placed right next to a naval base. There is plenty to do on the base, like a aviation museum and Blue Angel viewings, but we did not have much time before our flight and opted for the lighthouse.

The lighthouse was lit for the first time in 1859. It replaced a less bright lighthouse that was built half a mile away. The US government had recognized the importance of protecting this entry point and had built forts in the area surrounding the lighthouse.

A view of the beach from the top

A view of the grounds around the lighthouse

During the Civil War the lighthouse changed hands between Union and Confederate troops, and even went dark for a few months during transitions.

Blue Angels in the nearby naval base

The lighthouse lens

The bottom third of the lighthouse is painted white to contrast with the trees, while the top two-thirds is black to contrast with the sky. It is officially on the National Registry for Historic Places and many of the out buildings have been restored.

Going down the stairs

Going up the stairs (yep, that's me, Sassafrass, coming down and freaking out!)

Food in and around Gulf Shores Alabama

Thickblackglasses and I knew that going to the Gulf would involve a lot of seafood, and we were looking forward to it! To prepare ourselves we tried some oysters at an upscale restaurant in our hometown. Being far away from the ocean can be make it tricky to find fresh seafood, but this restaurant's oysters were not too bad. It still could not prepare us for the fresh delishousness of oysters (and other seafood) at the Gulf!

Our first oyster experience was at Felix's Fish Camp, near the USS Alabama in Mobile. Since we had tried raw oysters at home we decided baked oysters would give us a new experience. Felix's offers a mixed plate with two of each of their baked oysters: 2 Rockefeller (with spinach), 2 Casino (with bacon and Parmesan), and 2 Felix's (with breadcrumbs, cheese, and garlic). My favorite were definitely the Felix's while Thickblackglasses opted for the Casino, but we enjoyed all of them and would highly recommend getting this plate!

Our second experience with baked oysters was at the Oyster House in Gulf Shores. Although they were not as good at the Felix's Felix oysters, they were still really tasty!

Baked Oysters and gumbo

During this meal we also decided to taste the raw oysters. The waitress made the cocktail sauce tableside which made for an even better experience.

At the Oyster House we also tried fried alligator. It came out in tiny bite-sized pieces and was breaded so it's hard to tell what it really looks like, but, for some, that may be better! They were well fried and crunchy. [We also had fried alligator in Texas (March 2013) a few years back, but failed to write about it.]

Thickblackglasses also went fishing, not deep sea, but out enough that he caught us all some delicious fishes! We brought them home to be grilled and fried. Both ways were delicious and we were lucky enough to package it and ship it home after vacation.

I cannot forget our stop at Matt's Ice Cream. Delicious homemade ice cream was perfect for a hot day in Alabama - I could not resist trying the banana split!

Dauphin Island, Alabama

A visit to Dauphin Island can happen in one of two ways. Firstly, there is a road/bridge connecting the island to the mainland, just south of Mobile, Alabama. The second way to visit is to take the car ferry across from Gulf Shores.

Yahoo! Inc. map, 2017

The 14 mile long island contains a fort and an estuarium, along with housing, shops, restaurants, a light house, a bird sanctuary, plenty of beaches, and more. We were staying in Gulf Shores, on the map above you can see the edge of the land and Fort Morgan, so we drove the round-a-bout way to the tip of land and caught the car ferry. Along for the ride was my niece and her friend, none of us had been on a car ferry before so that is where the excitement began!

Ferry boarding rules: Load left to right; Lanes one thru four; Approximate load is 28 vehicles.

While waiting for the ferry to arrive we watched lightning storm come across the bay. It was beautiful but we were told that if the storm was too fierce the ferry might be delayed. Lucky for us, it was not! The 30 minute ride across the opening of Mobile Bay was mostly filled with sites of oil and natural gas rigs, but it was still nice to be on the water.

Upon landing on the island we disembarked and headed toward the estuarium. Here is the definition as estuary from the National Ocean Service website:
"Estuaries and their surrounding wetlands are bodies of water usually found where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries are home to unique plant and animal communities that have adapted to brackish water—a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater"

Petting the sting rays

We were able to pet sting rays and horseshoe crabs along with learning more about the types of animals living in and around the estuary near Dauphin Island. My niece and her friend loved it (and they are teenagers!).

Turtles at the estuarium

 Afterwards, we took the half-block jaunt up the road to Fort Gaines.One of two forts built to protect Mobile Bay, construction began in 1819, but was not finished until 1853 and was used during the Civil War.

Central yard of the fort.

In August 1864, after a fierce battle, the men of the fort surrendered to the Union. The fort stayed under Union control for the remainder of the war. Although the fort never came under fire again, it did play an important role through the Spanish American War through World War II.

Canon looking out towards Mobile Bay

Standing atop the fort wall facing north

USS Alabama - Mobile, AL

The USS Alabama was a staunch battleship used during World War II. It is now moored new Mobile, Alabama and offers tours throughout it's structure.

Upon our visit to Alabama a visit to this battleship became the first thing on my agenda. Many years ago I (Sassafrass) visited Pearl Harbor and the USS Missouri had just opened to the public, so I did not get to much of the ship. The opportunity to board and explore this ship was an incredible experience. I can still smell the oils and metals in my nose.

The tour offers three pathways to choose from and we managed to get through all three in about a three hour time frame. Mind you, we like to take our time and read everything and explore every nook and cranny. The pamphlet suggested that it would take half and hour for each path.

At the forefront, the Alabama contains nine 16"/45 caliber guns. 120 other guns help protect her during battle.

This ship and others like her were built to be cities on the ocean. They contain laundry rooms, barbershops, blacksmith shops, kitchens and cafeterias (or "mess halls" to use the military term), sleeping quarters, dark rooms for developing photos, and much more.

Barbershop

Many times the captain had two sleeping quarters, one was used during official visits by heads of state or other VIPs, while the second was used more frequently during tours and in battle. The official quarters are adjacent to a were decorated receiving room/dining area. While the "battle" quarters are located behind the command deck so the captain could be summoned and on-hand as needed.

There are 4 engine rooms on the ship and the tour gives access to one for exploring. The boilers and turbines are not running, but you can imagine how loud it may have been to work around the engines.

This is a highly recommended tour to take when visiting Mobile or Gulf Shores (a 1-hr drive). The Battleship Memorial Park also contains an airplane hanger and a decommissioned submarine open for tours too. This adventure could easily turn into a full-day experience!