philly // the city of brotherly love and great food
happy monday everyone! i’m so excited to finally be sharing all of the details of amanda’s and my quick trip to philadelphia! it had been about 13 years years since i last visited this once capital of the united states and i was so excited to be heading back as an adult! amanda and i made the easy two hour drive down to philly the thursday evening before labor day weekend and we were honored to partner with the ritz carlton while in town.
upon check-in, we were immediately greeted with the friendliest staff and the lobby that was out of a hollywood movie. the extra chic decor perfectly complimented the once bank building complete with stunning views all while sitting next to the iconic city hall. even though it was fairly late when we arrived, we were eager to check out the club level that we were graciously allowed access to…aka endless drinks and snacks!
after a good night’s sleep in the comfiest beds imaginable, the following morning we headed down to the in-house restaurant aqimero for brunch. while i had to control myself from ordering everything on the menu, i technically didn’t have to because it was endless food and beverages for only $50! amanda and i stuck with the classics of avocado toast and chicken and waffles (with a few extra dishes thrown in there) to help fuel us for our day of exploration.
while philly is home to some of the most historic (and cutest) streets in the country, amanda and i wanted to seek out some locations that were not so typical. so when we came across this mosaic art installation, we knew we had to stop. philadelphia’s magic gardens were created by artist isaiah zagar and opened in 2008 for the public to view. and let me tell you the pictures don’t even come close to doing it justice! we were so lucky to have gotten into the gardens when we were there because the tickets ended up selling out that day so be sure to either buy your tickets online ahead of time or just check on their website to see if they are sold out the day of.
after our afternoon of getting lost in the mosaic gardens, we headed to talula’s garden for dinner, which was recommended to us by a follower! not only was the ambiance perfect but the food was incredible! …oh and i can’t forget about the drinks!
and speaking of drinks, that night we decided to head out to a bar we discovered via instagram that was located on the roof of an old school building…you know, casual. upon arriving to bok bar, though, we were a little confused because we only saw an outdoor portion (with epic views of the city) but we were sure there was some type of indoor lounge that we were missing. unfortunately before we could find it, it was last call and we were all being kicked out! ugh!
thankfully we stuck to our guns because the next day we figured it all out and headed back to the building armed with a dinner reservation for irwin’s, confident that this was the portion we were missing. and of course, once we returned, the entrance to irwin’s was just across the hall from bok bar…speakeasy style behind glass doors and curtains. not only did this restaurant have the most amazing middle eastern style food, but the decor made amanda and i cry tears of happiness. every single nook of this restaurant was designed to perfection! we chatted with our waitress for a bit and she shared with us the design company that executed their interiors: rohe creative. immediately we began stalking their instagram and stumbled upon another restaurant they had designed that opened weeks earlier: louie louie. so obviously we had to go to that one too!
fairly similar to what i did while in nashville with ashley, i dm’d the louie louie instagram account to see if they would be open to us stopping by a little before they opened to take our photos to not interfere with other customers. the managing partner, sydney, almost instantly responded with an excited, “yes!” amanda and i were more excited than ever and got there right at 10am for our photos. and oh my gosh guys this place was just unreal…like actually speechless. it was sensory overload to say the least and the attention to detail was unparalleled from any restaurant i have ever been to.
and decor aside, the menu was everything i wanted it to be and then some…one part american, one part french, and two very happy bloggers!
after our meal, we chatted with sydney a bit more and she shared even more restaurants in the area that we needed to check out - one of them being white dog cafe! but unfortunately we were heading back to the city that afternoon so just more of a reason to head back again!
after leaving louie louie with full bellies and big smiles, we checked out of our rooms at the ritz but still needed to get a little work done. so we headed to menagerie coffee to work on a few photos before hitting the road.
oh, and you didn’t think we would leave philly without having a geno’s philly cheesesteak did you!? absolutely not.
amanda and i were both completely blown away by all that philly had to offer. i guess a lot has changed since my 7th grade school trip! while we were only there for a few days, the easy drive makes it tempting to head back there asap because there are still things we wanted to do!
one thing we didn’t get the chance to do that was on our list was throwing axes at urban axes haha not kidding! i was so bummed that they were closed for all of labor day weekend when we were there, that alone would be reason for me to head back! i also would love to explore the old city more, visit some of the historic sites, have a drink at philadelphia distilling, get lost in the longwood gardens, and eat at both walnut street cafe and friday saturday sunday!
thank you again to the ritz carlton in philadelphia for hosting us and giving us the opportunity to explore this stunning city!
// outfit 1 //
coat: kate spade
dress: gal meets glam collection
shoes: kate spade
hat: gucci
earrings: tory burch
sunglasses: dolce & gabbana
tote: barrington gifts
suitcase: steamline luggage
weekender: louis vuitton
headphones: bang & olufsen
// outfit 2 //
my pajamas: j.crew
glasses: firmoo
amanda’s pajamas: kate spade
// outfit 3 //
dress: zara (similar here and here)
shoes: kate spade
hat: gucci
earrings: marni
bracelets: cartier
necklace: cartier
bag: kate spade (old, similar here)
sunglasses: dolce & gabbana
// outfit 3 //
top: kate spade (also love the navy)
skirt: dvf
hat: gucci
shoes: fendi (also here in black)
bag: chanel
// outfit 4 //
jeans: american eagle
shoes: gucci
headphones: bang & olufsen
phonecase: apple
phone stickers: anya hindmarch
