Sadly, Graham had to work during the first few days of our vacation.. and then we had to cut our time short since Hermine threatened to put the area in a state of emergency as well as making evacuation a possibility. We decided to head back to Philly Saturday morning to avoid the challenge of a slow-rolling mass traffic exodus. We were sad to leave, but it was nice to have a few days at home to recover. 

In spite of leaving early, we did manage to get in some fun (as you may have seen on Facebook and Instagram). Here were some of the highlights:

Graham watched with great trepidation as I fumbled with my phone to get “a good wave shot,” knowing my predictable klutziness and the unpredictable waters wasn’t the safest combination for electronics in my hands. My phone stayed dry! My butt did not! And this was just 10 minutes before meeting up with his family and friends for dinner.

Sunsets over water are amazing <3

Cape May has some really cute shore houses and buildings. There was a strip of connected houses we repeatedly drove by going to and from town to Cape May Point. I begged Graham to take me just so I could take pictures. They were all part of the Exit Zero brand (Cape May’s local newspaper).. a gallery, a curry house (!), and gallery. We meant to have dinner there on Saturday evening, but had to leave before getting the chance.

Washington Street Mall is always a must with its cute boutiques, Uncle Charley’s Ice Cream, and multiple places for fudge and saltwater taffy. We bought nearly 2lbs of taffy just before we left and there’s only a few ounces left. 

We also stopped by the arcades to get our fill of skee-ball and air hockey.. which meant we went 4 times during the week. Since we had to leave early and weren’t able to cash in on our tickets, we’ll be ahead of the game next year.

We managed to fit in a nature trail.. also nighttime hunting for ghost crabs. As we chased the crabs with our flashlights, I forgot to be mindful of the rough waters.. wet butt again! You can see how, towards the end of the week, the skies became dark and moody..

We did regret not being able to go to Hot Dog Tommy’s a second time during our visit. I’m a hot dog snob (I know, that’s like an oxymoron), and I always complain that nothing ever comes close to an awesome Seattle dog off the cart in Capitol Hill.. but Hot Dog Tommy’s BAD (Black Angus Dog) Dog (I know, a BAD DOG is really a Black Angus Dog Dog.. but it’s still cute that they call them BAD Dogs) is my new number one. Oh, and there’s also a vegan option for the herbivores.

We also wanted a chance to return to Cape May Point’s Red Store where we had one of the best brunches.. and that includes our favorite spots in Philly AND Seattle.

I really wish I’d gotten photos of both meals above, but I’ve been trying to be better about not letting Graham’s food get cold for the sake of a snapshot. Maybe next year…

Stacy

One of the biggest complaints I’ve read from various reviews on the movie deals with Margot being such a flawed character.. which really.. I feel, is the point. There wouldn’t be a story to tell without her flaws.. Sarah Silverman makes an appearance as a supporting character, and although I’ve never been a fan of hers, she really shines in the film as the intuitive observer, reiterating the wisdom in the comment made by the older women in the shower scene at the pool, “new things get old just like the old things do.” The same needs to be said of Seth Rogen. I was skeptical about the casting decision, but he’s successful in making me forget how much I dislike him.. fully embracing his role.

I watched it together with Graham for the first time 2 years ago. He thought it offered an interesting perspective as far as the “couple drama” goes since he’s usually watched films that offered the male perspective unless.. as he put it.. “it’s the Nicholas Sparks bullshit.” He enjoyed it.. but it has forever made him wary of “hipster rickshaw dudes.”Graham’s actually never watched my second summer film with me.. or at all for that matter.. something we’re going to remedy before Thursday’s post.. much to his chagrin.

On the plus side for him, there’s no hipster rickshaw man indiscretions in that one nor does “Video Killed the Radio Star” ever play in it. I should probably add that as a warning for those of you who are susceptible to earworms.

Take This Waltz is available for streaming on Netflix.

Stacy

There’s two things Graham and I look forward to when it comes to summer in Philly: Spruce Street Harbor Park (SSHP) and Night Market. Both kicked off the season this month, but unfortunately, as I mentioned in the previous post, an injury leaving me with a herniated disc has kept me within a 6-foot radius of the house.

Hopefully, I’ll be better by next month’s Night Market, but knowing that Spruce Street Harbor’s pop-up park is basking in the warm sunshine and dripping in rainbow lights, lazy hammocks, and seasonal florals.. complete with food trucks.. I find myself a lot more peevish about being house-confined.

I’d seen “Coming Soon” signs for the pop-up park during my springtime jogs back in 2014, but it wasn’t until our fellow Greyhound parents Kim and Dave raved about their visit that we decided to make a stop. We missed out during its first year, but since we were on the lookout for a place to shoot our engagement photos and thought we’d add it to our list of possibilities.

Enchanted by the colors and all the fun activities like the arcade (in shipping containers!), gigantic Connect Four, shuffleboard, etc. we knew it was the right place for our photo shoot within a few seconds. The whole park is basically a gigantic playground! In fact, the sights and sounds gave me the idea to secretly email our photographer Ashley to conspire a water gun assault on Graham during our shoot. Totally paid off as can be seen by Exhibit A below:

We also wrangled a hammock! It was the first and only time since that we got to do that. Good news though, this year, SSHP added hammock lounges that takes reservations! Smart move! No more vulture-eyeing occupied hammocks from the picnic tables and anxiously trying to outrace (but you know, not look like you’re making an aggressively desperate attempt) other park goers when it looks like a hammock has even the merest potential of becoming vacant. It kinda made me feel like a 1st grader in a game of musical chairs.. I always lost then too. Luckily, Ashley and her assistant Rebecca were more eagle-eyed and pounced into action.

The park is definitely less crowded during the week, but a warning to the foodies, not all the food trucks are necessarily opened then. For anyone wanting to try out Franklin Fountain in Old City but have been intimidated by the lines, they do have a stand in SSHP, but I think the menu might be limited. Apologies for not having more info, but whenever Graham and I are there and in the mood for something sweet, we make a beeline for Port FedNuts (Federal Donuts).. YES, they’re there too!

The Independence Seaport Museum is basically right next door, both Race Street and Morgan’s Piers are up the block, AND Old City’s Ritz theaters are nearby, so you can basically spend the entire day in the area.

When my parents visited us for the first time last year, we took them straight to Spruce Street Harbor Park from the airport. Talk about a great first impression for Philly! My mother, ever the avid gardener, fell in love with what I think was New York Ironweed growing by the boardwalk, a flower she’d never seen before. She was so smitten, she actually started collecting the seeds – much to the embarrassment of my father. I did my best to keep a lookout.. because that’s what a good daughter does. She smuggled them into my shoulder bag, and by the end of the day, it looked like there’d been a party in my purse complete with organic electric magenta confetti. I am STILL finding stray seeds to this day.

A handful more of the photos from our engagement shoot below. All images are by Wide Eyed Studios.

With SSHP being open until Sept. 25 this year, I’ll hopefully have enough time to recuperate and be ready to beat Graham in a Skee-Ball rematch. You can find more information about the park on their website.

And of course, any photo shoot involving me has to include the stereotypical Asian “V” sign.

Stacy