You can sail to Philly but it’s a little faster to drive there when you only have two nights and it’s New Year’s Eve.
We’ve been to Philly a few time but this was our second New Year’s Eve trip. I think I see this becoming an annual thing. We love the city and our visits always go something like this:
Favorite B&B: Clinton Street Bed & Breakfast in the heart of the most fabulous walkable neighborhood in the city. Hello Kathy!
Every room has it’s own kitchen stocked with breakfast goodies so no need to dine with strangers. Instead, cook breakfast in your pajamas whenever you want. We always fill the fridge with picnic foods like cheeses, hummus, cured Italian meats, olives and fresh bread.
Walking Along South Street: Some would say South Street is a little seedy but we say ignore the tattoo parlors and adult boutiques in favor of vintage clothing shopping and people watching.
Best Margaritas: We always keep the bar stools warm for a few hours at Copabanana with pitchers of the best margaritas in the city. Who doesn’t love margaritas and Mexican food on New Year’s Eve.
If you start drinking your margaritas after lunch you can make it back to the B&B in time for dinner.
We prefer our South Street graffiti to be uplifting.
New Year’s Day Mummer’s Parade: Think Mardi Gras without the boobs then add thousands of men drinking beer and wearing dresses and you’ve got it.
Here’s a short 1 minute video of the music and the dancing cows.
There may be a few years in our future when we’re on a mooring ball for New Year’s Eve once we cut the lines and sail away for good but until that day comes, we’ll be in Philly to ring in the new year.
Sailing season may be on hold for a bit because of the weather but we’re planning something big between the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Think extended vacation, tropical breezes and singlehanded sailing because Charles has a lot more time off from the business factory than I do.
Happy New Year, fair winds and good sailing to you!
I’m so happy to read your post! I live in San Diego now, but I lived in the Philly Burbs as a kid then in the city for about 9 years before I moved here. Every year we’d watch the Mummers on TV from 8-8. Budget cuts have restricted the parade times over the years. When I got a little older (over 21) I found out that the real party is at the end of the night down on two street (not second, but two)…all of the brigades March back down into south philly near the mummers museum and get down! It’s becoming more commercial now, but it’s still a fun day. Most of the participants in the parade are blue collar union workers, and they work on their routine year round. If you are still in the city, check out Passyunk Ave in south philly. My friend owns an Indian street fare/tea shop called “Chaat and Chai”. Feel free to message me if you ever want any more suggestions! Also, check out Jose Pistolas for Mexican food/drink!
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Thank you so much for the Philly rec’s. We love it there! I cannot remember the name of the neighborhood we like but it’s near Jefferson Hospital.
We particularly love the B&B because of the kitchen- we stock up at Reading Terminal Market and come home for good food and wine in our pajamas.
How was your New Year? RV yet?
There are a lot of bloggers who have left their boats in favor of RV’s back on land- maybe people just cannot go back to an apartment after cruising.
I keep hoping your latest blog post will be good news in the way of sailboat or RV. I have my fingers crossed for you.
Do you know of a good crochet book on bikinis?
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Thanks for your visit and like to my blog 🙂 I will forward your details to The Retired Husband. I’m sure he’ll be interested in your blog.
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Send him right over. The more the merrier!
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I have, and he has 🙂 BTW I crocheted a bikini once years ago. Was good till it got wet and stretched 😦 Might be better yarns around these days. Be ye Irish? Our neighbours are, and I have a very good friend in Dublin who I hope to visit one day
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You’re right about the stretching. It needs some research on my part. Too bad knit bikinis aren’t a thing hahaha.
Charles has some close Irish relatives so it made sense for our wedding. His last name is super common so tracing the family history was a bit harder than we thought!
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So rare and common are two extremes of difficult 🙂
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Thanks for the wishes! I’m going to look into a bikini pattern, and different yarns as the whole wet and stretching might be an issue. If I find a good yarn I’ll be sure to share!
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There’s also the whole thing with lining the bikini top so you can’t see through it when it gets wet… Maybe crochet bikinis are not exactly the best way to go for my next crafting endeavor.
I knit a thong once but could not bring myself to wear it. There’s the thing about lining it again, too furry in the wrong spaces Hahahah!
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Hey I saw this. It may not be try close to you but it might be worth the drive https://sandiego.craigslist.org/ssd/boa/5399204492.html
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Thanks so much for thinking of me and for the link! I had actually taken a look at that one. I thought it was 35ft because of the name, but it’s really 40ft. I don’t think I can afford a slip for that size, but it’s a really cool looking boat!
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…and I think the neighborhood you were talking about was either Old City or Society Hill. SH is above South St up to OC, which is front to about 6th from Market or so up to Locust-ish. Everyone from Philadelphia will argue what neighborhood starts and ends where…and that could be the difference of one address…haha. Check out Manayunk for lunch or some shopping, you can take the train or drive along the river. That’s where I used to live. Still part of the city just not in the downtown area. And “Manayunk” loosely translates to “where we go to drink”. 🙂
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You visited me city! I am from Philadelphia but have been living in France now for about 3 years. If you need any recommendations, don’t be afraid to ask!
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We love it there! We go up once or twice a year and love the wine bars and atmosphere on South Street.
Send us a recommendation for a place to get a good glass of wine along with Irish whiskey to please both of us!
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Two places I would recommend: Vintage in Washinfton Square west and Lloyd Whiskey Bar in Fishtown, an up and coming neighborhood. Vintage specializes in Wine and Lloyd obviously has whiskey, but they also have wine as well.
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A wonderful reminder of the city my wife and I lived in for twelve years. Thanks, and Happy belated New Year.
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Happy New Year to you both as well!
How far south have you gotten by now?
We’ve spent the evening talking about moving up our four year plan to one so we may not be far behind you.
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Just discovered your Blog, and I love it! Thanks for stopping by mine as well!
My husband and I just moved to Pittsburgh, and we will be making a trip out to Philly in the next month. Does this amazing sounding B&B allow animals by any chance? We may have to bring our pup, so we’re trying to find a animal friendly place to stay. Also… any favorite dinner spot?!
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I checked out the b&b website and they don’t allow pets- too bad because it’s such a great place. My next go-to would be airbnb. Check the reviews!
Every time we go to Philly we end up at the Mexican place I mentioned in the post and a tiny wine bar called Tria. They have 2 locations and we have visited the one in Washington Square West. That whole neighborhood is great- close to South Street, Whole Foods, Reading Terminal Market and so many other shops and restaurants.
If you like thrift shops, don’t miss Philly AIDS Thrift off South Street.
I hope your trip to Philly is great and good luck finding a good place.
If you don’t bring your pup and you stay at the b&b, tell the owner Kathy that you found her on out blog. We stay with her every time we go there and recently chatted with her about it sailing plans.
Good luck!
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Wow, thank you!!!! And, I’m slightly OBSESSED with thrift stores so now I’m even more excited! We will probably leave the pup behind just so that we don’t have to worry about leaving her alone for long periods of time. I’ll definitely be checking out that B&B, and will for sure let her know we found it through your blog! Thank you so much!!!!!
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You will like that thrift store. They have another one closer to the b&b but it’s mostly books and not a lot of clothing. There are a few consignment shops and vintage shops along South Street so you should have a great time exploring.
The b&b has a good kitchen so we always walk to Reading Terminal Market and pick up things like hummus, salami, cheese, berries, tapanade, fresh bread etc and eat them in the room along with a bottle of wine. Whole Foods is also close.
There’s a huge wine/liquor store on South Street so you don’t have to spend time in a restaurant if you prefer a glass of wine in your pajamas.
Don’t miss the margaritas at Copabanana, but definitely don’t miss Tria. The wines are excellent and the food prices are not bad.
You will have a great time in that neighborhood. It’s walking distance to everything we need when we visit Philly!
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