Great American Road Trip 2011

Last Updated on February 16, 2022

One of the key characteristics of a Great American Road Trip is how many miles you manage to cover, but that usually refer to miles, on the road, in a car. Today we racked up over twelve miles on foot with some urban hiking through some very important stops in New York and Philadelphia. Along the way we were reminded yet again exactly why our city rambles through ‘real’ neighborhoods make for the best discoveries!

NYC2NOLA Photos of the Day: NYC and Philly

Leaving New York today meant we had to squeeze as much in as possible – which is why we found ourselves in Central Park this morning at 8am.It was just us, herds of joggers and hundreds of dogs and their owners, frolicking and licking (the dogs), and gossiping and chatting (the owners). Who knew Central Park was so incredibly dog-friendly?

Then it was on Greenwich Village to explore two very important addresses: 90 Bedford Street and 66 Perry Street, better known as the Friends building and Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment in Sex and the City.

Before racing off to Philadelphia in the afternoon, we high-tailed it over to the Highline Park, a green, urban space along what was an old Manhattan train line. Love this space!

Our Philly experience today has been a foodie one, with a visit to the Reading Terminal Market, the Italian Market, and an incredible cheesecake churro at the Hawthorne’s Beer Boutique and Eatery.

During those brutal 7 miles on foot through Philly’s charming side streets, not one but thousands of sparkling glints of sun caught our eyes – and we unexpectedly discovered an entire alleyway filled with mosaic art by the famous local mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar who incorporates everything from mirrors and tiles to beer bottles and iron wheels.

Tomorrow we forgo exploring local culture in favor of matters of national significance: here in Philly, we’ll learn historical details related to the constitution and the Liberty Bell before setting off for Washington, DC for three days of adventure in the nation’s capital, so stay tuned!

Andi of My Beautiful Adventures

Thursday 25th of August 2011

What a fun road trip!

Dani

Thanks Andi! We'll be passing through North Carolina this weekend, but we'll drive along the coast - otherwise we would've loved to meet up with you along the way!

Don Faust

I love Zagar's mosaics. I probably walked by there at least once every two weeks or so, but it was hard not to pass by a block or two with that kind of work. His worked spread to other artists trained by him, and the craft spread. I just love all the jagged broken tiles and mirrors and found object (otherwise known as junk). We have a few friends who have this type of work in their rowhouse courtyards. I was contemplating doing that in my courtyard, but we sold the house and spent a couple of years in DC.

Next time you go, you should see the city's murals - you may have seen a few during your walks. Philly has the largest public mural program in the US - originally designed to curb graffiti.

The mosaics were fabulous, nothing like we had seen anywhere before! So many little details to discover... we haven't seen all of them, so we have to come back for more :) We had just read about the murals on Runaway Juno's blog, she did a mural tour which we would have loved to do, but we just ran out of time :( As I said - we need to go back one day :)

Faith

Wednesday 24th of August 2011

awesome! I was just talking the other day about what I want to do in NYC, and the first thing on my list was "wear something floofy in front of Carrie Bradshaw's apartment!"

That mural looks awesome! I love when artists use seemingly random objects.

Faith, there was actually a SATC fan from Australia who had dressed up just like Carrie!! The house on Perry Street is definitely a mecca for many many women from around the world ;-)

Mack Reynolds

man, that cheesecake churro sounds good. do you plan on doing similar hikes (10 miles plus) on your continued travels?

We love hiking and walking - we always prefer exploring a city on foot rather than taking buses or subways :) It gives us a much better feeling for the neighborhoods and in Philly this was no different. So yes, there are many more miles on foot ahead of us :)

NYC2NOLA Photos of the Day: NYC and Philly

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