YOGA!

After a 3 week hiatus, I was able to have 2 (!) outdoor sessions of yoga this week. For Philly Beer Week our amazing Whole Foods hosted Hips and Hops - an outdoor yoga class (with DJ) and beer tasting on their roof. And yesterday was the first session of farm yoga! I'm so incredibly excited that farm yoga is back this year. That's where I'm going to be every Wednesday night because this is my view:

Doesn't get much better than this!

Weekend fun!

We've had a busy few weeks in May...that's why I've been slower than usual getting up my posts. Some of our highlights from fun weekends include:

• Hosting NFL Draft Day! We invited about 10 co-workers over to watch the NFL draft (OK, so the guys watched the draft, the girls just chatted!). Such fun to host everyone and meet some new people that have recently started working at the office.
• We finally made it to the Barnes Foundation. This has been on our list since we moved out here. It's a museum of a local man's collection of mostly post-impressionist works and includes 181 Renoir paintings - more than any other collection in the world! It lived up to the hype and then some.
• We followed that up with a visit to Pizzeria Vetri. It's a local new pizzeria that's gotten national acclaim...and we can see why! Delish!
• That same weekend, there was a fine art festival at Rittenhouse Square, so we were able to wander and view some really beautiful artwork from artists all over the country. Afterward, we met up with a co-worker for a beer. We've had a really fabulous time getting to know more co-workers lately.
• Pool day! We had a couple days go over 80 degrees, and our apartment opened the pool area early so we could soak up the sunshine!

The following weekend, we met up with some different co-workers and went back to the Tired Hands brewery that is nearby. It was fun to show some locals our favorite hot spots...and now we have a pretty extensive list of other new places to try!

That weekend we also made it to the Italian Market Festival with our friend Jenna. We missed out last year and couldn't wait to go when the dates were announced this year. The Italian Market in South Philly closes down for the weekend and there are thousands of people (literally - they were expecting 70,000 visitors this year!) that come to walk around, listen to music, eat some amazing food, and shop in the area. We ate some awesome food there (tomato pie, sausages, Mexican street corn, and gelato/pizzelle sandwiches, to name just a few) and ended up bringing home locally made honey and pomegranate balsamic vinegar that I can't wait to try!

We FINALLY got to see Geno's and Pat's, but we didn't stop for food because we had such amazing food at the festival! Not the case for all those people in line though...every time we walked by the lines were down the block to get a cheesesteak.

Pina Coladas! These babies made us so many friends with other people asking where we got them. They were a hit!

Our favorite Rocky shirt vendor/impersonator, who we always see outside the art museum steps was there hawking his wares...so appropriate for the day!

Cape Cod

Once the flood waters receded here, we drove north to meet up with Mom, Dad, and Brie in Cape Cod! It was a fabulous weekend. I can't believe how beautiful the Cape is - and visiting in early May meant few crowds and empty beaches. It was perfect!

Ferry ride!

We stayed in Falmouth, but were able to drive all over the Cape. Full day #1 was Martha's Vineyard after a stop at the NOAA aquarium. Funny thing is that Mike and I didn't have a chance to research prior to the trip, so we were both looking for grape vines! Yup, none of those, and it's definitely a lot bigger than we expected. The ferry ride over was spectacular, and then we actually rented a car for the day and drove most of the island. We had one of the best lobster rolls ever on a pier overlooking the fishing boats in Menemsha. And we found out after the fact it was the same beach where the opening scene of Jaws takes place. Anyone up for a swim?? We also checked out the amazing gingerbread homes, did some shopping, and had some great food.

Pretty good view for lunch!

We saw so many beautiful lighthouses.

Gingerbread houses

After dinner at the Black Dog

Day #2 was Provincetown way up at the tip of the Cape. What an amazing little town! Mike and I had to check out every art gallery - and everyone came home with some purchase. On the way to and from we stopped at some amazing beaches and lighthouses. And it made it really special to be there in the off season when there was no one else there - incredible!

After seeing this exterior, we had to go in for drinks and Mike's first try at raw oyster and clam.

One of my favorites - Mike caught a couple pictures of the 3 of us all in the exact same pose...apples don't fall far from the tree, Mom!

Day #3 was Hyannis and Hyannis Port. There's some pretty amazing shore homes and we had to search out the Kennedy compound. Pretty sure we found the back entrance! Everyone surprised me with an early birthday celebration too - what fun to all be together!
 

Another amazing beach scene

Mike also blogged about our trip. Check it out HERE. 

It was bound to happen...

With two bespectacled parents and one sister, I was the final Perell holdout on full time glasses. Apparently my eyes have given in to the inevitable...

Flood Update

It's been a while - we've been having fun! First off, an update on our flood...we did flood quite seriously but nothing damaging for us. The flood stage around us is 13 feet, and the river peaked near 21 feet. Our apartment complex became an island around midnight and we actually had a 2 AM announcement that we could voluntarily evacuate with the police on boats (to where, I'm unsure - we stayed put since we had electricity). We both worked from home on Thursday, and the river receded enough by noon for most of the roads to open. A few cars had water damage, but we were lucky that ours were safe and dry. It sure did make for an interesting night!

Around 11:30 on Wednesday night: still walk-able on the sidewalks, but not drive-able

Good morning River!

The main road and train tracks on the opposite side of our complex from the river

These cars didn't fare so well...

Our garages flooded a few feet - all cars were out - and our elevator was broken down for about a week due to repairs. Living on the top floor = good workouts!

Surveying the damage on Thursday morning - we're looking ahead at what is usually the boat ramp. No ramp needed today!

Floodwatch 2014

Well, it's never a dull moment in our apartment. We're officially on alert for possible overnight evacuation...the Schuylkill River outside our window is flooding with the heavy rains we've had over the last 24 hours.

Taken a few hours ago when the sun was out. Yes, the tree is underwater. Also note how close the train is to the river at the top of the pic - that's not supposed to look like that...

Looks like the fire marshals have it under control outside right now, but we can't park in the basement garage (it's open to the elements for just this reason). What we're really hoping is that the river stops rising so we don't have to leave the building...vacation can't come soon enough!

April Fun

We've had a wonderful April so far! It's been a beautiful spring, and we love the long season out here. It's also been super fun because we've had visitors!

For the Easter weekend, Mike's sister Megan and her husband Matt came out to visit. We had a fabulous time together! We hit the big sights in Philly like Independence Hall and Valley Forge, but we also had a great time trying out a new local cheese steak institution, going to our first hookah bar, and spending Easter Sunday in Baltimore!

Since I've discussed many sights we saw on this blog already, I'm going to let the pictures tell the story. :)

In front of a priceless Tiffany mural in Philly - we had no clue this was there!

Paddy's Pub

Afghan food and a hookah at Ariana's

The Liberty Bell gets lit up at night!

Beautiful spring flowering trees

"Locked up" at Eastern State Penitentiary

Baltimore boat tours of the USS Torsk submarine

Not only did we have one weekend of visitors, we had TWO! My friend Brittany and her husband Eric were in New York for a wedding last weekend, and we were able to take a day trip to the city to spend the afternoon together! It was so special to hang out - and for them to spend one of their vacation days with us! We got to walk the High Line and wander some amazing neighborhoods starting in the Meatpacking district and ending in the Village. Between Eric's subway knowledge and our walking expertise we only needed to bring out the maps a couple times. And, I had a partner in crime checking out some amazing shops - thanks Britt for some amazing girl time shopping! I can't wait to see how the pics turn out. :)

Next up: meeting Mom, Dad, and Brie in Cape Cod on Friday. And I know Mom and Mike will agree with me...my fingers are crossed for some MA lobster!