How We Spent Black Friday in Philadelphia - Nov. 27, 2009

We had a credit voucher from Southwest we needed to use or lose before the end of this year, so we decided instead of braving the retail stores on Black Friday, we would go to Philadelphia for the day. The airfare was the same amount as our voucher, so it was a "free" trip. We left Providence at 8:35am and got into Philadelphia early at 9:35am. We researched transportation options and found we could take the Septa train (R1) from the airport directly in the Old City. We bought our tickets onboard for $7 each. Unfortunately, I listened to the weather reports that called for rain that day, so instead of going with my warm ski jacket, I brought my rain jacket. As soon as we got there, we realized I needed a different jacket. The rain had already come through Philly, and it was very windy. So right outside of the East Market Train Station terminal, there was a Ross for Less store. I bought a ski jacket for $15.99! You just have to love those Black Friday sales!! We strolled around Market Street for a bit to get the lay of the land. We had a "Ride the Duck" Tour (http://www.phillyducks.com/) reserved for Noon, so we headed over to their location next to the Visitor's Center.

Ride The Ducks is the nation's largest amphibious tour operator and amphibious vehicle manufacturer. Ducks were first built by General Motors in 1942 and were basically a truck enclosed in a water-tight shell. You may think they are called ducks because they can splash into the water and out again, but actually the name is a military acronym. The letters are codes indicating that it was designed in 1942 (D), for utility/amphibious purposes (U), with front wheel drive (K), and two rear driving axles (W). This tour goes through Philly's historic streets and a splash into the Delaware River at Penn's Landing. We made our reservation online and cost $26 per adult. The tour lasted about 80 minutes with about 20 of those minutes spent in the Delaware River!

This is a view of the Ben Franklin Bridge from the Duck!

Another Duck we passed!

A view of Penn's Landing from the Duck.

A Duck's eye view of the Philadelphia skyline!

As you can tell, it was pretty chilly out on the Delaware River!!

After the Duck Tour, we walked down Market Street to Campo's Deli (http://www.camposdeli.com/) to get an original Philly cheesesteak. Unfortunately, so did everyone else visiting Philly that day. There was a very long line and no empty tables, so we decided to save the Campo's cheesesteak for another visit and head up to the Reading Terminal Market (RTM http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/) to get some lunch.

The RTM is one of America's largest and oldest public markets.
It located on 12th & Arch Streets.

We were interested in a place called DiNic's from an episode of Man vs. Food. It took a while to locate DiNic's, but finally we found it and were able to get two seats at the counter.

DiNic's Menu

I ordered the Pork Sandwich with American cheese and a small diet Coke. It was so good!

Chris ordered the Brisket of Beef Sandwich with hot peppers and a diet Coke! That was very good too! Our bill came to $19.

Now that we finally had some food, we were ready to tackle the isles of the RTM. There are over 200 vendors selling dairy and cheese, meat and poultry, seafood, produce, Pennsylvania Dutch items, baked good, flowers and plants, specialty foods, housewares, books, and crafts. There are also about 50 restaurants located in the RTM as well. You can well imagine all the great smells as soon as you enter the doors!!

Here are some giantic shrimp Chris spotted. From the picture, you can see how large they were compared to his finger!


These are some of the flowers from one of the flower vendors. The colors of the roses were magnificant!

One of the other restaurants we wanted to try was Pearl Oyster Bar.

After the wonderful pork sandwich at DiNic's, I was not very hungry. I opted for cup of their lobster bisque ($3.75). It was good and hot, but I don't think the lobster meat was fresh but rather from a can!

Chris ordered the New England oysters (6 for $8.75). While they were very fresh, there were several that had broken pieces of shell and some were served in the shell tops, which I guess is a real no no!!

It was now about 3:00pm, so we decided to head out of the RTM and go down to see if we could get in to see the Liberty Bell. While on the Duck Tour, we noticed that the line to get in was quite long. When we arrived, we were very happy to see that there was no line. There is no cost to see the Liberty Bell. There was a security checkpoint that checked our bags and asked us to unzip our jackets!

Front view of the Liberty Bell.

This is the back view of the bell. From the languages being spoken within the crowd, I could tell that there were many people from other countries visiting this landmark!

Deb outside of Independence Hall.

Deciding our tired bodies had enough sightseeing for one day, we headed back to the East Market train station to make our way to the airport. We stopped and had a beverage at the 2nd Street Cafe located in the Mall adjacent to the train station. We purchased our train tickets at the terminal and this time they were only $6 each. We got to the airport about 6:15pm, which was a little early for our 7:55pm flight home. We explored the airport terminal bit and decided that we had not had enough to eat for the day, so we got a Philly Cheesesteak to split between us ($9). Our flight was departing on time, and we got to Providence ahead of schedule. I had left my house at 6:15am and returned home at 10:15pm. It was a good day!

A Day in Massachusetts - Nov. 7, 2009

Chris and I made plans to drive up to Framingham, Massachusetts. We had a few things that we needed. It was a nice sunny cool New England fall day. We left early and got to Framingham in about an hour and a half. Our first stop was Nordstrom's at the Natick Mall to return two dresses I had ordered for my daughter's upcoming wedding. They both looked so promising online, but just were not right. The Natick Mall is huge; however, it seemed pretty deserted. That was a big surprise to me as Christmas is right around the corner. We looked in a few stores, but the "dress" was not to be found.


Next on our list was to go to Trader Joe's to stock up on some "Two Buck Chuck" wine, which is actually 3 bucks in Massachusetts and Las Vegas. In California, it is $2! We have Trader Joe's in Connecticut, but they are not licensed to sell alcohol, so we make trips to Framingham as needed!


Our next stop was Whole Foods or as we affectionately refer to it as "Whole Paycheck!" I didn't find anything to purchase, but Chris bought some fresh shrimp and some Gigante Bean Marinade. Chris is on a kick to make his own Gigante Beans, which are giant butter beans from Greece. I am sure that on our trip to Manhattan next month, we will be in search of some!


Ok....lunch is the next stop. That is always an issue for us in that area, because we just have not found the "right" spot yet.



Our friends, Dave and Christina recommended the British Beer Company from their last trip up to Framingham, so we figured we would give it a try. The interior was very nice, with dark wood and a blazing fireplace.

I ordered the veggy pasty pie which was roasted carrots, parsnips, leeks, red onions, mushrooms and grilled fingerling potatoes in a light mushroom gravy. The BBC's version of a British tradition that starts with fresh dough brushed with oil and fresh herbs, then baked until golden brown. It was also served with a side of sweet potato French fries. ($9.99 very good, but filling for lunch. I also am not a big fan of sweet potato fries!)

Chris ordered the fish tacos, which were blackened haddock served in freshly made corn tortillas garnished with homemade pickled jalapeño relish, diced fresh avocado, shredded lettuce and freshly made salsa. ($10.99, they were good, not as good as Rubio's Tacos, but good. It also came with some kind of salsa with clove in it...Chris is not a big fan of clove!)

All in all, it was good and we will plan on stopping for lunch there again! I think our bill with tip came to $27. Here is their website: http://www.britishbeer.com/index.asp

Chris suggested we stop at the Wrentham Outlet on our way home to see if I could find my dress there. I had doubts about finding a dress at an outlet, but figured, if he is offering to go shopping, I was going to take him up on it. Well, we soon figured out why the Natick Mall was dead....all the people were shopping at the outlet! After waiting a long time in traffic to just get to the outlet parking lot, we found no space available. It was incredible. We spotted a woman walking and asked if she was going to her car. I swore I would never do that, but desperate times call for desperate measures! We followed her and got her space, with other drivers shooting us daggers!

After looking in a few stores with no results as I expected, wouldn't you know it, Chris pointed out a store and he found "the Dress!" Who could believe that?

So all in all, it turned out to be a very productive day. Dress down, now on to the "Shoe" hunt!

Wish me luck!!

Tuscany, September 2009

"The joy of Italy often consists of doing ordinary things in extraordinary settings." – Erica Jong

Chris and I visited Italy in 2007 (Rome, Florence, Greve and Bologna), and we knew it was a place to which we wanted to return. We left for Italy on September 12 and returned to the U.S. on October 1, 2009. We spent 3 nights in Florence, 14 nights in Greve in Chianti (about 20 miles south of Florence, and 1 night in Frankfurt, Germany (unexpectedly!). We had been planning the details of this trip for almost a year and did all the planning and arrangements ourselves!

Our 3-night lodging in Florence was at the Hotel David in the Oltrarno area of Florence. It is located over the Arno River a little ways from Florence City Center. For those who utilize Trip Advisor for travel information, Hotel David is ranked #2 for hotels in Florence. We got an online rate of 135 Euros ($199) per night. We had a very large room with a small balcony. Included was a very good continental breakfast each morning, free 10-minute call home daily, free internet and computer usage, mini fridge in the room, and a manager’s wine get-together each evening. We loved it there. There are several city buses that stop at this location, so we purchased a 3-day bus pass for 12 Euros ($18). The pass provides unlimited rides on the buses.

Hotel David front entrance. One of the few hotels in Florence that offers free parking.

Some of the major highlights of our time in Florence were:

Visiting the Ponte Vecchio crossing the Arno River. We found the Love Locks where there is a tradition of couples placing locks on the bridge to display their love. "Legend tells if you attach a padlock to Ponte Vecchio, and then you throw the key in the Arno River, your love is going to be eternal." Authorities have discouraged this practice as they say the keys are polluting the river. I thought it was something very romantic to see!

One of our favorite places to visit in Florence is the Central Market.

Don't try to select your own produce. Let the vendors do it! Also in the grocery stores, they expect you to put on little plastic gloves when selecting your fruits and vegetables. They have a neat procedure at the grocery stores. You place a euro into a slot on the shopping cart in order to get one from the rack. When you return the cart, your euro pops out. Wish they did something similar in the U.S. It would cut down on those nasty shopping cart dings!

The Ponte Vecchio with all the jewelry shops.

From the Florence Train Station, we took a 20-minute bus ride to the small hill town of Fieosole. There are some incredible views of Florence from this area. We had lunch at Vinandro. I had the most amazing meal and just wish I could have it for lunch today! It was tagliatelle with pecorino cheese and tortufo (black truffles). It was 9 Euros ($13).

We had gelato each day! I cannot say that we had a favorite. They were all GREAT!!

We had planned on having dinner at a restaurant we visited in 2007, but it was closed. We walked around the San Lorenzo Market area and found Trattoria da Guido (Via Faenza 34r, Florence). We ended up having a very nice dinner there and liked it so much, we went back for lunch another day. The one thing that stood out to me was that there were several locals having dinner there too…that is always a good sign.

Bruschetta appetizer at Guido's.

Our dinner meals at da Guido’s. Chris had the penne with tartufo (black truffles), and I had the tagliatelle with cinghiale (wild boar) ragu sauce (bottom). Each was 8 Euros ($12). Sooo good!!

We also went to the Piazza di Michelangelo. It was a 10-minute bus ride from our hotel and provided fantastic views of the Arno River and Duomo.

We did some shopping. I had a recommendation for a leather shop (Frizzoni) that was known for having truly made in Italy items. I bought 2 handbags and a pair of leather gloves. I had heard that many of the items sold at the San Lorenzo Market are not made in Italy.

When our stay in Florence came to an end, we went off to the car rental office to get our car and head to Greve in Chianti. We rented in advance through a broker (autoeurope). We got a fully inclusive rental for 14 days for $435, which we prepaid at the time of booking. That was great as now we are not waiting for that bill to come in!!



On our trip to Greve, we stopped at the Florence American Cemetery Memorial (about 7 miles south of Florence). It was a very special place to visit. It contains headstones of over 4,000 US Military dead (from the 1940’s) arrayed in symmetrical curved rows. There is no charge for the visit.

After our visit to the Florence American Cemetery Memorial, we reached our destination, Terre di Melazzano Vineyard in Greve in Chianti. Our lodging is an agritourismo located in the hills of Greve. An agritourisimo is an Italian B&B, which usually is an apartment in a farmhouse. To qualify as an agritourisimo by the government, the farm or vineyard must earn the majority of their income from the farm or vineyard. Terre di Melazzano has 5 apartments. The apartment we reserved was called Patrizia. We had a full kitchen, 2 bedrooms, living room, dining room, and 1 bathroom. There is also a built in pool that we used almost every day during our stay. The cost was 90 Euros ($133) a night. The vineyard views outside our windows were magnificent. We enjoyed staying here as we were able to cook our own meals when we wanted.

The farmhouse at Terre di Melazzano. Our apartment was on the top level on the right side.

One of the local residents (il gatto) of the Terre di Melazzano Vineyard.

The pool and its view of the vineyard and hills.

Chris whipped up some mortadella sandwiches for a poolside lunch!

The kitchen, which had a great view of the vineyard.


Chris enjoying a glass of vino on our private patio!

There was a storm one afternoon, and we were able to see a double rainbow from our patio. That was a first for me!

We spent time visiting many of the towns and villages in the Tuscany/Chianti region.

The Devil’s Bridge in Borgo a Mazzano, north of Lucca.
It is a pedestrian-only bridge built in the 11th century.

The pedestrian view of the Devil's Bridge.

We noticed in the hill town of Volterra, even the pets take siesta!

A street view in Volterra.

I could live here in Volterra...afterall it is #28!

Do you think this will fit in my carry-on?

I love the windows in Italy.

Chris waiting for his lunch to arrive at La Castellana in Monteforialle.



A Monteforialle street view during afternoon siesta.

On the way to Lamole, we stopped at the Vignamaggio Vineyard to make a small purchase. Notice the lavender sandals…all shades of purple are the fashion in Italy this year! Glad I thought to bring them with me!

A market in Lucca.

We had a quick lunch on the patio at Trattoria Da Leo’s in Lucca. This is the kitchen staff taking a break after the lunch rush!

Lunch menu at Trattoria Da Leo in Lucca.

Lunch at Leo's - Tortellini en brodo (broth)

The waiter just came by and scribbled the bill on the table covering!

We walked the 2.5 mile ramparts (wall) that surround Lucca. The wall is over 2,000 years old and about 60 feet wide.

Exterior view of the Lucca Ramparts (Wall).

For those of you who know me, you know that shopping is one of my favorite hobbies. This was in a leather shop in an old castle in Castellina in Chianti. So many purses and so little space in my luggage!

Chris enjoying the view from a parking lot in Castellina.

Local forms of transportation!

Market Day is Saturday in Greve. This is a vendor selling porchetta sandwiches. Yes…the whole pig was there!!

The Greve version of a Dollar Store…1 Euro!

Sunday Art Market in Greve

Dinners at home!

Chris even barbequed some chicken and potatoes for dinner one evening!

For any Anthony Bourdain fans, this is Dario the Butcher in Panzano from the Tuscany episode of "No Reservations". We stopped in on Sunday during the Panzano Market Day, but Dario’s was packed.


So we went back to Dario’s on Monday, to purchase two New York strip steaks rolled in wild fennel pollen that Chris barbequed for our dinner that night.


Grape press at the Fattoria di Montecchio Vineyard in San Donato in Poggio.

Fattoria di Montecchio Vineyard putting Chris to work picking grapes.

Sangiovese grapes waiting to be picked were everywhere you looked!

These are views seen all over the Chianti region at this time of the year. Grape harvest was just beginning when we arrived!

Views in Chianti from Highway SR222.

This is the beginning of grape harvest activities at the Terre di Melazzano vineyard.

Here are a few items we brought back with us.
No wonder our luggage was over the weight limit!

Although we covered a lot, this was a very relaxing vacation, and I highly recommend it! We spent several afternoons, lounging by the pool and then having siesta. But alas, our time had come to an end. We returned the rental car at the Florence airport. Our flight to Frankfurt was delayed, so we missed our connecting flight back to the U.S. We ended up with an unexpected night in Frankfurt and getting home a day later. That is to be expected when traveling, and I was glad that I packed an extra set of clothes and necessities in our carry-on bag. The upside of this, was that we got a very brief visit to Germany and also a $500 travel voucher from the airline to use for our next trip!

A few things we learned:

• In the smaller towns, siesta is a wide practice. Everything, except restaurants, close down for the afternoon. Even the gas stations close down for siesta. Also on Sundays, many shops and grocery stores are also closed for the day.


• Don’t always rely on “must try” recommendations for restaurants. We found that many of the ones recommended, were not the best for us. The restaurants we enjoyed the most were those that we found on our own.


• For anyone traveling to Florence during the months of May – November, there is an excellent tour subsidized by the Florence Chamber of Commerce. It is an all day (Thursdays only) tour of Chianti for only 15 Euros ($22), which you pay on the bus. They have two wine tasting stops that include lunch at no extra cost. There is no pressure to buy anything. We saw areas that we would never have seen on our own, and it was nice to have someone do the driving! Here is the website with more information: http://www.firenzeturismo.it/en/events/100-promozioni-speciali/365-visite-guidate-nel-chianti.html


• Try to take a course in Italian before you go. We were lucky to find an 8-week course that was taught by a fellow CSCer’s mother (grazie Signora Fells). It really helped us out a lot especially understanding the road signs and how to pay a toll on the Autostrade!!


• We got the best exchange rate from the ATM’s in Italy. Remember to take your card and Euros from the ATM as soon as they come out. If you wait too long, it will keep them!


• Bring bug spray (if traveling to Italy during the non-winter months) and a fly swatter! The mosquitoes loved me!!


• Bring along a few washcloths (we have not seen them in any of the lodgings we stayed).


• Bring fewer clothes!


• Bring non-1-800 numbers for airlines. When I needed to call the airline about our delay, my AT&T cell phone would not allow me to call 1-800 numbers while out of the U.S.


• Bring your patience, good attitude, keep an open mind, and smile!
  
  Arrivederci,
  Chris & dEb