Off to Philly

A few weeks ago my sister made the move from Connecticut to Philadelphia for a change of pace in her career and so she could live closer to us (yay!), but since Matt broke his leg we haven't had a chance to go visit her yet. This weekend we finally were able to head down to see her new place, catch up and check out her new neighborhood.

A few of our cousins came down for the day as well, so it was really nice to catch up with everyone. Since it was pretty hot out we spent the day by the pool at her apartment building, cooling off and enjoying a picnic lunch.

We each brought something to share for lunch. My sister Amanda brought fixings for sandwiches, my cousin Barb brought macaroni salad, and I brought garden veggies and hummus. I had a bit of each, and all were great. I don't normally like macaroni salad with mayo, but I loved Barb's - it was so light and full of carrots and celery. Yum!

Once we got sick of the pool, we quickly dressed and headed to downtown East Falls to check out a local pub for happy hour, called Falls Taproom. We were able to grab an outside table and I really loved the atmosphere. 

We each ordered a drink or two and some apps to share. I wasn't a fan of the first beer I ordered - a Bells Two Hearted Ale - since it didn't have a very robust flavor profile. I gave it to Matt and moved on to a local brew, BrewWorks' Hop'Solutely, which was much more my speed. It wasn't overwhelmingly aggressive but had nice body. And it paired great with the homemade spinach dip (super spinach-y!) and whole wheat pitas.

We also tried the house cut sweet potato fries with curry aioli, which were awesome. The curry complemented the sweet potatoes so well. The rest of the group also ordered the pineapple habanero wings, which they said were great as well.

I loved Falls Taproom and can't wait to go back and try more of the menu. Most of the items were typical American fare, but done really well and with a unique twist. Our server told us they're also adding on a bourbon room and a mixology bar upstairs. Talk about an eclectic mix!

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We ended the night with a late BBQ dinner and chatting back at Amanda's place. Grilled shrimp and veggies for all! Well, steak for everyone else, but my sister is good to me and made jerk-marinated shrimp skewers just for yours truly. :)

Good eats and great times with the fam. Our cousins went home Saturday night, but Matt, Riker and I slept over and came home this morning. I'm so glad my sister finally lives close enough that we can go visit her without packing for three days. I've only been waiting for her to move here since we graduated high school! ;-) Can't wait to do it again and check out more of the area!