philadelphia – Page 2

One Year Since Philadelphia

December 11, 2017 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Instead of a weekend recap, I have a special post for today.

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I can’t believe it’s been a year (Dec 9) since I left my job in Philadelphia and embarked on quite the journey from December 2016 through April 2017 traveling. At times, I miss Philadelphia. I miss the city and especially during the Christmas season. I love cities during the holidays. Yes they are crazy, but that Holiday season air fills me with happiness. I know it’s so cheesy, but I love the decorations, the Macy’s windows, grabbing a hot tea to warm my hands and walking with all the shoppers. If I’m in Chicago, I love an opportunity to ice skate at the bean. I know some people stress during the holiday season, but I see the joy. We complain about the cold, but for me, it would be weird to have a warm Christmas. I know we have had some unusually warm Decembers in the last few years and don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed not pulling out the winter coat, but Christmas feels like it should be cold and snowy, as long as I can stay cozy and inside. Last year, I got my white Christmas in Chicago right before taking off for Australia and it was the perfect send off. I will tolerate the cold until New Year’s and then after that, it’s more torture knowing you have 3 more months until Spring.

But back to Philadelphia…I think back on the times walking to Love Park (before it was under construction) and the Christmas Village. I usually only came back with a gingerbread cookie of some sort. In Philadelphia, there was always a place I could take a walk during my lunch break, whether that was to grab tea because I wasn’t feeling great or going into Barnes and Noble to browse the books. Sometimes I would even sprint to Reading Terminal for a donut for me and Brian when he came down.

Even though at times I was afraid walking alone at night to the train, I would love looking up at the buildings, all lit up, some in red and green for the holidays. I had a love/hate with working on the 32^nd floor. The view was amazing, but knowing in a time of emergency that I was on the 32^nd floor, was scary to think about and I know 32 is nothing compared to floor 100.

The thing is, Philadelphia was a stepping stone for me. I never really felt I could settle there. See, I love the city, but I love living in the suburbs. I had the best of both. I took the train into work so I didn’t have to worry about starting up my car which was amazing for those 2.5 years. But now, my commute time is about 1/3^rd of what it was in Philadelphia so there are always pros and cons. I’m now working in a small town, which is a very different feel from center city Philadelphia. I can’t go down the street and shop for a pair of sneakers and Christmas gifts, but hey maybe that is better for my wallet (except all that online ordering I have done at home lately).

I still miss living close to a big city. I don’t think I will ever stop loving cities. I see so much opportunity in them and Philadelphia was the perfect one for me to go to on my own to explore. I also got to learn so much history, which if you know me, I HATED anything history in school. Seeing it though, in person, is so much different. I’m glad my parents could come down for a weekend and we could walk and visit many museums.

I’ll always have my friends in Philadelphia and my favorite yoga studios to keep in touch with. One thing I am most proud of was doing my yoga teacher training in Philadelphia. The Yoga Garden felt like home immediately when I walked in and there are few studios since that I can say the same about. Philadelphia will always be a special part of my journey in finding myself. I’m always working on myself, figuring out what I want for my life, but Philadelphia was a huge growing place for me and I’ll always be proud of that. Even with only living there for a short time, Philadelphia has this special place in my heart, feeling just a bit like home.

bridge love park — Bridge in Love Park in Summertime

Since I’m only about 3 hours away from Philadelphia right now, it’s perfect for a weekend visit. I’ll actually be flying from Philadelphia to Florida this Christmas, a last minute trip, so hoping to enjoy seeing some Christmas trees and windows in Philadelphia for a day this winter. Then in March, probably head down for the Flower show.

Do you have a place that you felt you did a lot of growing up?

Yoga on the Steps 2017: MIMM 109

May 22, 2017 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Hey there and happy Monday!! I am coming at you from Philadelphia today. I will be heading back to Binghamton this afternoon, but enjoyed a weekend in Philadelphia to attend the Yoga on the Steps event, staying at my friend, Rachael’s new house and walking A LOT. My steps were kind of slacking on Wednesday through Friday due to the heat and already doing yoga or weightlifting during the day, but I definitely made up for it this weekend.

On Saturday morning I drove down to Philadelphia for the weekend so I could participate in Yoga on the Steps Reach and Raise event on Sunday. I drove to the King of Prussia area and stopped in Wegmans for a small salad for lunch. Then I headed to the King of Prussia mall to walk around a bit and check out some stores before heading to Rachael’s house for the weekend. Of course I ran into a parade and event near her house and spent 20 minutes circling to find parking, but it was great once I arrived. We walked around the festival. I even got to weld a bit which I haven’t done since my high school welding class. Let’s just say it wasn’t a nice weld, but the guy said the piece would definitely stay together so there’s that.

From there, we ended up grabbing an early dinner of chips and guac and a burrito for me. It was only 5pm when we FINISHED dinner so we decided to walk down by the river all the way to Penn’s landing and a bit beyond.

We grabbed dessert along the way and I got an iced tea as well.

waterfront snack time — sugar cookie and iced tea

I think we walked about 4 miles from Rachael’s house which then meant it was a long walk back. We didn’t get back until 9:30. Basically, constant walking for 4 hours.

We got back and relaxed a bit and then it was time to head to bed.

Sunday morning I got up at 6:45 so I could eat breakfast and start heading into center city at 7:15. I found my way to the train and took it down to 15^th street and then walked to the art museum. There was so much new construction and the walk to the art museum seemed to take longer as I zig zagged my way to open sidewalks.

I got there shortly after 8 which was perfect to check in and then meet up with my friends from last year. The event started at 9:30, so we took some pictures and enjoyed the sunshine beforehand.

We were then led through a short meditation of mindfulness, heard from a few speakers and then did our yoga practice. The event had around 2,000 people and I just feel like it is so powerful to practice yoga with that many people. Plus the money raised goes to Living Beyond Breast Cancer, a great non profit organization to help women and men diagnosed with breast cancer.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather on Sunday. It was absolutely beautiful!! Afterwards, I enjoyed chatting with my friends and eating snacks provided.

yoga on the steps 2017 2 — gauc salad and granola bar and pretzels

In the afternoon, I enjoyed my second lunch at Rachael’s house and then we went for another walk, but only for about 2 hours. We ended with some vegan ice cream made from coconut milk and then got pizza next door because the smell was too good to pass up.

coconut milk ice cream — lemon lavender ice cream made with coconut milk

Finally in the evening, Rachael and her husband made some veggies, because we didn’t eat enough food apparently. I enjoyed a bit of down time doing some writing and then it was time to wind down for the evening.

I’m so happy I got to come down for Yoga on the Steps. The drive from Binghamton isn’t too bad so I think I will plan to attend next year as well. It’s also nice now to visit Philly, a city I got to know over the 2.5 years I lived there.

Linking up with Katie for MIMM.

What’s one fun thing you did this weekend?

Warm Weather, Snapchat and more: Thinking Out Loud #61

November 3, 2016 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Hey there, how are you? I am happy that it is Thursday as that means one more day until the weekend. My week has been long and I am ready to sleep an extra hour (thanks daylight savings) and spend some time with Brian this weekend.

Joining up with Amanda for some thinking out loud today.

Tuesday I worked 13 straight hours! Like worked while eating and everything, basically no breaks except for when I was waiting for my report and did a 10 min core workout (perks of working from home).

2. After I finally finished the report, I had dinner and took 2.5 laps around my apartment complex to add 6,000 steps to my sad 1,500 step day. I felt much better after walking and it was surprisingly warm.

3. I then taught yoga which was much needed to wind down and really dig into our hips to release. I am glad I can leave my day behind me and just focus on the present in yoga. My goal is to give my students what they need.

4. I was glad I worked from home Tuesday since the Septa strike started and apparently it took people 2+ hours to get home. This was my line last night. My line wrapped all the way around to the entrance hall I walk into. Luckily the line moved and I got on the 4:50 train but all the trains home are local now. I was only a little bit later than my usual time getting home though, which was good. Let’s hope it’s not too bad while the strike continues.

5. In other news, have you updated your snapchat? Thanks to Katie, I updated my snapchat and can now be Hello Kitty!!

6. So I am not really a sports fan but being from the Chicago area, I am definitely caught up in the excitement over the Cubs. As I write this, it is before game 7 starts (I plan to be in bed) but wishing them luck. {edited to add: I flipped between watching the cubs and the CMAs last night but was so tired and headed to bed when the cubs were at 5-3. I was excited to wake up and find out that we had WON! Very exciting day for Chicago! I also believe 108 is a lucky number considering its importance in yoga}

7. I just realized I haven’t taken a rest day since last Sunday and that Sunday and weekend included a lot of walking with my parents through Philadelphia. Tomorrow I am declaring a full rest day. I want to sleep in (until 6am, better than 4 or 5am) and Brian and I have a couples massage scheduled for after work so I cant wait!

8. That’s all for me today, but if you are into yoga, be sure to come back tomorrow for Yoga Workshop Fridays where I go over one pose each week leading up to a peak pose at the end of the month. You can check out my hashtags #bridgesthroughlife and #yogaworkshopfridays on instagram @Bridgesthroughlife.

Acai Bowl, Gilmore Girls and Adulting: Thinking Out Loud #60

October 27, 2016 by Alicia 9 Comments

Happy Thursday!! Hope everyone’s week is going well. I’m back today with a bit of randomness to catch us up on. Thanks Amanda for the link up.

Last weekend my parents were in town. I wrote up a little post on some places to check out if you are ever in Philadelphia. Despite my not being into history too much, I find it more fun to go to a museum or actually walk the streets where history was made and Philadelphia certainly has a lot of that. I think I enjoy it so much more now also knowing there is not a test I have to prepare for at the end of a tour.

2. On another note, I also had my first taste of an acai bowl on Friday evening as dinner part 1. It was definitely delicious!

3. Changing the subject, who is excited for Gilmore Girls coming back??!! Check out the trailer. OMG I am sooo excited!! I hope it lives up to my expectations.

4. I did some “adulting” yesterday, changing the battery in the smoke alarm that decided to start beeping at 4am when I still had at least 30 minutes more I could have slept before going to the gym at 5am. I moved to the couch and tried to sleep for those next 30 minutes but it wasn’t the same. I also had to borrow a ladder from a friend since I only have a tiny stool. I carried this ladder home about half a mile from my friend’s apartment (I live in a big complex).

5. I then drove the ladder back and also filled up my tires with air because we went from 80 degree temps last week to 55 degree temps this week and my tires are super sensitive to that. I understand though, my body is sensitive to the changing temps too.

6. I ended up staying for dinner at my friend’s apartment which was great to start a relaxing evening. Then it was back home to make lunch for today and curl up on the couch to read. Since getting sick a few weeks ago, I fell back into the habit of turning on the TV a little too much during the week so trying to cut that out again and spend time reading instead.

Do you like Gilmore Girls?

What is your idea of a relaxing evening? Sometimes I take a hot salt bath and then I like to go under all the blankets and sink into the couch.

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