FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Kid Travel: Philadelphia

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Mom and son outside of the Adventure Aquarium in New Jersey on Philadelphia trip with kids.

Dusting off your blog after three years is cathartic, to say the least. The last time I posted, I was fresh off of a trip to Chicago with my toddler. I was knee deep in my corporate tech job. Ez was maxing out opening hours at the neighborhood Montessori school. And I would have never, in a million years, been able to imagine where life would take me in 2025.

So here we are, fresh off of another epic kid trip – this time to Philadelphia. There was no PTO request – I work for myself these days. There was no school skipping – Ez is attending a project-based private school with a part time schedule and extended breaks (like fall break!). And life is feeling a little more like it should and a lot less like the typical American grind.

6 year old wandering the halls of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia on kid friendly trip.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about Philly. Why Philly? Well… I’ve been planning trips based off of the perfect intersection of Southwest stops and Marriott stays, the lower the points the better. And all signs pointed to Philadelphia. I had been before and I remembered being surprised by the city’s energy. But would it be fun with a 6 year old? I had no idea.

I’m less Type A lately, so rather than scheming and planning weeks in advance, I found myself up the weekend before jotting down friend and ChatGPT recs, alike. And the more I jotted, the more excited I became. Could Philadelphia top Chicago for kid friendly travel? In that moment, I had a feeling it could.

Spoiler alert: it did. We arrived on a Tuesday evening and headed back on a Saturday morning. So the itinerary below is for a full three days. And you know what? I wouldn’t change a damn thing about it.

kid petting sting rays at the Adventure Aquarium in New Jersey, next to Philadelphia on kid friendly trip.

Day 1: Sharks, Ship Decks & Market Chaos

We crossed the river first thing and spent the morning with stingrays and sharks at Adventure Aquarium. From there we walked straight to the massive Battleship New Jersey and wandered the decks and bunks like little explorers. Instead of Lyfting back, we took the ferry across the river, which turned out to be a perfect reset for tired legs. We finished the day at Reading Terminal Market, doing slow laps and taste-testing our way through the chaos before heading back to the hotel.

Kid wandering the streets of Chinatown Philadelphia on scooter on a kid friendly vacation.

Day 2: Scooters, Snacks & Mini Golf Between Skyscrapers

We stayed in the city this day and let the pace be playful. We scooted through Chinatown, grabbed boba, popped into a couple tiny toy shops, and then landed in Franklin Square for carousel spins and mini golf fun tucked right into the middle of downtown. It was one of those days that accidentally becomes a highlight because nothing was rushed.

Kid playing with exhibits at the Franklin Institute during a kid friendly Philadelphia trip.

Day 3: Big Stories, Big Cells, Big Science

We kicked off with the Hop-On Hop-Off bus, letting someone else do the navigating while we sat up top and got an overview of the city. Mid-route we hopped off for a surprisingly kid-friendly tour of Eastern State Penitentiary – crumbling cell blocks, Al Capone’s room, and just enough eerie to keep it interesting. We ended at the Franklin Institute, where we burned the rest of the day on hands-on exhibits and the giant heart walkthrough before calling it.

Kid playing miniature golf in Franklin Square on a kid friendly Philadelphia trip.

Philadelphia was the reminder I needed that travel feels different when you’re not shoving it between obligations. We showed up, moved at our own pace, and the days stacked into something better than I imagined. And Philly itself? An incredible city with endless things to do for both kids and adults. I left thinking it might tie with Chicago, but now that I’m writing this and replaying it in my head, I think Philly quietly takes first place.

Jot these spots down for your next kid-friendly Philadelphia trip!

Silly Bloggers

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Look what finally posted!!!  That’s right, Healthy Living Summit photobooth pics have arrived.  Proof that bloggers can get their goof on!

*All pictures courtesy of The Wilmington Photo Booth Company.

I promised miss Emily that I wouldn’t share these with anyone, but… I just couldn’t help myself, they’re so much fun!  Breaking promises isn’t bad if you mean well, right?

Next up, me, Meghann, and Allison taking a spill with our cash money dollars.

And then there was eye patch Lauren, which was a pretty hilarious way to document the end of our evening.

Missing you ladies already!!

The Summit Top Five, In Pictures

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1.  Staying four to a room – If I would have reserved a hotel room for just myself, I wouldn’t have met three super awesome, highly diverse, healthy blogging friends.  Getting to know a ton of new amazing women, specifically my roommates, was my hands-down favorite part of HLS.

2.  The food –  Every aspect of the food was perfect: quantity, timing, variety, freshness.  You name the detail, it was considered.  I had not one ‘I wish I had’ moment during the entire day, which is rare.  It also made me questions why conference food is traditionally so yuck.

3.  Hearing Dawn Jackson Blatner speak – Dawn tops my list of impressive public speakers.  The fact that her food philosophies are directly in line with my own may be a slight cause of bias, but her knowledge of the subject, confidence, and ability to hold the attention of our group for two 1-hour sessions is undeniable.  A major HLS highlight is that we got to chatting at the almond butter buffet and I was able to tell Dawn, at her request, specific reasons why I enjoyed her as a presenter.  She is thebomb.com.

4.  Twitter – Can you believe #HLS was a trending hashtag in Philadelphia this weekend?!  I loved the ability to connect with people that I would have otherwise not known how reach and read their thoughts on the conference/Philadelphia/etc. throughout the weekend.  We’re so hip!!

5.  Motivation – Although I never officially met Freya of Brit Chick Runs, I can now understand why she traveled all the way from the UK to be at this very event.  EVERY attendee brought their own set of experiences, successes, motivators, struggles, insecurities – we’re all real people and weren’t expected to be anything other than real people.  Meaning, nobody here had it all figured out, but we all had the common goal of striving to be better, balancing our struggles with a new found friend’s motivators and getting one step closer to healthier, happier.

I can’t thank Meghann enough for not only planning, but encouraging me to attend, The Healthy Living Summit.  This event is truly one of a kind.  I’m sad to leave my new friends, but I am reassured by the proven power of bloggers keeping in touch in the virtual world.

See you next year HLS-ers! XOXO

Awkward Turtle

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Last night we gathered for the Healthy Living Summit cocktail party at the Reading Terminal Market, which was conveniently located directly across the street from the hotel.  Thank goodness, because it was raining, Florida style, hurricane style.  Oh how I love spending time getting ready only to be poured on!

I started with the signature chia cocktail, but made a quick switch to the comfort of cabernet.  I’m not certain there was much booze action going on in the pink drink and, let’s be real, I needed some liquid courage in a room of 200 strangers!  As far as food goes, the beet app was my fav.  My only complaint is that the girl with the beet tray wasn’t permanently at my side.

I hung out with Lauren, Emily, and Krista (my roommates) for most of the night.  I think, rather I know, that we were all a bit intimidated by the crowd. But we did manage to work our way around the room and  meet some of our blogging mentors.

And!!  Even though Meghann was such a busy bee, she made time for her Tampa pal.  Keep a look out for ridiculous HLS photo booth pics in the near future!

And last, but certainly not least, a tremendous thank you to Allison for planning such such a fun, and conveniently located, event!