A WEEK OF THANKS

Over the week of Thanksgiving, the man and I traveled to Pennsylvania to visit his parents, explore his hometown of Swarthmore just outside of Philly, and celebrate with not one but two Turkey Day Feasts!

ALPENHOF B&B

We took a red-eye flight to Philly, which meant we had to take a nap on our first day in Swarthmore. Enter the most comfortable bed ever! We stayed at the Alpenhof Bed & Breakfast in Media, so we could easily visit both Nick’s mom’s house in Swarthmore and Nick’s dad’s house in Media.

The place was eclectic, to say the least. We absolutely loved our cozy room, the three resident pups (Caesar, Lola, and Thumper), and the innkeeper Roland, who made fabulous breakfast to order.

SWARTHMORE

Swarthmore is the land of quaint and, most often, absolutely gorgeous houses. I wasn’t able to snap a lot of photos (I was having too much fun!), but above is Nick’s childhood home.

It’s the type of town you want to have grown up in, where you might imagine summer barbecues every Saturday afternoon in the summer and picturesque families crowding the streets trick-or-treating on Halloween.

RENATO PIZZA

For lunch, the man and I visited the legendary Renato Pizza. The owner (Nick’s his name, as well) recognized Nick in an instant and remembered his sister’s name, too (without her presence). The pizza was scrumptious, and the small shop has such a small-town vibe.

A MUSEUM VISIT

The next day, Nick’s mom took us to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where we worked up an appetite perusing Monet, Picasso, and Duchamp. On Nick’s sister’s recommendation, we visited RyBread and ordered a Santa Monica sandwich (bacon. lettuce. tomato. avocado. mayo) on a brioche bun (SO GOOD) and a Napa sandwich (fresh mozz. roma tomatoes.  pesto. balsamic glaze), grilled. Nom!

We decided to squeeze a nighttime run in that evening, since we were gearing up for not one but two days of serious indulgence.

SWARTHMORE COLLEGE

We also went on a walking tour of Swarthmore College, a beautiful, quintessentially Pennsylvanian campus. Nick’s mom taught us all the different kinds of trees and plants, which is one of her favorite interests. Because of the abnormally warm weather, many leaves are still hanging on for dear life.

Do you see that giant hawk in the tree?

He was quite majestic. Hi, friend!

Here we are enjoying what’s left of the rose garden on campus.

THANKGIVING #1

That night, we put together a Thanksgiving feast, which included all the trimmings minus the turkey (who needs it, anyway?). I made mashed potatoes, my favorite TurkeyDay staple.

Nick made his famous cranberry sauce, and we also indulged in: (Nick’s homemade) bread and butter, sausage and apple stuffing, green beans, pumpkin pie, and brownies. Nick’s sister Ava took the train into town to join us. It was a great time!

THANKGIVING #2

The next day, after breakfast with Nick’s mom and sister, we headed over to Media to partake in another TurkeyDay meal with Nick’s dad and his family. This time there was a giant turkey, more mashed potatoes and stuffing, and all the cranberry sauces one could ask for. I learned that I am a big pan of pecan pie, too, while also confirming my love for pumpkin pie once again.

 A NEW LOVE

You know how, in The Family Stone, a character comes to Christmas with one significant other and falls in love with someone else over the course of the movie? That’s kind of what happened with me and Ranger, the family dog. I couldn’t get enough of “Rangey” and am hatching plans to run away with him soon. Sorry, Nick! 😉

How was your Thanksgiving holiday?