visit to philadelphia

I first book a trip on Megabus to Philadelphia on March 16, my birthday. But Alexander and I both have a lot going on so I reschedule to the following Wednesday.

Then Wednesday comes and we have an unexpected (ultimately disappointing) snowstorm, so this trip also gets canceled.

Trip number three is then re-scheduled for April 11.  The text I get the morning of April 10 ends with, 

So today is my fourth planned trip to spend the day with my son. And it's a success. 

I arrive around 1 and get off at the wrong station. But soon Alexander arrives, and we are off on our Philadelphia adventure. 


Our first stop is CVS (to get band-aids for my foot blister, already).

We then grab a quick lunch at one of Alexander's go-to places.

 

The next stop is Alexander's apartment. He's been living in this one-bedroom for almost a year. It's in a good location, near the Penn campus. Other than that, there is nothing good I can say about it. He promises to move when his lease ends in August.

We then decide to walk the city and experience some of its history. I'm impressed with Alexander's knowledge. Not of the city's history, but of the streets and subway system. 

We spend about an hour learning about the Liberty Bell, its famed crack, and its symbolism. 

I can't remember the last time I've spent an entire day, alone with my son. And he really makes an effort, not even denying me the privilege of trying out my iPhone 8's camera abilities.

We walk some more (over 20,000 steps in all), talking about subjects we never have time to really explore. 

Dinner is at Parc Restaurant, overlooking Rittenhouse Square. 

When we finish eating,  a plate of miniature cookies are brought to the table with a candle in them. Since my trip to Philadelphia was originally supposed to be in celebration of my birthday, Alexander told the restaurant it was my birthday when he made the reservation. 

I'm on a 7pm bus home, packed with memories of a day well-spent, with the one person I love most in the world.

Six uninterrupted hours with my son. No arguments.— even when touching on some serious subjects. A little bit of new knowledge (both personal and historical). And many laughs. 

It's a perfect day!