Follow the Nomads

The San Francisco Chronicle has a feature called Follow the Reader. People write in and share great hotels / resorts / B&B’s around the world, so others can enjoy them as well. The articles are on line at the SF Chronicle web site, and can be sorted by location. t's a great resource for this kind of information.

We don’t usually stay at B&B’s or at hotels; we mostly stay in motels. But occasionally we fall into a nice place that’s worth writing up. Hence this first "Follow the Nomads" column.

It’s 2 PM and we’re driving into Philadelphia hoping to spend the night. After consulting the AAA travel book (which has been our prime planning tool) I call 3 places downtown; they’re all booked for this Wednesday night! One last chance phone call gets us a room at the Penn View Inn. It’s on the waterfront at Front and Market, about 4 blocks from the historical section (the Liberty Bell, Congressional Hall, Independence Hall, etc.) The Inn is also right across from Penn’s Landing and about 6 blocks from South Street, where the nighttime action happens. There’s salsa music 2 blocks away and a blues place a block away. This part of Philly is replete with intriguing looking, upscale restaurants with interesting menus. After 6 weeks on the road and six pounds on the hips, I’m dieting, so we had to pass these up. The Penn View Inn itself has a wonderful looking restaurant and a wine bar that offers 120 wines by the glass! They were full this Wednesday night.

The rooms at the Penn View are remodeled historic –"historic charm with contemporary comfort". It’s one of those places that have heavy white bathrobes, but antique-looking furniture and wallpapers. The best part was the complimentary continental breakfast. Here you can boil your eggs to go with your NY-style bagel or tasty freshly baked muffin. The fruit included a large dish of blueberries and strawberries, along with an assortment of fresh melons and pineapple. And, the coffee was great!

For those heading to Philly, the AAA rate was $120 plus tax, including parking. A deal! For reservations call 215-922.7600.

This is a SUPER-market! Wegman’s is actually a chain of supermarkets (currently privately held) that have recently arrived in NJ from Upstate NY. And Bruce pretty much insisted that we drive the half-hour to Princeton to shop, see and enjoy the Wegman’s there.

Wegman’s is huge. It has all the regular parts of a supermarket, although it seems to include a larger selection of every item than most (any?) supermarket. For example, there was garlic-flavored olive oil among the olive oils. But the special part of Wegman’s is the prepared and gourmet foods. There’s a boulangerie counter with a huge assortment of light and heavy breads, as well as some exotic choices (chocolate raspberry BREAD!) There is a patisserie counter, with luscious gourmet cakes and pastries. There is a "Jewish Deli" and an "Italian Deli". There are cheeses, and more cheeses. There are take out foods including a sandwich bar, a Chinese food bar and a Pizza counter. And upstairs, there was a large balcony, where you could indulge in any of these purchased items.

So was the drive to Wegman’s worth the time? Definitely yes, but I know it did add to the above-mentioned extra pounds!