New York Day 5 - Philadelphia & The Rocky Steps

Day 5 in New York isn’t technically about New York as you may have guessed from the title. Today we decided that we would extend our trip a bit further afield and head to Philadelphia. I am sure there are loads of things to do here and we probably missed a huge chunk but mainly we wanted to run up the ‘Rocky’ steps and eat Philly Cheesesteaks. I also wanted to casually bump into my long term favourite band, CKY however this did not happen sadly. We looked into various modes of transport but the cheapest option coming in at just $20 each was to get a Greyhound bus which would take around 2 hours to get us there. We booked our tickets online the day before and were able to collect them from the bus station the next day.

We left nice and early and made our way via subway to the bus station. We printed our tickets, went to the correct gate and got in the queue which then led us straight onto the bus. The Greyhound bus was clean, warm and even had plug sockets and wifi to make the journey all the more enjoyable. The 2 hours went very fast, mainly because I fell asleep but we were in Philadelphia before we knew it. We got off the bus and started to walk towards the information centre. We passed a food market on the way which looked amazing from the outside, but I will go back to that. After roughly finding out where the Rocky steps were, we first decided to get tickets for a free tour near to the building that houses the Liberty Bell. The next available ticket was not until later on in the day so we took them and decided we would come back later for the tour.

It was time for lunch at this point so we made our way back to the food market called The Reading Terminal Market. There was so much available here from meats to cheeses to seafood all fresh and also baked goods from the oven. I could have easily eaten my way around if I was here for longer. We spotted a little place called By George! Which specialised in Pizza, Pasta and Cheesesteaks. The person in front of me ordered the most delicious looking lasagne and the portion sizes were immense. I am glad I do not live near here as I could see my diet getting out of hand very quickly. Me and James ordered a Cheesesteak meal which came with fries and then we had a drink too. We didn’t have long to wait and we then made our way to the seating area. I unwrapped my cheesesteak and it was absolutely filled to the brim with steak, cheese and onions. It smelled and looked amazing. I ate the whole thing and felt pretty stuffed afterwards but it was 100% well and truly worth it.

We then decided to head for Rocky but being full we did not want to move very quickly. We were on a bit of a time schedule so decided to get a taxi there and split the costs. This only took 10 minutes or so to get us there in the end. We could see the Rocky statue as we pulled up so we went and had a photo with that first. There weren’t too many people about.

We then went for the run up the steps. I did this whilst wearing grey joggers and playing the theme tune. I must admit I did get some strange looks but at the end of the day I thought who on earth is going to see me again, I may as well go all out! I’m not even a huge fan of the Rocky films but it was all about getting into character.

Once we had ran up the steps, there wasn’t a lot else to do. We walked back to where we originally got the bus and headed for our free tour. It was a quick tour and there were some facts to be learned and we found out about the declaration of independence. After the tour it was a quick dash back to our Greyhound bus and on we went back to New York. Once again, my vlog of the day can be seen below.

Giraffe World Kitchen Norwich Review*

As you all know by now, I do love my food and I love trying out new places. I was recently invited to try out Giraffe World Kitchen in Norwich which has recently been re branded. I couldn’t wait to see the new look, I hadn’t been to Giraffe for a long time so a visit was long overdue. For those who are local, Giraffe World Kitchen is right outside Chapelfield Shopping Centre, located near to the other eateries. We arrived at 7pm for dinner and were greeted by two smiling members of staff. I took James with me to help with any photos and it made a good excuse for a date night as well.

As soon as I walked in I noticed the changes in décor. The restaurant is really bright and colourful and I love the pops of yellow that they have all over the walls. It was bright and had a fresh feeling to it. The tables were laid out nicely. We were seated in a booth and I quite liked that we felt a bit tucked away from the rest of the restaurant. You could also sit outside if you wanted to. The atmosphere was great, music was playing and people were chatting. I thought it had a really nice vibe. The staff were really friendly and couldn’t do enough for you. As soon as my drink was getting low, the waitress came over and offered me another one which was great.

Speaking of drinks, I had a couple of Mocktails called ‘Wavebreakers’ which was a blend of pineapple and coconut and oh my, they were amazing. I think when I took my first sip I said “this tastes like summer in a cup” and that is the only way I can really describe it. So fruity and refreshing, I want to recreate these at home! James had Franklin & Sons sparkling Apple & Rhubarb drink which he really liked too, it had a hint of cinnamon which he said gave a nice kick to it.

There were a few different starters to choose from including World Tapas so that you could taste your way around the world by sharing a few small plates. There were also a range of super starters. We decided to go for 3 tapas starters which cost £14.95 which we then shared between us. First up we had the shredded chicken tacos which came topped with guacamole, sour creme, and chipotle. They had a lovely kick to them and were very filling. Secondly we chose the salt and pepper squid which came with a delicious sweet chilli jam. The final starter we had (and my personal favourite!) was the karaage chicken. This chicken was served with a honey and soy dip and was really tasty. The starters were a good size, there was also the option to have five for  £24.95 but I think this would have been a bit too much since we were having three courses.

I had trouble choosing a main course as there were so many delicious tempting options, I just didn’t know where to begin! With dishes from around the world you could go for Enchiladas, Burgers, Vietnamese Steamboat or even a Texan BBQ Brisket. I decided in the end to try out the Turkish Pide topped with grilled chicken, baby spinach, feta and roasted red pepper and chilli on a spiced tomato base with charred Turkish peppers. This dish was amazing and the toppings were well spread across the dish and were plentiful. James went for the Vietnamese Steamboat which consisted of honey and soy glazed sea bream sprinkled with sesame seeds, in a broth of bok choy, red chillies, sugar snaps and cherry tomatoes. From a traditional Dzao recipe. He said it had a nice array of vegetables to it and felt like a pretty healthy option. He said the Sea Bream was cooked to perfection.

We couldn’t leave without trying dessert. The waitress recommended the Hot Chocolate Brownie and the Eton Mess so we decided to go with them. The Hot Chocolate Brownie was served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and some hot chocolate sauce. It was absolutely amazing. When it came out, I thought it was a bit small however you didn’t need any more as it was so rich and delicious. My only complaint is that as it was served on a plate it was hard to scrape every last morsel off, whereas in a bowl I may have been able to get every drop of sauce, but maybe that is just me being greedy. James had the Eton Mess Sundae. He struggled to finish it all as it was a decent sized portion and he thought it was a little bit sickly after a while. This didn’t bother me as it meant I could ‘help’ him finish it. It was very sweet. The meringues were crunchy and delicious, it could have done with a bit of ice cream to take away the sweet flavour of the cream and sauce but between us we polished it off.

Overall we had a really enjoyable meal at Giraffe World Kitchen. The staff were great, food was amazing and there was a lovely atmosphere. What would you have picked from the menu?

*I received this meal free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.