Philadelphia

October 12, 2022 ~ Day 1

I went to workout at the Planet Fitness gym near my home. This is a great fitness chain because for $30 p/month I can go workout at any local gym throughout the country. And there always seems to be one near my hotel. I am not a big fan of the hotel gyms because they’re usually cramped, have poor air ventilation and at times there’s not even a towel or a treated wipes to clean the equipment. Its for these reasons that I’m big fan of Planet Fitness.

After my workout I returned home to eat breakfast and shower before leaving for the Houston airport. After going through Clear security I was able to visit the United Club Lounge to enjoy a quick coffee and snack. While at the lounge United sent me a notification that I had been upgraded to First class for both legs of my trip. Woot, woot! It pays to be loyal to an airline.

During one of the flights I saw the Netflix documentary, The Redeem Team. Its an interesting story of how the skill levels of the world’s professional basketball players caught up with those in the NBA. The documentary highlights how the USA men’s basketball team had to regroup and select players that would be willing to dedicate themselves to the team for three years. This enabled them to learn how to play together and compete at a higher level. The documentary reflects a lot on the influence Kobe Bryant had on his teammates. There are many stories told by the players that demonstrate what an amazing competitor and leader Kobe really was in the game of basketball and life.

Upon arriving in Philadelphia

I started thinking about the Netflix series Chefs Table where Cristina Martinez was featured for making Barbacoa with the same recipe and cooking style as her hometown in Capulhuac, Mexico. The barbacoa tacos featured in the episode looked delicious.

I was very excited to try out this food. However to my disbelief the restaurant is only open on the weekends!

Still the thought of tacos would not leave my head and I began to look for another option. Yelp guided me to restaurant called LMNO. After reading the reviews this placed looked like a good option. It took 30 minutes to reach this location from the Philadelphia airport. I decided to try out a Gringa taco since this is one of my favorite type of tacos to get from the Tizoncito restaurant in Mexico City.

The taco was good but it was a bit expensive at $14. I assume the price is due to the location and high rent. While eating the taco I began to think about the neighborhood and if it was dangerous. I opened the Newsbreak app and noted an article’s headline, “Philadelphia’s Most Dangerous Neighborhoods.”

I then determined, via Google maps, that this restaurant was in one of the profiled neighborhoods. The author recommended to not to walk alone or be there after dark. I then looked out through the restaurant’s window and saw that the sun had already gone down. Different scenarios began to dance around in my head that all ended badly. While it was very unlikely something would happen I figured it was best not to wait and find out. I asked my server for the check and quickly left the restaurant. I was able to make it back to my car safely and without an incident. It was a good taco.

I then made my way to a local Whole Foods to stock up on Apples and Oranges. This fruit provides me a healthy late night snack while in my hotel room. I also tend to purchase Protein shakes that get me through the mornings and early evenings.

October 13, 2022 ~ Day 2

I started the day by making my way to Planet Fitness for my early morning workout. It is always tough to start early in the East coast when you’re used to Central time.

After eating breakfast and getting ready for the day I left my hotel to the local service center. I was meeting with a new sales representative, Angelo, to onboard him into his current role.

After our morning meeting we headed to lunch at the Village Pub in Swedesboro, New Jersey. The food was good and we had a great conversation about the challenges and rewards of the job.

After a series of afternoon meetings we had dinner at the Olive Italian restaurant in Sewell, New Jersey. The food was good but the conversation was even better. After dinner was concluded I headed back to my hotel to get some sleep for an early morning flight the next day.

October 14, 2022 ~ Day 3

This morning I had a 6:00 AM flight that required me to get out of bed at 3:00 AM. I was hoping to get into Houston early in order to attend our neighbors son’s funeral.

As we were about to board an announcement came over the PA system that one of the flight crew members was extremely sick and would be unable to fly. United had to scramble and found another flight crew in Chicago! Unfortunately, we all had to wait for the crew to arrive and would now board at 11:00 AM!!! Who needs sleep? At least the United Club was open and provided me a place to rest and eat.

As I was waiting at the airport I began to think about my scheduled afternoon tennis match. I recall thinking that it was going to be a challenge to remain active and alert. Then my stomach began to rumble. I decided to get up and walk around the airport looking for some different food options. I eventually settled on having a Geno’s cheesesteak sandwich. It was quite delicious and made my hunger disappear.

Not long after my meal did I finally board my flight back to Houston. I always enjoy coming to Philadelphia. It’s a great city with a lot of culture, excellent food and history. I’m already looking forward to my next visit.