Summer Squashing: Trip to Philly

Abhrajeet and I are apart from each other most of the year so we try to see one another as often as our schedules allow. Each semester I take a trip to Philly to visit all the Mask and Wig boys, see a few shows, eat delicious food and of course try to catch up on chilling time with Abs.

Since everyone has been asking how my trip was, and "good" doesn't even come close to describing the week I had I though "hey, why not a run down of each day." ready... begin!

Day 1 : Wednesday

I love my time in the airport because I always meet at least one person that changes my perspective about something or I get to share a bit of my life to a complete stranger. I also usually end up sitting by Chatty Cathy on the plane, (even if I have my headphones in, or am sleeping, the person next to me always seems to ask me a question or gets to talking about their life.) However this time was a little different - both the ladies I sat next to didn't say anything and went about editing papers without the slightest hint of wanting to get to know who was sitting next to them. Sad that I wouldn't get a glimpse into a stranger's life on this plane ride I took out my computer and began designing a logo for Cedar Country Co-op and pulling together inspiration for Sarah's invitation. Suddenly both Silent Sallys got really interested in my work and we all got to talking about what we did and where we were going. I think I may also been hired to do one of the woman's son's wedding invitation!

I landed at the Philly airport around 10:30pm and arrived at Abhrajeet's place just as he got back from the show (more about that later). Our original plans were to go to center city and celebrate Lee's 21st birthday but the Philly game just ended so traffic was horrible and cops were lining the streets in riot gear. It was pretty intense and after waiting to merge onto the main road for 10 minutes and $20 dollars later we jumped out of the cab and walked back to the house. Each time I go to Philly I desperately want to take a photo with the LOVE sculpture on campus but Abhrajeet always says I look too much like a tourist - so walking back gave us the perfect opportunity to sneak a photo while no one was around.

Day 2 : Thursday

We went to our favorite Vietnamese place a couple blocks away for lunch. They have speedy service, cheap prices, delicious food and outstanding milkshakes. The day went by pretty quick since Abhrajeet had to leave to get ready for the Mask and Wig show. This is was a very unique year - not only is Abhrajeet a senior and this is his last fall show with Mask and Wig, but he also directed the show. Mask and Wig is the nation's oldest collegiate all-male musical comedy troupe that Abhrajeet joined as a freshman. This year the title of the show was Conquistorira the Explora. The first half of the show are sketches or bits then the second half of the show follows more of a story line and has many more music selections. So when Abhrajeet left early I walked to Ian, Weier and Andrew's house to hang out for a bit. It's so great to see familiar faces and genuine people, even if it is for only a couple hours each year. Thank you Thank you Thank you to everyone for putting up with my Minnesota accent and making sure I don't get lost in the city.

The show was great! The boys are all very talented and it's definitely a highlight of the trip to see them perform. After the show we were presently surprised when the guys brought over delicious pizza, beer and insomnia cookies to the house.

Day 3 : Friday

We had to wake up a little earlier than planned to get sushi for lunch. Aki Fushion is the first place we tried sushi in the Spring and we were so excited to go back and show how much we had learned from eating sushi all summer. This time we ordered sashimi, which is just the raw fish, no rice. DELICIOUS. Very fresh, very meaty and we started to be able to tell the fish apart from one another by their texture and taste without the rice getting in the way. We devoured our plate with 16 pieces of Sashimi, 8 rolls and 12 Nigiri and ordered some Aki Fusion Rolls.

Abhrajeet had two shows Friday Night and after we met his dad and brother, who also flew in from Minnesota to visit, for a late dinner.

Day 4 : Saturday
We took Abhrajeet's dad and brother to the Vietnamese place for lunch - like I said before: FAVORITE PLACE! They also thoroughly enjoyed their meals and Arny especially enjoyed the Milkshakes with Bubbles. We also tried the new Gelato place before heading to the show

The 2nd half of the show follows a story line: The President of Penn infects the students with Swine Flu to improve Penn's rankings. She catches H1N1 and goes to heaven where she meets Michael Jackson. Michael tells everyone that there is only one hope to cure the swine and that lies in his clone, and upenn student: Miguel. (I definitely didn't do the plot any justice in those 3 sentences but I tried.)

Day 5 : Sunday
We met Abhrajeet's dad and brother for lunch and spent the day around Philly. We stopped in China town and tried Jelly Fish (not my favorite but Arny definitely enjoyed it). We also went to a bar that serves over 200 beers - 5 pages of menu.