Having only lived in Philadelphia a little over a month, my fiancé, Lincoln, and I decided it was definitely time to spend an afternoon walking around the area and getting our bearings. The first Saturday in February was predicted to be a little less frigid than the several weekends prior, so we woke up early that morning and headed to Center City. After parking, we walked to Reading Terminal Market, where we had originally planned to eat lunch. Maybe it was the Saturday crowd, or maybe it was the overflow from the auto show next door at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, but there was barely space to walk, let alone eat. Even though I was very impressed with the wide variety of offerings and the tantalizing smells coming from every corner, and I’ll plan a trip back soon, it wasn’t enough to make me want to stick around to be jostled to death while looking for something to eat. With no real definite plan for lunch, we began wandering about looking for the first thing to really catch our eye. We were trying to get away from the crowds around the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and we ended up weaving our way through Chinatown and then down to JFK Plaza. Hungrier by the second, we ended up stumbling into Tir Na Nog Bar & Grill, where the name of the game was rugby and the crowds had packed the place looking for beer, Irish pub food and a place to watch with friends. They were still serving brunch when we arrived, so I ordered the corned beef hash topped with two poached eggs, while Lincoln picked a chorizo sausage breakfast burrito. After brunch, we crossed the street to JFK Plaza and took some pictures of the famous LOVE sculpture, as well as the giant game pieces outside the Municipal Services Building, with the adjacent Masonic temple, church and city hall buildings in the background. There weren’t that many people on the sidewalks in that area of the city, except for the large number of young skateboarders who have apparently taken over JFK Plaza. We began moseying back towards Walnut Street, stopping in a few stores along the way. Never one to miss dessert, I talked Lincoln into going into Capogiro Gelato. The café was small, with only a handful of filled tables, but the staff was both incredibly friendly and helpful, allowing us to sample a few flavors before making our final decisions of cranberry and heirloom apple for Lincoln and XOXO Philly cheesecake for me. It was definitely an excellent way to end the afternoon, and I can’t wait to try their other flavors. — Holly Godbey, marketing & sales assistant