Despite the chilly winter weather, it’s been pretty sunny in Philadelphia lately (haha) and, last weekend, my girlfriend Brena and I took advantage of a relatively nice February Sunday to hit some specific places in the city we wanted to try.

First, we hit Vanilya, a little bakery in East Passyunk I frequented for bagels when I was a dog walker. Its bagels are some of the best in Philadelphia, but I haven’t been in quite a while. Brena and I had noticed a sign in the window that they now sell The Bear Egg Sandwich, inspired by the omelet Sydney makes for Sugar on Hulu’s The Bear. We love the show, so we’d been meaning to order it for months, and the time was finally upon us.

The key elements to this egg sandwich are Boursin cheese and potato chips. The combination was winning — it seems like the fictional professional chef knows what she’s doing! Both Brena and I enjoyed munching on our sandwiches on a bench by the fountain in East Passyunk. A Girl Scout set up her booth right near us, so we bought a few boxes of cookies, as well.

We then stopped in Amelie’s Bark Shop so I could spoil my cat with more toys she does not need, and we were delighted to find the shop had a new foster cat wandering around! Gorgonzola, a gorgeous young male Russian blue mix, greeted us at the door with purrs and head butts, flopping at our feet for affection. He is the most effective salesman I’ve ever met, following us around to give personal endorsements to the toys I was looking at. I bought my cat Maisy a jingly ball that Gorgonzola seemed particularly interested in and a little sardine toy filled with catnip. (These both turned out to be hits with her — Gorgonzola should definitely earn commission for his help.) I have no doubt that handsome and friendly gentleman will get adopted in no time, as he’s one of the friendliest cats I’ve ever encountered.

After seeing on TikTok a gelato place in Rittenhouse serves hot chocolate affogato, Brena took me to Vita with her to try this delicacy. We both opted for vanilla gelato with the hot chocolate, which made for a delicious little mid-afternoon treat. The employees were so friendly and kind. I’d definitely recommend stopping in if you’re in Rittenhouse and craving something sweet.

It was a lovely, casual day in the city and the perfect way to close out the weekend. Here’s hoping the sunny weather continues and Punxsatawny Phil was correct that we’re in for an early spring.

— Hannah Gruen, administrative coordinator