And just like that, summer is around the corner, and its energy is palpable.

I spent the weekend with my family celebrating Dominican Mother’s Day which, luckily, coincided with the long weekend this year; it was a great way to kick off the unofficial summer season and bask in familial joy. New York City was lively!

My Instagram feed is flooded with the monthly photo dump wrap-ups, and I jumped on the bandwagon with stories. A quick post about what my May looked like so far answered my “what am I going to write about this week?” question rather quickly. Behold, my month in review:

We kicked things off the first weekend with birthday celebrations. First was a lovely family dinner for Nathan’s grandmother followed by an overnight trip to Scranton, Pennsylvania, to celebrate our godson’s (Josiel) birthday. What is there to do in Scranton? you may ask — at least, I did. Not much to nothing is the answer, but Josiel is a super laid-back pre-teen and doesn’t like to make a fuss about his birthday, so we decided to meet somewhere relatively halfway from our hometowns and spend the weekend together.

The turnaround was quick, but we made the best of it. We visited Electric City’s Aquarium and Trolley Museum and Steamtown National Historic Site. The aquarium was surprisingly located right in the middle of the downtown mall, but it did not disappoint (although, personally, I could have done without the snakes!). But the real treasure in Scranton was Steamtown. Walk through the mall’s food court, out the back doors, and hook a right down a long, sloping boardwalk to step back to a time when massive steam engines powered America’s Industrial Revolution. The museum and grounds are free to the public, but they also offer tickets for a trolley ride or old train ride. It was pretty cool seeing the massive wheelhouse where the engines used to reroute to their specific bay for repair or maintenance. The best part, though, was having the opportunity to climb inside several of the old engine compartments and even sound the train horn.

Trolley Museum

Another interesting bit of the trip was staying at The Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel; what once used to be the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Station and an office building is now a very intriguing hotel filled with French Renaissance architecture and style. Admittedly, a little bit eerie (it felt like the set for something from Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story anthology), the lobby was grand and ornate — full of delicate flourishes and beautiful marble columns. I swear you could still feel the energy of all the different people traveling through the station on their way to however many different destinations. Although the rooms were a little dated and could use a fresh coat of paint, it was a comfortable stay, and the café downstairs had some very good coffee.

Lackawanna Lobby

Next up, we continued the commitment to getting to know more of Philadelphia. This time was super-special as we toured a couple of wedding venues and then decided to make a day out of it. After daydreaming of our wedding day, we decided to walk around Fairmount and ended up at Cantina La Calaca Feliz for brunch. It was a lovely spring day, so, of course, we opted for the patio.

I loved how quiet and intimate it felt back there, not the usual loud brunch scene on a nice Saturday. The menu was simple and straightforward and the food surpassed our hopes. My huevos rancheros were delicious, and Nathan raved about his enchiladas. The drinks were also good.

After indulging, we decided to check out Philadelphia Museum of Art before heading back to the suburbs for some shopping. Fourteen-thousand steps before 6 p.m. was the best way to induce a restful sleep.

The rest of the month involved lots of Philly things: a successful event at The Union League, new foodie finds — hello, Federal Donuts?!, South Street and yet another Sunday market. Come back for more!

— Yasser Ogando, executive director, media