This past weekend, Stephen and I headed up to Philly to start celebrating our friend, Julie’s, birthday (@Juliesu.fit). Julie and I actually met over IG two years ago and had the chance to meet in person shortly after and basically have been soulmates ever since! But she invited Stephen and I to spend her birthday weekend at Avalon Beach with her fiancé, family, and a few other friends, so OF COURSE we were down.

We drove to Philly Thursday and as soon as we arrived, we met Matt (her fiancé) and Julie at the gym #typical. After getting a workout in, we headed to sushi for dinner and then watched the Chis D’Elia “Man on Fire” special on Netflix. GUYS. His special is hilarious! We couldn’t stop laughing. Like, my face hurt from laughing. Anyway, would highly recommend his special if you’re looking for a good comedian.

The next day Matt and Julie had work, so Stephen and I did some exploring of Philly on our own. We started the day with going to Reading Terminal market where we got some donuts from Beiler’s Bakery. We heard that there were supposed to be some amazing donuts. To be honest, the donuts were good BUT we both felt that our local spot in Durham (Monuts) was better 🙂 If you like to claim that your a donut connoisseur like me though, definitely try Beiler’s if you’re in the Philly area! In general, Reading Terminal Market was a cool spot. A bunch of different food options, plus lots of smaller, local merchants. Plus, it’s all indoors so if you’re unlucky like us and have rain for any part of your trip, it’s a great place to hangout for a bit. 

The rest of the day we just walked around Philly, a lot. We went to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, and then went to Independence Beer Garden. We had a beer there, and then afterwards went to Tony Luke’s for cheesesteaks. Stephen’s dad has been to Philly a lot and is a big foodie, and this was where we recommended as far as cheesesteaks go. We both thought Tony Luke’s was really good! It was surprisingly not too greasy or heavy. I mean, the sandwich was filling (obviously), but it was about as “light” as you could probably get for a cheesesteak. There are a few different cheesesteak variations (evidently), but I got mine more a traditional way with fried peppers, onions, mushrooms, and provolone. Yum!

That night consisted of another workout with Julie and Matt, and then we headed down to Avalon Beach for the remainder of the weekend. Matt’s parents have a house there, so that’s where we stayed. We all passed out shortly after arriving, and woke up around 8am the next day to make a big breakfast and then head to the beach. The day at the beach was pretty much like any other–hanging out with friends and getting tan 😉 At one point, Matt and Julie suggested we do some sprints on the beach followed with squats and pushups, so Stephen and I were like, let’s do it! Yeah, we were those people on the beach that you probably hate LOL. Afterwards, we played a few games of corn hole which I’ve only played once before but it was really fun. Let’s just say that even as a newbie to the game, I was carrying Stephen and I 😉

That night we went over to a family friend’s of Matt’s house. The house was incredible, and had a gorgeous view of the waterway. And our host, Patty, was even more amazing. Julie told me that she reminded me of Missy (Stephen’s grandmother) and she was so right! She was so much fun and had so much energy. Anyway! We spent the evening grilling out, enjoying our spicy margaritas, wine, and of course Julie’s delicious birthday cake. Matt had one made with chocolate ganache and macaroons–so good!

Sunday was our last day in Avalon before heading to Brooklyn to visit my bestie Nora for a few days. Per usual, we got in HIIT workout on the beach and then made our obligatory stops before heading out. We first went to Kohler’s Bakery where we had their famous cream filled donuts. I don’t even like cream filled stuff, but this with the powdered sugar was too good. Stephen and I got that one, plus a raspberry filled cinnamon sugar one. Nom. Afterwards, we went to this well known ice cream spot called Spingers (I know, donuts and then ice cream #whoops #sorrynotsorry). This ice cream was some of the best I’ve had in a looong time. I got the peanut butter cup and milk & cookies. Two scoops in a waffle cone. YAAAAS #needIsaymore?

Sadly after those stops, it was pretty much time to go back and get on the road. But overall it was such a fun trip and nice to get away for a few days (even though we are still away?) Lol. Have any of you guys been to Avalon Beach or Stone Harbor?  If so, what do you guys like to do there? I think its been one of my favorite beach towns that I’ve been to. I would definitely go back!!

Well, that wraps up our trip to Philly! Stay tuned for a recap of our few days in NYC 🙂 xx