Holiday Season Recap Episode III
We spent the second December weekend in Philadelphia. Thanks to a Philadelphian friend who took us on the grand tour (in minus 3 degrees Celsius… brrr!), we were able to see entire Philadelphia in one day. Independence Hall (where the Declaration of Independence was drafted), the Liberty Bell (which was ringing out from the tower of Independence Hall summoning the citizens of Philadelphia to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence), Betsy Ross House
(the little house belonging to the seamstress who made the US first stars and stripes flag), Elfreth’s Alley (the oldest continuously inhabited street in the US), Christ Church (the 1727 church where George and Martha Washington and Ben Franklin worshiped), Carpenter’s Hall (the 18th century guildhall), City Hall and the surrounding Christmas market, the Italian market and of course a real Philly cheesesteak at Pat’s (according to our insider, much better than the competition across the road).
The next day, we went to see another (freezing) football game: Army – Navy. As real diehards, we started the day early (all bundled up in 10 layers as experience thaught us) with tailgating, or translated BBQ and beer on the stadium’s parking lot. I didn’t know a hotdog at 11 am could taste this good (or maybe the cold froze my taste buds?). The Army – Navy game is legendary in the US: a college football game between the teams of the US military academy at West Point, NY (or Army) and the US naval academy at Annapolis, MD (Navy). As soon as we got out of our car, we already noticed the big rivalry between Army and Navy with the slogans “Army! Beat Navy!”, “Hasta La Vista, Navy!”, … (or the other way around of course).
The game started with parachutes dropping of the football in the stadium followed by four planes flying over (sorry, I don’t remember model or type – when it comes to planes and cars, I’m a real girly girl, all I remember is that they were big and grey).The football game itself wasn’t very impressive (even the connaisseurs thought so) and Army lost (which apparently wasn’t a big surprise). Though I have to confess that by the end of the game, I was so cold that I don’t remember much of the game strategy. Nevertheless, the experience was worth my popsicle toes!
Bryant Park / 
Saks Fifth Avenue / 
Rockefeller / 
Radio City Music Hall / 
Rockettes / 
Near 5th Ave / 
Macy's / 
Time Warner Center.
The third December weekend, we stayed in good old New York City. A visit to the American Museum of Natural History was long overdue: a new space show narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, a temporary exhibition on (living!) frogs and the butterfly conservatory easily filled our entire afternoon. In the meantime, it started snowing outside – by the time, we got back in our apartment the light snow turned into a real snow storm.
The result in the morning was a nice white carpet of about 25 centimeters high. We celebrated the first (real) snow of the Holiday season with a stroll through Central Park.
I love the park the entire year through but on a snowy winter day, it is especially beautiful and… very crowded. Snowball fights, snowmen building, langlaufing, sleighing, hiking, ... As beautiful as the snow can be during the weekend, every New Yorker wishes that it would magically disappear during weekdays – when you actually need to go out and be somewhere. The roads and pavements turn into a large black slippery puddle of mud (even with the efforts of city services to spread salt on the roads about twice a day). Note to self: don't wear heels the week after a snow storm.
We spent the second December weekend in Philadelphia. Thanks to a Philadelphian friend who took us on the grand tour (in minus 3 degrees Celsius… brrr!), we were able to see entire Philadelphia in one day. Independence Hall (where the Declaration of Independence was drafted), the Liberty Bell (which was ringing out from the tower of Independence Hall summoning the citizens of Philadelphia to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence), Betsy Ross House 
(the little house belonging to the seamstress who made the US first stars and stripes flag), Elfreth’s Alley (the oldest continuously inhabited street in the US), Christ Church (the 1727 church where George and Martha Washington and Ben Franklin worshiped), Carpenter’s Hall (the 18th century guildhall), City Hall and the surrounding Christmas market, the Italian market and of course a real Philly cheesesteak at Pat’s (according to our insider, much better than the competition across the road). 
The next day, we went to see another (freezing) football game: Army – Navy. As real diehards, we started the day early (all bundled up in 10 layers as experience thaught us) with tailgating, or translated BBQ and beer on the stadium’s parking lot. I didn’t know a hotdog at 11 am could taste this good (or maybe the cold froze my taste buds?). The Army – Navy game is legendary in the US: a college football game between the teams of the US military academy at West Point, NY (or Army) and the US naval academy at Annapolis, MD (Navy). As soon as we got out of our car, we already noticed the big rivalry between Army and Navy with the slogans “Army! Beat Navy!”, “Hasta La Vista, Navy!”, … (or the other way around of course). 
The game started with parachutes dropping of the football in the stadium followed by four planes flying over (sorry, I don’t remember model or type – when it comes to planes and cars, I’m a real girly girl, all I remember is that they were big and grey).The football game itself wasn’t very impressive (even the connaisseurs thought so) and Army lost (which apparently wasn’t a big surprise). Though I have to confess that by the end of the game, I was so cold that I don’t remember much of the game strategy. Nevertheless, the experience was worth my popsicle toes!
