Bits & Bobs from an Odd October

Starting a new series (or maybe I should say bringing back an old series) mostly so I can keep track of life when things start getting crazy! October was a surprisingly busy month with two trips out of Philly and just lots of fun in between (and a few days where I was struggling with some lower back pain!!)

With the weather turning so lovely, I had to take advantage while home and get out as much as possible. Lots of walking or biking places and making sure I did some exploring and checked out places I’ve been meaning to. November will probably be a much slower (and MUCH less spendy) month but loved how bustling October felt.

I will say, towards the end of September, I was in such an awful, bitchy mood. I really don’t know why but everything irritated me, and I just felt this low level sense of anger and existential dread. I couldn’t tell you what in particular triggered it but I think just changing up my surroundings with NYC in the beginning of October helped me bounce back somewhat. Also booking my first trip in a while! Really was born to be a travel blogger lol.

Anyway! October!

October Highlights

Bell Ringers Event with Visit Philly

Was invited to an influencer event with Visit Philly that went over all the plans for America’s 250th next year as well as all the other big events happening through the city. There are so many cool things planned for the city; they share them here for the most part!! It was also just a cool way to meet other Philly content creators and other factions of Philly tourism that are gearing up for next year.

All the Eagles Games

Of course!! Besides the massacre known as the Thursday where the Phillies, the Eagles, and the Flyers all lost, it’s been fun watching the games and, of course, I love the Birds. (Case in point: my About page) If not with friends, I’ve been trying to check out different bars around the city. It’s surprisingly easy to strike up conversation when you’re all invested in the same thing!

Yeshi Night Market in Chinatown

About mid-October, Chinatown hosted its awesome night market. My friend and I walked around and grabbed food and, of course, I took a million photos. So many cool vendors and cute lil shops. I also just love how many people turned out for it!!

Laufey’s A Matter of Time Tour

Shout out to my friend, Nicolette, who got us tickets! We saw her on her last tour at The Met, and it’s crazy to see how much more budget she had for this one at Xfinity Mobile Arena. She was amazing and it was so fairytale whimsical. Though, I can tell Philly is just a stop for her between DC and NYC or Boston, which is fair since all three of those cities are more important to her personally. Next time you guys tour, please stay in Philly for longer than a day, Laufey! I promise you’d love Rittenhouse and all the artsy corners in South Philly!!

Malala Yousafzai’s Finding My Way Book Tour

I still can’t believe Malala came to Philly!! Even more so, she had Kylie Kelce on as her co-host and Kylie gave her all the details on the Eagles and “Go Birds!” Truly could have never guessed I’d be chanting E A G L E S with Malala. She even wore green.

As a bonus, we got her book as part of the event!!

Last Weekend of the Southeast Asian Market in FDR Park

Have truly not had a chance to visit the SE Asian Market down in FDR Park at all since I first went in May. My friend, Ashley, asked if I wanted to go down and I said, “Of course!” Smaller fair than normal but still so much food. Will need to make sure I get down there more next year especially for those stuffed chicken wings.

Halloween Fun!

And, of course, no October is complete without some Halloween fun. I’ve never been in Philly for Halloween, so I was excited to see what events would be going on and just to enjoy it all. Silly me didn’t realize Philly celebrates the last two weekends, so I missed the first completely. Friday night, though, Nicolette and her roommate threw a little house party and then Kerry and I went to The Twisted Tail for their Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun Night. It was definitely not 00’s and 90’s music as advertised but the live band was awesome and I still liked dancing to the music they did play!!

Where I’ve Been in Philly

Outdside

• Julian Abeles Park – Named after famed Philly architect, came here while exploring Point Breeze. Such a charming lil green space if you find yourself nearby.
• Keith Haring Garden – Did you know Keith Haring was from Pennsylvania? He’s so synonymous with NYC to me that I had no clue! Not only that but he created a mural for Philly back in 1987 and MuralArts has since restored it. There’s a mini garden out front with seating, so definitely save to visit. It’s such a whimsical little spot!
• Palumbo Park – Another park I stumbled across while roaming around South Philly one afternoon. It’s by Fleisher Art Memorial on Catharine Street and like the most perfect autumn park! The mural on the side of Fleisher is called “Autumn Revisited” and is by David Guinn (who I’m realizing has done some of my favorite murals around the city). With the leaves turning colors, it’s just so perfect right now!
• FDR Park – I really need to get down to FDR Park for a run or something to enjoy it beyond just the market. It was so pretty with the fall colors, and I realized just how easily you can plane watch from the dock there.
• All the Halloween Decor – I’ve been wandering around the city trying to walk or bike everywhere since the weather has cooled down. It’s been extra fun with all the Halloween decorations. People really went all out!!

Inside

• The Rosenbach – I swear for like four years now, I’ve been wanting to visit The Rosenbach but every time I thought about it, it was on the days it was closed. I finally made it a point to visit in October and wound up with a one-on-one tour with the loveliest guide, Diane. Rosenbach collected SO many great first editions, and we just had fun gabbin’ about literature and what I studied in school.
• Calder’s Garden – This is a newer museum that opened up on the Parkway. It’s for Alexander Calder is more a space where the art, the architecture, and the garden all kind of work together. It was just so nice and peaceful, I bought a year-long membership since it’s also good for the Barnes. Will be coming often to relax and unwind!
• Get a Gato – Another spot I’ve been wanting to visit because, um, hello! Their cafe section is out right now, but you can buy a ticket for $15 to spend an hour in their cat room. The kitties are all rescue and up for adoption, and, uh, just fell in love with Freddie!

Cafes Visited

• Ace Outpost – Nicolette and Abbie described this as “the most hipster cafe in Philly” which is an apt description. Nice spot to meet up in South Philly!
• Jiggy Coffee – Worked here one day. Seating is mostly along the wall; liked the coffee and pastries!
• Mad Cat Brewtique – Part boutique and part cafe. Got their Eagles matcha AND a Eagles T-Shirt I finally liked!!
• Olive Roots Cafe – New Palestinian-owned cafe in South Philly. You can also work here, and their signature drink is delish.
• Peddler Coffee – A tried and true by the Franklin Institute. Good drinks and cozy spot to work from.
• Seaforest Bakeshop – New Korean cafe in Graduate Hospital. So many goodies including this doenjang caramel bun I had. YUM.
• Small Oven Pastry & Porco’s – Another gem in Point Breeze! No sitting and it’s takeout at the window, but you can grab your stuff and walk over to Julian Abeles Park to enjoy.
• Shot Tower Coffee – Nice lil work cafe down in South Philly. Didn’t like the coffee I had but did like the matcha.
• Café Walnut – Another tried & true right by Washington Square Park. You actually go down a level to order and then above is a bunch of seating. Get their bulgogi breakfast sandwich!!!
• Ultimo Coffee – In Graduate Hospital, I think? Stopped on my way to work from Point Breeze up to Rittenhouse. Nice lil coffee shop and also has a bunch of outdoor seating!

Restaurants & Bars

• Bleu Sushi – Around Market West, nice spot for sushi! Get their combo deal
• Cuzzy’s Ice Cream – We went to the re-opening in South Philly, and I loveeddd the flavor offerings. Some nice seating and decor inside as well.
• Emmy Squared – A nice classic from NYC; I’ve been here a few times now. Always a good spot in South Philly and especially good if you have an event at Theatre of Living Arts. I LOVE their loaded fries!
• KINTO Georgian – Anne and I went here before going to Malala’s event at The Fillmore. I’m such a sucker for good Georgia, especially khinkali (think giant soup dumplings). YUM!
• Lion’s Sports Bar – This bar replaced a spot I liked in Chinatown and I went for one of the Eagles games. Really fun spot for a game.
• Marsha’s – Came here for one of the women’s soccer games and it’s so freaking cute inside!! Like favorite bar decor. Loveee the painting of Marsha P. Johnson too, it’s so beautiful.
• O’Neals Pub – Tried this spot for an Eagles game in South Philly. It was a nice vibe, and if you think it’s too full, just go upstairs where it’s emptier!
• Royal Tavern – Nicolette and I randomly went to dinner here after Shot Tower. Nice little pub for food.
• The Twisted Tail – This is where Kerry and I came for Halloween dancing, and I want to come back for dinner one of these days. Such a cool, British pub type of vibe.

Where I’ve Been Outside of Philly

~Life of a professional traveler~ Even when I think I’m slowing down, I’m still traveling way more than the average person lol. This month I was in NYC and Tampa for a little under a week for different reasons.

Catsitting in NYC

Spent a little less than a week catsitting for my friends in Brooklyn, and made sure I got out and explored some neighborhoods I’ve been wanting to visit! Recaps here, here, here, and here. Biggest stand out was how good the pumpkin and maple croissant from L’Appartement 4F was. I also just loved catching golden hour from different parks in the city!

Work Trip to Tampa

We filmed an episode of “Places to Love” in Tampa, so I had around five days to enjoy the city! Since I had a free afternoon before shooting began, I got to meet up with my friend, Allie, and she gave me the rundown on her home base! And, of course, we saw SO many chickens!!!

Books Read

Physical Reads

• Alchemised by SenLinYu – Was a fan of Manacled, so I really loved how SenLinYu changed up what happened in that fan fic and built a completely new world. Just as heartbreaking!!
• Loved One by Aisha Muharrar – What if you’ve slept with your long time best friend, he ghosted you, and then died? I really loved this book and how Julia tried to navigate such an odd kind of grief. There were honestly moments I laughed out loud, then got so angry on her behalf, and then just sad in general because it is, after all, a book about sudden grief!
• Mate by Ali Hazelwood – Sequel to Bride, and I knew I’d like this one better. I thought Serena was such an interesting character from the first novel, so I was excited for her story. It’s funny because if you have even a little bit of experience with werewolf romances (ahem), it’s quite obvious what’s going on!
• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen – Felt in the mood to return to some classic literature, and I do love Jane Austen, so I thought, “What better read right now than Northanger Abbey?” I actually never finished reading it as a teen and I only vaguely remember the movie, so I was kind of navigating blind. It’s such a fun book but I will say you can kind of see Austen running out of steam writing it as she goes. Like the first third is so full of fun detail, small moments, and just really good world building in Bath. Then the second two parts feel like they go by in the blink of an eye with all the exposition. Like, I’m not kidding, I think it was maybe a span of four pages at the very end where the major climaxes of the book happen!!

Audiobooks

• Finlay Donovan is Killing It (#1) by Elle Cosimano – Kerry recommended I read these, so I got the audiobooks off Libby to listen to. SUCH a fun series, as you can see by the fact that I went through all five and a half books in a single month. I also had a lot of transit where I could listen to them. Finlay is so funny, and her ex-husband reminds me SO much of my friend’s brother, I had to message her to read them lol. Also freaking love Vero.
• What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon – Seemed like a cute expat romance to read. It was okay. The way the plot moved just felt so convenient. And also for a book that reads like a Hallmark movie, the swift turn to X-rated sex scenes was a lot even for me.
• Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead (#2) by Elle Cosimano – Excellent though I was sad that she breaks things off with Julian. Wasn’t all that into Nick ugh.
• Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (#3) by Elle Cosimano – Probably the weakest of the series but still a lot of fun.
• Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice (#4) by Elle Cosimano – This taking place in Atlantic City had me in absolute stitches.
• Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave (#5) by Elle Cosimano – Not the nosy neighbor being in the thick of things this time!!! Also Nick is solidly the main love interest which… is fine.
• Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank: A Short Story (#3.5) by Elle Cosimano – A cute side story that goes into Vero’s back story. So fun but was odd hearing the narration be so different from her voice in the other books!

Started

• The Geographer’s Map to Romance by India Holton – Got this on a whim, and I can’t even remember the bookstore. So far this book is literally the definition of charming!!
• Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors – I actually did finish this by the time I got to writing this post. Had a slew of issues with it, number one being the way the POVs changed constantly with no reason and had a lot of stuff that just felt like filler.

Other Media Consumed

• “North of North” – Omg SUCH a cute comedy on Netflix about life in a tiny Arctic town and how Siaja is trying to change her life. If you loved how quirky Stars Hollow was, you’ll love everyone in the fictional town of Ice Cove.
• The Life of a Show Girl – I mean naturally. As a “Stay Stay Stay” fan, I’ve been loving how fun this album is. Repeats so far are “Honey,” “Wood,” “Father Figure,” and “Opalite.” Hope she gives us a cute northern lights music video for “Opalite” this winter.
• And the Release Movie – Yeah, my friends and I went to see the movie! It was cute and I loved the behind the scenes stuff.
• “FBI” is back! – Man, I already miss “FBI: Most Wanted” and “FBI: International,” but at least we have regular “FBI” for now.
• “Abbott Elementary” – Also, of course, I’ve been loving Abbott Elementary. You know the education situation is tired when the teachers on the show are also April tired in October!!! Feeling for all my teacher friends.
• “Boots” – I really am no better than a man sometimes because, why, yes, I did greatly enjoying watching a lot of extremely buff, sweaty men yelling at each other and the working out. And, yes, I found Sullivan extremely attractive in a deeply toxic way I should probably explore with a therapist. Either way, “Boots” is a drama comedy (kinda starts out a bit more comedic and leans more into drama as the show goes) based off the memoir, The Pink Marine. The beginning about Cameron having to hide being gay at marines boot camp but it more becomes about all the guys in the platoon. Idk, I loved it! And according to my one friend, USMC costumes were big this Halloween because the show.
• Good Noticings New Eps – I’ve been enjoying Ashley and Claire’s new podcasting format as well as their Patreon. About half the articles they bring up weren’t on radar, so it’s been a good way of learning more. (Though in some instances, I wish I could time travel and not know about some of this).

Outfits I Loved Wearing

Believe it or not the first week or so of October was still total summer weather and then it dropped overnight to 50/60F! Rather than recap outfits, I’ll just note some things I re-found in my closet/loved:

• Long Skirts – I’m on an anti-pants run right now except leggings and sweatpants for working out. I never liked pants, and they don’t look good on me, so I’m seeing how long I can do dress and skirts only through winter!!
• My Parent’s Leather Jackets – Leather jacket season, baby!! I have two and they’re both from my parents. My mom had the brown one for decades (at least since the 80s) and for whatever reason her tiny beanpole self wanted something super oversized because what she gots fits me, and I have at least 100lbs more and 5 inches less height than her 20s something self. I feel like she almost got rid of it and I took it or she might’ve just asked if I wanted it because she hadn’t worn it since the turn of the millennium. The black one is my dad’s, and I can’t remember the brand but I’m pretty sure it’s from Kohls (so maybe not real leather, idk). It’s got this kind of mannish oversized vibe that I like throwing on over more feminine looks.
• Boots Szn – It’s also now boots season! I finally got out my trusty cowboy boots and am wearing a tan pair I got from Kerry because she ordered two calf sizes and they wider one fit me. I can’t believe there was a spell where I wasn’t wearing any tall boots!
• New Eagles T-Shirt – I’ve been on the hunt for a good Eagles T-shirt since the only Eagles gear I owned were two sweatshirt, and it was way too hot for that. Mentioned above but struck gold at Mad Cat Brewtique!
• My Rose Hair Clip – Love this hair clip! I got it from Pico in Copenhagen two years ago but it got kind of lost in my hair bin shuffle for a while. Rediscovered it right before NYC and planned some outfits with it.
• Mary Jane Flats – And, of course, it’s also flats season again. Already been rotating through my two Madewell Greta flats and Rothy’s Mary Janes.

Random Things I’ve Been Loving

• This Strawberry Matcha Bowl – Went to the Rittenhouse Farmer’s Market and realized it was also during the Fine Arts market, so got some treats as a pick-me-up. I’ve been using a regular bowl for my matcha making so had to get this cute strawberry one from Urban Wave Studio when I saw!!!
• My New Ladybug Glass – I don’t know, I love the idea of drinking special drinks from a special glass. Adding a little whimsy into my life, okay? This ladybug one is from Antolini Glass Co in Kensington, and those ladybugs aren’t paint — they’re also glass! Using this for my iced matchas, ciders, and any other drinks I want to sip and savor.
• Sourdough on Sourdough – I joke that I’m a tradwife for myself which means, yes, I’ve made my own sourdough loaves and churned butter!! I made my starter back in August and just whip it out whenever I want some bread. It’s definitely a patient process and I’m learning to experiment with times and measurements and inclusions. My mom got me a Dutch Oven for Christmas, so I’m excited to use it!
• Smelling Like Warm Vanilla – Normally I’d say my preferred scent is something citrus or lemon, but with the temperatures dropping, I randomly decided I really wanted to lean into smelling like cozy vanilla. Cue me fixating on different vanilla scents!! I’ve pretty much settled on everything EOS Vanilla Cashmere and Nest’s oil-based Madagascar Vanilla Perfume!
• Adding More Whimsy into My Life – Overall, I’m just trying to add more whimsy to my life. Crafting, movie nights, leaning into coziness this winter… I dunno. The more I can get offline the better, which is hard given, you know, it’s my job! Speaking of…
• BePresentApp – I did buy the Be Present app to help keep me off my phone more. It’s working! If I use its tools to be stricter, it’d work even better, but I’m not quite there yet.

Here’s to a Gray November next (get it?). Let me know if you had any fun moments this odd October!

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