Flip Flip Flipadelphia!

Hey guys, I'm sure at this point everyone is thoroughly enjoying the cold weather and 16 hours of darkness a day. I know I am. This time of the year is a huge drag on the blog, and I always come up short on posts due to not really having much of a chance to get out there and hike. I would however like to correct that this year and I'm working on some ideas for ways to keep the blog supplied with plenty of new posts over the next few months, so keep checking back in for updates.
A few weeks ago (almost 2 months at this point) I went down to Philadelphia to visit one of my good friends. We were only there for three days but I'm confident in saying that I got a completely fulfilling tour of the city and what it had to offer. It was less of the traditional trip I usually post here on Wanderlust and more of a fast tracked episode of No Reservations sans Anthony Bourdain. We toured Independence Hall, saw the Liberty Bell and Benjamin Franklin's grave, then separated from every seventh grade class in America and explored the rest of the city. I'm notorious for making "Top Five" lists for just about eveything you can possibly think of so instead of talking about everywhere we went I'm gonna give you
Wanderlust's Top Five of Philly:

1. The 700 Club  is a night club with two floors, the first being a full bar with a generous amount of beers on tap. But it's the second floor that made me decide to put it on the list, it's set up as an old house with the bar in the kitchen, the dance floor in the dinning room and the DJ in the bathroom. It's a unique set up and is worth visiting.
2. The Foodery  is a deli/liqueur store with a selection of  over 800 beers from around the world on sale. The kicker? The beers are purchased À la carte and can be drank in the attached sitting area. Awesome.
3. The Shubin Theater,which puts on some kick ass improv shows, is definitely worth checking out.
4. Yards Brewery brews up some pretty tasty beers with names like "General Washington's Tavern Porter" and "Poor Richards Tavern Spruce" that pay tribute to Philadelphia's butt-load of American History. Oh and they also have an oversized bar with tabletop shuffleboard and some awesome artwork. Check. It. Out. 
5. Fairmount Park , the place where we hiked was great. It's located just outside of Downtown Philadephia and it does a great job of not showing it. It's quiet, has a ton of trails, the Schuylkill river flows through it, and it's easily accessible, making it a great place to do a bit of hiking if you're looking for some less metallic scenery. We did a small loop inside the park on our last day in the city and it was a great way to end the trip.

Runner up: Reading Terminal Market, a Market place in the heart of Philly with tons and tons and tons of things to buy and places to eat. Oh and it was on Man Vs. Food. Enough said. Try Dinic's.
So there is my Top Five, there is a ton of things to do and see in Philly, obviously, so if you get the chance to visit I would highly recommend it. While you're there though try not to hang out with anyone under a bridge, you might have to pay the troll toll. A special thanks to Erin Pitts for being a great friend and host/tour guide for our stay. 

Mileage: 2 Miles

Chub Toad.

Schuylkill river.

Weird Bugs.