Destinations

To say I'm horrible at resolutions is an understatement. So I'm rebranding it as a destination. 

So why am I calling it a destination? Because these goals are where I want to be, but with every destination is a journey, a journey with short cuts, scenic routes, and a whole lot of getting lost. Aka, it means that there will be ups and downs and actions that take me off the road, and actions that bring me back to where I need to be.

I happen to have many destinations for 2015. One of them involves this very blog, so expect more posts and even more apologies for not posting more. Regardless 2015 is going to be an extremely exciting year (and just wait until summer comes). 

I'm gonna keep this one short so Anna and I can do some serious mapping. Welcome to 2015 everyone lets make this one count.

Stay Phree. Stay Phierce.
Erica & Anna

#TBT: 4th Of July (Because 'Murica)

If you're anything like me, you're a #instaholic. And since this is the Internet I have full reign over everything this blog. And because Anna and I are the co-queens we decided that living in the present is so now, so if you have figured it out from the title, this is our first ever #TBT post.

And since EVERYBODY knows that Philadelphia is essentially the birthplace of what we now know as 'Murica, we decided that the 4th of July is a pretty fitting choice for a #TBT. (**Disclaimer this post is full of hashtaggeries... That's probably not a thing)

But I'm just going to stop senselessly typing and get to the pictures. Because everyone knows that the City of Brotherly Love knows how to throw down and come together to celebrate our roots.

Meet the woman behind the lens, Anna. 

While I was in my hometown of San Diego, Anna chronicled the series of events that occurred throughout the 4th of July celebration. There definitely wasn't a shortage of star spangled apparel and red, white and blue where the colors du jour.

And when I say everyone dressed to the occasion, I mean EVERYONE. But you have to admire the amount of risk and #werk that he put into his outfit. If that's not #America I don't know what is.

I stand corrected, this is 110% America.

Benjamin Franklin Parkway was flooded with masses of people from near and far coming together to celebrate this beautiful country.

There was no better place to capture the essence of America, than the flag-lined parkway.

The most amazing part about this picture is that fact that each flag floating above the heads of all the people represents a part of their history and their present. And in the foreground is one of the first examples of American ingenuity. Philadelphia is a city dripping in culture and history, and that sounds a lot like America to me.

If you went to Philly and you didn't have a cheesesteak were you actually in Philly?

Seriously though. CHEESESTEAKS. (Is #foodporn too inappropriate?)

I just needed to show this to you just to restore your faith in all things good and pure. #amiright

While walking off cheesesteaks Anna stumbled upon this tree-lined beauty. Notice the sign? #CobblestoneGameStrong

The night ended with a star-studded concert and of course fireworks. Because its not a real 4th of July without fireworks.

Philadelphia is a city of beginnings, and a city that celebrates its beginnings. So I guess this is the perfect post for a #TBT, its all about remembering our past. History is what makes Philadelphia so beautiful and there's a piece of it in every single nook and cranny. I guess you could say everyday is throwback Thursday in the City of Brotherly Love.

Stay Phree. Stay Phierce.
Erica & Anna

September Forecast

Its that time of the year everyone! In a matter of days the cups will turn red, the leaves will turn beautiful hues of orange, yellow and red, and most importantly we can finally slip on those sweaters we got on sale during the summer.

I consider September to be the kickoff of the fall season. And in my opinion, the city of Philadelphia rightfully agrees. So to celebrate the wonderful city that we live in, I have decided to make a list of some of the major events going on throughout the Philadelphia area throughout the month of September.

For my fellow broke college students, XFINITY will be hosting a College Fest Free-4-All in Rittenhouse Square on September 3rd from 6-9 pm. Did I mention its FREE??

One of the most buzz-worthy events coming to the city will be the ribbon cutting ceremony of Dilworth Park on September 4th beginning at 8 am with the official ceremony at 11 am. Not only will you get the opportunity to see the grand opening of the new park, and hopefully snap some photos, but there will be several performances throughout the park area by various choruses, dance academies and companies, bands and several other artists from the Philadelphia area. This event will truly be one of the biggest events in the month of September! Make sure to arrive early to grab yourself a nice spot.

Beer lovers come together in a series of brewfests and beer crawls on September 6th, including the Delaware River Craft Brewfest, the SmörgåsBeer'd and lastly The Great Philadelphia Craft Beer Crawl. Cheers everyone!

THIS IS WHAT WE TRAIN FOR. Beginning September 7th-12th and September 14th-19th as well, will be Philadelphia Restaurant week. Restaurants throughout all of Philadelphia will be hosting hungry patrons with deals of $35 for three (sometimes four) course dinners, along with $20 three course lunches at participating restaurants. A full list of participating restaurants can be found here.

Moving on to September 17th, the 21st Annual Phasion Phest will be held in Liberty Place. This event is great for all of my phierce fashionistas! Along with an open-bar cocktail reception, for anyone who is of age of course, there will also be a fashion show, salon presentations,  student designer displays and a silent auction. Prices are included in the link and there will be student discounts available. 

For all of my music lovers, there will be a three day Jazz festival called OutBeat that will be begin on September 18th and end on September 21st. This is the first LGBT music festival in the United States, and it will feature not only intimate and iconic performances, there will also be public discussions and receptions. The link includes ticket prices and locations (performances, discussions and receptions are held throughout the city) In addition, English singer-songwriter Lily Allen will be performing at the Electric Factory on September 19th. The show starts at 8 am and tickets are available for purchase here.

And for my thrill seekers September 19th will be the official launching of the Eastern State Penitentiary's Terror Behind the Walls. Although it is not necessarily a fun event for the family, its definitely a great adventure for all those monster maniacs looking for a fall fright.

On September 27th come out to XFINITY Live!- for the 3rd Annual Xtober Beer Fest. Again this event is for those who are of age, but among many other things there will be 200+ craft beers available for sampling from 100+ breweries, food, live DJs, games, activities, prizes, and much more.

And for all my fellow foodies, on September 28th you should all make your way down to the Manayunk-Roxborough area for the Manayunk StrEAT Food Fest. Main street will be shut down to allow for a variety of food trucks, and farm stands. There will also be a beer garden, a play area for the kiddies, shopping and live music. This is all a precursor for Manayunk Restaurant week which begins September 28th and runs to October 10th. Manayunk Restaurant week will allow food lovers to indulge in three course meals all found within $15, $25 and $35 price ranges.

So! I really encourage all of you guys to go out and enjoy all the great things this city has to offer. Try a new restaurant, sip a new brew, dance to a new groove, find a nice pair of shoes and most importantly make memories.

Fall is a season for being thankful and having fun. And as September rolls around there's always new opportunities to enjoy the city we call home. (Or at least a home away from home.) So enjoy the season and live it up y'all!

Stay Phree. Stay Phierce.
Erica & Anna

City of Brotherly Wut?: Fox Trotting Around Town

There's probably a good reason for this picture.

Photo Credits to THE Anna (that's still Ahhhnaaa y'all)

What is this reason you may ask? That's just Philly baby! And because I have supreme rule over everything this blog, I've decided to create a new and incredibly fun series called "City of Brotherly Wut?" These will be a series of pictures that are just Philly to the core. I mean where else could you find a fox with this much style? (seriously check out those sweet kicks) 

This guy clearly woke up and said "I'm gonna rock this fox suit and it'll be #FLAWLESS." And any fox suit expert knows that you should never sacrifice style for animal attire, and this guy sure wasn't planning on starting today.

But in all seriousness, you've got to love a city with this much character. Steel and cement are what make the city a city but its people like this who give it character. This sly fox is one of the many reasons why I love calling this city home. Anna and I can't wait to share even more reasons why we love calling this wacky city home, and hopefully you'll be just as proud of it as we are.

Stay Phree. Stay Phierce.
Erica & Anna

P.S. Mini celebration for Anna's willingness to deal with me. ;)

Changes Are Coming Folks

Well after all of the amazing feedback from my last post, I've decided to do something new and fun! My amazing friend Anna and I are going to become a dynamic duo! Which means a lot more pictures and a lot more Philly so I hope everyone is as excited as I am!

To give you guys a general timeline, the plan is to get in a (very late) fourth of July post in, and in a few weeks I will be returning back to Philly. And in an even more exciting turn of events, Anna and I will not only be in Philly for the school year, we will also be in the city during the summer!

So what does this mean for you? It means that I will have more posts available specifically about Philly, and that'll mainly be chronicled through whatever adventures we get into, and I have spent the summer brainstorming ideas for the blog so expect it to be a very different experience from what it is now. Overall, I think this is both a necessary change, and an adventure in waiting.

Anna and I can't wait to take a step towards a new adventure and we would love for you to join us on the ride!

Stay Phree. Stay Phierce.
Erica (and soon to be Anna)

Philadelphia, Through the Lense of an Eclectic Italian

Some of you probably read the title and thought "Someone's going through an identity crisis..." Fortunately for, well everyone, I'm fully aware that there I don't hail from the beautiful land of Montafiascone (and Destin, Florida).

Meet your temporary new eyes. This girl isn't just one of the most unique and carefree individuals you'll ever meet, she is also one of the people that can claim membership in the group of amazing people I call my best friend. Not only is she fun intelligent and insanely gorgeous, Anna is incredibly talented. (BTW that's Ahhnna as in Anna from Frozen)

So why did I decide to steal her amazing pictures? Because Anna sees beauty in everything and has a love for her friends and life that really comes to light through the photos she takes. So I urge you to go grab a cup of tea, your favorite sweet treat, and enjoy Philadelphia through the eyes of my Eclectic Italian Anna.

With Anna behind the camera a smile is as genuinely goofy as it should be.

Center City from the lamp lined streets of Old City.

I find myself obsessing over this picture every time. I think it captures the fact that Philadelphia is a personal city, although by no means is it small, pictures like this capture how truly intimate the Philadelphia experience truly is. *rant over*

Wisdom in every nook and cranny.

Sometimes all we have to do is look up to realize how big the world of possibilities can be.

If you don't have a picture of the "LOVE" sign were you really in Philadelphia?

And finally a full view of the beautiful city that has captured my heart and given me a new home.

Philadelphia truly is a magical city and I can't imagine myself anywhere else. The history, the culture, the food, the fashion, the sports and the passion intertwine themselves with each other to create a city like no other. It may not have the glitz and glam of LA or the fame and worldly lure of NYC, but its there, hiding between skyscrapers, pressed into cobblestone, brewing in a back kitchen and beating in the hearts of the strong-minded and strong-willed people who call Philadelphia home. But just like famed underdog Rocky Balboa, Philadelphia is a fighting city with heart, integrity and a determination that can't be rivaled.

Thank you so much for scrolling for days! The focus for next year and even this summer is to get more pictures and show you guys the city through different sets of eyes and different lenses. (Even I get tired of myself!)

Stay Phree. Stay Phierce.
Erica

The Not So Frat Truth About Frat Parties

Every college movies displays frat parties as the mecca of all things cool and college. I've gone to my fair share of frat parties, and they are anything but cool (literally you'll be sweating balls). Whether its the boys, the dancing or the beer, its all pretty awful. Now, don't get me wrong! Everyone should at least check one out once, its a part of the college experience that has almost become a tradition. I'm not necessarily saying that you should never attend a frat party (because every girl wants to throw on those jeans that give you a Beyoncé booty and dance the night away) this is simply a reality check. Frat parties are not the glamorous havens of well-toned, well-dressed hunks in a beautiful mansion with free drinks galore, its in a basement, and its the cheapest beer you can find. Nonetheless try it, I'm just here to keep it real for ya.


The basement is essentially a set from the SAW movies.
I'm not even joking on this one guys. From the unidentifiable liquid on the floor, the concrete walls, there is no beauty to a frat basement. But let's be honest; there's no reason for them to make it nice. Basements are for dancing and hardcore making out to the point that it looks like one person is trying to kill the other through tongue asphyxiation. It's okay though, you probably won't notice it anyway.


Why can't you see? Because its darker than a mineshaft.
Seriously, there's absolutely no light whatsoever. Combine that with the funk of stale beer and frat boy B.O. and the hot and humid air that can only be the result of more dancing bodies than there should be, and you've got the quintessential frat cave basement. Plus Side: you'll learn what its like to be in a whale's mouth... If that's your thing.


Its creeper city.
Where do the guys looking for some (sometimes non-consensual) action go? Frat parties. They wait in the darkest corner and when you're telling you friends to "put a rang on it" he grabs you by the hips and dry humps the crap out of you. All you wanted to do was show off that one Beyoncé move you can actually do and you have Handsy McGee harshing your groove. (Yeah that was lame. Judge me.)


Drunk B*tches.
"OOOOOOHHHHHH MYYYYYY GAAWWWWDDDD" These individuals shouldn't be this excited to see each other, but they are... For. No. Reason. And you know that cute top you're wearing? I hope beer is in for that season because you're going to be covered in it. And you think they liked selfies when they were sober? Well drunk b*tches love selfies almost as much as they love their "best fraaaannnnddd" So what they wanna snap a few pics? Oh yeah. THEY TURN THE FLASH ON. And you eyes are just like "nah". Altogether they're a horrible reflection on females in general, and they have some crazy entitlement issues at the keg.



It gets dangerous. (Seriously)
Maybe its the anonymity of being in a dark area that gives people a god-complex, or maybe its the alcohol, but people make horrible decisions at frat parties and sometimes you can be casualty of this. I've seen guys drop roofies into girls' drinks like its nothing, and I've seen people put themselves in physical danger for the sake of fun. The most important thing you can do at a frat party is stay aware. If a guy is talking to you, watch your drink at all times, understand that knowing them doesn't mean you can trust them. If someone gives you a bad feeling, avoid them, if the party is starting to get too wild, leave. Its better to be safe than sorry folks, and the prospect of missing out on a memory doesn't compare to the permanence of becoming a memory.



Goodbye hair and makeup.
So you walk in looking like you just stepped off the runway and you walk out looking like a runaway. Your hair is frizzy from the humid, stale air that can only be associated with the ever-so-wonderful frat basement, your makeup is starting to run because you've virtually sweated it off of your face and you don't want to admit it, but you kinda stink. So when you're getting through the security gate for your dorm and you look like you just came fresh out of a sauna (because lets be real you just did) and that security guard gives you that look, needless to say your night went from a hard 6 to a soft 3.



The next morning.
Whether you've succumbed to the tantalizing frat boy, or the even more tantalizing keg or you not, the next morning is gonna suck. Let's be honest, no one makes it out of frat parties unscathed. Chances are if its not you, it could very easily be one of your girls. So you drag your way to breakfast (which is just a struggle-bus showcase) and you discuss the ups and downs of the night before. 15 minutes into the conversation you realize that there were a lot more downs than ups and those downs generally start at around 1 am and cruise on from there.

Fret not friends. Eventually you will witness a frat party or something similar to it. As a college student I openly endorse a night hosted by the boys of Alpha Sigma Sigma, but be wary my dears, all the flash of frat parties you see on TV are designed to blind you when you enter the real frat world. So like anything, enjoy responsibly and proceed with caution.

Stay Phree. Stay Phierce. (and a little phrat)
Erica