We did have a wonderful weekend in Philly for Lola’s 85th birthday. Al did all the driving to and from Philly, except for Uber within the city. The weather was ideal Autumn, but for the tail end of the hurricane that brought rain and wind on our way home.
We stayed at Marriott in the Old Town for the duration. We had a movie and museum on the schedule but the old folks were too exhausted for it. But the walk to the park around the block was wonderful and having the family’s presence was magical.
We had feasts at Zahav, an Israeli resto on Friday, the Southern Thai Kalaya (Nok, the owner and chef, is a friend), on Saturday and a nameless but excellent dim sum in Chinatown on Sunday. Norm and his wife Jenn flew in from SC to join us.
That was for Lola’s 85th. My 86th (DOB: 10/40, the Year of the Metal Dragon) is on the 25th! I’ll settle for a trip to Shang Wei, a Sichuan restaurant on Main Street in Bethlehem!
Photos below show Lola’s birthday party with family at Kalaya when it was just a kind of hole-the-wall 6 years ago. Nok Suntaranon, chef and owner, is shown sitting in front of me and beside Lola. Kalaya has since then been recognized as one of the best restaurants in the US.
