24 Hours in Philly: A big birthday, a Covid getaway, and a little bit of history!

Posted on Saturday, February 13, 2021

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With David’s birthday quickly approaching, and having been home for almost a year, I decided that it’d be fun to take a socially distant and safe staycation.

Since David’s birthday is February 11th, I decided to look online for Valentine’s Day specials. I stumbled upon the Monaco Hotel at 5th and Chestnut. I had always heard good things about it and they were offering a pretty good rate. So, I decided to book a room and surprise David for his birthday.

We headed down our long and winding road, to start the day with lunch at Savona Restaurant. We had the whole dining room to ourselves on this dark and snowy day. Which was really nice…and felt very safe.

David had the filet (which he has been dying for) and I had the chicken with broccoli rabe. Both were wonderful! As was the rockin’ chocolate bread pudding…with a candle!

After lunch, we headed into the city. We pulled up at the Monaco hotel. No valet parking during Covid. Which was fine by us. David parked at the Bourse Building, which as a 1/2 block away.

The hotel was just beautiful! Big and colorful and inviting! There were extra masks and hand sanitizer stations in every area.

As we were checking in, I asked if it was possible to get an upgrade, since we were celebrating Mr. Romance’s big birthday. Our host said that they could accommodate us. So, we were in luck!

Just look at this beautiful corner room…and that tub!!! We were in heaven!

And how funny that our door would be yellow…David’s favorite color!

Our views of Independence Hall and historic Philadelphia were spectacular. David felt right at home 🙂

We relaxed in the room for a few hours before getting ready for dinner. We didn’t see any other guests. So, we felt safe hanging out in the lobby for a few pics.

I thought Amada would be fun and different for David’s birthday dinner. And it was just 2 blocks away from the hotel.

Amada was nice and quiet. We had a table separated by a velvet curtain on one side and a plexiglass divider on the other. Once again, we felt safe.

We started with GAMBAS AL AJILLO (garlic shrimp). OMG, it was so good. I could have taken a bath in it!

We decided on the Paella as our entree. Another hit! It was so good, that I am now inspired to make it at home again. Maybe it’ll be one of my next video recipes 🙂

On our way back to the hotel, we walked up Chestnut Street and poked our head into Stephen Starr’s Buddakan. David had never seen it, and I hadn’t been in there for many years. It was very busy and bustling with people. We continued on…

The views from our room at night were even more beautiful than during the day. And that bathtub was just waiting for some bubbles 😉

Our beautiful city…Goodnight Philadelphia!

David wakes up way too early! He started opening the blinds before I even had my tea! But, once I had a little breakfast in bed, and he read in the tub, we were ready for some history.

Independence Hall was literally a stone’s throw away. No tickets needed. No long lines. It was a no-brainer. The worst part was having to take off my coat (and my belt) to get through security. It was bitter cold!

Our guides gave us the history of the two rooms that we were able to visit. The first one was the trial room. The second room was where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Only 9 people were permitted in at a time. Once again, we felt very safe. Everyone was masked and socially distanced.

After our historic visit, we headed out of our beautiful city…

Our little getaway was so nice. So good for the soul. So romantic. I’d recommend it for any couples, or even friends.

Good bye, Philadelphia. We’ll see you again real soon.

xo,

Dallyn and David

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