Irish Spring in Ardmore

Winter finally may have taken its curtain call a few weeks late.  With spring sunshine, there's still rain, making Pennsylvania as green as Irish Spring.

Speaking of which, Jay and Sasha just returned home to Santa Monica from visiting the true Irish Spring on the Emerald Isle, home of the original Ardmore.  They enjoyed a wonderful vacation.

A framed poster at XIX

Despite rain forecast for Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, we went ahead with plans Laszlo made for brunch at XIX Restaurant, perched on the nineteenth floor of the historic Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia Center City.

As we boarded the Mainline Train into the city, the weather turned out to be bright and sunny, and it remained that way until we returned to Merion Station just ahead of afternoon showers.

Menu pricing for breakfast was quite reasonable for a Center City restaurant lauded for its opulence when completed in 1904.  The Bellevue has been visited by celebrities and luminaries through the decades, including every President since Teddy Roosevelt.

After snapping a few photos, we settled into our arced semi-booth which could hold up to six.  Because of the layout, we didn't have panoramic views out window while eating, but we were able to take in the vistas after we finished our delicious meals.

I had their Short Rib Hash Skillet, which turned out to be more than I could eat.  Everyone enjoyed their own diverse choices from the wide spectrum of dishes available.

After breakfast, we walked around the 19th floor taking in the views in different directions.  The sights have undoubtedly changed considerably since its construction.  As a nod to evolving eras, it's noteworthy that the Bellevue's "lighting fixtures were even crafted by celebrated inventor Thomas Edison himself!"

Taking the train makes getting to Center City a breeze, but it did leave us subject to weekend schedules which meant we had an extra hour after we'd finished breakfast.

We decided to return to watch the Wanamaker Organ concert that Gina and I heard about on our Escape Room day.

Along the way, we appreciated other historic buildings juxtaposed with modern skyscrapers.

Philadelphia has many beautiful areas within its city limits.

With some time to spare before the concert began, Laszlo and I wandered around to see if we could find seats from which to view the organist while Gina conducted a virtual office hour and Julie and Emma browsed at clothes.  

Julie bought a top, but apparently Emma found nothing to her tastes on this day.  We had a bit better luck a couple of days earlier when the three of us tried to find a dress for Emma's first school dance and ended up with some jewelry and casual clothes instead.

If you look closely, there's a deer in the middle of this photo.

On Sunday after church, Gina, Laszlo and Emma came over for a barbecued pork roast dinner.  They brought a great salad to go with some baked beans, peas and miscellaneous other items.

After lunch, Laszlo, Julie and I drove over to nearby Haverford Reserve Southbrook Trail.  We spotted a deer at one point, which was a nice treat.  Later, there was movement in the brush, and I spotted the hind of an animal running away.

I believe it was a red fox running off, although it had what looked a lot like a horse's tail.  My theory that it might have been a small horse from another planet didn't convince anyone, although we have since referenced it a few times in seemingly unrelated discussions.