Philly with Shruthi.. Mothers day

We woke up to Mothers day which was cloudy and breezy. Arvind and I decided to step out for a walk to enjoy the outside greenery and the cool breeze. Coming from Dubai - a dry and arid place, the verdant green and the rains are a constant source of happiness to us. We checked the temperature and it said it might rain for the next half hour. Deciding to delay our departure by half an hour we opted for coffee and listening to some music.
Meanwhile Shruthi woke up and decided to join us for the walk. She suggested a decadent food tour on the special day. I was all ready for this yet another new experience with Shruthi. Stepping out we realized it was colder than expected. Our first stop was Saxby's at Locust street. We decided to start the day with a spiced Mocha and Decaf coffee. Saxby's is a warm neighborhood cafe with soft furnishings. Typical of cafes that dot University towns, many work tables are placed for students to work in groups or individually. The background sound of keyboards, occasional laughs and minds working with the smell of coffee and aromatic scents with the ready smile of pleasant faces behind the counters supplies this place with a lively atmosphere.

Warming our hands to hot coffee.

Walking past Locust we could not help but stop and admire the spring weather - it was apt to ask what is this life full of care if you don't have time to stand and stare remembering WH Davies! The leaves were bright and green drooping slightly with the weight of the dew. The morning rain had left the grass green and wet and the plants were moist and silk soft to touch. The noble trees standing within the Ivy League University walls seemed to increase the repute of the already notable place. The walk through Locust, always memorable seems to bring a jaunt during Spring.
We walked the path reliving our memories of the past two years when Shruthi was a student there. The brick lined path with trees and buildings on either side is so impressive. Buildings include a number of schools, centers, student dorms and others.
The path is always busy bustling with students and teachers moving about with a purpose. Locust Walk is the most heavily used space on campus- The heart and soul of the campus.

We took a side road to Walnut street and stopped by at Federal Donut at Samsom street, our next stop. on the gastronomic journey. Federal Donut is a small shop that sells fresh baked donuts and unique to Philadelphia. No country wide branding.  The donut is soft as sponge and served straight from the oven piping hot.  It has limited flavors and sprinkled with a generous amount of sugar. They were feather light, creamy and melted in the mouth. The flavors were true and clean. By this time, a slight drizzle had started and we did want to warm our hands. Opting for the classy flavors of chocolate and plain and relishing the last sugary bit we moved out of the warmth of the shop to our next stop.

Walking along the Walnut street we came across many small cafes with their windows lined up with spring flowers. The table settings outside were neat and colorful to the eye. The happy blends of blue and greens added to the cheerful ambience though simplistic.

As we got closer to the city vicinity Shruthi decided to enter the Cira green building.The entrance to the park is located right off Chestnut Street on 30th St. A quick elevator ride to the 11th floor brings you to the top of the parking garage and a green-painted walkway leads you up to the park. Cira green is an urban park elevated some 95 feet over the street level. Taking the elevator to the top floor we were astounded at the views from there. The views from the top are very interesting as you got to see the city high rises and the river. We had the roof top to ourselves. The glowing water of the Schyull sparkled as the sun peaked from behind the cloud. The whole landscape had a freshness of a morning spring with low hanging clouds and a nip in the air. Each of us spent a few quiet reflective moment to ourselves. At the moment as I sat with Shruthi , I realized she had turned out to be a quiet confident young lady capable of managing her life.

View of city and river from Circa Green

Shruthi selected a french cafe as our next stop for lunch. It is a special neighbourhood cafe in Fitlers square called Lutecia. Lutecia is a small cafe with a blue entrance and triangular opening at the corner street with chairs inside and outside. The place is small and quaint and the smell of freshly baked bread was inviting. The kitchen is open with the chef looking into the customers and the kitchen at the same time. Bay window glass was hand painted of a lady in blue and purple adding a touch of chic to the cafe. The cuisine was french with an array of sandwiches, quiches and soups. The place was crowded and noisy. 

 We opted for spiced chocolate drink which was served with fresh cream that floated on the top. The drink was tepid at the surface and warmer as we progressed to the bottom, as though the fluffy home made cream retained the heat. By the time the coffee whiskers were dry the vegan soup of the day came in along with the almond croissant.

The soup had mild flavour of herbs and was the right consistency. It was comparatively thinner and served hot. The hot nutritious soup warmed us and we devoured the almond croissant. The croissant was rich and buttery with a general sprinkle of almonds on the top. 

Deciding to have the main course we ordered the Parisi vegetarian sandwich. It was so much more interesting than any other sandwich I have ever had. The french bread was crusty and buttered mildly. It felt crunchy to bite and we savoured every bite of the sandwich. Deciding not to have the dessert as we were very full, we walked towards Ritten square.

Ritten square was holding an exhibition of arts and crafts. Walking past the numerous stalls which displayed the wares we reached the city centre. By now we were craving for dessert. We reached Pietro's and stepped in for the desert and wine for the day. Tiramisu is one of our favorite desserts. We try to look for the Tiramisu hotspot in any country we visit. At Shruthi's recommendation we asked for the Tiramisu, beer and a cocktail drink. We were not disappointed. We could taste the layers of the delicious Tiramisu. The smooth cool cream, cheese, hint of coffee liqueur and some more cream and hint of sponge was royally luxurious. Savouring every bit of the feather light airy Tiramisu, we were in heaven and heaven was in our mouth.


We had a few cosmetics to purchase at the city centre body shop. strolling through rest of the shops we stopped by the beautifully decorated window of Godiva Chocolates. The mothers day special strawberry dipped in chocolates was tempting us from the shop windows. Giving in to our indulgence we ordered for few of those at 5 dollars a piece and relished every bite of the sweet strawberry.

By now it was evening and we a good drizzle had set it. One might think we had our fill of food for the day. For an Indian mother no day is complete without her share of rice. Shruthi knowing this trait of mine led us to Dana Mandi. Dana mandi is a store that specilises in Indian grocery items with a restaurant attached to the rear. The food is Indian with a variety of choices. The decor if any is very basic. The food though is lip smacking. We settled for biryani and dal to end our food tour for the day.

It was yet another wonderful day with Shruthi Arvind. The caring child she is, she ensured  mothers day was hearwarming, well spent and enriching.