Three weeks ago, I visited my sister in Brooklyn. While we were in NY, she took me around to so so many plant places. Not only did we eat delicious veggie burgers with fries and curry ketchup, lobster rolls, vegan buffalo wings, and some of the best pizza slices I’ve ever had in my entire life, we also got to see The Japanese House in concert and Mike Birbiglia’s show, “Working it Out,” both a bus ride away in Philly, PA.

I tried to do research before flying out to New York, looking up any and all “literary” spots in these cities that I didn’t know about. However, with all of the cute coffee shops, where I’d pick up my new usual—cold brew (I know, I’m really stepping it up)—I didn’t feel the need to scout out any new spots. My sister took me to stores that offered clothes I wish I could live in every single day, amazing views of the water via the ferry and our good ole, trusty feet, countless plant shops that made me wish I had more room in my suitcase (and my room) to take home new li’l plant friends, and even a bluegrass night at a bar. If you know me, I’ve never been a bluegrass kind of gal, but Saturday nights at Sunny’s are a completely different ballgame. On these nights, you have to make sure that you get there early to get a good seat. So, settle in a few hours prior, get a drink or two, and chat away with your friends, because their bluegrass nights are amazing.

As a fan of all things books, bookstores, and well, words, my sister and I happened upon the cutest little bookshop in Philly. I’m not gonna lie… I have no idea what the place was called, but I was dumbfounded at how cute and charming this little unnamed bookshop was. For starters, we only happened upon it because of the instrumental jazz music that was pouring out of the doors as we walked by. When we walked up the steps, the oldest man I’ve ever seen in my entire life was sitting behind the counter, reading a book, and had no idea that we were even there. After a few minutes, however, he popped his head up from the page and asked us if we needed any help. My sister carried on a short conversation with him about a book she was trying to find, and as you can see from the picture below, the both of them agreed that it was a little difficult to find much of anything in the shelves.

As you’ve (possibly) read from one of my previous posts, I am an owner/mother of eleven plants. With my newfound green thumb and my sister’s ever-present green thumb—she has ivy majestically hanging from her ceiling, growing every which way, and cactus that is having the time of its life, just branching out (literally) and growing taller each day—we explored every plant shop we could possibly find.

Whoa, nelly. I had been waiting the past two years for The Japanese House to perform somewhere near either me or my sister, and the day finally came. Art School Girlfriend (a band I had never heard of before then) was the opening band, and their sound was very similar to the headliner. After a brief intermission of some Fleetwood Mac playing on the overhead speakers, Amber Bain emerged from the back entrance, and opened with—what I think was—Count to Nine, then transitioned into Face Like Thunder. It was amazing. Not to mention she also covered my favorite Fleetwood Mac song, Dreams, halfway through the set.

Honestly, I can’t pinpoint the best part of this trip—I had so much fun popping into random shops, trying every coffee shop’s cold brew and comparing them, seeing one of my favorite bands in concert, listening to Mike Birbiglia’s standup in person, and doing all this while spending time with my sister. (Ironically, I almost wrote out “sitter,” which she did indeed babysit me on numerous occasions throughout my childhood.) Surprisingly, I didn’t listen to “Empire State of Mind” upon landing in New York—not even while out and about. But I definitely had “Philadelphia” by Parachute playing in my head constantly while in Philly, don’t you worry.

Reagan Fleming