One Hill of a Weekend

I wasn't sure which headline would get a bigger groan, "Happy Monday" (again), or the awful pun I decided on. You tell me.

This weekend I finished the first leg of my Journey to the End of the Philadelphia Metro Area. By that, I mean I'm going to travel to the terminus of each of SEPTA's regional rail lines, and explore its surrounding town. The idea came from my grandparents, who often remind me that if you don't have a lot of money to travel to exotic places, there are plenty of things to see in your own backyard. Luckily, riding to the end of each line is free on the weekends with my Zone 1 trailpass. The first stop was Chestnut Hill, which is the closest station to my Germantown home.

Chestnut Hill has long been a tourist destination for locals and visitors, and is the home to many historic and architecturally significant buildings, as well as a lot of cool shops and restaurants. I decided to investigate a local bookstore/cafe called "Borders". They have a nice collection of books, and the cafe makes a mean strawberry Fruitkula.

After working on my laptop for a while, I took a walk down the famous, cobblestoned Germantown Avenue, stopping to photograph some of the unique local establishments. The weather was perfect, so I was very happy strolling down the hill, taking in the sights, and listening to Denison Witmer's song, "Chestnut Hill". But I soon tired of walking and decided to board one of Chestnut Hill's historic trolleys, which didn't look how I expected, apparently because of this.

It was a fun trip, and I look forward to next time, when I'll visit the other end of the R7 in Trenton, NJ. Anyone know any fun places to visit while I'm there?

- Nick