The BIG American History Road Trip April 22 - Day 2 - Prussia mall, meeting a friend & Harpers Ferry

[smithlane]

Day 2- Friday 8th April

Awake at 4.45, this jet lag is kicking my butt!
Today we were leaving Philly and driving to our next stop, Harpers Ferry.
En route we are shopping (yes, again &#128514 at the King of Prussia Mall which is the largest on the East Coast then meeting my friend at her house in Columbia, Maryland. It’s been years since I saw her so I can’t wait. So quite a bit of driving but it’ll be worth it!

We got up and dressed then at about 8am I left to go and pick up the car. It was easier if I went on my own as Hope and mum could stay at the hotel with the suitcases and I’d text when I was on my way back so they could bring them down.
Would you just look at that sky?!

Typical the sun shines on the day we leave and not on the actual day we explore the city 😡
It was a very easy 10 minute stroll, I was taking my time just enjoying the weather and surroundings, Philly looks a lot nicer when there are blue skies.

An example of a sculpture using money from The Philadelphia Cultural Fund

The City Hall really is a spectacular building and is the largest city hall in the USA. The statue on top is of William Penn, the British dude who founded Pennsylvania, and is actually 4 stories tall. If an average man was to stand next to it, they’d probably reach his calf!

I was still early for the reservation so I popped into Trader Joes which was just next door. I’ve never been in one of these stores before but I loved it, staff were very friendly and the products just a bit different to the likes of Walmart.

I just bought some seasonings and a coconut body butter.

I now went to pick the car up, this was at the Avis office at the Convention Centre.

There were two really friendly agents who I got chatting to. I mentioned I was slightly worried about the size of the car I had pre booked, which was a standard Group D VW Jetta, and they kindly upgraded me to an SUV for only $10 a day extra so only about £35. Anyone who knows just how ridiculous car hire is at the moment will know that’s a bargain!
Keys in hand I got directed up in the lift to the 2nd floor. I found the Kia Sportage that I had been assigned with no issues.

I got myself sorted with the phone holder and in car charger I had brought with me, plugged in the hotel address and off I went.
It was less than a 5 minute drive and Hope & mum were duly waiting for me with all the luggage.
We quickly loaded up with me still needing to put down one of the seats so I’m glad I did upgrade now!

With us all in I put in the address for the Mall, it was only a 30 minute drive north of the city.
Pulled up at 9.30 after an easy journey, there were tonnes of parking spaces as the shops don’t open until 10am.
We went in to find somewhere to get a drink and some breakfast and stumbled across the food court.
I got Hope a ham and cheese roll from Subway and then went to Dunkin Donuts for mum and I. I went with a sausage, egg and cheese croissant and mum had avocado on toast.
This was surprisingly tasty!

Once done it was gone 10am and the shops had opened. We started with the level we were on and went in a variety of trainer shops for Hope, she didn’t buy any though.
We’re shocked at the prices of the trainers here actually being far more expensive than at home which is odd? I would have thought Nike would be cheaper in the USA or if not at least the same price?!

I went into Pottery Barn and basically drooled over every last item they had in there, I could do some serious damage to my CC if I owned property in America 😂

Hope got some underwear from Pink.

We had a quick look in Tommy Bahama as I wanted to see what Hawaiian shirts they had in here for Jim. He’s going bright and fun for the wedding! It’s a shame they don’t have any stores in the U.K. as they had loads of great options.

Also saw a couple of dresses I liked the look of but not the price tag!

We went into Bath and Bodyworks where the foaming hand soaps were only $3.49 so I bought 8……! Mum restrained herself and bought 3. There wasn’t any discounts on the candles so I’d try another store in DC to see if they have them reduced in a few days time.

As you can see the Mall is heaving….

We ended in Dicks Sporting Goods where Hope bought a sports bra and a Nike cap. I was going to wait for the outlets before buying any gym gear knowing it’s usually cheaper.

It was now nearly midday and none of us were that hungry which was a shame as I had us down to eat in The Cheesecake Factory.
Instead we drove down the road to Michaels the craft store.
I was after Easter decor and as a bonus they had 50% off all Spring items. I bought a metal sign, some woven carrots and a wreath, altogether $55.58

Here it all is proudly on display at home

There was a Target next door so we obviously had to go in for a wander….

I was actually fairly restrained and just bought a dress, a top, some underwear and a gold tray from the Studio McGee collection. I figured I’d try on the clothes later and take them back if they don’t fit!

Now shopped out we went over the road to the Starbucks and got ourselves a toastie each as we were now a bit peckish.
I also tried the infamous Pink Drink and I can attest that it is very nice indeed!

We now started the journey to my very old school friends house in Columbia, Maryland.
It was a 2 and a half hour drive which was a bit longer than expected but there looked to be a bit of traffic in a few areas.
A very boring drive ensued but we arrived at about 4.15 after finding her stunning house with no issues.

It was SO good to see her! It has been 6 years since I saw her last and we had a lot to catch up on. They are actually moving from Maryland and have bought a new build in between Ponte Vedra and St Augustine in Florida! I’m not jealous at all 😉

Her husband arrived home from work but we only caught him for a bit as he had to take their eldest son to baseball practice. He’d brought with him some Maryland crab cakes that he said we HAD to try so with those and some steak we had dinner cooked for us which was very unexpected.

I had placed various Target orders to be delivered to her house and when she brought the boxes through from the garage I’ll admit to panicking a bit as to how I was going to get it all home! My mum told me off for shopping too much 😂. Once I had unboxed it all it was nowhere near as bad and a few of the items I would have to return as they were a lot different in person than online.
I did keep the blanket, throw, coffee table books, candlesticks, cookbook stand, faux plant and this gorgeous soapstone decor piece.

We talked for hours but at about 7.30 it was time to hit the road as we had an hours drive in front of us to reach Harpers Ferry.
I am planning on visiting her in their new house when we go to Florida in the summer, it will be nice not to wait years until our next meet up!

On parting she warned us to be careful whilst driving in DC as there has been a spate of fender benders in the city and when you get out of your car to check the damage the other driver quickly gets in and steals yours!
I said I wasn’t worried as we had Missouri license plates on ours so other drivers might assume I’m like Ruth Langmore from Ozark and you don’t want to mess with her 😂

The next drive was again fairly uneventful, with on and off rain but we pulled into the town by 8.30pm. We had to double park opposite the Inn and I went inside to check in. Stephanie was the young girl working, she had the loveliest Southern twang and was so helpful.
This place is just adorable and dates back to the early 1800’s so positively ancient in American terms. The whole town looks like it’s straight out of a film set and that’s in the dark!
We unloaded all of the cases into our room which was conveniently located at the front of the hotel. I was given instructions on moving the car to the train station car park at the bottom of the hill and how to pay the $20 NPS fee, this covers you for 3 days. The National Park Service manage the whole area so is a very worthwhile payment.
The station is on a very busy freight line with the longest trains you’ve ever seen, I’m sure it took a good 10 minutes to go through! We would hear these going through the night but thankfully wouldn’t disturb us too much.

Harpers Ferry is built on a hill with each street elevated above the other, there are various stairways that you can use to cut up behind the buildings.

The Towns Inn was just one street up from the station so it was only a 2 minute walk back to the room, then mum and I popped up to the small cafe they have on site to get a drink and snack. Stephanie very kindly said she’d keep it open while I went and parked the car as they usually close at 9
I tried one of their vanilla cream sodas and also got a freshly baked chocolate muffin as I was a bit peckish.
Went back to the room and chilled out for the rest of the evening. Sleep came at 11, so it’s been a long day!

[anji]

Alicia, you are most certainly Shopping Queen of the Dibb! Seriously impressed by your shopping, online ordering and packing capabilities Trader Joe's is a great store and I was amazed how cheap it was too.

A fab day and it must have been lovely to meet up with your friend again - and know you'll be seeing her again soon in Florida. I laughed at your Ruth comment - we love Ozark and especially Ruth. Looking forward to Harpers Ferry.

[ClaireNJ]

Great photos, so glad you had DD for breakfast, my favourite 🙊😋🍩 shame no room for CF though
Love all your purchases especially that wreath, it’s beautiful 💕💕

[P&S]

What a shopping haul you all got! Dinner with your friend sounds lovely Well done to you with all the driving today (Ruth )

[Goldia]

Of course on the day you're leaving it's sunny in Philadelphia. Oh well, onwards and it seems like a fun shopping trip. And lovely to meet up with your school friend. Great news they are relocating to Florida and you won't have to wait too long to meet up again. Harper's Ferry sounds great. I'm looking forward to your photos in the next update.

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by anji

Alicia, you are most certainly Shopping Queen of the Dibb! Seriously impressed by your shopping, online ordering and packing capabilities Trader Joe's is a great store and I was amazed how cheap it was too.

A fab day and it must have been lovely to meet up with your friend again - and know you'll be seeing her again soon in Florida. I laughed at your Ruth comment - we love Ozark and especially Ruth. Looking forward to Harpers Ferry.

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Ooh I'll take that title . I've honed my skills with plenty of years of practice . Really loved Trader Joes, I'll been visiting one when we're in Orlando as we'll be there for longer so can buy more!
It was so good to see her, we could have talked for hours so was a shame we had to rush off! Can't wait to meet up with her in Florida and to see their new house.
Ruth is my favourite character in Ozark, she's a fantastic actress

Originally Posted by ClaireNJ

Great photos, so glad you had DD for breakfast, my favourite 🙊😋🍩 shame no room for CF though
Love all your purchases especially that wreath, it’s beautiful 💕💕

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I'll definitely go to DD again for breakfast, really tasty and cheap too!
Thankfully we found a Cheesecake Factory in DC so I could get my fill of Orange Chicken
That wreath is now my favourite of my MANY that I own, I won't want to take it down!

Originally Posted by P&S

What a shopping haul you all got! Dinner with your friend sounds lovely Well done to you with all the driving today (Ruth )

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We did well on the shopping front, especially me
Thank you, I was exhausted by the time we got to Harpers Ferry but totally worth it

Originally Posted by Goldia

Of course on the day you're leaving it's sunny in Philadelphia. Oh well, onwards and it seems like a fun shopping trip. And lovely to meet up with your school friend. Great news they are relocating to Florida and you won't have to wait too long to meet up again. Harper's Ferry sounds great. I'm looking forward to your photos in the next update.

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I know, typical right?! Thankfully that was the only day we had awful weather which was good, by the time we got to DC it was really warm!
It will be so much easier to visit her now that they're going to Florida, I can't wait to see their new house, it looks huge!
I would urge anyone to visit Harpers Ferry, a stunning town straight out of a film set

[Sparksy72]

Well today certainly made up for the dreary weather yesterday! I love all your shopping pieces - especially the throws! Good to see that hope managed some breakfast, I do love a DD for nice fresh pastries too. How fantastic to be able to spend time with your GF and that she is moving to Florida, there are plenty of reasons now to visit regularly. 💖

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by Sparksy72

Well today certainly made up for the dreary weather yesterday! I love all your shopping pieces - especially the throws! Good to see that hope managed some breakfast, I do love a DD for nice fresh pastries too. How fantastic to be able to spend time with your GF and that she is moving to Florida, there are plenty of reasons now to visit regularly. 💖

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We had such a great day, the highlight seeing my friend! I can't wait to check out her new house, I'll definitely be visiting Florida more regularly now

[OB1LukeLucas]

Of course the sun is shining as you leave how typical!
What a shopping success and expertly packed into the suitcase….how did you manage to tear yourself away from Studio McGee, pleased you found a gold tray You did well in Michaels
A great catch up with your friend, I hope you don’t need to channel your inner Ruth Langmore
Harpers Ferry sounds cool, I look forward to seeing your photos.

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by OB1LukeLucas

Of course the sun is shining as you leave how typical!
What a shopping success and expertly packed into the suitcase….how did you manage to tear yourself away from Studio McGee, pleased you found a gold tray You did well in Michaels
A great catch up with your friend, I hope you don’t need to channel your inner Ruth Langmore
Harpers Ferry sounds cool, I look forward to seeing your photos.

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It’s typical isn’t it?!
I honestly could have spent a fortune and brought home 2 suitcases worth of Studio McGee bits!
Haha, I managed to keep my inner Ruth from coming out thankfully 😂
I would recommend Harpers Ferry to anyone visiting from DC, just a quaint and interesting town