Her Philly

A lifestyle blog for young women dining, shopping, playing & living in the city of Philadelphia.

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January 2, 2018

The 5 Posts I’m Most Proud of from 5 Years of Blogging

Happy New Year! I hope you all had the perfect Eve, followed by the best Day you could have had in the 15 degree weather Philadelphia provided us with. My plans of an Eagles tailgate and spending the entire day at the Mummers Parade were quickly shattered, but I still was v lucky to spend my days surrounded by my best buddies and so many carbohydrates.

As we embrace 2018 and I continue into my 6th year blogging about my little Philadelphia life, I thought I’d share five posts that I, truthfully, am really proud of. There are posts that just poured out onto the page, and others I spent a whole lot of time on. Posts that have sentiments that mean a lot to me, and others that are about pizza. Whether you’re new to Her Philly or have been reading all along, check out why these five posts mean so much to me, and let me know which speaks to you the most.

5 Posts I'm Most Proud of during 5 Years of philly bloggingContinue Reading…

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Filed Under: chit chat Tagged: being an adult, confidence, curves, neighborhoods, philly trapeze lesson, pizza crawl

October 1, 2015

11 Philly Ladies Share Why They Love Their Neighborhoods

We’ve been talking a lot about the best Philly neighborhoods around here lately, and I love that. Whether you’re new to the city or have lived here forever, neighborhoods are something relevant to each and every one of us. I’ve shared my picks for my favorite Philly neighborhoods for new residents, but the fact is: there are so many other hoods Philly ladies just like you live in and love coming home to that are not on that list. So, to give you all a more inclusive look at what the city has to offer for young women, I reached out to some of my blogger buds, blog readers, and Twitter followers to share why they love their Philly hoods. Best Philly Neighborhoods Continue Reading…

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Filed Under: living, moving to philly Tagged: cedar park, east passyunk, fairmount, fishtown, graduate hospital, midtown village, moving, neighborhoods, old city, pennsport, queen village, rittenhouse, washington square west

August 28, 2015

So…You’re Moving to Philadelphia! {Picking Your First Hood}

Earlier this week, I shared my Philadelphia apartment hunting tips. Today, I’d like to give my response to the other question I get most frequently: where should I live? Picking your first Philly neighborhood is such a treat, because this city is known for its special, unique hoods. We truly do have a place for every human and every budget here, but when I’m recommending a place for a city newcomer, I typically stick with a select few. If your neighborhood is not mentioned here, don’t worry – I’ve got another piece featuring some Philly ladies repping their hoods – all over the city!

Moving to Philadelphia - Finding Your First NeighborhoodContinue Reading…

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Filed Under: living, moving to philly Tagged: apartments, moving, neighborhoods

September 15, 2014

{Sip, Savor, Stroll} Mt. Airy Grub + Street Fare Preview

Exploring Philly neighborhoods is really the best. Since Mt. Airy is such a unique area of our city, I love getting a chance to pop up there, while, of course, eating all of the delicious food they offer. Some bloggers, foodie folks, and I took a little media tour last week in preparation for the neighborhood’s upcoming event, and I’m pleased to report that Center City certainly does not hold all of the great food our city has to offer.
Where to eat in Mt. Airy // Her Philly
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Filed Under: dining Tagged: Cantina Avenida, earth bread + brewery, festival, jyoti, mt. airy, mt. airy street fare, neighborhoods, Pbon's Phresh Food, trolley car diner, wonderland cakes

January 30, 2014

The Chinatown Tour {Part 2}

Happy almost weekend! If you’re just tuning in, earlier this week, I began documenting my Philly Chinatown tour, led by the super knowledgeable Albert Lee. So without further ado, let’s go on with the second part of our tour!

 

Tea-Do (132 North 10th Street)

Where to get bubble tea in Chinatown // Her PhillyDue to my longstanding love affair with bubble tea, a shop was one of my requirements for a stop on Al’s tour. Tea-Do has so many options to choose from, ranging from tea with milk and tapioca bubbles to fruity tea with aloe and lychee jellies. If you’ve never had bubble tea, you drink it with a huge straw which sucks up the little “bubbles” in your drink. It’s basically amazing.

Tea-Do bubble tea in Chinatown // Her PhillyEach tea comes with a plastic seal over the top, and you have to stick the pointy end of your straw through to get to the drink. That was probably the most stressful part of the day. 😉

 
Shanghai Bazaar (1016 Race Street)

Shanghai Bazaar in Philadelphia Chinatown // Her Philly With bubble tea in hand, we moved on to this humongous bazaar, filled with everything from toys to books to jewelry & more. I didn’t look much at the prices of the the items, but there was definitely a plethora of goodies to choose from.Shopping in Chinatown // Her Philly Where to shop in Philadelphia Chinatown // Her Philly

 
Joy Tsin Lau (1026 Race Street)

Joy Tsin Lau dim sum // Her PhillyAfter some shopping, it was finally lunch time! We hurried in the crowded restaurant for some dim sum, which is basically small sized portions of food served in steamer baskets or on small plates. Al explained that dim sum is to the Chinese as tea time is to the British. Dim Sum at Joy Tsin Lau in Philadelphia Chinatown // Her PhillyOur only restriction was no duck (my request), and Al quickly ordered for us off of the wizzing trays filled with food. We tried lots of different things, but I loved the shrimp dumplings & fried rice the best. Yummy fried rice at Joy Tsin Lau in Chinatown // Her PhillyLunch for four of us, including tea & dessert, and until we were literally stuffed, ended up being $27. If that’s not a gem in this city, I don’t know what is.

 
Lucky Chinese Cookie Factory (155 North 9th Street)

Lucky Chinese Cookie Factory Philadelphia // Her PhillyOur last stop was a quick visit to the fortune cookie factory! You can go in & see the cookies being made (so cool!) and pick up a bag of “X-Rated” cookies to take home with you. They also do custom cookies for events & weddings.

That stop signaled the end of our tour. We had sipped, shopped & chomped our way through Chinatown, and I can confidently say I will be back!

Touring Philadelphia Chinatown // Her PhillyI hope this blog inspires you to break out of your comfort zone and explore a new neighborhood or two. Thanks again to Al for being a great tour guide, and my friends Kelly & Colleen for braving the chilly temps with us! If this type of neighborhood tour is something you’re interested in seeing more of, let me know in the comments & I will find a new Philly hood to explore next!

Remember, Chinese New Year starts tomorrow. Get the details on all the Philadelphia festivities & have fun! xx

her philly

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Filed Under: playing Tagged: bubble tea, chinatown, dim sum, exploring, neighborhoods, tours

January 28, 2014

The Chinatown Tour {Part 1}

Let me start off with a confession: I have lived in Philadelphia for two and a half years, and until earlier this month, had never stepped foot in Chinatown. That’s right, I said it. Sure – I was intrigued by the promises of bubble tea and supermarkets filled with cute little odds & ends I shouldn’t be  buying, but I was just, so . . . intimidated. Where would I go? How would I know where to eat? Would I be able to navigate by myself? Would I be in the way?

With the nearing start of Chinese New Year (this Friday!), I thought it was about time to expand my horizons and venture to the other side of the arch. I enlisted the help of Philly’s resident Chinatown expert, Albert Lee, to host our “#ChinatownUncensored” tour, grabbed my two best girlfriends, and off we went!

I invite you to come along with with us on our tour. First stop . . .

Chinatown Arch (10th & Arch Streets)

Philadelphia Chinatown Gate // Her PhillyWe met up with Al at the most iconic spot in Chinatown, the arch. This structure was the first authentic Chinese gate built outside of China in 1984. Those four letters on the gate read, conveniently, “Philadelphia Chinatown.” If you’d like to take a photo with the gate, I recommend doing it from farther up 10th Street & getting the other side – traffic seems to always be moving on this side.Touring Philly's Chinatown // Her Philly

Prosperity Chinese Symbol // Her Philly

At the gate, we also got our first glimpse of these little street designs. They mean prosperity, and are all over the town’s sidewalks.

 

KC’s Pastries (109 North 10th Street)

KC's Pastries Philadelphia Chinatown // Her PhillyAfter learning all about the gate, we headed down the street for our first taste of some Chinese treats. This pastry shop had so many options to choose from, it was so hard to decide. If you’re craving coffee, now’s the time to grab a cup – coffee is only sold in bakeries, not restaurants, around here.

Red bean sesame ball // Her PhillyI opted for this little 90 cent red bean sesame ball. I happen to love red bean, but even my friend Colleen, who thought she was eating chocolate, enjoyed it. 😉

Emily Tharp Philadelphia Blogger // Her PhillyWhere to eat in Chinatown // Her Philly

 

Gyration Boutique (125 North 11th Street)

Philadelphia Chinatown Consignment store // Her PhillyNext, we swung over to a new local consignment shop and one of Chinatown’s only retail stores. The boutique does not sell plus size or maternity clothes, but the store was beautiful and, according to Al, a very welcomed addition to the area.

Inside Chinatown's Gyration Boutique

 

Asia Supermarket (143 North 11th Street)

Chinatown Philly Asian Supermarket // Her PhillyI was possibly the most excited for our stop in this Asian supermarket. If you’re looking for wall-to-wall rice, ramen & tea, plus some other colorful goodies at a great price, you’ve found your happy place.

Ramen at the Philly Asian Supermarket // Her PhillyInside Philadelphia'a Chinatown // Her Philly Tea aisle in a Philadelphia Chinatown supermarket // Her PhillyHerbal Lover's Tea for Women // Her PhillyThis tea caught my eye – maybe I’ll be back for some luck in my love life in the form of tea.

After about an hour and a half of exploring, our day was off to a great start!

 

Where to go in Philadelphia's Chinatown

A big thank you to Al for showing us all of the places to be in Chinatown. Stop back later this week for part two of our day (bubble tea, dim sum & more shopping, of course)! If this made you crave some exploring yourself, you can get all the details on Philadelphia’s Chinese New Year celebration plus more from the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation.

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Filed Under: playing Tagged: chinatown, exploring, neighborhoods, tour

Hi! I'm Emily, a Philly lady on a quest to discover everything lovely, exciting, affordable, and beautiful about my city.

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HP on the Gram

Ready to see the best thing I couldn’t wait to s Ready to see the best thing I couldn’t wait to share while I was taking an insta break? Swipe! 

We adopted a puppy!!! 🖤 Meet Putter. He was born in January in Mississippi, and brought to PA with his mom & siblings for adoption by @tlcrescuepa. 

I had been applying to rescue a pup for almost a year, so I am so thankful to @tlcrescuepa for giving us a shot. We brought Putter home 4/26/22. 🥰

Putter is fitting into our family so well, and we are loving watching him grow and learn new things. Jim & I are taking him to puppy class every Saturday and we are excited to learn more ourselves! 

I could spam you with a million pictures but I created an Insta for the baby so I don’t go overboard here. 😂 You can follow @putterthepuppy to see more of our small boy. 🥹
The last night of @linnytharp’s Philly bachelore The last night of @linnytharp’s Philly bachelorette was such a joy it deserves its own post. 🚃

I have talked about the @foundingfootsteps tours for years. The owner, Tim, is such an asset to the Philly community, and I was excited to support his company for our ladies night out. 💃🏻

I booked us the Beer & Bands trolley tour. We (the 8 of us and 3 sweet younger gals) got picked up at Betsy Ross house with our BYO @highnoonsunsips and singing voices ready. 🎶

The trolley comes equipped with musicians and an amazing driver (shoutout Koser, Nate & Justin!) and takes you on a drive throughout the city, while the musicians play Britney Spears, BSB, & other assorted covers. Though we did make several suggestions to add more Taylor songs into rotation. 😉

The windows are open and we were loudly singing along, so early on, in our drunken happiness, we decided to start waving to people out the window. Once we started getting a few waves back, it became the sole focus of the night, singing and seeing how many waves we could secure (it was a 95% wave-back rate). 

We laughed and sang and just had the most fun tour ever. The tour also stops at a brewery or two (hence that part of the name), we stopped at @victorytaproom_phl on ours, but we were mostly happy to be waving on the trolley. 😂

I can’t recommend @foundingfootsteps for your next girls night out enough. 🖤
Part 2 of my sister’s #PhillyBachelorette ✨ O Part 2 of my sister’s #PhillyBachelorette ✨

Our Saturday bachelorette day started off with breakfast at our @airbnb (@hot_bagels brought by @caitlyn22b were the star). We made some drinks and headed to @oldcityphilly for our surprise (to @linnytharp) @airbnbexperiences tour - “Hamilton - The Tour Where it Happens!”

Lindsay is a big @hamiltonmusical fan and this was an absolutely hysterical way for us to spend the afternoon. Our tour guide, Reid, brought along a speaker and played/rapped along to several Hamilton tracks on the streets of Philly. We learned a lot about the true Hamilton story and had just so, so much fun. 

After the tour, we got a drink at @theploughphilly and bopped over to @luchacartelphilly for a seriously delicious dinner & margs. Our night event deserves its own post, so more on that in the final Bach post! 😉
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