Rating: 💋💋💋😘
So, for my birthday, my friend Rebecca got us tickets to go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, post-vax. I was so excited! You have seen me in museums before, you know how I love them.
Despite the fact that I am from the Philadelphia area, I know the museums in New York better. I was an art student in New York after all. Senior year, I had to go to a different museum every week as homework for my thesis class. I probably have the Met's floor plan memorized. That is pretty fun, but I could not wait to see a new museum. I went to the Philly art museum just once, I believe, back in 2017, and it was great. It is less familiar to me though, making the magic stored inside all the more intriguing. Rebecca really knows me well.
Also, by the time we went, it was pretty close to her birthday. We basically had a joint celebration. My gift was the museum. I brought her gift - an astrologically-themed candle and some coconut macarons - for her to open up there. Then, we headed in for the show.
The Art Museum is such a beautiful building. Walking up the steps, I had serious flashbacks to my high school proms. The Art Museum steps were The Spot for prom photo shoots, and I actually have some of my favorite pictures from those events. You stand on those steps in your prom finery, looking out at the city, eighteen years old, and it feels like the whole world is opening up to you. I will always treasure those moments of magic.
Rebecca and I also made friends with the security guard at the entrance. Such a nice guy! He is really doing a fantastic job as the face of the museum. He was friendly and chatty without roping you into a whole conversation. Enjoy a personable exchange and then be off to see the art! We looked forward to seeing him on our way out.
We loveeed Cy Twombly's work. It was so pretty. Anything kind of cheeky or unique stands out to me. I love a picture with a personality. Tell me a story! Make me wonder! There were so many fun works in the museum. While we wandered the floors, we had deep conversations while looking at fancy art. As usual, we were planning our futures. I think one day we will be little old ladies (or rather, I'll be a little old lady and she'll be towering above me with her elegant stature), sitting on a porch in rocking chairs, planning our futures. As Cicely Tyson pointed out, you have never really arrived. There is always something next until the final curtain call.
Once we had seen all the art, we decided to take our conversation to Part Two of the celebration. We headed to the garage and, in typical fashion, it took Rebecca two seconds to find her car. Me? I was wandering the levels for quite some time. I knew where I parked my car, recorded the coordinates and everything. Could I find it? You bet not. I passed Rebecca multiple times, seated in her car, waiting for me to recover my vehicle. Her patience is beautiful. After about ten minutes, I found my car in the last place I would have expected it.
Of course.
After doing a quick search of nearby restaurants, we wound up just down the street at Kite & Key.
Rebecca's face when she checked out the menu is everything to me. The absolute elation is so genuine and I am so glad I snapped a quick pic of it.
While the menu looked fabulous, the burning question was: Could it deliver?
We were a little confused about seating. A sign on the door instructed us to seat ourselves outside and order at the window. We could not find a window, and it was a bit chilly. We decided to go in to investigate, but I was nervous. Was that allowed? Would COVID protocol boomerang me out of the door? Characteristically, I walked in first with Rebecca close behind. They told us to seat ourselves inside. Score!
The staff was so chill and easygoing, which went perfectly with the relaxed vibe of the place. It looked like a cozy neighborhood pub to me, and seemed like a fun place to hang out. Our waiter was attentive without being a helicopter, and everything came out so quickly and exactly as ordered.
Rebecca and I both ordered the Shacksbury Rosé Cider. It was a bit daring of us because when Rebecca saw it on the menu, she remembered having it before but the outcome was difficult to recall. Had she hated it? She might have hated it? But no...maybe this one she liked? Should we be wild and order it, just to see? Yeah, let's do it! Two Shacksbury ciders, please!
We both wound up really enjoying the cider. It wasn't too sweet, had a slight tart apple flavor mixed in with the sugar, and it was cool and crisp on the tongue. It could have gone well with anything on the menu, which had a nice selection of handhelds as well as some platter dishes.
Rebecca's Fish & Chips came out and if we weren't hungry before, we were starving now. The crispy fish smelled heavenly and it looked absolutely gorgeous. Look at that flakey batter! I definitely need to go back and try it out. Rebecca was so pleased with her choice. They offered both malt vinegar and tartar sauce with the fish and we love having options. I have only ever had fish & chips with tartar before, never tasting even a drop of malt vinegar in my life, and Rebecca insisted I try some. She is a vinegar girl, through and through. Salt & Vinegar chips are her favorite. I have a very specific memory of being at a sleepover in fourth grade (we watched Get Smart and felt so cool) and trying my first Salt & Vinegar chips because she and our friend Liv loved them. I did not want to be left out of the cool chip club! I discovered that night that I do not love Salt & Vinegar chips. I'd take Ruffles, Fritos or Doritos over them any day. Did that deter me from the malt vinegar? Absolutely not. Inside of me that nine year-old girl still wants to know everything about everything. I dipped a fry in the malt vinegar and took a bite.
I am team tartar sauce.
It was okay. I will eat malt vinegar again. It will still not be my favorite but I will continue being curious to see if that changes. The vinegar was not bad, per se. I just do not require it for a good meal, unless perhaps the malt vinegar is just one ingredient that is part of a sauce or something. Still, good enough, and I am glad I tried it.
I got a Turkey BLT wrap, which came with a guacamole sauce. If I saw Rebecca's fish & chips and questioned my order, Rebecca was eyeing my wrap with just as much envy. The Kite & Key kitchen did well. The turkey was fresh and flavorful and its sweet meat went perfectly with the slightly salty guac. The bacon was in the tiniest crumbles, adding just the right amount of texture and salt to balance out the cool tomato and lettuce.
I was less impressed with the fries. They reminded me of the fries we got at the Grille* in college. Whenever you ordered a wrap - which was basically just chicken tenders and lettuce stuffed inside a tortilla with your choice of buffalo, ranch, barbecue, honey mustard, or caesar dressing - they asked if you wanted fries. Well, now that you asked! They were hard to resist despite the fact that they were hit or miss. This was also back in the day when I considered fires with ketchup a serving of vegetables. I actually gave up fries for Lent my sophomore year because I lived above the Grille and it was dangerous. I ate enough of those fries to realize they were not a consistent friend. They were pretty much only good when they were hot, and if the salt was on point and you had a good condiment, they were great. As soon as they got cold though, it was mindless eating. There was no flavor. There was no joy. As I ate the fries from Kite & Key, I rediscovered that disappointment. The fries got cold way too quickly for me to revel in whatever taste they had to offer, and once they were cold, it was not worth it. I focused my energy on my wrap, which more than made up for the lackluster spuds.
Rebecca and I were having such a good conversation we could not end it at the check. We walked across the street to the parking lot and had carfidentiality** while the sun went down. Every thought that had been bothering me, nagging me or crying out for attention no longer held power. Rebecca and I were able to work through everything on both our ends and put it into perspective, restoring some sense of sanity in each other's lives. I do not know that the world ever stops being crazy, so it is really special to have a friend like that who can give you a moment of peace.
At the time, I was worried about my future. So much was changing so fast, and it was good news, but I did not know if it was tenable. I did not know if I could carry it. Rebecca gave me the confidence to re-center myself with my longterm goals and to remember that if one thing does not work out, it means you are meant to do something else. The future is never certain no matter how prepared and planned out you have it. Just ride the wave of life and see where it takes you.
We are going to be okay.
XX,
MK
*renamed 'Urban Kitchen' if you are at Fordham now, but it is the same concept and it will always be the Grille in my heart
** you know - those incredibly refreshing deep talks reserved for the sacred space of cars