The Hawk Will Never Die

We went to Philadelphia a week and a half ago to attend my cousin's wedding.  You've already seen some photos of Philly from our trip.  We had a great time.

We stayed at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, which is right downtown, and a block from the Wanamaker Building where the reception was held.

The Crystal Tea Room was a beautiful venue and Finley Catering did a fabulous job with the food. 

This wedding was one of the finest events Ed and I have ever been to.  The cocktail hour food was amaaaazing - Seafood (shrimp cocktail, crab legs, lobster tails), Mexican (tacos, beans, tortilla chips, salsa), Italian (ravioli, mozzarella sticks, tortellini, assorted meats and cheeses, bread), Meditteranean (hummus, grilled vegetables, olives, roasted red peppers, button mushrooms), in addition to the canapés being served by the wait staff.  And, an open bar.  It's not a big deal for us since we don't drink, but man, that's something else considering it extended all through the reception, too.

The meal was also very good.  Ed had the eggplant parmigiana and I had the filet mignon.  The seafood option was crabcakes.  Delicious dinner served by the professional and attentive waitstaff.  

They had a band that played all night - much too loud for me (considering I'm deaf these days!) but several good singers and lots of well-known songs, new and old.  

After the cake was cut, we asked about getting some because it wasn't automatically served at our table.  While the server poured coffee, he directed us to not a Viennese dessert table, but a Viennese dessert room.  That's right.  A room full of treats!  Wedding cake, cream puffs, pastries, puddings, hot beverages, and liqueurs served in chocolate shot glasses.  Holy cannoli!

I have never seen such a display at a wedding.  Maybe I'm not attending the right kinds of weddings but in all the years I've had to go to various events, even ones that were considered "nicer" than others, this one takes the cake.  I couldn't have been more impressed.

Although, wait...

I'm not sure this impresses me because I'm not much of a sports fan, but it's certainly something I've never seen at a wedding - the Saint Joseph's University Hawk!  Yes, there was a hawk on the dance floor.  Cutting a serious rug!  And no, I didn't get a picture because it was kinda impossible...

As if the wedding events at this point weren't impressive enough, there was an afterparty.  We didn't attend because we were kinda pooped at that point and since it was being held at the pub affiliated with the wedding venue, we figured it would be a lot of drinking and probably, mostly the young people.  But...my cousin told me they were serving Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches.  What?!  Yes, more food!  I should have gone just for the cheesesteak.

The next morning, the day we were set to leave, they hosted a brunch at the hotel.  That, too, was delicious.  So we joined everyone for breakfast and then headed back to the room to get ready to check out of the hotel.  Since we had an evening flight, we did a little sightseeing in the afternoon and then had lunch at a delicious stir-fry place we found close to the hotel.

Overall, we had a fantastic weekend and we are so glad we decided to attend.  I am thrilled that we were able to make this happen and I look forward to seeing everyone again in the near future.

Best wishes to the new Mr. and Mrs.!

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2023:  Sorry, no post on this day.
2022:  Sorry, no post on this day.
2021:  Sorry, no post on this day.
2020:  Sorry, no post on this day.
2019:  Sorry, no post on this day.
2018:  Morning At MOA
2017:  Ed And The Goddess Of Agave
2016:  Toys At The Continental Divide
2015:  Where Indiana 558 Ends
2014:  Steeler Nation Night Life
2013:  The City Of Dreams Is A Dreamy City
2012:  Five Fantastic Finds
2011:  Hand Dipping Tastes Better
2010:  The Skies Were So Dark, Even GE Couldn’t Brighten Things Up
2009:  Not So Deep Impact
2008:  My America. Your America. OUR America.
2007:  Frozen In Time
2006:  Ohhh, Paaablo
2005:  Apparently, Aliens Tell Time With Their Ass