Lickety-split pickup as the bells rang at DrJH on Friday, March 8th and on the road for our 2013 March Break road trip.  Destination (after a fair bit of humming and hawing about maybe another southern all inclusive destination or perhaps Montreal) was agreed upon... Philadelphia.  It offered us a chance for a big city stay, in a new setting, with plenty of attraction for both youngin' and adult, all still within a reasonable driving distance.

The travel was excellent Friday... Not a snowflake.  We made the border by 7:00 PM and were checking into accommodations in South Portland by 10:30 PM.  It seemed, for us, to be a convenient stopping place and broke the travel into a little better than half. Good trip that we're getting quite accustomed to, although we still bring GPS and maps as back-up and information sources (the Garmin is great for ETA and food/attraction/accommodation routes and details). We stayed at Hampton Inns from beginning to end this time around, with all reservations made in advance.

After a big sleep and breakfast, back to the road for an expected 8 hrs driving time. We took our regular "New England" route; south on the I-95, then I-495 around Boston to connect across with the I-90, to the I-91 south to Hartford, CT and Route 15 through to White Plains and the Tappan Zee Bridge.  This is a great route unless you're absolutely planning on NYC and  Manhattan.  We tacked across New Jersey into Newark until we came to Route 1 into the north part of Philly.  We made two stops of consequence, once just south of Hartford, when we got turned around trying to hit the 15 South, and another just outside of Philly.  We had a couple of adventures, but for the most part were always on target.

Our entry into Philly (construction included) was slick.  No issues and we found our accommodations, Hampton Inn Philadelphia Center City just a short distance from the thruway, easily.  We decided to use the valet parking and forget about the car for five days.  Augustine, the attendant, took good care of the Toyoda!  Simply handed him the keys and left any concerns about driving behind. Once checked in and settled, we took a quick stroll to get the "lay" of the neighbourhood.  We found ourselves well positioned, central to the attractions we wished to visit in a very walkable Philadelphia.  After touring Chinatown and  sourcing a bottle of wine and local market, we grabbed provisions and stocked the fridge.  After a swim, it was early to bed to take on the city starting first thing Sunday morning.  We were more than happy with the circumstance to date!!