SS&D Celebration: A Day in Philly

In case you didn't already know, we are huge fans of the Something Strange and Deadly series and the author, Susan Dennard. We read the first book together, texting each other along the way (gushing most of the time!) and as you can imagine, we're very excited about the release of the sequel, A Darkness Strange & Lovely. One day, the idea to do a three-day celebration in honor of its release came pretty naturally and here we are! We're kicking it off today and have some surprises in store for you tomorrow. So please join us in our love for this amazing series (and Daniel Sheridan)!

When we first planned the posts for today, I immediately claimed Philadelphia as my choice. While I adore Paris and certainly want to visit someday, I actually have been to Philly for a day and enjoyed it a lot! There's a lot of history + beautiful architecture in the town. Planning a date for them was a lot of fun, down to these awesome outfits and their itinerary. I really think that Daniel & Eleanor would enjoy themselves on this casual date in the City of Brotherly Love!

Eleanor & Daniel would begin their day by meeting up at Federal Donuts to grab an early morning snack together. There's nothing quite as convenient to eat and delicious as a donut. Plus, they can grab either a tea or a coffee to take with them too! Breakfast is the proper way to start any day, so it seems fitting they would start there too!

They would then engage in a bit of academic activity by visiting the Franklin Institute. I'm fairly certain that Daniel would have chosen this destination for part of their date, as he would find all the exhibits quite fascinating! Perhaps they would be able to scheme a bit over what scientific principles and inventions are applicable to their affairs.

After finding inspiration for new inventions, Eleanor & Daniel would break for lunch. Where better to go than to Pat's King of Steaks? Philadelphia is obviously well-known for their cheesesteaks, and Pat's is a well-known place to get really good ones. The reasonable prices + word of mouth reputation would certainly get them interested in coming to eat here.

The next destination on their date is yet another museum - the Penn Museum. Here, the pair will be able to discover more about history with the various displays. I can imagine that they would discover something that would aid them in their mission, particularly since there's an Egyptian section in this museum.

The couple would then make their way over to one of the city's most famous landmarks - the Liberty Bell. It symbolizes freedom + carries a lot of weight in history, and just being able to see it (including that crack) is pretty wonderful. They'd share a solemn moment for what the landmark represents, both to the country and personally to them.*

Before night falls on the Philadelphia, the pair would head on over to Independence Hall. There's something majestic, yet simple about the architecture of the building. A momentous occasion in history happened there, and that definitely would elicit a lot of respect from Daniel and Eleanor.

Thanks for checking out my simple plans for Eleanor & Daniel's date for a day in Philadelphia! It's a beautiful city, and there's certainly much more to see, but these are the things I feel like they would find really interesting. For more of today's celebration, please go and check out Rachel's post!

Come back and visit my blog and Rachel's blog tomorrow to continue celebrating the Something Strange and Deadly series with us! There may or may not be a giveaway involved.

*Bells are part of the story. You'll have to read it to find out more!
(Photos of Federal Donuts, Franklin Institute, Penn Museum & Independence Hall all from here.)