Lincoln, NE in a Day

So this post will be slightly different, as we did not travel to Nebraska specifically for our America in a Day blog, but we thought we would write up a short post in case anyone is going to Lincoln. Plus, we wanted to include some more Midwest posts! When going to Lincoln you can either fly into their airport or fly into Omaha's airport and take a taxi or Uber to Lincoln. For us, it was cheaper to fly into Omaha and drive, plus the Omaha airport has more options for flights. When we flew in, the first thing noticeable was how flat the landscape is. We traveled here over the winter, so there was a little snow on the ground still. Surprisingly it wasn't unbearable cold while we were there though! As we were leaving the airport we saw the ever appropriate Omaha Steaks booth in the airport!

We took an Uber from the airport to Lincoln, which came to be about an hour drive. Good news, there was no traffic, bad news the drive was a little dull as the landscape is flat. When we finally did arrive in Lincoln, the first thing noticeable was the University of Lincoln, Nebraska! You can tell that this city lives for it's sports and this school. Our first impression was pleasant of this city in Nebraska, and everyone we talked to was friendly! We walked around a little in the overall city of Lincoln and saw the cute stores, and the movie theater. We also got to see the Nebraska State Capitol! This is a large and tall building that definitely stands out across the flat plain lands of the state! They do offer tours of the capitol where you can learn about the history of the capitol and the state. 

 The state Capitol

Once we finished our walk, we started looking for something for lunch, and one place that caught our attention was Tom and Chee! Any Shark Tank fans out there might remember this grilled cheese and tomato soup chain that came on the show. Well this place did not disappoint whatsoever. We had the fancy grilled cheese, which was a grilled cheese sandwich with macaroni and cheese inside and the fancy grilled cheese with bacon...is there anything more American than that?! The food was delicious and the workers were all so attentive and nice to us.

After lunch, we walked to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to see the university. This is a very nice school that does offer tours. Their mascot the "Corn Huskers" is definitely fitting as corn can be seen everywhere. We got to see the football stadium too which was a sight! The large stadium, the great track and field; it was evident how important athletics are to Lincoln and was cool to take in the culture. 

Lincoln does have a large children's museum, which was quite popular while we were there and quite a few fun and eclectic restaurants and cafe. Our favorite was Cultiva Downtown! We had a crepe, and a chocolate chip cookie! Both were delicious. There was also a great smoothie place called the Juice Stop where we had the strawberry banana smoothie. Definitely be sure to check out both of these places! We actually stayed at a hotel during this trip, which was the Embassy Suites-Lincoln. The rooms were big, they had free breakfast, and light snacks from 4-6pm! We definitely enjoyed our stay here.

Below is a map of our travels, and how we made our way around the city. We were able to walk to everywhere once we made it into the city of Lincoln. Lincoln does have some other great attractions to see like the Sunken Gardens, an International Quilt Study Center, and some museums. In the map, the spots in red are places we actually went too, and the spots in green are some attractions we wish we had time to visit.

What did we miss in Lincoln that you would have seen? Let us know in the comments below! Coming up we are traveling to Key West, Orlando, and Mystic, CT! We are currently using Sky Scanner to look up great flights to New Orleans, Savannah, and more. We were able to see we could travel to Savannah, GA for under $200 a person, which was the cheapest flight we had found! Plus they mentioned one of our travel tips, so be sure to check that out! Definitely check this out! If you want to see more pictures, be sure to follow our Instagram and Twitter!

Blue skies,

Kat&Elle
#americainaday

Philadelphia in a Day

The City of Brotherly Love, our next destination to see was Philadelphia! We were excited to see all of the historical sights as well as the great museums and the zoo! Before we begin, we would like to thank the Visit Philadelphia Tourism Center, especially Chelsea, for all their assistance in helping us plan out our visit!

Philadelphia was a little far for us to get to, so after we weighed our options of flying and driving, we realized there was another option we hadn't thought of...Amtrak! We decided to take the train, which was cheaper than flying, and faster than driving! Amtrak was great: they were on time, clean, friendly, and overall a great experience! The best part was we got to take water bottles, and lots of snacks with us! By taking the train we were able to see 30th Street Station, which was a great way to start our visit to the city. Once we got to Philadelphia, we took an Uber to our first stop which was the Philadelphia Zoo. We had brought a friend with us who had never used Uber before, so we ended up getting this ride for free.

When we got to the zoo, we realized that we actually entered at the back entrance, so it wasn't as large or extravagant as we thought it was going to be, but we are sure the front entrance was great. As we walked in, we got to see rhinos, hippos, cheetahs, lions, giraffes...the list just keeps going on! We saw so many amazing animals! There was an admission fee, so if you have a large group then this place might not be for you. We went early on a Saturday morning, so we thought the crowd wasn't  going to be too bad, but it turned out a 5K race had just happened at the zoo before hand so it was crowded. With this, just be sure to really plan out your trip to this zoo, as when it is crowded it can be difficult to see the animals. All the exhibits were very well cared for though, and all the people working there were extremely friendly.

After the zoo, we walked to the main city of Philadelphia(as the zoo is not in the main part), especially the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In hindsight, it might be better to take an Uber or a cab for this as the walk ended up being a little long. Once we made it though, we took in a moment to admire the views of both the tall buildings and river.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art

After we took a small break for pictures, we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Once again, there is an admission fee here, but if you are really an art lover, maybe you could do this instead of the zoo. As a heads up, you cannot carry around large bags with you, and you have put them in bag check. The museum was gorgeous on the inside though, and there is so much to see! We were able to see the more famous pieces like the Van Gogh and Monet. We also took time to see the medieval art exhibit, that features many religious paintings. One of the cool parts was inside this exhibit they had built a church courtyard that was elegant and peaceful.

                                 The Van Gough 

The Monet Works

After we finished walking around the art museum, we walked outside and got to see an amazing view of the city of Philadelphia! We were able to really get a grasp of Philadelphia, plus we got to see the Rocky Statue! This was cool to see, and all we could think about was running up the stairs to Eye of the Tiger!

                                                

After we took in the views, we realized how hungry we really were. We went to Pizzeria Vetri and had some pizza and salad. This cozy restaurant had some great pizza and was a cool place to sit and take a small break. If you sit by the window, you have a great view to people watch.

Having the pizza was just the meal we needed to keep us going for the rest of the day! Next we made our way to the Benjamin Franklin Institute. This science museum is great for the whole family! They have lots of exhibits where you can learn about technology, the heart, how science is involved with sports, and many others. Also with the price of admission you get access to the planetarium! We wish we had time to take in a show at the planetarium, but unfortunately we were not able too.

The Franklin Institute was a nice spot to go to, but now it was time for us to see some of the historical sights! We took advantage of the Philly Phlash, a tourist bus that lets you ride for $2 a ride to lots of the tourist sights in Philadelphia. We took the bus to the Liberty Bell. There was a small line to get in, but the Bell is free. It was really cool to see this part of American history!

Next we went to the Independence Hall. Now online we saw that you had to get tickets to go in, they were free, but we made a slight mistake in our timing. We got to Independence Hall too late, and they were out of free tickets, so we were not able to go in. Learn from our mistake! Go to Independence Hall first, and get your tickets to come back. You are able to see the outside of the building and walk around the small court yard there which was still pretty.

When we realized our mistake, and noticed that we still had lots of time for our day we decided to get on one of the hop on tour buses and made our way to Betsy Ross' House. We got to take in the history of this house, and learn about how she came up with the original flag. Did you know she wanted to put six pointed stars on the flag, but Benjamin Franklin suggested five pointed ones because it would be easier to make?

After the house we got back on the bus and took a tour around Philadelphia. This was a great way to sit back and take in the city! We got to see the Mint, see the museums from a different angle, and just see Philly in a relaxed setting. The tour guides on the bus were very friendly, and told you fun facts about the buildings as we passed them. Be sure if you do this near the end of your day to bring water with you.

Our last big thing to see in Philly was going to the Observation Deck and getting to look out over the city. You could see all the buildings and all the history! We got some amazing pictures, and they had a nice gift store we got to walk around. They offer military discounts here too, which was nice. Before you go up the elevator they do take a fun souvenir picture of you that you can buy at the end if you wish. The views were great and this was a fantastic way to end our time in Philly.

The only other big thing we wish we could have seen was Reading Market. Unfortunately we just got to pass it while on the bus, so we will have to go back some time. We ended up just grabbing dinner in 30th Street Station, as we wanted to make sure we were back in time for the train. We had Au Bon Pain and Cosi. Both were delicious, and great options for us to fill up on before we made our way back home.

Below is a map of the sights we went to and some of the sights we wish we could have seen. The points in red are places we went, and the ones in green are places we wish we had gotten to spend more time at.
What did we miss in Philadelphia that you would have done? Be sure to tell us in the comments below! If you want to see more pictures of our Philadelphia adventure check out our Instagram and Twitter! Looking ahead we have trips to Key West, Orlando, Lincoln, NE and Mystic, CT planned so be on the look out for those! We are also in the process of finding flights for Savannah, GA, Chicago, and Nashville by using Sky Scanner! Our summer ahead is busy and full of trips, so get ready! Thanks for the brotherly love Philadelphia!

Blue skies,

Kat & Elle
#americainaday