Several years ago, when we took a vacation to the Canadian Maritimes, we had to cut Cape Breton off our schedule in Nova Scotia due to time constraints. We decided that Cape Breton deserved an entire trip to see it all, especially the Cabot Trail. This is that trip. In July and August 2019, it was the last major vacation we took before COVID curtailed our travel. Other than a short time in Halifax since that’s where we flew in and out of, we spent the vast majority of our time in cape Breton. It’s such a fascinating place. You almost feel as though you’re no longer in Canada. We experienced Gaelic, Acadian and Mi’kmaq cultures both by visiting museums/cultural centers and by talking to some locals. We also learned a lot about Alexander Graham Bell that isn’t taught in the US such as his huge impact on aviation.
The food in the Maritimes is always incredible and we literally ate lobster every single day of the trip. Some days we had it more than once! It’s also rare that we go back to a city we’ve previously visited, so while we were in Halifax, we hit one of our favorite restaurants and stood in line for Cows Creamery ice cream.
The new observation deck at One Liberty Place has been open for a while now, but too often, you don’t think of going to tourist attractions near home. I finally spent a day heading to the top of the formerly tallest building in Philadelphia to check it out. I was pleasantly surprised. After lunch a little Belgian place in Center City, we went up once during the day and once after dark. The views were impressive and they do a nice job of interpreting all that you can see from the 57th floor. I even learned a few new facts despite living here all my life. We also checked out the ice rink at City Hall’s Dilworth Park which was a nice way to get into the holiday spirit.