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Last weekend my husband and I escaped the kids for a quick getaway to Philadelphia.  Every year the Philadelphia Auto Show holds a black tie charity event called “Black Tie Tailgate” that takes place on the floor of the auto show.  I’ve always wanted to attend but for some reason or another we could never go.  This year the stars and moon aligned and I locked in our tickets to go. 

My husband’s best friend Russell is also a bit of a car fanatic so we invited him and his wife to join us.  Russell is also on top of what is hot and cool and happening so we knew he would have some great recommendations on where to stay and eat and things to do while we were in town. 

The tailgate takes place the Friday night before the auto show opens to the public.  So after Q Check and a few meetings I left straight from the QVC studios and met up with my husband and friends at our hotel.  Thank goodness I was hair and make-up ready because I got caught in a major traffic jam that turned what should have been a 35 minute ride into 2 HOURS!!!!  I was tired, annoyed and hungry by the time I arrived but it’s funny how being around loved ones can turn your whole mood around.  My husband was waiting at the door of the hotel when I walked in and instantly everything was better.  I hustled into my gown, touched up my hair and make-up and we were out the door. 

The event had food and bar stations from award winning chef Jose Garces set up all around the show and the first order of business was to eat.  And eat, and eat.  After food we enjoyed checking out all the new rides and fantasizing about what we would love to own. My top picks were the Bentley Continental GT and the Maserati Quattro Porte. 

I will probably never own one but it was fun to see them up close and take a few photos.  Jeep had an off roading exhibit set up that took you on an exciting adventure ride that was pretty cool. 

We had a great time overall and wound up staying until the very end.  We were enjoying ourselves so much that we didn’t want the night to end so we returned to our hotel and hung out in the lobby bar until closing.  By then the munchies set in and we decided to order room service and catch up on the episode of Scandal we missed earlier that week (OMG!  that episode was CRAZY!!!).  It was a fun night and although I was burning the candle at both ends it was exactly what I needed.

We rounded out the weekend with a trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, brunch at the Four Seasons, dinner at an amazing restaurant called R2L and of course a cheesesteak. 

Philadelphians take their cheesesteaks very seriously.  Everyone has their favorite and I’ve decided that I will try to taste them all.  This trip we gave Jim’s South Street a try.  The line was out the door when we arrived and we waited about 20 minutes to get to the front.  The classic way to order a cheesesteak is “whiz wit”-Cheese Whiz ‘wit’ onions.  I prefer provolone with onions, lettuce, tomato and lots of mayo and mustard.  By the time we sat down with our subs the cheese was nice and melted and the sliced ribeye was still steaming.  I will say it was well worth the 20 minute wait! 

With two kids we may not get out as often as we would like but best believe we will make the most of it when we do!

Check back every week for a new blog from me.   Next week I reveal some of my all-time favorite QVC products.  Talk to you soon!