Hello there, strangers. Long time no talk. Or type. Or tweet. See, I’ve been working on a most-important mission.  That mission involves establishing one of the most basic of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: SHELTER!  Some of you may know that, starting this fall, I’ll be starting at UPenn’s Public Health program in the fall and, while the idea of commuting from the shore house is great in theory, I recognize that, in practice, it’d get ridiculous pretty fast.  Enter: the apartment hunt.

In my opinion, one of the more miserable experiences of life, the apartment hunt is a necessary evil.  This meant that the past few weeks have been spent scouring Craigslist, poring over real estate agent’s websites, and scampering all over Philadelphia trying to find a home.  Fingers crossed that my last application went through…  but goodness, what an adventure.  And that is now the subject of this week’s Six Pack Sunday.

1. Home: It’s Where I Want to Be

Honestly, why WOULDN’T I want to live here?

2. Bubble Break

All that scouring can make a girl frustrated, irritated, and in need of a break.  So I took one.

Luckily, I met some new friends.

More on that later.

3. What on EARTH?!?!

Stop the presses.

You read that right.

Cowboy Monkey Rodeo.

Monkeys that ride on dogs. Rodeo style… At baseball stadiums.

Your guess is as good as mine.

4. Independence is Bliss

Philly’s got a bevy of public transportation options courtesy of everyone’s favorite frenemies, SEPTA.

And, when you have to take ALL Of them in one day, this is your best bet:

The Independence Pass is great for unlimited travel on the SEPTA buses, trains, subway, and trolleys.  Headed to Philly for a jam-packed day trip? Invest in one of these! $11 gets you ALL over the city. I know this because (mostly on accident) I went ALL over that city (I’m still trying to figure out Express trains vs. Local trains, oops.)

Worth it.

5. NC Beer Repping in Philly

As if to remind me that, Yes, I have ONE more trip back down to NC before I’m officially moved out, guess what made an appearance on a tap lineup in Philadelphia?

My beloved Duck Rabbit showed up as a featured beer at Los Caballitos Cantina and I was tickled! That being said, since it was lunchtime and I was already treated to a tasty 20 oz brew by a buddy, I figured I shouldn’t indulge in another lest I miss any apartment viewings!  Better safe (and semi-sober) than sorry.

6. Celebration (Hopefully!!)

Many hours after we started…. I think we may have one.

We celebrated, regardless.

When faced with the opportunity to enjoy the pop-up Beer Garden at the 30th Street Station Porch, how could I say no?

I think I’m gonna like it here….