Attending Mid-Autumn Festival in Philadelphia Chinatown
While scrolling through Facebook, the Mid-Autumn Festival information popped up on my feed. Upon checking, it was in Chinatown in Philadelphia, about an hour from me. I have an Indonesian restaurant in town that I like, so I thought that would be a great afternoon outing after lunch!
I don't often go into town because the parking situation often intimidates me. Also, compared to living in the countryside and parking my car easily wherever I go, parking in the city became challenging as I was unfamiliar with the parking system and arrangements in Philadelphia.
After a great lunch satisfying my stomach, I headed to Chinatown and attempted to avoid city traffic. Even though the traffic was hectic, the area wasn't big, so I found a paid parking lot nearby Chinatown.
The event was more crowded than I anticipated. Since I am a stay-at-home nerd, I rarely run into a big Asian community in a single outing. Nevertheless, there was a stage for various performances, and chairs were lined up for passionate audiences. Walking around, I discovered more fun activities and games they had set up along the road. My favorite was the Chinese calligraphy booth. It reminded me of my childhood when I was practicing it weekly. The games were traditional and relatively simple, but people seemed to enjoy the experience, which could be very different from day-to-day life.
Overall, it was an excellent opportunity to experience the unique Chinese traditions and also notice some great restaurants in Chinatown. I came home with sweet bubble tea and some tasty handmade mooncakes. I call this a sweet, sweet day!
