(Crefeld Glass Studio, Wissahickon Valley Park)
February 18, 2023
Zsa’s Ice Cream, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
As we walked up to Zsa’s Ice Cream we were initially confused- there was a note that said ‘please head to our rear patio to order’. We were not sure where the rear patio was and it was a chilly day and our hopes of sitting in a warm shop were quashed.
When we arrived at the back of the shop, there was an interesting menu to the right of a opening heavily plated with plexiglass. The ice cream flavors were really fun and unique – I wanted to try them all. Behind the plexiglass was a very nice server who described the interesting flavors to us. Lemon Buttermilk was like a sorbet but creamy with plenty of tartness. Cookie Butter was her favorite, so I had to try that as well. Don had Black Magic (black magic chocolatey cake in coffee ice cream) and Sweet Cream Vanilla Bean. Our server said the ice cream was made from scratch at another location – from the base on up, which gave it its great unique taste.
We ordered our ice cream and picked it up at a window at the side of of the shop and went to the car to eat it.
When we tasted the ice cream – we were amazed – this ice cream was really good and the serving size was generous. The server’s descriptions were right on. The lemon buttermilk ice cream was one of the best I have ever had – the tartness from the lemon in a sweet, smooth ice cream was just perfect. The cookie butter was equally awesome. It would be fun to come back on a warmer day to try more flavors.
In the area: Wissahickon Valley Park – in the 1800s Wissahickon Creek was home to several mills, and a road was built to get between the them. With the advent of automobiles, there were proposals to open this road to motor vehicle traffic. Fortunately it was kept forbidden to cars. – hence the name “Forbidden Road”. Today it is a scenic hardpacked walking trail with the Wissahickon Creek on one side, hills on the other – and no automobiles. Lots of folks were out enjoying it today.
Crefeld Glassblowing Studio – Flameworking Class – The Crefeld school is a private middle/high school with many class offerings usually not taught at traditional schools. We saw a chicken coop and gardens outside, and there was a glass working studio inside that included glass blowing, flame working and other things. On weekends they open their glass studio to adult learners like us. Our instructor first taught us how to make relatively easy teardrop pendants (which I actually found a bit challenging) and then moved us into more challenging colored pendants. This class was well run, fun and educational. I wish I went to this kind of high school! I highly recommend this experience if you are visiting Philadelphia – sign up on-line, no walk-ins allowed.
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