Meeting #3: Beyond Book Club Pharyland (Philadelphia and Maryland)
June 16, 2016 – June 19, 2016

The third book club meeting was a two part adventure, split between Philadelphia and the Eastern Shore of the Sassafras River in Maryland. Between the birthplace of American democracy and the verdant natural landscape of the mid Atlantic, the setting for this weekend was as varied as the books that were read. In Philadelphia, Max Goodman served as host, bringing the men of BBC into his home for one last time before he moved from Philadelphia to New York City (and before his bar studying kicked into a scarily high gear). Near Kennedyville, Maryland, Holden Warriner welcomed BBC to his family home on the Sassafras River, for outdoor activities and aquatic fun.

The weekend in Philadelphia kicked off with entirely too much Mexican food, including a 2 foot quesadilla that should be served in a trough,and was followed with some patriotic USMNT viewing. On Friday, the day kicked off with a rousing 4 mile run to and from the front steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, made famous as the ‘Rocky steps’ from the infamous Rocky training montage.

This was followed by some very necessary Cheesesteaks, because sampling local delicacies is an important part of book club get togethers. The day was rounded off with dinner at a classic Philadelphia family owned Italian BYO restaurant. The Philly portion of the weekend was capped off with a visit to one of Philadelphia’s finest outdoor nightlife spots.

On Saturday, the group drove south to Maryland, for the second half of the book club weekend. The Maryland portion of the weekend consisted of all of the greatest hits of outdoor summer and water based fun.

Fishing, paddle boarding, Wiffle Ball (of a very competitive variety), many guitar sing-alongs, jet skis, and most importantly, boat rides across the bay together. The first book discussion, concerning Devil In the White City by Erik Larson. The second discussion was held over a classic Maryland feast of old bay boiled crabs, and concerned the second book, the international bestseller The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami.