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It is time to check off Delaware. Most of my flights for the 50 States Challenge have been on Southwest. However, Delaware is not on their route. I flew to Philadelphia on Southwest and took Amtrak to Wilmington, Delaware. I now have two states to go: Vermont and West Virginia.
Because I have not been to Philadelphia in years, I wanted to hang out for at least one day. Of course, I found an inexpensive roundtrip nonstop flight on Southwest for $97. If you are flexible, try to look for flights at the beginning of the week instead of traveling on a Friday or Saturday. For this flight, I traveled early Sunday morning and returned Tuesday evening. It is time to check off Delaware.
Although I saved money on the flight, I also wanted to save on accommodations without depleting my Hilton Honors points and giving up comfort. My stay at Motto was $144, and I used 20,000 points plus $102 for my stay at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Downtown Wilmington. I will earn 12 points per dollar spent as a Hilton Honors Surpass credit card holder. What is your hotel rewards credit card?
For this trip, I wanted to try Motto. Although the brand seeks to attract cost-conscious guests for a micro-hotel experience, I was impressed. I like the community concept. The brand provides spaces to hang out. It was only 11:00AM, but the Front Desk Clerk had a room for me on the 10th floor. The room was smaller than I expected, but the modern accommodations met my needs for a one-night stay. I slept well, but it gets pretty noisy around 8:30AM. The Italian Air Force jets were also flying around near the hotel.
The rooftop restaurant offers stunning views, and the food is delicious. I strongly recommend the pork rinds. They are so fresh you can hear them crackling. The braised beef tacos were flavorful, and the tortillas were homemade. Instead of a Food & Beverage Credit for Diamond Members, I received a gift card via email for $15. I noticed most of the patrons were not hotel guests.
Of course, I found a T.J. Maxx and H&M in the area. I also stopped by the Nike Factory. Before I left Philadelphia, I purchased a Philly Cheesesteak from Cleavers. When I made it to Wilmington, the sandwich was still warm. The ribeye beef was tender, and the white American cheese melted perfectly. I hardly tasted the onions, and the banana peppers blended evenly throughout the sandwich. Cleavers is around the corner from Motto. Oh, two people could have shared the Philly cheesesteak.
I walked to the Amtrak station from Motto and purchased a roundtrip ticket for $59. Wilmington is a 20-minute ride, and the DoubleTree was an uphill walk from the station. The Front Desk Clerk recognized me as a Diamond member. He handed me two cookies, explained the $15 Food & Beverage Credit, and assigned me to a room on the same floor as the Executive Lounge. I enjoyed a beer, cheese, fruit, chicken nuggets from 5:00-7:00PM and the $15 breakfast buffet at the Metro Cafe. Although shuttle service is available from the Amtrak station, it was the driver’s day off. Even though the hotel is in Downtown Wilmington, it was pretty quiet. I walked around the immediate area but turned around several times for safety reasons.
There are several ways to leave Philly and travel to Wilmington. You will choose your mode of transportation based on your starting point and how much money you want to spend. Keep in mind your travel times.
I visited two states. More importantly, I checked off one more state in the 50 States Challenge. I could have saved a few dollars using SEPTA instead of Amtrak. In addition, my train arrived late due to police activity on the tracks. I could have saved more money if I had gone to the Centurion Lounge instead of stopping at Vino Volo. It was a tight timeline. My flight left from Terminal E, but the lounge is in Terminal A. By the way, Amtrak added 250 points to my account. Sign up for all travel rewards programs.
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