in west philadelphia

a strong contender for one of my all-time least favorite cities, i'm in philly for a couple of days. with a late arrival last night and a booth set-up this morning, i haven't had much time to wander...nor would i without my male colleagues. but after talking to jami last night, i learned that reading (pronounced - redding) market is just around the corner.

akin to pike place (seattle),north market (columbus), union station underground (dc), a diverse and numerous bunch of counter restaurants are clustered together for a culinary treat. since room service was no longer running when i got in last night, my dinner consisted of microwaved beefaroni from the wawa across the street. needless to say, i was grateful for reading market and it's close proximity!

as a sidenote, did you know that most of the game monopoly is based on philadelphia? always happy to learn something new, i also learned that people often carry two wallets here... a real one and a fake one, for when someone inevitably tries to hold you up. now perhaps you'll understand why there is no love lost for this city. it's one of the only cities i've visited that actually feels dangerous.

fortunately my travel companions, all male, arrive today.