so long sucka

by way of pure coincidence, in the last week i finished watching 'band of brothers', a fictional miniseries about ww1 from the american perspective, 'birdsong', a fictional miniseries about ww1 from the british perspective, and i finished reading 'fall of giants' a fictional novel about ww1 from the american, british, and german perspectives.

as a result, i've been thinking a lot about service to and sacrifice for one's country. add to that my work trip to philadelphia, and i think we have a bonafide theme.

that being said, philadelphia remains one of my all-time least favorite cities.  and one of the very few in which i feel genuinely unsafe. but, as always, my co-workers and i attempted to make the best of it!

we enjoyed an amazing array of chocolate confections and other (less chocolatey) menu items, and i even picked up a souvenir (which i very rarely do). these porcelain milkshake glasses just spoke to me!

and of course, we took advantage of the history and made a stop at the liberty bell and national park. it reminded me, once again, of the great men and women who have served and sacrificed. some in uniforms, some with speeches or signatures.  service to one's country takes many forms, not all of which i agree with,.  but i have enormous respect and reverence for those who set about trying to make our country and world a better one.

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.