Greetings from Philly...

Greetings from sweltering Philadelphia, PA. Arrived this morning, a day before my conference workshops begin. This was an unexpected trip, but one I'm grateful for nonetheless. I've never been to Philly before. First impressions? It's a weird one, but I can't help but notice how many smokers there are! I've been walking around most of the afternoon and have had a hard time avoiding breathing in second-hand smoke. Bizarre. And no cool public toilets like they have in Boston.

My second first impression :-) is the architecture. Wow! So many phenomenal buildings... No wonder I feel light-headed: I've spent most of the afternoon looking up! Or maybe it's a simple case of dehydration.

Went to see the Liberty Bell. Not too sure what all the fuss is about. It's a bell - and it's cracked t'boot. The security to get in to see the Bell was incredible... it rivalled Parliament! I suppose it's because it's the same entrance way as Independance Hall, where the Declaration of Independance was signed. In any case, I've been in Philly for less than 6 hours and I've seen the Liberty Bell and the LOVE sculpture in JFK park. You know, the one with the LO on top, and the VE on the bottom? Pretty cool.

Time to go and cool off now. Did I mention it was sweltering in Philadelphia?!