We have had such a great time here in Philadelphia. I have a few observations that I want to share:

1. I was totally surprised at the number of homes here in town that still have their Christmas decorations. There were lots...not just 1-2, but more like 10+ homes that had lights still and they were lit. PSSST... y'all, it's gonna be March tomorrow.

2. Speaking of y'all, we actually had someone ask us, "Where are yous from?" I almost swallowed my gum when I heard that, except that I wasn't chewing any.

3. I ate the first Philly Cheese Steak of my life at Talk of the Town, a local hole in the wall. I did not know that folks had such convictions about them. The debate centers around the cheese. There are basically three camps: the American Camp, the Provolone camp, and the Whiz camp. We had Provolone because we had heard that we did not want anyone to "Whiz" on our sandwich.

4. I need to brush up on my American History. This trip certainly gave me a boost, but there are tons of things that I have forgotten. I was trying to tell my boys about what I had learned but they were underwhelmed since it was not new to them. I guess they have learned a lot from Liberty Kids.... maybe I need to tune in with them! Here I am at Independence Hall in the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed:


5. Martha Washington was a great cook! I had her Turkey Pot Pie today at City Tavern today and saw one of George Washington's favorite places to hold secret meetings. They even painted the room George's favorite color. Here it is below:

6. Everyone has a little Rocky Balboa inside that has to come out on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. You feel a deep need to jog the stairs, humming "Eye of the Tiger", and raise your arms in victory once you reach the top. Now in my case, my hands were raised because I was glad that I made it to the top alive and I was trying to get as much oxygen to my lungs as quickly as possible. Not really, but I did count that run and the run to get back onto our to bus as my cardio for the day.

I just had to reach out and grab that Eye of the Tiger!!