Philly

In November we traveled to Philadelphia for the annual National Council of Teachers of English conference where Susie would be presenting at a roundtable discussion. Our trip was a mix of business and pleasure, though, and we chose to spend our first morning in Philly at the Please Touch Museum.

The Pigeon got to drive the bus and try on the look of Lady Liberty. It suits him don't you think?

He and mama got to drive the car, stop, gas it up, check the air in the tires, and them drive it some more.

Then he did some shopping for us. Interestingly enough, he filled his cart with veggies he'd never eat in real life.

After the store our little man took to the sea, captaining his own ship that actually rocked up and down on the "waves." He used his very best pirate voice to say "Argh!"

Susie did the conference thing that afternoon, but that night we went out to dinner with friends from ISU. We had tapas style Japanese food that was just fantastic. Then we all went out for coffee, dessert, and a little more time together. Jackson in particular basked in all the extra attention from people he doesn't get to see nearly enough, like his favorite professor, Jan.

It was also fun for the mommies to get to see such good friends from college, and we all posed for a group photo. Claire, Suz, Lori, Rach, Big Papi, Jan and Jackie made for quite a good shot, one that we'll cherish for a long time.

The next morning was spent with Susie at the conference. Then we headed off for a few more quick sight-seeing detours before heading home. Jackson was happy to be along for the ride while we explored the cradle of our nation.

We made a bee line for the Liberty Bell Center, where we explained to Jackson we were going to see a big bell that was cracked a long time ago. He thought that was just dandy.

We didn't really have time to explore the center or to read all of the info about the bell. We went right to the bell. It wasn't much to look at, just a big cracked bell, but it the history was thick in the room, and that's why we were there. It was cool to see a national landmark.

We then we passed by Constituation Hall on our way back to the subway. There was just too much history there to skim over, so we decided to save that for another trip.

We were back in the car before we knew it, but now that we know how close Philly is (only a 6 hour drive) and how many awesome things there are to do, see, and eat there, we'll certainly be going back again!