ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS

Happy Friday!  I hope you are all having a great day.  I am at the dentist having my tooth extracted.  At least I hope so.  I just want this all over with.  I have opted for general anesthesia since I am so terrified of having it pulled.

So since I know I am not up to posting, I asked you for your questions.  Here's what I got.

Kathie asked if I had always lived in a big city.  Yes, Kathie, I have.  I was born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia.  I am truly a product of the city and I can't imagine living anywhere else.  I enjoy going to Lancaster County and living in the country for a few days, but I don't know if I could handle not having stores within walking distance where you don't need to get into your car.  And my doctor's office is just three blocks away.  The pharmacy is five blocks away.  And there are tons of convenience stores around, the closest a block and a half -- across the street from a Chinese restaurant that we use quite a bit.

I do wish there were more land around my house.  I live in a row house where we are all squished together.  I grew up in a twin house.  Some places they are called a duplex but a duplex to us is a house with two apartments.  Funny how words mean different things in different parts of the country.  The home I grew up in had a huge yard.  I miss having all that room, but I certainly don't miss doing all the yard work.

As for Philadelphia being a historic city, that is the joy of living here.  Growing up here I tend to take a lot of it for granted.  The summer before I began first grade my grandmother took my sister and I downtown to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.  At that time the Liberty Bell was housed in the hallway of Independence Hall and you could touch it.  So I was able to run my little hand inside of the crack and see it up close.  These days because of the crazy man who tried to destroy it, the bell is in its own housing a block from the hall and is surrounded by cords and guards to prevent anyone from getting near to it.  What a shame that you can't touch it anymore.

I've also been to most of the museums in Philly and even worked in one for 8 years -- the Academy of Natural Sciences.  My first job was working for an insurance company in Olde City and on my lunch breaks I would go to the free historic sites and hang out.  Maybe all of this is what made me become a history major in college!

Philadelphia

Verdi asked what is my favorite place that I have visited.  I think that would have to be San Francisco.  I was so scared taking my first airplane flight and it was across the country, but it was such a beautiful place to visit that it was worth it.  I loved walking all over the place.  I loved riding the cable car.  I loved Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square and Chinatown.  I stayed in a hotel where the view out of my window was the Transamerica Pyramid.  I loved walking the streets of center city and even going into stores and buying clothes.  I had to because I brought winter clothes with me and they were having a heat wave!


San Francisco

But saying all of that, my two week tour of the south one summer is a close second.  My then boyfriend and I took a tour traveling from Philadelphia to Maryland to Richmond, Virginia, to Charleston, South Carolina to Savannah, Georgia and ended up in St. Augustine, Florida.  Wow!  Each place was better than the one before.  And on the way back we visited Columbia, Georgia and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  The south is beautiful.  The only problem was I couldn't understand the people waiting on me in the restaurants and they couldn't understand my Philly accent.  My boyfriend had to interpret for me!




Charleston, South Carolina

I also love New England.  Connecticut is my favorite New England state.  Well, let's face it, Verdi, I like just about everywhere I've traveled.



Connecticut

Thanks for your questions.  I will probably take the weekend off but I'll be back next week with another post.

Kathy