Dollywood - Pigeon Forge was like a little Vegas, bright lights, souvenir shops and mini golf (where once again Claire reigned supreme) We spent a day and a half in Dollywood itself mostly listening to numerous country and bluegrass bands sing endless renditions of 'Rockytop', which Ron now sings at any opportunity (he knows all the words). Park highlights included a visit to Dolly's childhood home and museum and a ride on the Dollywood steam train. From Tenessee we headed into Virginia where we camped up for two nights in Shenandoah national park. We enjoyed a scenic hike and Ron tried [View Full Entry]

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So... I think I failed to mention some things in the last entry. And things have been happening... So here is an update :) On my first day (this is OLD news, haha) I was pulled into Lori (the "Boss")'s office. It was the first day so I was fairly certain I hadn't screwed up yet. Well, what happened was by far the coolest thing that has happened to me so far. On my first day, within a few hours, I was OFFERED A JOB! She told me that since her and Beth are both pregnant, they'll be hiring someone to [View Full Entry]

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I made it! Here I am in Philly, at my hotel with free internet! BONUS! Flight from Toronto was great - on time, got my luggage right away, and found the hotel shuttle, which came within 5 minutes. Then... drama ensued. As I went to check in at the front desk of the hotel, I noticed two other people with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) letters like mine. The receptionist was dealing with someone on the phone and they all looked confused. I spoke up, saying I was with NCL too and then found out that they had us in reservation a [View Full Entry]

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So, three weeks later I finally have the internet at home, so hopefully I can keep in touch a little better via email, this blog and all of that stuff. I moved into this place almost a month ago, which is hard to believe. I am living in a HUGE house in Philadelphia on Overbrook (cough cough:: Will Smith went to Overbrook High School::: cough cough) So that's my claim to fame, haha. I live in his neighborhood. The lady I live with is very friendly. She's nice and accommodating. I also live with two other athletic training interns from Ireland [View Full Entry]

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Den heutigen Tag haben wir in Philadelphia verbracht. Nachdem wir dort unser Auto einer Parkgarage anvertraut hatten, haben wir uns erstmal zu Fuß auf den Weg gemacht, naja eigentlich sind wir so ziemlich alles zu Fuß gegangen. Am Vormittag haben wir uns vor allem im Historischen Viertel Phillys aufgehalten, wo wir uns auf die Spuren der amerikanischen Geschichte begeben haben. Da der Regierung scheinbar sehr viel daran liegt, dass alle Welt erfährt, wie es zur Unabhängigkeit (Independence) Amerikas gekommen ist, waren ein Großteil der Monumente gratis zu besichtigen. Auf der sogenannten Indep [View Full Entry]

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Den heutigen Vormittag haben wir mit Shoppen verbracht. Zuerst im City Outlet in Atlantic City, danach in einer Mall, etwa 30 min. von Atlantic City entfernt, auf unserem Weg nach Philadelphia. Gerade rechtzeitig zum 2-days-sale at Macy’s. Zusätzlich zu den ohnehin schon günstigen Sale-Preisen noch den für uns Europäer relativ günstigen Dollar-Kurs eingerechnet, kann man schon richtige Schnäppchen ergattern. Unser Days Inn Hotel in Philadelphia liegt in Brooklawn etwas außerhalb (ca. 15 min.) der Stadt, ist aber dafür mit Swimmingpool und sonstigem Schnick-Schnack ausgestattet. Der he [View Full Entry]

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After visiting Washington DC and taking a short break in Baltimore, we entered Philadelphia. We booked a room at a neat, old French mansion located in Fairmont Park called Chamounix Mansion. The building was originally built in 1799 and was furnished with pieces from the period. We explored the historic downtown and loved the narrow, cobblestone streets and old brick houses. This was one of the most comfortable cities we've visited. The city hall building was breathtaking, easily the most elegant in our nation. Of course we also tried philly-cheese-steaks and saw the liberty bell. We also ate [View Full Entry]

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Well A full day at Niagra started early. It is a little tacky but the view is magnificant. We think we saw an otter tucking into a fish breafast above the falls. At 11 we went to queue for the maid of the mist. Minutes later we were a few feet away from the falls and being gently soaked. The water was strangely warm but we were very close. the sound was amazing and we could see the sun glistening off the top of the falls. In the evening off to see a floor show 'O Canada eh' We laughed ourselves [View Full Entry]

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My time in Philadelphia is at an end. My cubicle is cleaned out, I presented my 7 weeks worth of work to my boss, recycled a ton of papers, and said goodbye to my coworkers. It was a good learning experience, and I made some friends that I hope to keep in touch with. Yesterday I made the decision to have a day out in Philly instead of spending it in my cube. The other interns were out in the field, so I took the train in and had a "culture" day. I took a bus out of suburban station and [View Full Entry]

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Today I checked another item off of my list of things to experience: sushi! I went out for lunch with one of the other EPA interns, my friend Mia. We hiked across Philly to go out for real sushi, but our intended lunch spot was closed. We finally found another place...a tiny sushi bar that was actually run by the owner. This place only seated 8, so we had to wait for our turn at the bar. Mia, my sushi guide, ordered us a great assortment so that I could taste bunch of stuff. Raw fish. Hummm...after ordering we realized that [View Full Entry]

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