Blogs from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North America

I am currently outside Philadelphia airport.... Why am I here? I turned up at the airport at 8am for my 9.30am connection flight to Newark for New Orleans. Then the flight was delayed first by 30 minutes, then by 45 minutes.... So I approached the front desk to ensure I would be able to catch my connecting flight. They assured me I would be flying within the hour.... Then the flight was delayed by an hour..... Then suddenly the flight was delayed by three hours, which then led to a queue as long as the passengers on the plane. As everybody has different connective flights. Then all the machines went down with the printers, it was then I knew this was not going to be my day... I was not surprised then when the words canceled ... read more

I officially attempted to assimilate into American culture today... I went to a baseball game. The Philadelphia phillies at the citizen bank park taking on the Chicago cubs. What a Phillie is I can't tell you, it is rather unimaginative but it is one of the oldest franchises in baseball and most importantly hasn't moved around with the frequency of most other American teams. It's history I appreciated, and it instantly made me like them that little bit more. The stadium seats over 40,000 fans, and it was quite a surreal experience. My 30 dollar ticket got me a seat in the nose bleed section, with no protection against the cold winds of an April evening. The first 5 innings passed with little aplomb mostly strikeouts and quick innings despite this it did pique my interest. ... read more

I am nearing the end of my stay with Kayla and Brown bear. And in commiseration or perhaps celebration, we went back into Philadelphia. To visit one of my favourite places. But first we travelled to south street. This street can only be described as eclectic, and wonderfully bohemian. It's a great street to just people watch, from antique shops selling cupboards of taxidermy to Rastafarian inspired tobacco shops. I couldn't help but think of both Gabi and Ruth, knowing they would love this street. There were also comic book and record stores, so my inner geek squealed in delight. Shockingly though there were a rather inordinate number of sex shops including Condom Kingdom..... I was surprised by the blatancy of it all, vibrators in shop windows, as well as other overt sexual items. The shop ... read more

Today we ventured to Camden Aquarium, surrounded by small children and for some reason the entire Jewish population of new jersey. My attention span lasted all of about 45 minutes there are only so many fish you can be awestruck over before you come to the conclusion they are still just fish. Though the penguins were pretty cute if not also completely stupid I was overwhelmed by the urge to push one of them over and watch them attempt to self right. Kayla told me that the penguins wouldn't have appreciated that even if she would also find it hilarious. I stroked a string ray who seemed to be enjoying human contact a little too much. After much persuading Kayla, my American mother, agreed to let me wander around Camden unaccompanied so I could see what ... read more

Hello!!! It's me, Julie. Welcome to my travel blog. In just a few hours I will be traveling to Argentina for a tango adventure! I am excited to get stamps in my renewed passport. After 10 days in Buenos Aires, I will continue on to New Orleans for Jazz Fest and the Oncology Nursing Society Congress. My next shift is May 7!!! Get me your address if you want postcards!... read more

Dropped off the compost in our garden. Said farewell to my beautiful foam flowers, vinca,coreopsis, bleeding hearts, gardenia, peonies, and daisies. Safely arrived to Philly International. Caused a heated discussion between security officers when I announced the score. "M-E-T-S! We got the series!" said Security. Found a seat at the bar, watched the third period of the fight between the penguins and the flyers. Saw a gaggle of EF travelers. Beautifully comfortable flight to Miami. Looking forward to basking in the moonlight!!!... read more

As I get older I seem to get more and more excited, no sick, when departure day rolls around. I have learned to take a happy pill the day we fly and not only does it keep me from needlessly worrying, but it also knocks me out on the plane. The only time I take my Alprazolam is when I fly. I need some stress to keep me going in the rest of my life. The worst part of every trip is having to take our four legged friends to their accomodations. They know the minute we bring down our suitcases that they are going to Doggie Camp. As they get older I feel worse each time about leaving them for days or even weeks while we're off having a great time. The one consolation is ... read more

1/3 of my traveling is over! I'm just sitting at the Philadelphia airport waiting for my next flight to board! So far the whole journey has been great! I barely had to wait for my flight to board in Dallas, and on the flight the seat next to me was the only empty one! I got all the room I needed for the 3 and a half hour flight. Now, I'm in Phili listening to the Beatles playing on the loud speakers! I've been listening to them the entire plane ride and probably will for the rest of the journey. I started the book "The Hunger Games" and am already half way through it after the last plane ride. Its a great book for traveling and seems like a really quick read. I have a great ... read more

“Quick hurry up take the photo I’m about to pull a back muscle” were the exact words I told Robert Parish as he stood behind me with my camera. I was looking down Benjamin Franklin Parkway with my arms reaching for the sky after completing the famous Rocky steps towards the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I felt a bit of a hypocrite really because to be honest I can’t remember sitting through an entire Rocky movie. Still this run is a must with a visit to Philadelphia. Between New York and DC it was a long time between visiting an American big city of the east coast so sightseeing I welcomed. Philly provides enough for a few days experience. The Liberty Bell can have a line up but at 430pm there’s virtually no one. The bell ... read more