Saturday, October 30, 2010

What I loved about Philly

Things I loved about Philadelphia:


#7 - Alone time

A lot of people asked me what I was going to do all day while Eric was in meetings. I basically said "oh, don't worry about me." Sit me in a dark corner all by myself in complete silence and I would be happy. I'm pretty good at entertaining myself these days.  I crave being alone.  I read a few books, did some shopping, hung out at Borders with books and my laptop, spent some time alone with my thoughts and the Lord praying about life....pure bliss.

#6 - A Renewed Romance


This was as close as I could come to a "romantic" picture...my husband wasn't so cooperative taking pictures

#5 - The opportunities



The minute to win it auditions were in our hotel!  I was so excited but by the time we got a chance to go the room was totally cleared out...not even one person to beg for an audition.  No 15 minutes of fame this time.

#4 - The Shopping


H & M is my favorite store to shop while in the big city
Bought a pair of painted on skinny jeans...never say never.
More on fashion in Philly later...


#3 - The History


Took a walking tour around the city - love the outfits!

Couldn't help but think my dad would have totally loved to do this! We got to see where the Declaration of Independence was signed and where Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Betsy Ross lived. And lots of cool things in between that my inner nerd enjoyed! 

#2 - Bruce Jenner




We got to hear a motivational speech by Bruce Jenner as part of the conference.  After he won the decathlon in the 1976 Olympics, he became known as the world's greatest athlete. I have to admit I didn't know who he was until a couple of years ago when I was watching Keeping up with the Kardashians at home and my dad walked by and said "hey that's Bruce Jenner!" I was a little skeptical coming in because when it came to Bruce all I had to go off of was Keeping up with the Kardashians. In what I've seen of that show, he is steamrolled - to say the least - by his wife and daughters, kind of leaving him as this fragment of a man. A man who is given no respect and is left out of major family decisions. 

But from the moment he opened his mouth I was captivated. He gave an account of his track career leading up to the Olympics and used this quote as the basis for his entire speech:

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." 
~ Theodore Roosevelt 

His work ethic and sheer determination to succeed was mind blowing. I found myself wondering if his wife and daughters have ever heard him speak. I'd venture to say that there wasn't 1 person in the room full of 500 that didn't leave that place feeling the utmost respect for Bruce Jenner and what he's accomplished in his life.

We were supposed to apply this determination to the business of Pharmacy :).


#1 - Why....the Philly cheese steak of course!



This was the place to go to get the best Philly cheese steak ever.  We waited in line an hour but it was oh so worth it. One of my sister's friends used to live in Philadelphia and he said to say "wit" when we went in to Jim's. When I questioned what exactly "wit" meant. He said they are going to ask if you want your Philly "wit or witout" cheez whiz so be sure to say "wit."  I said "wit"..... and now you know the secret to the best Philly cheese steak in town!



1 comment:

KeithK said...

Hi Amber's sister,

Sorry I don't know your name, but I enjoyed reading your blog (I'm the Philly guy that provided you with the "wit" response). Some thoughts on your blog:

- Glad you enjoyed Jim's Steaks. People will tell you Pat's or Geno's is the best, but they are misguided fools. Mama's in the Manayunk section of town rocks too.
- Good "fish out of water" theme while you were downtown. Btw, you cannot give your money to the homeless. Heartbreaking to be sure, but most certainly the funds will be used for nefarious means. When I ran track in college, my coach took me and a few teammates downtown one night to hand out bag lunches to the homeless. Felt good and they seemed to appreciate it.
- What the heck are you doing going to the Hard Rock to eat? There are a TON of great places to eat in Philly and the HR ain't one of `em. Killer steaks, seafood and asian fusion are readily available. If you ever go back I'd be happy to steer you in the right direction.
- How on Earth do you not know who Bruce Jenner was? Granted I'm a bit older, but the dude is an american icon! He does look a little freaky now though - a few too many faclifts perhaps?
- Fashion isn't really my thing, but good reading. The Northeast kinda does their own thing and boots really aren't in their reportoire. People assume you're a hick or redneck if you don the boots in Philly.
- Next time you go, you have to go to a sporting event. The most raucous pro sports fan you'll ever want to see (or wish you hadn't).

Again, great blog. Take care.

Keith

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