Why so weird, weirdo..?

I'm tuckered. And truth be told, I didn't do that much...

- Woke up and went to the hotel gym thingie. Recycled air makes sweating super icky.

- I heart the Reading Terminal Market. Coffee and a ham & cheese crepe, watching old women in hats & construction workers eating salad & old acquaintences chatting, while I typed on free intenet and browsed a Philly daily. Really lovely.

- Four hours of Forum workshop. Walked back over to the Market during break and got some clam chowder/soup.

- Done!!! Almost. Free 1.5 hours spent wandering through DT Philly to Old Town.

- Saw the Liberty Bell. It's presented in a lovely way, with a whole bunch of signage, made to impress you with HOW IMPORTANT the Liberty Bell.

- Old Town is filled with people who work for the National Park Service. They all wear knatty, green, Dudley DoRight hats.

- To dinner in Chinatown, at Rangoon Burmese. It was delicious!!! People of Burma: I salute your culinary prowess!! Awesome!! My dessert was both red & green, gelatin & dairy.

- Spot a couple of collegues in the now hopping hotel lobby. Catch up with awesome ones at the Continental again.

I like Philadephia. I like the history. I kinda even like the dirt. I like the casual conversation that hides on the Coasts, that the Upper Midwest is so bad at -- strangers can talk to each other and it's not weird or creepy. It's lovely. People say please and thank you and notice each other. Granted, you can also get mugged n' shit, but I felt pretty darn safe the entire time I've been here. I even feel... welcome.

Like most big east coast cities, it's made up of all flavors of people -- abject poverty to men in business suits. But mostly, I think Phillie feels like a place people come to work. I like that.

Being Downtown may be starting to play with me... It feels like a while since I've seen a horizon, or been not-surrounded by tall (albeit rather old and lovely) buildings. Most trips aren't spent entirely in a downtown area, and as much as I dig it, it makes me jumpy and tired too. And I didn't know that. I think I'd grow out of it with prolonged exposure. Just didn't know I'd get the jumpies.

Flight at 6:30 am tomorrow. Argh.

Wish us luck.

Onward.