a digital scrapbook

Last week I made my first trip to Philly for a business trip, namely to attend the AA|RF Global Solutions Summit. Besides team events, training in the Philly office, and an evening walk to find the Liberty Bell, the week was much about leveraging data and cross-discipline knowledge sharing. By the time the week was up, my head felt saturated with cookie-this and extended data-that. As things came to a close on Friday, I met up with my friend Tom who is attending Penn Law there. We only got to hang out for roughly twenty-four hours, but it was a grand time.

We met at my hotel and then walked off where he gave me a historical walking tour, telling me stories along the way. This was perfect and reminded me how Tom is just as much a US history nerd enthusiast as I am (if not more). We visited Christ Church, the place of worship for folks like George Washington, Betsy Ross, and Ben Franklin; Independence Hall, where the Declaration and Constitution were signed; Washington Square, where GW’s army lies buried below; as well as other places along the way like Penn’s Landing. Afterward, he took me to a place to get a real Philly cheese steak sandwich and I was far from disappointed. Drippy cheese and all. It was awesome. We then took a cab back to his apartment and hung out for a while, catching up before heading out for a taste of the Philly nightlife where we met some of his friends at bar called Noche. Before calling it a night, at my request we stopped at a diner for some late night food.

The next day we had brunch at a greasy spoon-sort of place called Tony’s that was pretty good. It was a clear sunny day and the brisk 30-degree weather made for a refreshing walk. Under Tom’s suggestion, we walked to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Think Rocky.) The place was massive and impressive even from the outside. The exhibits inside really made the day though. My favorite was actually the Arms and Armor exhibit featuring actual European weapons from 1400-1800. That and seeing my favorite hazy Monet’s and Toulouse-Lautrec’s “Moulin Rouge”. The museum did an impressive job in creating an experience as you walked from room to room, from stone archways to a dimly lit reconstructed Indian temple. The museum was a definite win.

All in all, I had a really great time and it was a perfect way to spend my first trip to Philly and see an old friend. Now back in Seattle before I’m off again (next week Florida). It’s going to be a busy week.

View Philly Trip Photoset

On Monday morning I to find my company’s UK office. The streets were filled with quick walking suits. I made my way to the station to find it packed sardine-style, remembering that it was now a weekday during prime commuting hours. I found my way back to Oxford Circus and first looked for a bit to eat. I soon found a cafe where I had tea, yogurt and the quite possibly the best croissant ever. It was filled with thinly sliced ham, cheese, and a tomato paste with cooked onions, zucchini, and of course chunks of tomato. Anyway, exciting stuff for a Monday morning. Read more

After I mass I set out to explore what was near the cathedral. Victoria Street had boutique shops so I putzed around there for a while ’til I grew tired of the price tags. Calling this area done, I proceeded back to the station (after grabbing some tea at a Starbucks–couldn’t help it!). After consulting my maps, I decided to go check out those Parliament Buildings and took the Tube from Victoria to Westminster.

When I arrived at this station I got out and gasped. The Thames were in my view and to my right was none other than Big Ben. The place was packed with tourists but I didn’t mind, being one of them, and it felt like I really had arrived. I text Ryan forgetting the time zone difference and wandered around taking photos of the big clock and the Parliament Buildings. I then noticed a sign to Westminster Abbey and walked in that direction until I got to the place, recognizing it from the Da Vinci Code :P. The place (like the others around it) was beautiful but closed inside due to it being Sunday. Regardless it was pretty exciting to walk around and see the sights.

After some time here I headed back to the station. It was getting cold outside and I needed an indoor excursion, so after consulting my book, I opted for the National Gallery. I took the Tube to Charring Cross, by now getting around was easy. (I really do <3 the Tube.) There I spent part of the time checking out stationary stores looking for a Moleskine London City Notebook only to be told that I could find it at Borders, hah. Eventually I found my way towards the National Gallery.

When I reached it, it definitely was a sight to see, its building overlooking Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column, another postcard sight. I realized I was hungry again and looked around for a place to eat. I ended up finding a Cafe which was held in an old crypt. It was very busy inside and food was served in line cafeteria-style. I got the special: chicken, potatoes, and vegetables. It was mushy and bland, as I told the food would be, so I checked that off my list.

I then proceeded up the steps to the National Gallery and was delighted to find that the admission was suggested donation. I looked around. It really was what all the books said it would be like. It was quite surreal to stand in front of my favorite pieces by Monet and realize I was staring at an original or searching out the Van Gogh sunflowers to see the paint’s texture. I even did the audio tour and the detail it provided was very engaging and gave me a chance to sit and rest as the narrator explained the peculiarities of each painting. Later after I had passed through many galleries, I started to feel the effects of jet lag and needed to lie down.

I set off to find my hotel and found that I would need to transfer at Oxford Circus. However, this was actually convenient as that’s where the nearest Borders was. So yes, I took a separate trip just to locate that notebook I wanted. Oxford Circus was lively and full of shops and I think it’s my favorite area of London thus far. Finding the notebook was easy, I looked around at stores there for a while, going some shopping before finally heading back.

Feeling exhausted, I looked at the clock. It was a little past 5PM.