Philadelphia trip overview

The trip to the city of brotherly love went well. Business meetings and conference sessions were productive, if not a total bore. While I was away from the office, I caught a bug that really put me through the ringer. That was part of the reason why I have not posted anything on the blog during the last couple weeks. When I finally got back from Philly, I took a couple days off for some bed rest. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only staff person out of the office due to illness after returning from the business trip, including my direct supervisor. For the majority of time while I rested, I still have a minor cough and slight congestion.

I am recovering nicely (although people are tired of hearing the occasional cough from me).

While I was out, I had to cancel another meeting in Pennsylvania planned later in the week. Also, a snowstorm in DC and another one in the middle of PA (probably the same snowstorm) were scheduled for my return trip up to the great Northern state.

I got an opportunity to take some photos of the downtown area, museums, like the Franklin Institute, and the older neighborhoods. While we were in sessions during the day, my colleagues and I got an opportunity to try some new restaurants and go back to some old favorites.

On the restaurant itinerary and worth a mention on the blog is Horizons. A colleague, a practicing vegetarian, invited another co-worker and I to this vegan restaurant. The restaurant was a hike to walk since our hotel was located near the Philadelphia City Hall area in downtown Philly, but I needed the exercise since I did not have an opportunity to try out the local hotel gym. I enjoyed the food. I had the Cuban Shepherd's Pie. Substituting ground meat was something that I never tried, Seitan. From what I was told, it was something similar to tofu, but it had the texture of ground meat/beef. Seitan is made up of wheat gluten. At least, the Horizons' version of meat had the same texture and feel of meat, which I was looking for.

If you ever visit Philly, the locals are very friendly and helpful. There are plenty of places to visit and tour. The city boasts numerous restaurants. One place you got to visit is the Reading Terminal Market. It houses many great places to eat and small, quaint merchant areas for shopping. I would recommend getting a Philly Cheese steak or a dessert from one of the Amish stalls.