Star Sighting!

I just saw Tabatha from Tabatha's Salon Takeover in Center City!
http://www.bravotv.com/tabathas-salon-takeover

Eastern State Penitentiary

This abandoned prison is a tourist attraction in Philadelphia, and is just down the street from our building.  I thought it would be a cheesy tour, but it is actually a fascinating building.  Spooky, but very interesting.

Al Capone's cell



Another Philly delicacy

Philly is not just a city full of cheesesteaks.  We also have this delicious creation from a local chain called Chickie's and Pete's.  Called crab fries, it's simply fries with Old Bay Seasoning, served with a warm, melty cheese sauce.  The line ups for these fries are enormous, and for good reason - they're delicious.

On the other hand...

Philadelphia sports fans have also been rated the most loyal, even beating the Red Sox in a poll.  http://phillysportsdaily.com/eagles/2011/03/21/phillies-fans-rated-most-loyal-in-baseball/

Loyal ... crazy.  I guess it's a fine line.

BOOOOOOOO!

Philadelphia sports fans have been named the worst fans in the nation by GQ magazine http://www.gq.com/sports/lists/201104/worst-sports-fans-in-america#slide=14, calling us "

the most monstrous collection of humanity outside of the federal penal system."  Ouch.

 

Philadelphia sports fans have responded by booing GQ on the cover of the local newspaper. 

I love Philly, but....

...there's a bit of a litter problem.  I guess the trash can was just a little too far for some people.

American Health Care

Today I had my first check up with my new American doctor.  I was a little confused with the insurance paperwork, the co-pay amounts and the idea of getting a receipt when I left the doctor's office.  But the thing that really shocked me?  They have valet parking at the hospital.

Puxatony Phil was right....

Spring has arrived early in Philadelphia.  Today was a beautiful day, with sunshine and warm temperatures.  Tomorrow they are calling for a high of 20 degrees!  How's the temperature in Canada?

New Car

We bought a new car!  It's a 2010 Ford Fusion.  I took it out for a spin today, and it was great.  However, now I'm nervous about having a shiny new car in a neighbourhood where the 'touch and feel' method of parallel parking is popular.

Snow Day Pictures

The Real Parking Wars

Forget the Philadelphia Parking Authority and their tickets, boots and tows.  The real fights break out when there is snow in Philly.  Many residents in our neighbourhood street park, and even during good weather it is a bit of a challenge to find a spot.  So imagine the problems that ensue when you get over a foot of snow.  People clear the spot their car is in, leave for the day and naturally someone steals it while they are gone.  Some use chairs, step stools or garden furniture to 'reserve' their nicely shoveled spot.  This is not permissible, but how do you ticket a chair?

Even worse than stealing someone's spot?  How about shoveling all of the snow from your spot into a large pile in front of your neighbour's car?  This is just plain mean....

First day

Today is my first official day as a volunteer at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Wish me luck!

Whaaa? (Again)

This weekend, I heard Canada referred to as 'little America.'  As well, it was questioned why I have to apply for a work permit, since being Canadian was 'basically the same thing' as being American.  This time I did have the wherewithal to point out that the two were in fact, separate countries, but I am not certain that I changed any minds.

Last night in his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes, Paul Giamatti referred to Canada as a 'great nation.'  I hope lots of Americans were watching!

Skiing

We went for our first day of skiing in Pennsylvania, at Blue Mountain.  Only 70 miles north of us, it was a good hill for a day of skiing, and the snow was pretty good.  There were lots of people, as it is a holiday weekend, but we had a good time.  Now, we're recovering on the couch - it seems that we are out of shape for skiing!

Snow Day

We had an amazing storm last night, with snow so thick our view of Centre City completely disappeared.  The city declared a 'snow emergency' but as a Canadian I have to say that this looks just like another winter day to me....

Wha????

Some of you have heard this one, but I just realized that I never posted it:

I was in a store, purchasing a dress for my cousin's upcoming wedding.  The sales associate was asking me lots of questions about the wedding, which I explained was in Canada.  Her response:

'Oh Canada.  It's such a beautiful country.  Well, not really a country....um...well... you know what I mean."

Unfortunately I was too shocked to say anything.  When I go back to pick up the dress, I think I will have to bring an atlas and a Canadian history textbook.

The Julia Child Obsession Continues...

In Paris over the Christmas holidays, I went on a self-directed walking tour of Julia's Paris.

One of Julia and Paul's favourite restaurants.

The Child's apartment on rue de l'Universite.  This is where the magic in the kitchen began!

Famous restaurant / cooking supply store.  I was a little overwhelmed by the maze of shelves and the lack of published prices.  At one point I was holding a bread basket and the owner yelled 50 euros at me.  For a bread basket?  My dreams of buying copper pots were dashed then and there.