Philadelphia: Only a 3 hour bus trip from DC

Philadelphia

The great thing about DC is that it is a short trip away from several other big cities, unlike where I am from in Northern Minnesota, where it’s a long trip to civilization! I took the bus to Philadelphia, and for $30 round trip, who cares it picked me up in Chinatown?! For that price it was a steal. I stayed with a friend and she took me around the city. I had no idea that the steps Rocky Balboa ran in the movies were in Philadelphia?! I know I’m a disgrace, but we made up for it and looked like tourists taking pictures running up the stairs!

Looking tough...Not so much!

The fountain in Love Park was dyed pink to represent October Breast Cancer Awareness month. There were lots of couples taking pictures by the fountain--those men were scoring points with their ladies! Soooo sweet, good job guys!

Love Park

I also experienced my first Philly Cheesesteak in Philadelphia! I’m ruined, now I’m going to be very high maintenance with my cheesesteaks. Also, I got into a big discussion with someone in a Philadelphia bar about the colonies' first capital. He said Philadelphia, I said New York; 2 hours later, we figured out I was right! Booo-ya! I will probably be making my way back there this weekend because one of the World Series games is on Saturday! Hopefully my conversations out on the town will have nothing to do with my majors this time around--just reminds me of how dorky I really am! Man!

This week began on an interesting note--“Networking for Neanderthals” with Shawne Duperon. She is a media expert and a speaker that focuses on the importance of networking and relationships. I thought it was interesting and probably helpful for people that are introverted, but boring for those of us who don’t hide at events or put on our “party mask” as she called it. A party mask is when you are nervous at an event and you either start rambling to people, stand against the wall, or run straight to the food line. I’ll be honest, most of the program she made me feel like I was in the third grade. For example, everyone had to raise their hands in order to be quiet. Really? YES REALLY! Anyway, she drove home some good points. “A conversation is not about you!” and also “Don’t just throw around your business cards.” A little elementary but everyone needs to be reminded not to be an idiot sometimes.

In addition, I was able to attend the House Financial Services Committee hearing on "The Future of Financial Services Regulation." It got pretty heated when Chairman Barney Frank and a Republican Congressman from New Jersey started arguing about the causes of the financial crisis. Considering that Frank is the Chairman he has control over he gets to speak in the hearing, so he kept giving “the Gentlemen from New Jersey” one to two minutes and after he was finished speaking he would give himself five minutes to rebut his statements, which in the House is an eternity. It’s fascinating to go to these meetings, but frustrating because I don’t feel like they are trying to find a solution. Even though the Emergency Stabilization Act passed, there is more work to be done to fix the financial crisis and I feel like Congress is still trying to blame each other for how this mess started. NOBODY IS INNOCENT, STOP FIGHTING AND SOLVE THE PROBLEM! Unfortunately, you can’t exactly stand up and say that in a meeting and if I did I’d probably get fired from my job and banned from the Hill.

Anyway, World Series tonight!!! GO PHILLIES!