You'll be here in two months!

Hello teachers! I'm super excited to help everyone from Indiana get a feel for Philadelphia in preparation for this summer's NEA conference. I love living in this city, and I know you're going to have a great time here on your visit.

I like to think of Philly as a "small" big city. Unlike New York and Chicago, where business and industry can seem to loom over people on the street, Philadelphia was planned and built-- and continues to be developed-- on a human scale. Market Street is our major skyscraper, business-y street, but walk two blocks north or south, and the hustle and bustle gives way to trees, browstone houses, boutique shops, TONS of restaurants, and moms with strollers (that would be me!). Philadelphia is all about its neighborhoods, and the regular, everyday people who live here. It's also an extremely diverse place, and you'll hear about all kinds of different neighborhoods that are each famous for one thing or another. To live in Philly is to love it, and if you ask anyone on the street, they'll probably tell you they have a prodigious amount of pride in the city. That's why we love visitors-- we get to show off!

So, every day I plan to write what I can about certain topics that I think might help you plan for your visit. I'll write what I know about museums, tours, shops, parks, sports, theater, and FOOD-- as well as address things like safety (don't be scared, be smart!), transportation, where to find an ATM and where to find a drugstore if you need it. I'll tell you where I think the best place to sit with a cup of coffee is, and where I go to get a cheesesteak at 3am (which is, some say, the best time to get a cheesesteak). It's hard to know where to begin, but I'm going to do my best. I hope it will help, or at least get you fired up for your trip!

ABOUT ME (In case you're wondering why I'm writing this...)

I went to Fort Wayne Community Schools from the fifth grade through high school, and I couldn't imagine getting a better education anywhere-- woo hoo Fort! At Shambaugh Elementary, Memorial Park Middle, and Northrop High, I had the greatest teachers ever. After graduation I came to Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania to continue my education. I spent four years in West Philadelphia (where Penn's campus is-- and your hotel, by the way!) while in school, and stayed an extra year in that part of town while I worked at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

In an interesting twist of fate, I ended up marrying my best friend from my high school days in Indiana, and he came on out to Philadelphia to start our family in Center City Philadelphia (our neighborhood is called Bella Vista, and is most famous for the Italian Market). Our ties to Indiana are still strong, and we love it when I can give tours of the city to Hoosiers from back home! When my father-in-law, who is a teacher and will be attending the NEA conference, told me that the Indiana delegation would be here for the conference, I couldn't wait to share my love of Philly with whoever would listen.