dgolds

Yesterday was one of those days in Boston. Bad weather up and down the east coast, hundreds of people crowding terminal B at Logan, and many cancelled flights. I had booked a 6:30 PM flight with a scheduled 8:00 arrival to get me to the FT dinner at 9:00, no problem. But it just wasn't in the cards. I arrived at PHL at 10:45, just as Pamploma, the restaurant the dinner was held at, was about to close. So unfortunately, I am not able to report on that part of the FT party, but I heard that dinner was wonderful and that a good time was had by all.

I called our host Dr. Burkey on his cell phone upon arrival in PHL and the group was extremely gracious and nice in saying they would meet me at Champions Sports Bar at the Marriott so I would have some company for dinner. I got to the Marriott at around 11:15, checked in, went up to my room to drop off bags (where I found a very nice gold box of chocolate truffles waiting for me - no, not as good as Teuscher , but a nice perk nevertheless after the long wait at BOS), then went down to the restaurant. By the way, this Marriott is a very nice one, with a great location, an expansive and attractive lobby, and 4 restaurants including a nice looking J.W.'s Steakhouse.

The rest of the group enjoyed Samuel Adams while I pigged out on a nice pulled pork sandwich. I greatly enjoyed meeting Vulcan, Blade, Burkey, and Catman. We had interesting and entirely enjoyable conversation - about miles and points, getting to know each other, miles and points, our various interests, and, of course, miles and points. I got to see pictures of the famous Yaz and Eddie. (They are adorable.) We stayed together and enjoyed each other's company until about 1:30 AM, when the waitstaff started turning up the lights and putting the chairs up on the tables.

Up at 9:15, a quick shower, and down to the Marriott lobby to meet Catman and Burkey for a river cruise with lunch buffet. We took a really nice 15 block walk to the dock, passing the Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall as well as many other interesting but less known older buildings along the way. FT tip: to see the Liberty Bell without waiting in line, go around the back of the building it's housed in and press your nose up against the glass.

We got to the dock for our river cruise / lunch, and were taken by the host to our table. The boat took off, and we were surprised to find that the cruise was going to include entertainment, and we were seated right in from of the makeshift "stage." The waitstaff and cruise host did one number, then we had lunch, watching the city go by. Now this being a cruise up the Delaware River, we not only got to see Philadelphia, but also Camden, which is on the other side of the river. I was amazed to see that in Camden, they have built a good sized prison right on the riverbank. After lunch, we went upstairs to the bow of the boat. We got to see the views of the Philadelphia Navy Yard, the skyline, and the two beautiful suspension bridges - the Walt Whitman and the Ben Franklin. It's a thrill heading up the river underneath these bridges. (We also got away form the entertainment!)

We then took the walk back to the hotel - I was staring at the interesting and beautiful architecture and parks the whole route - and then spent a couple of hours at a place I was not familiar with, called Reading Market. It's a working market, not unlike the Pike St. Market in Seattle, but with all the Philadelphia specialties - hoagies, Amish bakeries, and of course Philly Cheese Steaks. They make them right in front of you, and it's a lot of fun to watch while they're making them. Catman and Burkey indulged in sandwiches while I watched in amazement that these two trenchermen could down 'em so soon after lunch. But as Catman said, he's been waiting 33 years to have a real Philly Cheese Steak! This market is a real gem and I highly recommend it for anyone making a visit to the City of Brotherly Love.

We took a leisurely walk back to the Marriott through Philadelphia City Hall - one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. It's built in that Victorian chateau style similar to the wonderful public buildings in Ottawa. We split up at the Marriott and let Catman catch his flight to JFK.

This was a fun time. Special thanks to our host Burkey, who made the arrangements to assure that we would have a great time.

P. S. You can read about Catman's adventures in Philly in http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/Foru...ML/000192.html I promise that everything in the thread is true! (But hope that anyone reading it realizes that it's gentle teasing directed fondly at my new friend Catman.)

Catman

I will NOT try to top that fine FOUR PAWS UP POST dgolds! Terrific job and I hope you can come to other Flyertalk get togethers.

The combination of the sanity of yourself, Dr. Burkey, Vulcan and Blade made sure I did not go wild in Philly and get banned for life!!!

I think everyone should go through Philly and meet the fine Dr. Burkey and Blade. It is "the City of Brotherly LOVE!"