Philadelphia!

I am currently in Philadelphia for the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting. Translation: a bunch of scientists from all over the world gather to present their research to each other. Secret confession: I LOVE IT. This is my fifth year attending (see this post, and this one, and this one, and one more) and it's fun to see my progress since 2008. I understand a lot more, I feel more like an equal with the professionals, and I even have friends I recognize every year! I present my poster tomorrow, but I thought I'd share some pics of our sight-seeing adventure today! Dr. Bell, Alyssa, and I walked in the bitter cold (only about a half mile from our hotel) to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution were drafted. It got me all fired up about US History and made me want to read some good books about it.

I've also loved staying right next to the Reading Terminal Market! There are sooo many places to eat (Mexican, Chinese, Sushi, Greek, even the Amish are here!), jewelry shops, bakeries, flower shops, and fresh produce (where the man gave us a discount because we are students...awesome). It reminds me of a mix between Pike's Place in Seattle and indoor renoks (spelling??) in Russia! LOVE IT.

Also, I've loved hanging out with Alyssa! We even got free matching t-shirts because we're cool like that.

Riding the subway to church on Sunday and discussing research ideas with Dr. Bell have also been favorites! Once again, I've realized how much I LOVE visiting big cities and how much I do not want to live in one haha. I do love visiting though. I love seeing the sights and getting a feel for the city's personality. Also, my favorite part of some of these cities back east is how you will have these BEAUTIFUL old buildings mixed in with the new ones downtown. Favorite.