Philadelphia

Nate had a conference in Philadelphia in October and we decided to turn it into a family vacation.  Our swanky hotel was right in downtown Philly and we were able to walk to so many cool sites.  First on the list was Independence Hall and Liberty Bell.

On day two, Nate had meetings in the mornings, so the boys and I set out to explore the city. 

We walked through JFK plaza and all around the city center.  They sure love their statues and murals in this city.

After Nate's meetings we walked to the Eastern State Penitentiary and then to the Museum of Art and the "Rocky Steps".

This is a cell.  They weren't allowed to talk or see anyone.  The inmates were in complete solitary confinement for their entire stay.

Eventually the prison got so big that solitary confinement wasn't possible.  In later years, they even had an operating room, like this one.

On day three we ventured to the south side for an authentic Philly cheese steak.  After our lunch we met up with some friends from medical school, who are here for a urology residency.  We joined their family at a fall festival and pumpkin patch.  We had a great time catching up.

On day four, we started our drive home.  We stopped at Gettysburg on the way.  We didn't have time to go through the battlefields, but had a great time in the museum.

It was a long drive home.  At one point all three children were screaming and Nate and I started to laugh.  There was nothing else we could do.  We had to keep driving.