Fireworks in the City

I am not sure why, but I was just treated to a lovely fireworks display here from my fantastic view at the hotel. They even had a big finale like at home in Abington!

I've caught glimpses of fireworks shows in Philadelphia, but never saw a full-blown downtown fireworks display before. THey were launched from boats in the below and reflected by the buildings and water against the backdrop of steet lights, neon lights, and car lights everywhere. . . it was impressive and beautiful. 

Which reminds me of the other thing that struck me this evening on my walk back to the hotel - how different living in a city is to my everyday life. My family loves to spend a day, a weekend, or even up to a week on vacation exploring a city in the US. We've done it many times now. But my day-to-day life takes me from the suburb of Lansdale to the suburb of Malvern with visits to the suburbs of my family and friends in between. I love spending a day in Philadelphia, but I am not a city dweller. It's different.

At one point, I crossed a street to get to a little grocery store to buy some dinner before heading back to the hotel. The flood of people that cross the same street towards me was almost overwhelming and couldn't even see the stoplights for the people that came. The pace is different - heading out for coffee or lunch is a brisk walk. Going to meetings can involve the elevator. My hotel room is on the 19th floor and desk at work is on the 33rd. . . very different from the two story buildings that I spend most of my days in. I forget when the fast paced city life wore at me last year. (That will probably come back to me sometime in week two.)