You Got a Fast Car, I Want a Ticket to Anywhere

Day one and two of our Valley Forge getaway:
We left very late in the evening on Friday because, quite frankly, we didn't feel like going at all. It was rainy...and late...and it had been a long week...and we had to do two loads of laundry just to pack...but we finally made it on the road.

Once we hit the highway, it was immediately evident that we HAD to go on this trip. It was one of those things in your life that you aren't dreading, yet aren't looking forward to either - but you are compelled to do it.

The car ride down was filled with singing off key and all kinds of silliness....thanks to some coffee and an IPOD, we finally made it.

Day two (which was really day one since we didn't get to the hotel until 11pm or so) was beautiful and quiet. I began the day with Dominick at the art studio, staying to hear the opening remarks, then leaving the master to his work. I had some work to get done, so I snuggled into a chair at Starbucks and spent the better part of the day there.

Afterwards I made a quick trip to the King of Prussia mall, which is immense and beautiful and has a great selection - but is overwhelming and not a "strolling" mall. I later found out that it was the largest mall in the US before they built the Mall of America. I had a shocking and very strong negative reaction to these mega malls; while 400 stores is an exciting prospect, is it enjoyable? To me, it crosses a fine line by ceasing to be a "shopping mall" and is instead a "shopping destination" that requires a Global Positioning System and the better part of the day to find Ann Taylor.

Just as you are not truly a mall unless you have a Gap, in my humble opinion as a Jersey Girl, there are things that detract from mall status as well. For instance:
Malls should not grow to such a size as they require the same infrastructure as airports; examples include people-movers and parking garages with traffic lights. Malls should not be designed in starburst designs with multiple buildings that confuse and anger the elderly (I saw two grandmothers who were about to throwdown because the salespeople did not recognize the description of where they *thought* they were parked - probably because it was in a different zipcode). Malls should not make you feel crazy by having more than one major department store (i.e. two Macy's). And while I love malls and roller coasters - they go together like rack of lamb and chocolate milk. Ok, over-analytical digression over...

So that evening, we drove down to Philadelphia to spend the evening with Rutgers donors who have become friends of ours. We went to dinner at their private club in center city and talked well into the night. Needless to say, Dominick and I woke up exhausted and a bit "dehydrated". But it was well worth it to spend an evening with such a bright and funny couple.

Day three was filled with much more of the sights and sounds of the area, but more on that later as I'm having quite alot of trouble with the photo uploading....