Last week: lodging.

In Philly, we stayed at The Gables Bed and Breakfast. I've never stayed at a b&b before, so this was interesting for me. Generally, I'm completely happy to rough it when it comes to travel accommodations, but this was such a nice change. You can read more about the b&b at their website, but overall my impressions are extremely positive. The house was very beautiful and well maintained. We stayed in a room called "The Library Room" which, to my great surprise and joy, was full of books (really good books, too). The included breakfast was not your standard stale bagels and instant coffee. The food was delicious and plentiful - freshly baked cranberry muffins, fruit salad, quiche, pumpkin bread, cereal, yogurt, and some very strong coffee.

But most of all, I enjoyed interacting with the other travelers over breakfast (which typically lasted for over an hour). Everyone had a lot of interesting stories to tell. At first, I pondered making up a new identity. Nobody would know. And how fun it would be to tell stories about my life as a water merchant (better yet, smuggler) on Arrakis, or about my travels as the lead singer for a punk rock band. Of course, I ended up telling the truth, which was still a great deal of fun.