I just got back from Philadelphia the other day. 

In route to Philadelphia I had a layover in Dulles, Virginia. My dad stopped by to see me. Can you believe it was 80 degrees at 6am in the morning. Wow! 

I had so much fun visiting Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. I'm a history teacher at heart so I had to make my way to downtown Philidelphia to see the Liberty Bell. When I arrived, the center was closed, but I was able to get a glimpse of it from a side window. It's not as big as you'd expect, but nontheless, it's the ultimate expression of freedom for Americans, especially black Americans.  I've posted pictures of Independence Hall. 

I went to Philadelphia to speak at my national service organization's bi-annual convention. I had such a good time meeting and spending time with the ladies. I've been apart of KKI NSO for over 15 years. I'm thrilled to be a member. 

I was able to visit the largest mall in the United States and OMG, they have a Grand Lux Cafe. They closed the Grand Lux in Los Angeles a few years ago. I wasn't happy about it. (sad face) They have one of my favorite dishes in the whole wide world-Asian Nachos. Too bad I wasn't able eat them being on my vegan diet. I really, really wanted to. Let me emphasize how sad I was about not being able to eat those nachos. Super sad. 

Image: I took the first image on the far right off the King of Prussia Mall website. The mall was so big I wasn't able to walk the whole stretch. 

My dad  suggested that I visit Seattle. I decided that I was going and called up a friend and asked if she wanted to travel to Seattle with me. We invited another friend and our trip was planned for July 1- 3, 2016. 

First, we purchased a City Pass. This gave us access to the Space Needle, Seattle Aquarium, Harbor Tour, and the Chihuly Garden and Glass.

My friend actually found a Vegan restaraunt for me to try. My meal was okay, but my her meal was absoulutely delicious. The waiter mentioned that they had a vegan desert eatery up the street. Well "up the street" really meant one mile away. We trucked the hills into private residence areas and finally arrived at this quaint shop called, Sugar Plum. Boy, Oh, boy was it tasty. Look at my vegan vanilla and chocolate soft swirl drizzled in almond chocolate topped with brownie bites.  It looks delicious! 
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We visited the Space Needle Observation Deck that's 540 ft in the air. It's a beautiful panoramic view of the city of Seattle and Puget Sound 

Funny story, I called my brother when I arrived in Seattle. I said, "Hey, we should go to a game in the Fall?" My brother replied, "You want to go to the game?" I responded, "Yes!" He was referring to the baseball game; while I was talking about the football game. His bestfriend, Adam Jones, an All-Star Major League Baseball player happened to be playing that night against the Seattle Mariners. I got tickets for me and my friends to attend the baseball game. Here are some pictures: 

My room was perfect. The colors were very calming which  gave me a feeling of peace after my flight.