Full of Philly Flavor

So I've been doing some research on the City of Brotherly Love, aka Philadelphia, seeing as how in just a few short months I, along with many of you, will be descending upon the city for our Annual Conference & Expo.

By the way, has anyone alerted the authorities? No? If not, consider this the alert. Beware of conga lines of OTs swarming the streets. PHILLY, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

ANYWAY, in the throes of my research, I've discovered some very interesting facts about the city. For example, this nugget from PhillyWired.com:

"In January 1855 the principal attraction of a show at 13th Street and Market Streets, a grizzly bear, escaped from his cage and rampaged the streets for several hours. His victims included a horse, a mule, and finally a side of beef hanging in a butcher's shop. The bear was held at bay by local businessman with pitchforks until his owner was able to calm him down and lead him back to the theater by a rope."

Now, I'm guessing we won't be seeing any grizzlies running rampant through the streets or doing a version of the Rocky run, and you know? That's probably for the best. But what you will see will be even better. Continuing education sessions, an awesome keynote speaking discussing one of today's hottest topics, leaders and future leaders of the profession...and that's just scratching the surface.

Going further into my research, I also learned that mustard was invented in Philadelphia in 1768 by a man named Benjamin Jackson. (Thank you, Tripcart.com for that fun fact.) (And thank you, Benjamin Jackson, for what is my favorite condiment.) I'm not sure what's on the menu at this year's Breakfast With a Scholar, so I can't say if any of Jackson's famous invention will be on hand for you to savor, but I can tell you that it won't even compare to the words you'll savor from Ruth Purtilo, this year's Breakfast speaker. Yes, it's an early event, but no, you won't want to miss Purtilo speak on the moral dilemmas that human values and health care practices often create.

What do you plan to see and do at Conference? What are you looking forward to the most? Hopefully my tidbits of info have sparked even more enthusiasm into your Conference plans, but if they haven't, maybe Rocky can help out....

And don't forget, early registration ends February 16.