Left my wallet in El Segundo (Philadelphia) (9/18/2012)

We left the infinity of possibilities that is New York City for our nation's capitol, Washington D.C. However, before doing the D.C., we stopped by Philadelphia to do the Philly cheese steak. Oh, and
Independence Hall. For the steak, we ate at one of those shops that always claims to originate a pretty generic idea; in this case, it was a cheese and steak sandwich. Even so, Pat's King of Steaks tasted beautiful.

Independence Hall, the place where both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed, tasted equally delicious. Truth be told, nothing tastes better than freedom--with a side of
equality and justice.

After Independence, we made a final stop that unquestionably had to be done: a visit to Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, PA, a suburb of Philly. Yes, this is Kobe's alma mater, and it felt wonderful to be there. A staff member saw us lingering near the main entrance and kindly let us in. He showed us a glass display of Kobe's high school jersey in one of the corridors, then granted us access to the relatively new Bryant Gym that Kobe financed. Good stuff, and afterward we were soaked running through a heavy downpour to our car. It was worth it.

Onward, ho! To D.C., we drove. We stayed with my Uncle Kelly and Aunt Nancy in Alexandria, about twenty minutes outside Capitol Hill. Unfortunately, Kelly had just had a heart attack a few days prior to our arrival; but being the hard-as-nails guy he is, he was already home and looking great by the time we got there. We had dinner and talked with him and Nancy about what to do in the capitol the next day. Kelly is actually a former employee of the Department of Defense who worked extensively in the Pentagon, so he provided us with some great insight into and personal experiences with our federal government. It's also worth mentioning he's had a mustache since 1973. (Max, take notes.)