Authentically Nita

UPDATE:  Philly is open to giving 50 homes to Encampment Protesters The homeless encampments in center city and north Philly received their final notice from the city this morning. It has been a couple of weeks since the City of Philadelphia won the right to forcefully remove the people who have taken up camp in both locations.  Last night I toured the Center City encampment. They have some ideas about where they will set up once removed however the fear is that no matter where they go, the city will make them leave. There were Uhaul trucks waiting outside of the encampment to transport the campers' tents which were donated or purchased with donated funds. The camp is well organized. They have a kitchen where they provide meals and they ask that everyone mask up. They also provide free masks. The donation booth is easily noticed. The people in the encampment are not bad people. While I was in the encampment I was asked not to video record so out of respect for the people I won'

Today, I ran across an article on the Huffington Post about 7 time lottery winner Richard Lustig. Back in November, Lustig was giving out tips on how to win the lottery, or at least, how to increase your chances of winning. This man has won the grand prize seven times, so either he is the luckiest man in the world, or he knows what he's talking about, (you be the judge). Here are some of his tips: - Pick your own numbers instead of having the machine do it for you - Research and see if your numbers have won before - Select your ten sets of numbers and keep those if you continue buying tickets - Buy as many tickets as you can afford Those tips sounded great, but I wondered, "What are the real chances of me winning the lottery even if I did those things?" I decided to find out. In Pennsylvania, we have the Cash 5 Lottery Drawing. The odds of winning the Cash 5 are obviously better than the odds of winning the PowerBall or any lottery drawing with more than 5 num

Place of Interest: SEPTA Transit Museum Location: 1234 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Hours: Monday–Friday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 - 3:00 p.m. This SEPTA Transit Museum presents the heritage of Philadelphia's transit system. Children can look at display models, transit memorabilia, and photographs. They can also pretend to drive a trolley. This is an actual 1947 trolley, not a replica. It's pretty cool. This is the part my children like the most. When my oldest was little we'd stop here every time we went to Center City, just so she could drive the Trolley.

Place of interest: Christ Church Burial Ground, Historic Christ Church Location : 5th & Arch Streets, Philadelphia Hours : Mon.-Sat. 10am until 4pm, Sunday 1pm until 4pm Benjamin Franklin's last resting place is located in a burial ground belonging to Christ Church. Benjamin Franklin died in 1790, and he was buried with his family in the north west corner of the burial ground. His wife Deborah and their two children are also buried there. The burial grounds were not opened when I went there, which was cool for me. I don't see myself stepping foot into a graveyard. I've never visited anyone's grave. Eventually I'll get over that. Like, maybe if my parents die or something like that. ...I guess.

Two of my favorite things in Philly, are our beautiful old church buildings, and our wall murals. Murals can be found on the sides of buildings all over our beautiful city. Here are just a few:

Proof that homelessness is on the rise is evident all over Center City Philadelphia. Love Park is over-crowded with homeless people and possibly, dope feinds. Walking down Chestnut Street you'll see at least two homeless people sitting on the ground on each block. All this leads me to one question... Where do all these homeless people get the colorful markers used to decorate their signs? On a more serious note though, this is a real problem and it's growing. It's growing right along with the increase in the crime rate. Pay attention people.

Located at 15th & Market Streets, Philadelphia, PA. Across the street from City Hall.

The photo above is the Independence Visitor's Center located across the street from the Liberty Bell Center. The Visitor center is located at 6th and Market Streets and they are open 363 days a year from 8:30am to 5pm. The Liberty Bell Center is located on Market Street between 5th and 6th Streets. The photos below begin with the outside of the center. Exhibits outside of the Liberty Bell Center Inside the Center: The Bell was first called the "Liberty Bell" by a group trying to outlaw slavery. In the 1800s, the Liberty Bell traveled around the country to expositions and fairs to help heal the divisions of the Civil War. The actual Bell No one knows what caused the bell to crack. The first bell cracked not long after it arrived in Philadelphia from London. In 1753 a new bell was cast using the metal from the English bell. By 1846 another crack had began to affect the bell's sound. The bell was repaired in 1846 and it was rung for George Washington's birthday cele

If you've read my previous blog post about FDR Park in South Philadelphia, then you already know how wonderful this park is. It's a great place for leisure and family fun. The park's playground has recently recieved a serious upgrade! The old playground here: Has been transformed into this super fun playgroud below! My children love, LOVE this new playground. I personally think the old one was fine, and my favorite activity is still, feeding the ducks :) To read my previous blog post click here: FDR Park aka The Lakes

If you're from South Philly, then you probably refer to FDR Park as, "The Lakes." This is the single, best park to go to in South Philadelphia. The playground is not that great, but there are lots of other exciting things to do. The park has wide open fields, and plenty of space to picnic or barbecue. FDR Park is located at 1500 Pattison Avenue in south Philadelphia, near the stadiums. The Park was designed in 1914 by the Olmstead Brothers. Park Features: Playground Skate Park Golf Club & Golf Course Tennis Courts Rugby Baseball and Softball fields Several Picnic Areas with benches American Swedish Historical Museum Other things you may enjoy: Fishing Bicycling Bird Watching Jogging In the above picture is The American Swedish Historical Museum. This is the Golf Club The Golf Course This is the beautiful Boathouse Let's get a little closer. I like to look at the lake from the boathouse. On the left side of the image you can see the Gazebo in the distance. A