Car nerd moment, and travels.

Note to FIAT: bring this: http://www.fiat500.com/ to the US. With the 1.4 petrol engine (though the parallel twin sounds awesome). and the 500 Italia badge. Cream white exterior, same with the seats, black dash. Will pay cash.

That's exactly what I like in cars - tons of character, economical, practical. Kinda like the mini, but with a more modern style. Ok, it's a 4 wheel interpretation of my Vespa, but that's great.

Anyway.

Philadelphia - neat city - has a bit of a Chicago vibe but with more history.

Morimoto's restaurant - easily in the top 5 most interesting meals I've had. The design of the restaurant itself is incredible - very modern and calming. Melt in your mouth sushi, interesting sake flight choices and presentation, iced green tea noodles with sesame seeds and green onions were excellent, the sea bass was light and fresh - perfect.

(Others in the top 5 include Three Brothers in Milwaukee, 1789 in DC solely for the fig/port dessert, Nepenthe in Big Sur, lunch in Munich's city market on an early summer day, French Laundry is excepted - it's in a different dimension)

The main thing about Philadelphia is that it has that real city feel to it - built over time - with strong middle class and immigrant influences - it a style that can't be designed or marketed. Maybe if Charlotte can go 50 years without tearing anything down it will have some neighborhoods with the same feel. 

Anyway - it's late - time to fall asleep in the Finance book.