Summer has begun and I have hit the ground running.  After my eighth MBA class ended, four more to go!, I had to hop on a plane to Ohio once again for work.  A one day trip turned into a three day adventure.  I won’t go into detail, but I will say I slept in Detroit’s airport went to a meeting on three hours of sleep and on the way home had the same issue in Detroit happen in Cincinnati.  It was a wonderful trip, really, I was very delusional.

Now before I get into my first trip of the summer, I wanted to say how rich I feel.  It has been a month since my Gaslight Anthem photo set and just wow!  This site has increased views about 500% and I have gotten tweets, Facebook messages, and Tumblr posts saying how good the photos were.  One of them is here:  http://thefalloneers.tumblr.com/post/51478801106/please-have-a-look-at-these-amazings-shots-of

I am not one for compliments, but it is weird and gratifying to here a stranger say my photos are “amazing” or “beautiful”.  This is inspiration.  I am not getting paid for any of this.  I do this because I love to and it is what makes me feel inspired.  I have a full time job and make a decent amount, but hearing someone say something I created is “beautiful” makes me feel like I have all the money in the world.  All these places, people, and objects I photograph are what inspire me and I like to think my photos do justice in showing that.  If my photos or whatever I do inspires someone, then I can just die peacefully.  Sometimes I feel I live a dream, and all of this reminds me that money shouldn’t be what fuels your life.  It is what you love that should fuel your life.

EDIT:  After I posted this, I found out Brian Fallon posted one of my photos on his instagram page.  Holy crap!  http://instagram.com/p/aJcKkqNdsC/#

Going back to the summer.  I decided to kick off summer with a familiar destination.  Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  I’ve been here for their October haunted attraction, and one other time for the guided tour.  The other time I took photos I had a different camera.  Now that I have a better camera, I decided to revisit and see if I am able to one up my work.

Eastern State is an amazing structure that will have you in awe throughout your visit.  I always begin amazed and end amazed.  If you are looking for something to do for the day in Philadelphia, go to Eastern State, it is worth it.  If you choose to have the headphone tour, your tour is narrated by actor Steve Buscemi.  Everything you learn on the tour is fascinating.  From how prisoners were treated to the story of Pep the dog, who was sentenced to jail for life.  You also can’t forget about Al Capone’s cell.  The history is just too rich.  There is a lot to see and do at the Eastern State Penitentiary.  It is a destination I think everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.

After the tour, like any other Philadelphia trip, I walked around the city of brotherly love and realized how much I know about the city.  Also I know the streets too well that I don’t get lost.  With my friends and a cup of iced chai from Saxby’s Coffee, Philadelphia felt better than ever.

http://www.easternstate.org/
MAP:  https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Eastern+state+penitentiary&ie=UTF-8&ei=9NbQUdveK-2u4APO1YCwBg&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAg