The Visit PA campaign and Explore PA show (produced by WITF in Harrisburg and shown on WHYY Saturday mornings at 11:30) must be sinking in. For summer vacation 2005, the phillyskyline.com team opted to heed the words of Governor Ed "Cheesesteak" Rendell and stay in-state. Over the course of eight days, we covered 1000 miles and never left the borders of Pennsylvania.

It's weird, refreshing, and even offers some sense of pride to say that the state Capitol's homoerotic sculpture, Joe Paterno's house, Andy Warhol's camouflage silk screens, pig races at the Tioga County Fair, a town that's been on fire for 40 years, America's oldest brewery, and chocolate street lamps can all be mentioned in the same sentence with a straight face, and all in Philadelphia's back yard.

Philly and Pennsylvania have their differences -- this cannot be denied -- but both sides really need to do a better job of trying to understand the other. It's sad that most of the state looks upon Philly as a crime infested, corrupt, state tax draining cesspool and that most Philadelphians are unaware they have neighbors beyond the King of Prussia Mall. We're all Pennsylvanians, even if our voting habits are polar opposites. Let's find a common ground in the Commonwealth, friends.

Maybe next year we'll work up an itinerary to include Erie's gorgeous Presque Isle State Park, the Johnstown Flood Museum, the fallen Kinzua Bridge, Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, white water rafting on the Youghiogheny . . . phillyskyline.com really does have a lot of brotherly love for the parent state. In the meantime, pleaase enjoy this summer's pictures.

–B Love

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