Patty Shipman – Elementary School Psychologist

Location: Island Park Elementary

Job Description: Patty works with children, families and classroom teachers on assessments for students who need learning interventions. Her goal is to help students succeed with the aid of several school programs such as the Learning Assistance Program, Title I and Special Education.

Typical Day: Patty works three days a week, from 8 am to 4:30 pm. She spends her days working with children, families and the Learning Support Team that assists parents with learning issues. She administers assessments and spends much of her time writing reports and handling paperwork.

Best part of the job: “I love the challenge of figuring out the “puzzles” involved in learning and watching students make progress. I have always enjoyed all kinds of puzzles, but nothing is more fun or challenging than this job!”

Something people may not know: Patty was an investigator for the Department of Defense before she became an educational psychologist. When her son had learning difficulties, she decided to change careers so she could help other students. She has a Masters in Counseling from WSU and Education Specialist degree from Seattle University. But unlike school counselors who deal more with emotional issues, educational psychologists are specifically trained to work with students who have learning differences.

Years worked in the district: 6 years

Outside interests: Patty and her husband Paul live on Mercer Island. Both of their grown children went through Mercer Island schools. Now they live with a “great dog” named Barley. Patty enjoys cooking, entertaining and … figuring out puzzles!

Doug Davis – 7th grade Science teacher and 7th/8th grade Media Tech teacher

Location: Islander Middle School

Job Description: Doug teaches general science to about eighty (80) 7th graders and Media Tech to over fifty (50) 7th and 8th grade students. His science classes cover physical science, the chemistry of matter, life science, genetics, evolution, plants and animals, microscopes and human biology. Media Tech students produce video news clips every other Monday, including fake commercials, announcements, teacher features, teacher/student competitions and more.

Typical Day: There isn’t one. Doug arrives at 8 am and begins with first and second period Media Tech classes. These classes involve a lot of troubleshooting with students to figure out the technology and to develop ideas. “My role is to help them come up with programming that is good-natured, fun and friendly,” says Doug. His science classes are “not the read-the-book kind of classes. All of us teach through hands-on experiences and constructivist learning. Today we are doing a chemical reactions lab, splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen to show the difference between elements and compounds.”

Best part of the job: “Every day is different, every year is different. People sometimes ask me how I can do the same job year after year, but there are so many personalities to work with it’s like coming to a new job everyday. I always enjoy coming to work in the morning.”

Something people may not know: “I got good grades in school, but I was a terrible student because I never worked at it. I decided to become a teacher so I could be better than the ones I had.”

Years worked in the district: 16 years.

Outside interests: Doug and his wife Tahne Davis, a graphic designer, have two boys ages three and seven. They recently moved to Mercer Island from the Mt. Baker neighborhood. “We are an active family,” said Doug. “We spend lots of time biking, skiing, playing sports with the kids – anything outside.” Doug is also an elite level cyclist in the Pro 1 and 2 group. That means he rides with pro cyclists when they come to town! Doug confesses to owning 11 bikes. “You could say I have a passion for biking and bikes,” he says.

Tom Cox – Choir Director at Islander Middle School and Mercer Island High School

Job Description: Tom teaches choral singing at Islander and MIHS. He also teaches guitar at the high school. His main “instruments” are his voice and guitar, but he can “fake” playing the piano. Tom works with over 140 students enrolled in choir or in his guitar classes.

Location: Mercer Island High School, Room 503

Typical Day: “No such thing!” says Tom. He arrives everyday at 6:30 am and starts teaching at 8 am. He teaches at the high school in the morning and goes to IMS in the afternoon.

Best part of the job: Working with his students and the camaraderie he enjoys with the district’s other music teachers. “I love seeing the lights go on when my students master a difficult piece.” Tom also keeps in touch with many of his former students. “My wife and I were invited to a wedding of two of my former students who met in choir. They thanked us for being involved in their lives. That really meant a lot!”

Something people may not know: Tom has studied music for most of his life. He started performing while attending Olympic Junior College in Bremerton and ended up supporting himself as a professional musician throughout the 1970’s and into the mid-80’s. His band, “China” played at many of the Northwest’s most famous venues, including Parkers, Pier 70 and the Spanish Ballroom. Tom went back to school when he was in his mid-30s, earning a BA at the UW and a Masters in Teaching at Seattle Pacific University.

Years worked in the district: 18 years. Tom worked as a substitute at MIHS and ended up replacing long-time choir director Larry Potts. “I was in the right place at the right time,” says Tom

Outside interests: Tom enjoys spending time with his wife Valaree Cox, an accomplished artist, and their 17- year old daughter Callan. He still plays guitar and sings with various groups in the area, playing jazz, singing top 40 songs during 4-hour gigs and earning excellent pay. “I am a weekend warrior!” says Tom. “I love playing music.”

Kathy Morrison - Director of Elementary Learning Support

Job Description: Kathy provides support to our elementary principals and staff in curriculum development, professional staff development and school improvement planning. She is also in charge of Title I, the Learning Assistance Programs, English Language Learners Program, and nomination and selection of students for Gifted Education.

Location: Central Office Building

Typical Day: Kathy arrives at 8:00 am and begins her day by checking her email and calendar. She meets with principals, teachers and administrators on a daily basis. Recently, she has been working with teachers and principals in support of the new math curriculum implementation. Most days she goes home after 5:00 pm.

Best part of the job: “I love being around elementary students and staff. This is where I began my career as a music teacher before I became a principal and administrator.”

Something people may not know: Kathy served as the district’s first and only associate principal from 1998-2000 during the years that elementary school enrollment was over 600 students. She was the Principal of Island Park Elementary School for eight years and Associate Superintendent for two years.

Years worked in the district: 18 years. “I particularly enjoy living and working in the same community, watching students grow up and developing many wonderful relationships.”

Outside interests: Kathy loves music and is an accomplished pianist. She and her husband Frank have raised four very successful children who all spent their K-12 years in the Mercer Island School District. Kathy particularly enjoys reading, traveling, going on long walks and time with family and friends.

Bunnie Lehan – Bus Driver

Job Description: Bunnie transports elementary, middle and high school students from their homes along East Mercer Way to school. “I actually enjoy driving East Mercer Way, especially in the fall and spring. I even like it when something goes wrong and I have a new challenge like backing the bus around a fallen tree.”

Location: Maintenance, Operations and Transportation Building

Typical Day: Bunnie arrives at 6:30 am and gets ready for her morning run driving high school, middle and elementary school students. She drives kindergarten students at mid-day and elementary students in the afternoon. Bunnie drives 175-200 students every day. She usually goes home at 4:30 pm.

Best part of the job: “I love interacting with kids. They are a lot of fun and their lives are so happy and carefree. I try to be there when they need someone to talk to. Sometimes I feel like a mother hen! This year I have a few Japanese students who are learning to speak English. They were so scared when they first got on the bus. I put them in the second seat and I have even learned a few words of Japanese. I am now driving the children of my first 'children' on Mercer Island. I have had the privilege of watching them grow up and hope that I have given them something positive to take away from their childhood.”

Something people may not know: Bunnie has seven grandchildren and is a great-grandmother to two girls ages one and three.
Years worked in the district: 27 years and “I wouldn’t do anything else!”

Outside interests: Bunnie enjoys knitting, crocheting, 'dabbling' in crafts and reading both fiction and non-fiction. She also loves being outside.

Danae Burger – 7th Grade Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher

Job Description: Danae teaches language arts and social studies to 80 7th grade students at Islander Middle School. Her students learn Washington State history and read novels such as “The Outsiders,” “Ghost Canoe,” and “Farewell to Manzanar.” Since 7th grade is the first year students are tested on the WASL writing exam, they practice persuasive writing and write multiple expository essays. Students are engaged in project-based learning with projects such as “Rock Around Washington” and the year-end Culture Project.

Location: Islander Middle School

Typical Day: Danae arrives at 7:00 am and begins her day by standing in line at the copy machine with all of the other “regulars” who have last-minute projects to complete. Her first class begins with “the sleepy kids” for first period. This year, though, they’re not sleepy! She can often be found during prep period grading papers on her yoga mat. Danae finishes her day with the afternoon block.

Best part of the job: Working with middle school students. “Many of them have been together since kindergarten, so they know each other really well. They are very funny – I have one student who sings my instructions back to me! On a good day, I walk out of here thinking 'I can’t believe I get paid for this.' On bad days, when I teach sloppily, I am hard on myself. But we are so well supported at IMS. I am recognized for my strengths and encouraged to be a leader in areas I excel in. In my third year of teaching, I am finally learning how to teach smarter.”

Something people may not know: “I am learning to cook. Someday I would like to learn the art of flower arranging.”

Years worked in the district: Three years. Danae came to Mercer Island after her first year of teaching in the Northshore school district.

Outside interests: Danae enjoys travel, snow skiing and reading, even though she is a slow reader. She says, “I understand why it’s difficult for some kids to get through 21 books a year!” She visits Minnesota, her home state, whenever she can. Danae and her husband Jeremy live in an apartment in downtown Mercer Island. “We love it,” she says. “Everything we need is right here.”

Alex Lin-Meyer – 4th grade teacher, Lakeridge Elementary

Job Description: Alex teaches math, science, social studies, reading and writing to 24 4th graders every day. He works on inspiring kids to have confidence in their ability to learn and get along with others. “Fourth graders are still at an age when you can help them change their perceptions about themselves. It’s very cool to be a part of that.”

Typical Day: Alex arrives at 8 am (after a 7:45 am Starbucks stop). He stays until 5 pm, sometimes 7 pm. “It takes a lot of planning to make teaching seem effortless.” Alex and his students do a lot of fun things like growing plants for science lessons, participating in student-run class meetings, reading amazing books, and showcasing their math talents. They also go on field trips to enhance learning in the classroom.

Best part of the job: “Making a difference in the lives of my students. I never dread coming to work on Mondays!

Something people may not know: This is Alex’s 4th year of teaching. So far he has taught 6th, 1st, 2nd and 4th grade. Before becoming a teacher, Alex worked as an aerospace engineer and a web developer. “I am blessed to be at Lakeridge. It is such a positive atmosphere – everyone is focused on kids and all of the teachers help each other. It’s a wonderful place to be.”

Outside interests: Alex and his wife Monica live in Ballard with their 2 cats. Alex says, “I couldn’t be doing this job without the support of my wife. She’s really a major reason I’m here.” One of Alex’s favorite activities is scuba diving, especially with sharks. “They remind me that I really am a small fish in a very big pond!”

Peggy Chapman – Administrative Assistant to the Principal

Job Description: Peggy keeps track of her principal’s (Fred Rundle) calendar, arranges meetings, prepares agendas, helps in the Health Room, interfaces with parents and deals with children every day. “Sometimes I just listen to them. They have a lot on their minds and need to tell someone right away. I am often the first person they see so they tell me.”

Note: While conducting this interview over a period of 15 minutes, at least 3 children had something to say to Peggy!

Typical Day: Peggy arrives at 7:40 am (“I am supposed to be here at 7:30 am, but I am not a morning person so I make it up at the end of the day.”) Before the children arrive at 9 am, Peggy checks her substitute teacher list, does the weekly bulletin on Mondays and issues keys to the subs. Then, she does attendance, and checks in on kids who don’t show up to make sure they are safe. In between she does everything in her job description.

Best part of the job: Everything. “I love my job! Every day goes by so fast I forget I am working.”

Something people may not know: “I am not as organized at home as I am at work.” And – Peggy makes it her job to know every child in the school.

Years worked in the district: 35 years. Peggy started as a volunteer at Mercer Crest Elementary and has worked for 6 different principals.

Outside interests: Peggy is an avid reader, especially mysteries. “I plan to be a sleazy detective in my next life!” She also enjoys golf. “I have played for 20 years and still haven’t gotten any better, but I like it anyway.”

Judy Burnstin – Career & Technology Education Teacher (CTE)

Job Description: Judy teaches beginning and Advanced Video, Photoshop and Web/Multimedia at Mercer Island High School

Location: Room 301 at Mercer Island High School

Typical Day: Judy starts her day at 7:30 am and spends an hour or so in her office preparing for classes. On non-block days, she teaches all of her classes, beginning with Web Multimedia, Advanced Video and Photoshop before lunch, then 2 beginning video classes in the afternoon.

Best part of the job: “I love working with kids, and since my classes are electives, the students usually want to be here. I set the parameters for the assignments and leave the content up to the students. They are very creative and come up with new and different ideas all of the time. For example, one Photoshop assignment is to design a book cover and have a plot summary. Every single one is different! These are currently on display at the high school library.

Something people may not know: Joel McHale of “Almost Live” and “Community”, and Ethan Sandler, an actor in “Crossing Jordan” were students in Judy’s classes.

Years worked in the district: 21 years

Outside interests: Judy enjoys movies (one of her favorites is “The Sting” with Paul Newman and Robert Redford) and always goes to the Northwest Film Festival. She also enjoys travel and politics. Last summer she traveled with her family on a cruise through Alaska’s Inside Passage. Judy spends a lot time with her own continuing education to stay current in the rapidly changing field of digital media education. “We used to call CTE “Voc Tech”. It has changed a lot over the years. It is still ‘hands-on’, but is very focused on up-dating course content so that student skills match industry standards. In doing so, there is also a more concerted effort to emphasize and incorporate core areas such as writing, math and science into our curriculum.” Courses are career focused by including a lot of skills that can be used by all students.

Melissa Ralph: 7th grade Math teacher

Job Description: Melissa teaches 7th grade Pre-Algebra to 135 students, five periods a day. Her students are learning the foundations of Algebra and Geometry in classes of 21 – 29 students.

Location: Islander Middle School

Typical Day: Melissa usually arrives at 7:30 am to plan her day before the students arrive. She teaches 1st and 2nd period, has 3rd off, then teaches 4th, 5th and 6th periods. She often spends time planning lessons on the ‘Smart Board.” Melissa really appreciates having this powerful tool for learning. “It is an interactive screen connected to my computer and a document camera. We have a lot of fun sharing our thinking and discovering new ways to solve problems. I can save all of the students’ work on my computer.”

Best part of the job: “Building relationships with middle school students. This is a difficult time in their lives – they have a lot going on besides school. I find myself being both a teacher and a mentor to them. It is so much fun to see them get excited about math.”

Years worked in the district: 17 years

Something people may not know: Melissa has taught 2nd, 3rd , 4th grade and Special Ed at Island Park. She also taught PE at Lakeridge. Last year she was named MISD’s Teacher of the Year.

Outside interests: Melissa and her husband Mike live on Mercer Island and enjoy spending time with their children, Austin, age 13, a student at IMS (this week, he has changed his name to Houston!) and Lauren, a 4th grader at Lakeridge. Melissa trains for Triathlons and loves to read in the summer. She tries to read all of the Newberry Award winners and enjoys Jodi Picoult novels and The Twilight Series.

Tracy Michaels: Paraeducator, Special Education

Job Description: Tracy works with Special Ed teacher Nancy Murray in teaching math, reading, writing, behavior and self-regulation skills to about 25 K-5 Special Education students at West Mercer Elementary.

Location: West Mercer Elementary

Typical Day: Tracy’s regular hours are 9 am – 3:30 pm. Her first students (five 4th graders) arrive at 9:30 am. Under teacher Nancy Murray's direction, Tracy works with 2 of the students, while Nancy teaches 3. Each session lasts 30 minutes, and there are 8 sessions each day. They use district curriculum, but also have access to subscription web sites for on-line resources. They do a lot of “pulling and planning” to find the right combination of materials for each child. Nancy Murray is in charge of writing and tracking the Individual Education Plans (IEP) for the students.

Best part of the job: “I love working with the kids and seeing their success at passing the WASL and being able to learn in the regular classroom setting. It is tremendously satisfying for me.”

Years worked in the district: 7 years

Something people may not know: “Every child in the Special Ed program requires one to one instruction in every area we teach.”

Outside interests: Tracy enjoys spending time with her son, Tony who is currently attending the Golf Academy of America, and her 88 year-old grandmother, who is in the process of moving in with her. She loves to read, especially true stories.

Todd Kelsay: Director of Transportation

Job Description: Todd is in charge of all transportation for Mercer Island School District students, including the MISD bus fleet and working with Metro. He manages 40 drivers, as well as all the sub drivers.

Location: The brand new Maintenance, Operations and Transportation Building located behind Crest Learning Center. The old MOT building was removed due to the PEAK project.

Typical Day: Todd begins his day between 6:30 and 7:00 am. This time of year he has been working with drivers to train students to cross the street safely as they get on and off the bus. He is also very busy with student bus count as this number dictates how much state funding the district gets for transportation. Todd is constantly working on route adjustments, making sure we don’t overload routes. There is ongoing work buying and selling buses, training drivers and dealing with student management issues. We have very few behavior problems on our buses!

Best part of the job: “I loved being a driver (Todd drove for his first two years in the District), but now it’s working with people who enjoy being around students. Our drivers have been with us an average of 14 years. They know all of the students’ names, and many students grow up with the same driver. Most of them will say this is the best job they have ever had. It’s a wonderful work environment.”

Years worked in the district: 5 years

Something people may not know: MISD is unique in that we allow students to use different stops, depending on where they need to go after school. We can accommodate almost any request.

Outside interests: Todd loves spending time with his family. He and his wife Kris have two children—their daughter Shea, age 12, is a student at IMS, and son Conner, age 16, goes to MIHS. Todd also enjoys mountain climbing and skydiving. He has climbed mountains all over the world, but particularly loves the Cascades. He has been on top of Mt. Rainier 30 times!

Amie Fahey – Image and Child Development teacher

Job Description: Amie teaches Image and Child Development classes, part of the CTE (Career and Technolgy education) department at Mercer Island High school. Amie’s students learn about overall health & wellness including: diseases, CPR, alcohol & drug abuse, nutrition, coping skills, sex education and depression. She also teaches Yoga at the high school.


Location: Mercer Island High School

Typical Day: Amie starts her day at 10 am (she is a part-time teacher) and spends an hour and a half or so in her office planning, grading and making phone calls to guest speakers. She says there are “many professionals in our community who enjoy speaking to the students.” Recently the class heard a speaker from the Anti-Defamation League talk about Internet safety. Amie then teaches an Image class and her Yoga class in the afternoon. She usually leaves at 3:30 pm.

Best part of the job: “I love everything about my job! I have great people to work with and great kids to teach.”

Something people may not know: Teaching Yoga is one of the most difficult aspects of Amie’s job. “It is very difficult to help my students just ‘turn off.’ They are so used to the constant stimulation with cell phones and technology that they don’t know how to just do nothing and clear their thoughts.”

Years worked in the district: This is Amie’s 2nd year of teaching.

Outside interests: Her family! Amie and her husband Chris have two children, Abby and Eli, both students at West Mercer. They love the outdoors and enjoy boating, waterskiing, tennis and going to Lake Chelan.

Steve Baird – Maintenance Engineer/District Electrician

Job Description: Steve is one of three Maintenance Engineers in the district. He is officially the district’s electrician, but works in all aspects of maintenance including carpentry, window glazing, signage, plumbing, HVAC and more.

Location: The Maintenance Shop near Central Administration

Typical Day: Steve starts his day at 6 am to work in the buildings before anyone arrives. He takes care of lighting issues, including changing bulbs or wiring and works his way through a daily “punch list” of jobs that need to get done. It is Steve you see driving around in the white truck with the “boom” on top. Before the district got the truck, Steve used to work on the parking lot lights with a ladder. “It got a little scary sometimes,” he said. In the afternoon, he goes back to the office to complete paperwork, check his emails and go over his list of work orders for the next day. He leaves at 2:30 pm.

Best part of the job: No day is ever the same and I get to see all of my girls’ activities.

Something people may not know: There are no “subs” in maintenance, so each engineer needs to be able to fill in for the other. This past year Steve has worked on everything from remodeling the Superintendent’s office, to converting the lighting in the portables to energy saving lights, to building covered roofs for the dug outs at the South Mercer field. He also did cement work at West Mercer.

Years worked in the district: 29 years. Steve graduated from Mercer Island High School in 1980 and started driving a school bus. Then he got the job in maintenance and has been here ever since.

Outside interests: Steve and his wife Chris have 3 daughters – Caitlin, MacKenzie and Haley, all at Mercer Island High School. The family enjoys the outdoors, particularly boating on Lake Washington, and Steve likes to ride his bicycle, ski and work on his various remodeling projects.

Cindy Weber – Learning Support Paraprofessional

Job Description: Cindy works with small groups of children from kindergarten through 5th grade who need extra help learning to read.

Location: Island Park

Typical Day: Every 30 minutes Cindy meets with a different group of 3-5 children in various locations throughout the school. With kindergartners, she often works on phonemic awareness; 1st graders, phonics and site words, and with older children, fluency, comprehension and writing.

Best part of the job: “It is never boring or repetitive. I particularly enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to help a child who isn’t learning, or struggling with reading in some way. I am fortunate to be able to work with the wonderful staff at Island Park.

Years worked in the district: 10

Outside interests: Cindy enjoys reading, cooking and travel. Every year she trains for two different walking half-marathons with a group called, “Team Transplant”, a group of transplant recipients, their friends and families. Cindy’s brother is an organ transplant recipient.

Fred Rundle – Principal of Lakeridge Elementary School

Job Description: Fred is new to Lakeridge this year, taking over for Ralph Allen who retired in June. Fred is the first line of support for students, staff and parents. His primary responsibility is to make sure Lakeridge is a safe and welcoming school so that students learn everyday. He works hard to engage all stakeholders in the school community on the same goal – student learning.

Location: Lakeridge

Typical Day: According to Fred, “There isn’t one! That is why I love this job.” He often begins the day with a before school meeting with staff and/or parents to discuss student learning, reflect on school practices and improvement plans. He then greets the children and walks through the halls. Then, he may be in another meeting before lunch. He is present in the lunchroom and visits classrooms as often as possible. Everyday is prioritized according to students’ needs, which is why it is never the same. After school, Fred may have more meetings before he catches up on his email.

Best part of the job: “The times I still get to teach, both children and adults.”

Something people may not know: Fred taught elementary school for 5 years and high school for 1 year before he became an elementary school principal.

Years worked in the district: Just started.

Outside interests: Fred and his family moved to the area from Colorado where he most recently worked as an elementary school principal in the Douglas County School District. He and his wife Dana enjoy boating and camping with their two young children. Fred and Dana met while they were undergraduates at the University of Puget Sound and vowed that they would live in the Northwest someday. We are glad they did!

Dean Mack – Executive Director of Business Services and Human Resources

Job Description: Dean manages MISD Finances, Human Resources, Maintenance, Transportation, Food Services, Construction as well as Bonds and Levies. He is new to the district as of July 2009 and has more than 30 years of management expertise in public school systems. He comes to us from the Issaquah School District, where he worked for 10 years.

Location: Central Office

Typical Day: Dean often starts his day at 6:30 am, using the quiet time to respond to email. This week he is spending a lot of time with the installation of a new field turf for the high school stadium. He typically meets with the construction management team, and then goes to visit with Keith Ellis, Maintenance, or Todd Kelsay, Transportation. He works with the City of Mercer Island concerning inter-local agreements for the South Mercer fields or the High School stadium. He handles enrollment and staffing issues for the schools and “a million little things” every day.  It is Dean’s job to know all of the facilities in the district and work with the facilities planning team and building staff on long-term facility planning and maintenance of our buildings.

Best part of the job: “I love all of my job, but the best part is working with people to solve problems.”

Years worked in the district: Just started.

Something people may not know: MISD has a 40 million dollar operating budget and holds 4% in reserve to cover the highs and lows in cash flow over the year. We are one of the few districts in the state with a AA bond rating.

Outside interests: Dean enjoys spending time with his 5 year-old grandson and golfing, although he says he isn’t very good. He also likes visiting the many interesting communities around Puget Sound.

Erin Anderson – Payroll Coordinator, District Administration

Job Description: Erin is MISD’s new Payroll Coordinator, taking over for Dianne Hoelscher, who is retiring on September 30. Erin is responsible for making sure everyone gets paid! Plus, she handles insurance and benefits, IRS reporting, COBRA insurance, Labor & Industries, unemployment and more. Working with the Department of Retirement systems is one of her main job duties.

Location: Central Office

Typical Day: Erin begins her day checking email and voice mails to respond to employee questions about salary and benefits.  Then she processes time sheets and continues to work on the complete implementation of sub on-line. September is a particularly busy month in Payroll because of all the changes in employee contracts.

Best part of the job: “I love working with people and helping our employees with their questions and concerns.”

Something people may not know: According to Dianne Hoelscher, “Since we are a small district, the Payroll Coordinator must stay current on all the rules and regulations involved in insurance and benefits, L&I, IRS etc. Bigger districts have a person for each one of those functions.”

Years worked in the district: Just started.

Outside interests: Erin has just moved to Issaquah from Lewiston, Idaho.  She and her husband Chris are looking forward to boating and taking advantage of the shopping and entertainment available in the big city.