PF Cheng's Law Blog

Well, what do you know, more than 2 weeks after the start of the H-1B season, there are still spaces available!  This is both good news and bad news from an attorney's point of view.  The good news is that I can continue to file petitions on behalf of my clients; the bad news of course is that companies are just not hiring foreign workers, hence the relatively low number of petitions.

According to the data released by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), as of April 9th, they have received only 42,000 H-1B petitions.  Considering that the annual cap is 65,000, that means you still have over 23,000 spaces available for those interested in applying.  In the past couple years, the quota was filled on the first day of application, so the fact that this year's quota lasted this long is a truly astounding turn of events.

Bella Trattoria, located on 4258 Main Street in Manayunk, is my favourite Italian restaurants in the city of Philadelphia. 

Rode the Acela Express to New York today, and as comfortable as it is, I must say it is a royal waste of money. 

While at King of Prussia this afternoon, I noticed a new vendor at the Food Court – Five Guys Famous Burger and Fries.  I have never heard of this restaurant chain before, but I am always a big sucker for good fries, so I decided to give it a try.

Next door to the King of Prussia mall, you will find the Valley Forge National Historical Park, which is a popular destination for weary Philadelphians looking to get out of the city and reconnect with nature.

If you are into shopping, then you are absolutely going to love the King of Prussia Mall. Touted as the biggest shopping mall on the United States east coast, the King of Russia is located about 35 minutes to the northwest of Philadelphia, and is a popular shopping venue for both locals and out-of-state visitors alike.

A lot of Philadelphia residents frequent the Costco in Delaware, which is located about 40 minutes south of downtown Philadelphia.  The reason for this is simple economics; for unlike Philadelphia, which has a 7 percent sales tax, all sales in Delaware are tax free.  So if you purchase an expensive piece of electronics, such as a HD television set worth 3,000 dollars, you can save 210 dollars instantly, and that is not counting Costco’s already low prices to begin with.  Considering this crappy economy we are in, that is quite a substantial saving!

Despite being the cradle of liberty, the birthplace of the Constitution, former capital of the United States, and home of the cheese steak, Philadelphia has always been regarded by most pundits as a second tier city and shunned by most tourists, domestic and foreign alike.  But while Philadelphia may not be as big as New York, or as grand as Washington DC, it still has a lot to offer to the average tourist. 

I am not a fan of the Inter-Continental Hotel group; never has, and likely never will be.  I just find the hotels too old fashioned, and I don’t mean that in an elegant, classical sense, but “ you feel you have aged 10 years by simply being there” kind of old fashioned.

That said, I have the opportunity to visit the Holiday Inn Express in downtown Philadelphia tonight, and while it is not going to turn me into a believer, I must admit it is better than I imagined.  For people coming to Philadelphia looking for budget accommodation without sacrificing convenience, this is definitely a hotel you should consider.

In addition to taking the bus, another viable option for getting from Philadelphia to New York is to take the Amtrak (or its cheaper alternative, the New Jersey transit).  Generally speaking, Amtrak operates only 2 classes of trains for this route; the faster and more luxurious Acela, and everything else.  So don’t be confused by all the different names you see on the Amtrak website (such as the Northeast regional, Keystone, or Vermonter); except for the different stops, they are all identical.