Hi Garth,
Very impressive work. It's nice to have you aboard. Philadelphia is my home town although I have been a New Yorker since 1970. I graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art with an illustration degree and no knowledge whatsoever. I always wondered what path my life would have taken had I gone to the Academy instead.
I'm also considering the leap to digital. I'm considering the Canon Powershot Pro 1 as well as the D70 and the Rebel.
On one hand the Pro 1 comes with an "L" quality lens. A zoom lens alone goes for over a thousand. It can shoot at an ISO of 50 which would eliminate noise if one was shooting under good light as opposed to the 200 ISO of the Rebel and the D 70. This coupled with a far superior lens and more features makes it seem very appealing. I too am waiting for the review conclusions to make my final determination. The 8 mp files will blow up to 20 x 30 inches.
On the other hand here is a review of the D70
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d70.htm that also has my full attention.
Welcome to the forum.