Philadelphia.
Put your
favorite stereotype here: Ben Franklin, Cheesesteak Sandwiches, Liberty Bell,
Independence Hall.
Here are mine:
Streetcar town. Philly still retains its streetcar neighborhoods and the
electric streetcars that go with them.
This is on top of buses, commuter rail, AMTRAK…a person can do very well
without needing to own a car in many part of Philly.
Durable brownstones. Especially in the streetcar neighborhoods,
both the streets and the building were built to last. Even though some of them suffer from lack of
care, often as rentals, they spring back to life under the care of owners and
thoughtful property owners. The wood and
brick and even the old-fashioned hot water and steam heating systems still
deliver the goods for thousands of people, and respond well to judicious
fix-up. Neighborhoods full of these
houses are being rejuvenated.
Lots of breweries. Philadelphians point with pride to the
high proportion of breweries in town.
For my part, there was one right around the corner, under a bike
shop. In several days I never had the
same beer twice. This is a good sign of
civilization!
Gardens in every available inch. And not just flowers. Across the street someone was harvesting
Tuscan Kale from their front garden, mixed in with the roses, butterfly bushes,
and hydrangeas. Down the street was a
forest of tomatoes. Squash vines snake
through the little 10-foot-square front gardens, or pour out of pots they’ve
been planted in. Down the street someone
has managed to create a roof garden on one of the old houses. A kid couldn’t make much money mowing lawns
around here: the space is all being gardened.
And did I mention the laying hens across the alley?
Amazing Amish farmer’s markets with apples, squash,
greens etc by the bushel. For me, the connection between the properly-dressed,
fresh-faced Amish farmers and the contrasting styles of the U Penn neighborhood
residents, also fresh-faced but with a very different sense of style, perhaps
captures the wide range of people that constitute Philadelphia. These two communities, with almost completely
different backgrounds, habits, knowledge bases, you name it…need each other in
a very basic way. They are connected,
physically, by food. Really good food.
Every week.
Christmas at IKEA.
No, not in December. Labor
Day weekend, when U Penn commences classes.
After enduring the crush of shoppers for several days, I had
occasion, while negotiating with a store associate for a bed frame, to talk to
him about the impact of the universities on their store. “This is our Christmas”
he said. All over town, delivery trucks
were double parked in front of brownstone rentals, and people were huffing and
puffing heavy boxes full of potential furniture up narrow stairways. I see a middle-aged man at one of the
windows, busily washing them. I’m guessing it’s not his place…
Food. Diversity means great choices for food.
Mediterranean, Ethiopian, local breweries, all on the same street along with
the more traditional kinds of places.
A great place to visit.
See above. One never runs out
of things to see and do. And if you’re
bored? It’s an hour or so to New York
City. On commuter rail.
