Philadelphia tourism

Lacking a degree in marketing, I can only guess what runs through the minds of those that try to visually persuade visitors to this fair city. But a writeup in Budget Travel was only the start. I present to you:

Feel the Love, which will make you wonder if Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross ever did hook up. They had an open casting for this one (show up with a partner) and it obviously took over Love Park right before Valentine's Day.

With Love, Philadelphia, XOXO, the newest campaign from the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Campaign (that's a mouthful). I've been in the habit of writing love letters to the city of Philadelphia, but certainly wasn't expecting any to come back my way.

36 Hours in Philadelphia, because even New York wants to give us props.

Coming soon: my own personal photographic ad campaign to get more visitors (that I know) to Philadelphia. Not being versed in Photoshop, it will solely involve me putting up more photos.

the sounds of Philadelphia

Em after giving some money to an amazing busker on Broad St. one Friday night












Of Montreal at the Trocadero, 4/22












And there was Drake at the Tritone, PFUNKT at the North Star Bar, jazz combos at my restaurant on Wednesdays, and now outdoor festivals in the parks. Plus Andrew Bird, Jenny Lewis, Metric, and the Roots Picnic all coming soon. My Woodstock-attending father would be so proud. I love living in a city that houses so many venues for music, art, and creativity. Even when it's the side of buildings, like the Mural Arts Program.

other reasons to love Philadelphia

So, Budget Travel (which I am not yet a regular reader of) published a story of their 25 Reasons to Love Philadelphia here. I've already covered some of their favorites (Halloween's "Terror Behind the Walls" at Eastern State Penitentiary, photos of Elfreth's Alley from my August tourist tour, the epic cheesesteak battle, my immense love for Rittenhouse Square at Christmas or in warm weather). But now is the time to conquer the rest, especially visiting Bartram's Garden, kayaking the Schuylkill, and art viewing at The Barnes Foundation. Fortunately, I have already purchased many a 1/4 lb. of cheese at DiBruno Brothers (the enormous Rittenhouse location is my food mecca even more than Whole Foods), eaten at a Jose Garces restaurant (Tinto, his Basque-inspired outpost), and stuffed myself with the many delightful flavors of Capogiro Gelato.

As for sports superstitions, the Flyers lost in the playoffs. Is it wrong that I'm now rooting for the Caps?

Coming up this weekend: Winterthur Point-to-Point, the Delawarean answer to the Kentucky Derby, Charlottesville's Foxfields Races, and Richmond's Strawberry Hill Races. All of which are partially an excuse to get dressed up, wear a big hat, and consume alcohol very early on in the day. Thank goodness this tradition is not limited to the South.

Philadelphia Inevitabilities

You can not walk around any of Philly's assorted neighborhoods without witnessing someone spitting onto the sidewalk or street. It's a fact. Nobody puts the effort in to hock a loogie like we did back in elementary school or summer camp. Not everybody is sick and trying to expectorate the phlegm. They just naturally possess the spitting frequency of a camel or llama. High schoolers, little old ladies at the bus stop, well-dressed businessmen, everybody. I feel lucky that to this date, I have not yet found saliva on my clothes or shoes.

Another inevitability is that the afore-mentioned SEPTA buses are often early or late to their respective destinations. This will leave you sprinting after the #9 as it cruises down Walnut St. a few minutes early, or the #27 will show up 30 minutes later than expected on a Sunday, leaving you to hail it down after you have given up hope on its arrival and changed transportation plans. It's a daily gamble, but it's good exercise.

Also, I'm beginning to realize the downfalls of the (inevitable, if you will) citywide last call at 1:30AM and closing of the bars at 2AM. Fortunately, as a server in "the industry", I am allowed access to a number of sketchy after-hours bars, so long as I furnish proof of employment. I'd usually rather just go home, or fall asleep watching TV on friends' couches, but it's good to know. Besides, Atlantic City never sleeps.

A Tale of Two Buses, or What's a Transpass Anyway?

SEPTA: SouthEastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. According to wikipedia, it is the 7th-largest rapid transit system in the US by ridership. SEPTA operates the city's buses, subways, trolleys on tracks, regional rail (sort of a Amtrak lite), etc. Us AmeriCorps volunteers are given a monthly transpass which allows us unlimited access to the buses, subways and trolleys. Over half of my group (probably 3/4) use theirs to get to work in the morning on a regular basis. I'm currently in a state of off-and-on use, mainly because I have to take 3 different buses just to get to my site. Or a 15-20 minute drive. As the weather warms, I may be more willing to stand on street corners in unsavory parts of town, waiting for the bus. But I've had enough bad bus moments (falling into the lap of an unfortunate 4th-grader, getting sexually harassed by a drunk sipping his 40, etc.) that I will probably battle with the whole "I got up half an hour earlier for this?" question every morning. The bus, however, is not my main issue. I actually have much worse luck with the subways.

The subway system consists of only two lines, the Broad Street Line (orange line) and the Market-Frankford line (the blue line or the El). You New Yorkers and Washingtonians may scoff at this lack of criss-crossing colors, letters, and numbers, but the sheer volume of buses in this town more than makes up for it. I am a once-weekly subway user, particularly when I have taken a single bus from my place to Center City and then need to reach my office, a short walk from a far North stop on the Orange Line. But every single time that I step underground, bad luck strikes. I have just missed the train and the next one is late. The Broad-Ridge Spur comes before the regular. The Local arrives before the Express. Last week brought a tragic event that totally shut the subway down and forced a mass exodus to the surface, where we all waited for shuttle buses that never came. As hundreds of people crowded the intersection of Broad St. and Girard, our complaining (and pushing and shoving onto the few shuttles that did eventually appear) brought us together. Today I helped a client to the hospital by carrying her enormous stroller up several flights of stairs, because all subway stations don't have elevators and are thus not handicapped-accessible. WTF?

Public transportation in this city is certainly different than Washington DC (and NYC if I remember; I'll give an update when I visit there this weekend). Litter exists. There is an unscrubbable layer of grime on all surfaces. People publicly comment on the racial and economic class divisions between who takes the subways vs. regional rail. Accidents happen (actual collisions, not just small children using the bathroom). But hey, it all gets me to where I need to go with the swipe of a card. Though it did take me 4 months to learn how to exit the trolley.

my kids say the darndest things, installment #1

"Miss Hilary, how many times a day do you say the word 'sex'?"

"So the Eagles don't like T.O. now?"

(during a roleplay, a girl pretending to be a male asking a girl on a date): "I was wondering if on Friday, January 16th, you would like to see the movie Notorious with me".

Me: "You produce testosterone in your testicles, J....that's how you can grow that moustache."
J: "Oh you noticed that, huh?"

Major Philly-related postings in the coming week. Plus I put new photos up. Also, finally taking a brief trip to NYC in 2.3 weeks. I'm ahead on my hours, so our program director urged me to take a vacation. Not a problem.

avoiding the fax machine

I accidentally left the Mural Arts Program off my checklist, which is ludicrous because I have a book about it (thanks, Dad) and see them all the time. I'll be sure to go on one of the walking tours and maybe one of the trolley tours when the weather gets nicer. I also need to go to the Philadelphia Zoo, though one of my Friday classes was interrupted by the Zoo on Wheels program. My 8th graders got to learn about tropical rainforest animals instead of STI's. As for the rest of my to do list, I have since been to Chinatown twice (for late-night karaoke and Malaysian food, respectively) and purchased a book on Philadelphia beer by Joe Sixpack. If any of my loyal readers are planning a trip up here, Beer Week is March 6-15. Just something to think about.

Both of my jobs are going pretty well; I received a February-induced kick in the pants that should combat those winter doldrums. Or maybe it was the Girl Scout cookies. I've been here for 5 months now, so there are less than 6 to go in my AmeriCorps program. Hopefully I'll know and choose where I'm going next (or if I'll stay here) by sometime in June, so I'm not making crazy last-minute decisions about my life and living situation like I did last year.

Also, I need to take more photographs. The only ones I have of late are from New Year's in DC, and happy hour last week in Philly's oldest pub. Not exactly picasa-worthy.