Taking Refuge In Churches

one of the cool things about living in one of the older cities like new york, philadelphia, or boston is looking at all the old buildings, especially the churches. its really cool to see the old churches exist side-by-side with modern skyscrapers and other buildings. another really cool thing about the old churches is that most of the time they have beautiful courtyards which provide a little bit of green space amidst the concrete and asphalt. and they are open to the public.

i like that. recently i have found myself going into these courtyards and sitting, using them as an escape from the busy, noisy, and busy city. its fantastic how you can escape into these places that are just a few yards off the street, yet make you feel like you are 100 miles away from everything else.

it would be even better if synagogues were designed in the same way. maybe i would actually go to them.

The City Of Brotherly Love

to follow up on the post i made a few days ago: what is it that i like about philadelphia so much? its a complicated, mulitpart answer so i will attempt to do my best to answer it.

for starters, i grew up in the city. until i was 8 i lived at 22nd and green street which is located in the fairmount section of the city, right near the art museum. it was a very nice neighborhood to grow up in. it wasn't in center city but it was still plenty close to walk downtown to rittenhouse square and the franklin institute. i think thats where my love affair with the city started. back then, the city wasn't in the greatest of shape, but over the past 20 years A LOT has changed.

one of the things that has never changed about philadelphia is the residential nature of downtown. in my mind, successful cities have dense, livable downtowns. cities like new york, chicago, san francisco, and boston all fit this description, but one of the things that sets philadelphia apart is how dense its downtown is. downtown philadelphia, or center city as us locals call it, is defined by the area bordered on the east by the delaware river, on the west by the schuylkill river, market street on the north, and south street on the (duh) south. approximately 80,000 people live in this small area making downtown philadelphia the 3rd densest downtown in the US after new york and chicago. this density, combined with the amazing houses and buildings that you find in center city truly make philadelphia a wonderful place to be and walk around in.

the neighborhoods of center city are something to behold. from society hill and old city with their colonial housing to spruce street and rittenhouse square with their federal style houses and brownstones to fairmount and its rowhouses, philly has it all. and its all authentic. a lot of this stuff was built WAY back in the day. taking a walk around old city is like taking a walk in the philadelphia of ben franklin. walking in rittenhouse is like experiencing philadelphia at the peak of its might and wealth right before WWII.

and the centerpiece of philly? why, its city hall, of course! one of the grandest buildings ever built in these here united states. its just a magnificent piece of architecture and until 1987 was the tallest building in the city. but, despite buildings taller than billy penn's hat, city hall remains a true philadelphia icon.i could go on and on. i haven't even mentioned the ben franklin parkway, the art museum, franklin institute, the mudder museum of medical oddities, the reading terminal market, neighborhoods like bella vista, queen village, and northern liberties. bottom line: philadelphia is a wonderful place. i highly recommend a visit for those who have not experienced all the city has to offer. unfortunately, i can't write well enough tonight to accurately say all i want to say, so hopefully tomorrow i will be able, in more eloquent terms, describe my walk saturday night that took me from rittenhouse to old city and back.

good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.

I Have Something To Write About!

i now have something inspirational to write about: the city of philadelphia. as most of you know, i have an unusually high degree of fondness for my hometown. some people give philly a bad rap; they say it smells or its dirty or whatever, but people who say that, in my mind, have not seen the city through my eyes. sure, the city is dirty and it does smell, but you know what? philly is an imperfect city. it has flaws, glaring flaws at that, but when those imperfections are added to all the positive and wonderful things the city has to offer it creates an amazing tapestry that can only be appreciated by looking at the whole picture, flaws and all.

over the next week i hope to publish a series of my thoughts on the city of philadelphia. the city has inspired me to write and i will pay her tribute in the best way i can.p

Tomorrow I Depart DC

this significant event probably warrants some sort of profound statement, but, to be honest with you, i don't feel like writing something up. i might feel like it in a day or two, but as of right now, all i can say is that its about time.

peace, DC. hello philadelphia!

I Think Some Of These People Need To Have Their Head Checked

recently i have been reading a lot of stories about nostalgia for the "old new york", the new york of the '70s and '80s when the city was bankrupt, dirty, and unsafe. to those people i say this: are you fucking nuts?

read this quote from alison:

“I remember, there was just this fear,” Alison said. “I remember having to carry mugging money—$5. I remember having to know where all the Safe Haven stuff was. I remember all the bus ads with Etan Patz. There was just this fear, this fear of home, and I remember being really scared of the city.”

alison, sweetie, are you serious? you miss the days when muggers would mug a kid? and you take some sort of pride in that you had to carry "mugging money" to cover that eventuality? get real! who the hell wants to live in a city where they constantly feel scared, let alone feels nostalgic about it?

now, i do understand where some of these people are coming from. new york today, especially manhattan, is becoming the worlds largest playground for the rich. this i get (ironically, its one of the reasons i want to move to new york even though i am far from rich, but i digress), but to actually miss the daily threat of physical violence, flashings, public urination, junkies, dirty buildings, and everything else seems a little misplaced. you can miss the grittiness of the old new york, but you have to acknowledge that the city is something to behold these days.

but, if these people REALLY do miss the old new york, i suggest they move a close 90 miles down i-95 to philadelphia. we still know how to kill people at an astonishing rate there!