Cities.
So much to do and see. Buildings and gardens and museums and stores - it sometimes feels like the entire universe is within walking distance, doesn't it?
That said, I'm not a fan.
Cities are a constant barrage on the senses - cars are honking, there's always someone yelling about something, you can't go a block without an unsightly view of a dumpster or someone's discarded mattress, and good god, what is that smell??
Then there's the people. Cities are full to the brim with interesting, colorful people and I love watching them wander by in all their glory. There's an infinite variety of human-ness on display. The trendy, the shabby-chic, the not-so-chic shabby, the hippie who hasn't updated their wardrobe in 30 years. All super cool to watch and wonder about. I can spend countless hours just sitting and watching, my mind awhirl with ideas about who they might be, where they might be going, and where they've come from.
On the downside, I'm not sure city dwellers have ever head of a thing called "personal space", something I, personally, hold in high regard. You can't go anywhere - anywhere - in a city without being bumped and jostled. I never mind it at first, but by the sixth or seventh time I'm nudged, I've reached the point where I'm pretty sure I'm going to freak out on the next person who makes contact with me. There's gonna be a scene, with me right smack in the middle, a place I hate to be. I've reached my limit - I need some elbow room. Back the F### off, for crying out loud!
OK, I'm reminding myself to breathe. See, even thinking about it makes me crazy. I'll take the 'burbs any time.
Still, every once in a while I venture into the city, and if I respect my own limitations, I can thoroughly enjoy them. Get in, explore, get out - short but sweet - that's the key for me.
Take last weekend, for example. My daughter and I ventured into Philadelphia, immersing ourselves in the city for a couple of day.
I've heard a lot about Philly over the years, most of it bad. I expected to find a gritty place. I expected to feel unsafe much of the time. Quite honestly, I was wholly prepared to dislike the city.
Boy, was I wrong. Philly, it turns out, is full of surprises.
I have to give partial credit to the timing - we hit Philly at the absolute peak of Spring, when everything is in bloom, the weather is warm, and bugs haven't yet come out in force. It was a perfect weather weekend, with sunny skies and temps in the low seventies. We spent plenty of time sitting on park benches, watching the dogs frolic and the squirrels bustle about. The flowering trees rained their seed pods down on us. It was delightful.
Of course, we hit the stereo-typical "Murica" sights - the liberty bell, the constitution center, independence hall. Although they had their appeal, for me personally, they were familiar and a little tired. I'd already heard all the stories repeatedly, so there were no surprises there.
I thoroughly enjoyed a lesser-known attraction, though - Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. Great story about this place...
In the 1960s, Philly's South Street neighborhood was in rough shape. Run down with derelict and abandoned buildings, the city had plans to tear it down to make way for a new highway. In came the starving artists, drawn by the cheap rents. One artist, Isaiah Zagar, saw potential in the 'hood. Using shards of tiles, glass bottles, bicycles wheels and broken bits of mirror, Zagar covered walls, sidewalks, floors and ceilings in colorful mosaics. His work inspired others to revitalize the neighborhood, which became an artist's mecca, and together, the citizens of Philly came together to stop the encroaching highway.
Cool story, right?
Zagar's work has been turned into a museum, named "Philly's Magic Garden". Don't let the name fool you - there's very little plant life here. Zagar built walls with his creations, transforming an empty lot into a maze of art. There are walkways and stairs and arches and tunnels, and everywhere you look, there's something interesting to see.
One person's junk is truly another's treasure here. The walkways and walls are brimming with tile - much of it broken and mismatched. There are old tea cups and saucers. Reclaimed bits or brick and rebar are in the mix. Alphabet tiles spell out various messages, including, "There can never be a valid definition of art". How true.
I love the chaotic nature of this place. When I try to make art, I lean toward order and balance. I admire this artist's tendency to go the other way. He tiled one section of floor in blue 2" x 2" tiles, and then finished with two brown ones at one corner. Had I been the artist, I wouldn't have had the nerve to do that, but it totally works here. The consistent disparity lends a sense of harmony, some how. I know, "consistent disparity" is a contradiction in terms. I stand by it, though. It's totally accurate for this place. Weird, right?
We toured Independence Hall while we were in town, which, despite what I said earlier about this being a tired subject matter, held quite a bit of interest for me. It's been preserved rather than polished. The wide-plank flooring, with ruts worn in high-traffic areas, still sports the original penny nails. One chair in the building got intimately familiar with George Washington's backside as the U.S. Constitution was being written. As you walk through the place, you can't help but dwell on the fact that your feet are striking the same steps as the people who made history here over 200 years ago. Such an amazing sense of connection.
Philly boasts a long list of must-see attractions, most of which I didn't see. No regrets, though. My favorite part of the trip was the time we spent walking to and from our destinations. We parked the car when we arrived at our hotel in Chinatown, and never touched it again until we'd checked out. We walked everywhere, and it was on those walks that I fell in love with Philly. From our hotel, we had to walk past a bustling Chinese grocery store which spilled out onto the sidewalk. Dumpsters lined the street and the vendors were not shy about dropping their trash in the general vicinity of them, without being overly concerned about actually hitting the target. Despite that, the area didn't feel dirty, somehow. Just busy.
On the first day, I was a little shocked at the open cardboard boxes of live crabs and fresh veggies sitting on the sidewalk, but once again, somehow it all felt very clean. There were many fruits and vegetables that I couldn't identify, all of which were labeled in Chinese. By the end of our trip, I was sorely tempted to grab some of them, just to try them out, but good sense prevailed, since it was a long car ride without a cooler. Next time, though, I'm packing the cooler.
The streets of Philly were clean and pretty, with tree-lined neighborhoods in their full spring-time glory. There were blossoming shrubs and overflowing window boxes. We passed street after street that I wanted to explore, if only there was enough time. Even busy down-town Philly was inviting, with several blocks that I vowed to visit on my next trip. Yeah, there's a lot of traffic, but it's not nearly as congested as some other cities. I'm looking at you, Los Angeles.
We explored some of the affordable neighborhoods in Philly, just to see what it would be like to live there. To my surprise, most of them felt safe, and were within walking distance of plenty of amenities. That's not always the case. In some cities, the affordable neighborhoods are scary and far, far away from any commercial attractions, like grocery stores and pharmacies. I'm looking at you, Hartford.
You could probably make an argument that I didn't stay there long enough to see the bad parts of Philly, but I'm not going to think like that. I'm going to remember Philly just like the lovely photos I took there - green, clean, historic and welcoming. Of all the cities I've ever visited, Philly is my favorite.
I'll be back, Philly. Soon.
Kimba
About the Author
Kimberlee Martin is a free-lance writer with a background in software development. In addition to the miscellaneous musings she posts here, she writes a technical blog on Microsoft Access and Excel at www.northportsolutionsllc.com.
Kim can be reached at kimba1228@gmail.com.
© Kimberlee Martin, 2023. All rights reserved.
I have fond memories (and photos somewhere!) of visiting Philly with Cher and Dave for an ONLC party. I too was surprised at how nice a city it was! Thanks for the travelogue 😀
I love reading about your travels! Have you thought of trying to get published in the AARP magazine? I think it would really fit there. Sandi