philadelphia: where the weather’s a character and the coffee’s just a placeholder

well okay here i am philadelphia somehow. it’s that kind of night. 7 degrees outside and i’m wearing a hoodie three sizes too big because layers are my language now. the humidity’s thick enough to cut with a knife and the kind of energy that makes you wonder if the sidewalk’s alive. or maybe that’s just the coffee shop next door playing that one song on loop forever.

i just checked and it’s… there right now. the rain? no. the fog? kind of. it’s this weird in-between where the sky’s a blank page and the streetlights are trying to tell stories. i hope you like that kind of thing. i don’t. but here we are.

last night i overheard a group arguing outside a bodega about whether or not philadelphia has a soul. someone joked that it’s just a bunch of concrete trying too hard. another person swore the meille macaron is a artisanal lie. i’m not sure which is worse. all i know is the guy selling pretzels back there claims he’s from somewhere called ‘the inside.’ whatever that means.

neighbors? yeah. they’re the type to leave pipes frozen in January and then act surprised when you mention it. but if you get bored the suburbs are just a short drive away. or maybe that’s a euphemism. who knows.

someone told me that the art museum’s new exhibit is a optical illusion made of mirrors. i walked past it yesterday and yeah. i’m still questioning reality. the reviews i skimmed were all over the place. one said it’s a genius mess. another claimed they got lost for three hours. another was just a single emoji. ????

the weather’s a mood swing. today it’s like philadelphia’s wearing a sweater and sighing. tomorrow? who knows. i heard a local warn me about the graffiti alleys getting sketchy after dark. i rolled my eyes. it’s philadelphia. the alleys are supposed to be sketchy.

i tried a cafe called ‘the dripping benches’ based on a yelp review. their avocado toast was expensive but the vibe was like if someone sculpted a bench out of anxiety. the owner kept talking about how philadelphia’s history is in the pavement. i disagreed. i think it’s in the sports bars. but then again i’m biased. i’ve never been to a sports bar.

try this: https://www.tripadvisor.com/philadelphia-restaurants
or this: https://www.yelp.com/biz/philadelphia-food-scene
and if you want to explore deeper: https://www.reddit.com/r/philadelphia
or find more photos at: https://unsplash.com/search/philadelphia

thanks for reading. i’m probably falling asleep now. the weather’s still this weird. the dogs in the park are judging me. i’m still not sure if this city has a soul. but i’m here. and that’s enough for now.

p.s. if you’re a photography geek check out this shot of the city’s weirdest monument. not what you’d expect: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1501466044931-62695aada8e9?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&w=1080&q=80

another one for the drone shots: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1520525003249-2b9cdda513bc?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&w=1080&q=80

and finally a group of people existing in public: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1463839346397-8e9946845e6d?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&w=1080&q=80

stay safe. or don’t. your call.

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