Tell Me About Philadelphia, Please

[girl]

Blucas what the DUCK you comin up this weekend or what

We're trying to get things sorted out in another, sexier random thread.   

[auto-da-fey]

October in Philly: light jacket or winter coat?

also I still like it here, but what's up with gas stations charging to use air pumps to fill up your bike tires? Those are free even in Los Angeles!

[Andrew_TSKS]

They're all 75 cents around me. Maybe it's an east coast thing.

[Greg Nog]

Light jacket is what I'd say, but is this for your lady?  Isn't she used to like Guatemalan California?  A winter coat might be better.

[auto-da-fey]

Light jacket is what I'd say, but is this for your lady?  Isn't she used to like Guatemalan California?  A winter coat might be better.

Yeah, she's spent most of her life in Guatemala and CA, though she did do a year or so in Michigan once and survived. Maybe I'll go with "heavy jacket but not full coat," then, even though I'm not even sure what that means, exactly.

[Greg Nog]

It means thick tweed!

[Ashley]

* Ashley realizes "winter coat" does not necessarily mean "certified -40C suitable" to everyone.  ...

[Andrew_TSKS]

Ashley, I don't think it's gotten within 20 degrees of that cold here at any point in my life. In the winter it is generally -10C at the coldest.

[Ashley]

I have lived places humans are not meant to live.

[FreddyKnuckles]

psh

[jebreject]

I've felt that, with windchill

[El_Josharino]

I've felt that, with windchill

Sayin'.

[Augo]

If one were smart, one would have begun growning a nice beard in late July in anticipation of October's temperature ebb and flow.  I, myself, am quite prepared for the month.  Your lady should have been, too.

Alas, if she overlooked this situation back in July, I would recommend a long sleeved t-shirt, with a warm-but-not-heavy jacket handy, just in case...

If that's not enough, a gentle, constant embrace from her main fellow and a cup of hot chocolate should make everything at least tolerable for her.


But of course I've never been in Philly in October so who the hell am I, yeah!?

[auto-da-fey]

Does this count as a Philly moment? I'm quietly taking notes on a book about Richard Nixon when I hear "ON THE FUCKING GROUND MOTHERFUCKER" outside my window. I look out; it's a dude with a gun pointed at another dude's head.



Turns out to be a cop. He cuffs the guy, more cop cars show up, then he empties the guy's pockets and throws it all in the street, even his bus pass--I can hear the cop say something like, "you'll have to get a fucking transfer."



Cop, deciding that caricaturing the Wire isn't good enough and he wants to go all-out Dirty Harry, then takes the poor guy's baseball hat, stomps on it, and spits on a few times. Apparently he's pissed because the guy tossed his drugs while running and now the cops have to go look beneath the cars on my street.




Anyway, not too exciting, but there was a real pathos in the arrestee's tattered Operation: Mindcrime shirt, which doesn't come across in the pics. I'm also sort of hoping that next time I use my car I look down and find a dime bag that the PPD missed.

But mostly I had a Philly question: I have a car for five more weeks, and I'd like to use it before I turn it in to see regional things worth seeing. I've been to Camden, Centralia, and the river-road up through Bucks County, but that's about it. I think I'll investigate Atlantic City sometime in December, but what else should I drive to before I switch to total reliance on bike and subway? Is Wilmington interesting? I was there four years ago and don't remember it, which suggests not.

[Greg Nog]

REMINDER TO PHILADELPHIANS:

This Sunday (Feb 1st) is the R5 Productions Punk Rock Flea Market, held this year at the Electric Factory, from 10 to 4.  131 Tables!  If I still lived there, I'd definitely be going. 

$3 suggested donation to get in, and all proceeds benefit the R5 shows held in the Unitarian Church basement, which is a really excellent all-ages venue -- they got everything from Neuraxis to Blitzen Trapper to the Ting Tings to whatever you like, open for the kids.

[auto-da-fey]

Dude, I am there! I can even walk from my place. Thanks for the heads-up.

And hey, I'm also going to an R5 production in March, apparently, since I just got a Gaslight Anthem ticket yesterday. Oh shit, and Propagandhi are coming that same month! Trocadero Rock City, ahoy!

ieatrats, are you heading to this thing? seems up your alley, too.

[ieatrats]

Now that I see it's just people selling junk and records, it's a lot more appealing.

I might stop in and see what's up.  They were saying they were selling passes for any 10 R5 shows during the year for like 75 bucks when it was supposed to happen before Christmas - then I could go see the Feelies and not feel dumb for paying $20 to see a band in a bar that fits 100 with 200 people crammed inside it. 

[guavacris]

Oh man, if you guys are meeting up I want in. We should get Chinatown smoothies too. The black sesame ones are crazy good and it's been too long.

[auto-da-fey]

We should get Chinatown smoothies too.

this sounds like an excellent plan to me. how do you want to meet up?

[ieatrats]

I'm out for any meetup, I might just straggle in - birthday shennanigans for a friend.  Double the no punk rock for me - woods and wavves are playing in west philly the night of her actual birthday too.

[auto-da-fey]

you are one elusive dude, ieatrats, but it gives you a certain mystique--when I see tall, Nasum-fan-looking guys on bikes around the city, I sometimes wonder if we just shared an LPTJ missed connection . . .

[Captain Insano]

The best record store by far is "aka music" on 2nd st. between Church and Filbert.

A great reasonable place to eat is Gnocchi on 613 Passyunk Ave. (Practically on South St. between 5th and 4th). They have great italian food and since I'm veggie I order the three-cheese (or maybe it's four) gnocchi with roasted peppers, porcini mushrooms, and ridicio. I also heard the sweet potato gnocchis were amazing.

Typically, there are tons of cool places to check out. You can run up the art museum steps like Rocky or go into the heart at the Franklin Institute. The concert venues are pretty solid. The First Unitarian's basement has a real intimate feel to it, and the TLA on south st. has great acoustics in my opinion. Also, the Merriam Theatre and the Kimmel Center are supposed to be amazing for orchestral type performances but bands will play there too. I think the Magnetic Fields were at the Merriam a few months ago.

For Coffee, I usually just go with the standard Dunkin' Donuts or this new place Saxby's which isn't too bad. When I go to Starbucks I usually spend too much money.

As far as cheesesteaks go, people have the debate between Geno's or Pat's. When I ate meat I would prefer Geno's but you gotta' try them both. I think Pat's was a bit more spicy.

There's a lot to do here and though I moved out of the city to the outskirts (like 10 minutes out of NE Philly) I still commute to school (Temple Univesity) on N. Broad everyday. So, if anyone from Philly ever wants to do anything let me know.

That Propaghandi concert coming up looks enticing.

[ieatrats]

Hee hee, elusive.  Birthday shennanigans demand, I deliver.  Pretty fricken great day to wander around outside, muse on how Philly even when it has a winter doesn't really have a winter yet still has 4 distinct seasons and laugh and laugh and laugh and people even just 100 miles north, let alone Wisconsin or Quebec.  Passyunksatawney Petey says I saw a grown ass man in shorts on Sunday and he didn't see no shadow.

[auto-da-fey]

You and Insano missed out on getting the guavacris tour of Chinatown, but I agree with this--

The best record store by far is "aka music" on 2nd st. between Church and Filbert.

I'm torn on the Propagandhi show; I have a big week after it and probably need the weekend to prepare, but then, I also have a need for nailing Descartes to the wall and shouting "fuck the border" . . .

[auto-da-fey]

and yeah, the weather here has been fantastic. I walk south down Broad from North Philly to Spring Garden around4/5pm a few times a week and really, really enjoy it.