Tell Me About Philadelphia, Please

[C of heartbreak]

There is an Indian restaurant called Tiffin right across the street from me. I wish they delivered, cause sometimes I'm too lazy to cross the street.

[Andrew_TSKS]

I remember when my friend Eric lived half a block from a Pizza Hut and would call them for deliveries all the time. He'd tell them his address, and they'd be like "Can we walk it over?" and he'd be like, "...yeah."

[auto-da-fey]

So I guess I'm living in Spring Garden, and I like it so far. Right across the street is what looks like a 200-year old castle, next to a boarded-up tenement. Parking is bad, and I'm told to pretty much never walk more than three blocks north at night unless I'm on Broad (I did see some of the random acts of violence that ieatrats mentioned already), but there seems to be a real neighborhood vibe on my block--I dig this stoop-sitting thing.

I'm looking forward to re-reading this thread and posting more questions, and I can't wait to get my bike out here. But for now, since I'm "borrowing" internet access in small doses, can anyone tell me why there are no grocery stores or even liquor stores in my area? Is this just a CC/North Philly thing, or what?

Also my friend Steve is out here until next Saturday, and we might go to Centralia, New York City, or both before then if anyone wants to hang.

[auto-da-fey]

oh and Greg, a marathon might be beyond me. Maybe a Philly 5K sometime? The fact that I jog regularly does not, alas, mean that I do it well.

[Andrew_TSKS]

Dude, I'd love to accompany you or anyone on a trip to Centralia if it happens, but I'm broke right now and couldn't make it on such short notice.

We should seriously plan some kind of LPTJ get together in the relatively near future though. Even if Centralia isn't in the plans.

[auto-da-fey]

finally, the one thing that didn't really come through clearly in either of those posts is that I'm fucking excited as all hell to be here. I've been walking all over town--the park, CC, South Philly, Penn, Temple, and Drexel, etc.--and I'm loving every minute except the few spent in a mattress shop with salesdudes who fell out of a bad staging of Glengarry Glen Ross and tried to give me the hard sell in a way so desperate and pathetic that I almost cried.

and Andrew, yeah, it's pretty short notice but I owe my friend for basically being my cross-country-move wingman, so I'm letting him call the shots until he leaves. But I'm up for any sort of get-together in the near future.

[silentsigh89]

I'm glad that you're enjoying your block and the city, at least! And, yeah, that area is touch and go. but, really. you should try tiffin.

I'll be in the Fairmount area from the 23rd until the 27th. If you want someone to have lunch with, you should let me know!

And you should check out farmers market in your area! I was surprised by how many little ones go on in Philly.

[auto-da-fey]

I'll be in the Fairmount area from the 23rd until the 27th. If you want someone to have lunch with, you should let me know!

Absolutely! Literally anytime works for me, so let me know when & where, and you can count me in.

[Greg Nog]

Also my friend Steve is out here until next Saturday, and we might go to Centralia, New York City, or both before then if anyone wants to hang.

Sadly, this week is a bit busy to be leaving NYC, as I'm most likely going up to NH this weekend.  But if you guys come to New York, I'd be happy to hang out, grab a drink, and give you guys food.  And a 5K would be just peachy.  In fact, I think the marathon is in conjunction with an 8K that goes with it?  I think?

[auto-da-fey]

8 I think I can handle.

One more question, that I'll check back on later: is there a cheap way to bus it from Philly to NYC on short notice? The cheapness of Megabus/Bolt Bus seems to come from booking way in advance, based on a cursory survey, but how about fly-by-night places where you just show up and wing it?

[elpollodiablo]

How cheap you talkin? You could take the train round trip for under a hundo

[Greg Nog]

Yep, The New Century Travel Chinatown Bus is all about winging it!  20 bucks round trip -- just show up there whenever you want to leave, or book online right here.

[girl]

We should seriously plan some kind of LPTJ get together in the relatively near future though. Even if Centralia isn't in the plans.

We're thinking a weekend, right? I'll need a little lead time to request a weekend off, but I don't have anything big in the near future. We should pick a date.

[Andrew_TSKS]

I agree. Sept. 20-21 might be good for me, but really I'm pretty open as long as I have some decent advance notice.

[girl]

That's the weekend blucas will be in NY. (Is is selfish that I want to do both get-togethers?)

edit: although that weekend my mom will be in CO for a wedding, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to steal her car. (I LOVE her car.) So maybe I'll drive to PA instead of taking the train. . .

edit again: It would be wrong to cancel on blucas, though.

[Andrew_TSKS]

Hah, no, I didn't realize that was that same weekend. It's fine, we can pick a different date. I actually don't like being the guy to pick because I'm terrible at that sort of thing. Someone else should suggest another time.

[Illest Waffle]

I have one story about philly, which I feel encompasses the place pretty damn well. So there we are, 4 grown-ass men playing skateboards around the town, loitering at times so we could catch our breath. There were kids selling M&M's for their school/b-ball team and one of them, no more than 5 feet tall asks me "yo, you wanna buy some M&M's?"  I was about to respond "No, thanks." but before I could even half-enunciate No's solitary syllabel I was cut short by the meanest most rudest "FUCK YOU!" from my would-be m&m dealer. Dude just kept walking past like I'm some dick that just wasted countless hours of his time. Fuck that place.

[girl]

So, if someone tries to sell me M&Ms, I should just tell them to fuck off before they can say it to me? Travel is very confusing.

That's really the only weekend I have something scheduled, so any other weekend would be ok. Who else is in? silentsigh, Nog, milesofsparks, pollo will be in NY by then, right? Whit, what will work for you?

[silentsigh89]

I would like to be in, but it would depend on my ability to get up there from Baltimore during the school year! I'll do my very best, though.

[C of heartbreak]

Beth, you know you have a ride! (I am in too)

But I will need to know ahead of time too because I work weekends.

[elpollodiablo]

Wow! LPTJ convo! Hells of yes! I will most certainly be in the city by the 20th!

[Greg Nog]

I was about to respond "No, thanks." but before I could even half-enunciate No's solitary syllabel I was cut short by the meanest most rudest "FUCK YOU!" from my would-be m&m dealer.

That definitely sounds like Philly, all right.

[auto-da-fey]

Yep, The New Century Travel Chinatown Bus is all about winging it!  20 bucks round trip -- just show up there whenever you want to leave, or book online right here.

Alright, we just got out of bed and have decided to give this a whirl. We have no plan whatsoever, but we'll probably hit NYC around noon if all goes well, and if anyone wants to hang, let me know--I'll send Greg my number or something. If not, no biggie--the notice is again pretty short. Also we were out till 3 at a shitty metal show, so we're probably not at our finest.

[milesofsparks]

oh, dang, no dice for me...  I have to workworkwork (and then pack for Portland).  next time, for sure.  and everybody keep me in the loop about the Philly phield trip, k?  (Nog has my number.)

[auto-da-fey]

That's really the only weekend I have something scheduled, so any other weekend would be ok. Who else is in? silentsigh, Nog, milesofsparks, pollo will be in NY by then, right? Whit, what will work for you?

Anything works for me. Is this for Philly, Centralia, or seeing blucas' girlfriend take her clothes off? Because I'm up for any of these.

also, I guess "jarring transitions from wealth to poverty" is sort of a central theme in Philly, but so far nothing I've seen tops the corner of Market and 22nd--block after block of corporate buildings and yuppie condos, then, with only like one thrift store as a buffer zone, BAM: a porn shop, strip club, and porn theater all in one sleazy little gob. You have to pay $8 to go in the porn shop basement, for god knows what--the jerk-off booths have a "no cruising" sign that's pretty blatantly disregarded, so I'm not sure what further pleasures of the flesh could await downstairs.