"I don't know what it is but I just never got the vibe. Field if you would or if you have summed up that which is black Philly point me in the right direction"
That quote from a commenter,"pamalicious", (who has a pretty *nice blog by the way) got me thinking, and inspired this post.
What is it about Philly that I love so much? I know I am always ripping my hometown, and lord knows I talk about more negative shit than positive (my running Killadelphia murder count is a good example), but honestly, I love my hometown. For every reason I can give you to hate the place I can give you two to love it.
"Pamelicous" says her Mom still lives here and she is dying to get her out. My question to her would be why? If her Mom has been here all of her life she probably understands the city,and what makes it tick. To love Philly you have to understand it. It's why most outsiders don't get it. It's why they look at the old buildings, the trash, the grime, and say get me out of here. They look at some of our old stark and bleak looking city blocks, that look like an old Eastern European City, and they wonder, what gives?
Here is the deal: Philadelphia has a soul like no other city in A-merry-ca. I know because I have traveled and spent some time in damn near every large city in this country. And none of them, not Los Angeles, not Chicago, not Houston, not D.C., not Atlanta, have Philly's soul. Notice I excluded New Orleans from that list, because they do have Phily's soul. That is (or at least it was before Bush's storm) a real city. I worked in L.A. (first job out of undergrad), and with all due respect to my man Cobb and the other Angelistas, L.A. is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there anymore. Too far from shit, too much smog, and too many phonies. Atlanta? I know it's supposed to be the new black mecca but it's just not my cup of tea either. Too new, too shallow, and too close to the rest of Georgia. And although I do love cities like Houston and Miami, I am sorry, they are just too damn hot and sticky for my taste (I don't live in Jamaica now for a reason ).
Give me my adopted home town of Philly right here in the Northeast corridor. When you think Philly, you think Philadelphia International, Doctor J, the Liberty Bell, Cheese Steaks, and the Declaration of Independence. But Philly is so much more. For instance, I am a couple hours from D.C., just an hour and change from New York (two cities, by the way, which I happen to love). I can drive to the beach (or as we say here in Philly, the shore) in an hour, I can drive to the beautiful Pocono Mountains in about the same time, and I can catch a direct flight home to Jamaica or damn near any city in the world, right out of Philly International Airport.
There is so much untapped potential here that it's scary to think about. Hundreds of first class universities within a stones throw of each other. Including three of America's best; Penn, Swarthmore, and Princeton. I could go on and on. A world class arts program and orchestra, great restaurants, a diverse international community, five sports teams, big five basketball, unique neighborhoods, each with their own vibe.-- If you ever come to Philly make it a point to go to Manayunk. You will think you are in some quaint German Village in the Bavarian mountains--- South street, our Avenue of the Arts, (screw Broadway) The Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which is a pretty damn good knock off of the Champ De Elys in Paris. Great Jazz (Coltrane made his home here). Our Mural program is a must see in the neighborhoods, Boathouse row (sorry Baaastan, the Cambridge doesn't have shit on the Schuylkill), you get the idea.
Now there is bad shit too. The people here can be pretty edgy with very high bullshit detectors. Most of our white folks here come from three major ethnic groups, and they have zero liberal guilt. They don't think they had a damn thing to do with slavery, and they damn sure aren't going to be sympathetic to black folks and our struggle because we happen to look a little different. They will tell you how white folks really feel about us black folks, and I like that. Many of them are poor just like us black folks are. (Philly is the first place that I saw a white bum in A-merry-ca) They struggle for shit just like we do, and they fight us for their piece of the pie with unapologetic openness.
People who live and breathe this city get all of that. We understand the nuances of the people, and we love it. When we step outside the door every day we know what to expect. We know where we can and can't go, and we know what it takes to survive here. In many ways, Philly is like a Third World Country. (Which is probably why I love it so much). There is great wealth, and great poverty, and if you know the right people, you can get damn near anything done that you want to. The political parties are the biggest employers, and the taxes are high. But every Philadelphian understands that, and we chalk it up to cost of doing business. None of that self righteousness that you see in other cities. Here, we are corrupt, and we know it. And as long as our politicians deliver the goods, they will get elected every time.
I know I talk about them like dogs from time to time, but I love the people here. I wouldn't want to pick a jury anywhere else, because I understand them, and they know that. We have a trust factor with each other than only someone who has lived here and connected with the city can understand.
So "pamalicious", I hoped that helped. There is so much more, but in order to experience it and really feel it, you have to live it. Next time you come to Philly to visit your Mom shoot me an e-mail, and I will try to make a little of that happen for you.
Mayor Nutter I will be expecting a check soon.
*The blog I featured earlier on the link was "Mamalicious" and not "Pamalicious".
Sorry for the mix up ladies :(
