a thousand empty windows

This is my thrid or fourth trip to Philadelphia. Every other time, I have left with an overwhelming since of eew. Oddly, this trip, I have come to recognize some of Philly's unique charms. It might have to do with the fact that I stayed in Center City, which is a FAR better part of the city than any of the other areas I have stayed in. You already know that I believe everything happens for a reason, so as usual, even though there's no place like home [really], I have tried to identify things that I can appreciate.

problem is, there are very few.

There are weiiiiiiird things about Philly. To list a few:

1. They park in the middle of the street. I wish so badly that I had been able to snap a picture because it is SO crazy. I will give Philadelphians one thing - they are some serious parallel parkers. In Texas, we have a lane in the middle of the street that is dedicated to turning. We refer to it as "the turn lane". This crazy town has the same lane, but it is dedicated to parking. Gazillions of cars lined up in the middle.of.the.street parked bumper to bumper. It's the craziest thing.
2. They honk like crazy people. They aren't honking out of anger or frustration, the way we overly excitable Texans do. They honk as a way of communicating on the road. They honk at everything. They honk instead of blinking. They honk to tell you to cut on in. They honk when they see someone they know. They honk when they want you to slow down. They honk when they want you to go faster. All. The. Time. 
3. They put cheese whiz on everything. Everything.

Now, there are also some pretty legit things about this town.

1. The cheese steak. That is  some legit food. Except when they put cheese whiz on it.



YUM.

2. Amos Lee claims Philly as home. Philly should be proud.  
3. The architecture of this ancient city is in.cred.ible. The City Hall, built in 1901, was just a couple blocks down from my hotel. It is a beautiful building, and once held the record for tallest masonry building in the world. Everywhere you look, even in the really dirty, industrial parts of the city, there are incredibly old, masonry buildings and the teeny tiny designer in me loooooves it.

I come back here in 3 weeks. I'm hoping that my disdain for the city will stay somewhat subdued between now and then.

But that is not likely.

Shout Out Loud, Amos Lee