PHILADELPHIA
I grew up in Philly and really feel lucky to have been part of this wonderful city. I grew up in West Philly but spent a lot of time in the downtown area. I was fortunate to have parents who really valued all of the culture opportunities that comes with a big city. They shoveled us in the family car on Sundays and we went on adventures. For that, I am most grateful. Here are some of my fondest memories of the city:• 1338 East Sharpneck Street- my family lived here until I was 7 and then we moved to Overbrook. There were 8 of us living in a three bedroom, row home.
• 30th Street Train Station- all roads lead to this station. This station took us to NYC, Washington, DC and points around the city.
• 6425 Woodbine Avenue- my family lived in this house for 35 years. It was hard to move away from this big, old, run-down house that had been so full of life..
• Academy of Music- my parents spent a fortune, taking us to plays as kids.
• Annenberg Theatre- I have seen lots and lots of great shows here from performers all over the world.
• Art Museum- world class art exhibits right in my backyard.
• Ben Franklin Parkway- flags from all over the world are flown down this wide path that hosts marathons, concerts and festivals. I saw two Popes, the Beach Boys, and Earth Day celebrations on this grand parkway.
• Boathouse Row- my parents had their wedding reception on one of those tiny row homes. For years, people talked about how much fun this reception was.
• Butterscotch Krimpettes- my favorite Tastykake.
• Cheese Steak Sandwiches with peppers, mushrooms and onions on a fresh, hard roll.
• Chinatown- a great place to eat; every restaurant is different; every meal is great.
• Christmas Show at Wanamaker’s- the show never changed but I loved watching it every year.
• Neighbors- the Bartons had 10 kids and the Hunts had 10 kids. We only had 7 but the 27 of us played together.
• Dock Street Brewery- a fun pub with good food and nothing pretentious.
• Easter Egg Hunts at Morris Park- the whole neighborhood participated.
• Eastern Penitentiary- a sad but interesting commentary on the complexities of life and crime.
• Father-Daughter Dinners at the Union League- my uncle brought his two daughters. My father brought the four of us and then my two cousins joins us. Their father had died young so my father and his brother always included them in as many events as possible.
• Franklin Institute- The Body Works exhibit was so interesting that I went to see it twice in one week.
• Free Library- when I was in my 20’s, I used to go to the library on Sundays and watch old movies.
• Gimble’s Thanksgiving Parade- Thanksgiving morning; the parade ended with Santa finding his rightful seat in the toy department of Gimble’s. The Christmas season had begun.
• Greenhill Theatre- when I was young, this theater only showed foreign films which I thought was most uninteresting. However, during Christmas break, there was always a day when cartoons were showed to the neighborhood for free and every kid left with a box of awful, hard candy. This was a fun afternoon.
• Headhouse Row- just off of South Street, this area was artsy-fartsy.
• Horn and Hartnett’s Restaurant- this restaurant was more of an automated cafeteria where everything was a la carte.
• Independence Hall- the birth of our nation and a great source of pride.
• Italian Market- 9th and Christian Streets
• Lit Brothers’ Department Store- a Philly icon that is long gone.
• McGillian’s Irish Pub- a great place to celebrate St Patrick’s Day
• Mummer’s Day Parade- January 1st; sort of a lame parade that brings out the drunk in many of us.
• Mural Arts Project- there are thousands of great murals around the city.
• Ortliebs, Schlitz, Schmidt’s- beers from my youth
• Our Lady of Lourdes Grade School- 2nd grade through 6th grade
• Overbrook School for the Blind- I watched blind kids play sports, read in braille and walk with a cane. They earned my unconditional respect.
• Overbrook- the very edge of West Philadelphia
• The Palio Local train- my train to the center of the city; stopping at Overbrook train station.
• Pat’s Steak House- a Philly favorite
• Penn’s Landing- lots of craft shows and street musicians lined the sidewalks in the nicer weather.
• Reading Terminal- I like to try a lot of different foods when I go to this terminal, but mostly I like to order the turkey, stuffing and cranberry sandwich on pumpernickel bread.
• Rittenhouse Square- 17th and Walnut; art exhibits, outdoor cafes and old women with well manicured poodles.
• Ritz Movie Theatre- my favorite, favorite place to go to the movies. They show such great movies that I will frequently just go the the theatre and see the next available movie. It doesn't matter to me which movie is showing. I know I am going to like it.
• Rodin Museum- there are only two of these museums in the world and Philadelphia has one of them.
• Root beer Day- our family holiday which we celebrate every August 5th.
• Shopping on Market Street- there are a lot of cheap stores that fit my budget as a teenager.
• Snow White Restaurant- a little dive restaurant that a frequented when I worked up at 22nd and Market. Whenever I walked in the waitress nodded at me and I nodded back and she called out, “tuna melt on rye” and a few minutes after I sat down at the counter, my sandwich was served.
• Soft pretzels in the school yard- they were only a nickel but it was still hard to come by a nickel as often as I would have liked.
• South Street- this street was a little more Avanti garde than other streets in Philly. I always felt a little cooler when I roamed this street as a teenager.
• Spectrum Concert Hall- I saw lots of concerts here in my younger days; it’s gone now.
• St Raymond’s Grade School- 1st grade: Sister Angela Marie was my teacher.
• Strawbridge’s Department Store- I couldn’t begin to calculate how many hours my mother spent in this department store.
• Taking the Shopper Special Bus in to town- we had to wear a skirt and white gloves.
• Tasykakes- a Philly favorite and one of mine as well.
• Walnut Street Theatre- off Broadway plays performed by local community theatre groups.
• West Oak Lane- the north side of Philly; I lived here until I was 7 and then my family moved to Overbrook.
• West River Drive- this was the road to take to avoid the congestion of the Schuylkill Expressway.
• White Dog Café- near Penn’s campus, a great place for farm to table dining.
• Wilma Theatre- I’ve only seen a few plays there but all of them have been moving.
