What life brings

I am thinking almost constantly about my upcoming move. Well, not just my move, but our move - my 3 yr. old daughter is of course coming along for the ride.

Doodling in a diner

I'm remembering the things I liked and disliked about Philly.

I loved blowing entire days at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, especially on volunteer donation days - it's a huge museum!  Fleisher's art classes; the PAFA; the Waterworks ; the Central Library ; all the independent coffeehouses and the gargoyles on U of Penn's more interesting buildings. I used to go the Museum of Archeology and Anthropolgy, and the Mutter Museum; I listened to live Classical music and saw plays performed in Clark Park. I liked sitting in Rittenhouse Square, and thrift shopping. I didn't realize it at the time, but I liked the opportunity that presents itself in the decay of the city and how it's home to some of the most obnoxious, noisy birds I have ever heard.

I am, however, allergic to some local spore, and will probably have to get some kind of sinus spray for that. And the air pollution, which in the summer heat you can swipe off your arm in a sticky grime. Some (OK, many) of the neighborhoods aren't what I'd consider safe places to casually stroll unless you have lived there for years... and even then, maybe not alone. It's a depressed city. It's an angry city. Which also means it's cheap.

This time around, I know what to expect.