From Silicon Valley to Philadelphia

On my last night in California, I walked about a bit. I saw a HUGE store dedicated solely to Halloween merchandise. I went in and felt right at home in the middle of all this eerie stuff. It reminded me of the feeling I had on Halloween nights as a kid. I was amazed that a store could be economically viable by selling only seasonal things like this. Some of it was pretty advanced and expensive. Life-size animatronics talking and doing macabre maneuvers, funny and raunchy costumes, devices one wouldn't dream of... It never ceases to amaze me how there seems to be a market for everything in the US. I had a similar impression when I walked into a liquor store with a selection far beyond anything I've ever seen in Canadian state-owned shops and with quantities of material that make you wonder again just how stores survive in the US given that there are no houses around.

The next morning, I went to San Jose's airport and flew to Philadelphia, through Phoenix. Given the flights' durations, the layover and the time zones, I got in Philly just in time to go to bed.

I remember the first time I went to Philadelphia. I thought it was just a domain full of overweight, undereducated ghetto-dwellers. It does have more than its fair share of those, but it's got so much more. The first time around, I didn't invest enough time to discover the place.

Philly's basically made up of three parts: the historic district, the downtown core and the "Europeanish" section.

In one day, I walked over 40 kilometers and gave my feet bad blisters, but I saw so much. In the historic district, I saw (again) Independence Hall, where the colonies declared independence from the Crown of England. I also saw the Liberty Bell, parks, the United States Mint for coins, colonial buildings, Edgar Allan Poe's House, Benjamin Franklin's grave and many other things.

The downtown core has a diverse set of architectural styles. From very old buildings to the ultra-modern Liberty Plaza and the Comcast Tower. The city hall is the biggest piece of masonry on earth (whatever that means) and sits right next to a huge Free Mason's temple. Close to the city hall, many public statues can be seen, including the famous "LOVE" one. South Broad Street, south of city hall, is really magnificent to see at night with its inventive displays of colorful lights highlighting the countless artistic events taking place.

Then there is the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which is basically a "Champs-Élysées" right in the middle of Philadelphia. It gives a noble and French feel to a whole part of the city. It's terminated on one end by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, sporting a neo-classical look that adds to the effect of grandeur. This is where Rocky ran up and down the stairs to train and where a statue of him now shines for tourists to see.

No visit to Philadelphia is complete without sampling a local cheese steak sandwich. I went to
Pat's King of Steaks, where the sandwich was invented. It's a Philadelphia staple. Many stars, politicians and Important People have been there, as evidenced by the numerous autographed pictures. There's always a line-up for the sandwiches. The people working there have a curt and rough attitude that makes New York cab drivers seem polite. I think it's all part of a show. Good sandwiches, though!

All in all, Philly's not too bad. I could see myself being trapped there for a year or two.