Reason #12 (Open Road)

Thank you, Philadelphia.  76 is always clogged with traffic, Kelly Drive's bike/pedestrian path is almost constantly too crowded to really ride with any speed or fitness benefits, but from noon to five on Saturdays and Sundays, West River Drive is a cyclist's dream come true.  No cars allowed.  Lots of lots of open road. Right along the river.



Serious cyclists in funky colored spandex mix with us, casual weekend riders, and sometimes, if you look closely, even miniature horses pulling carriages.



So, I love Philadelphia thanks to West River's no-car-weekend-hours!

 

Reason #11 (Food trucks)

 I didn't really believe that Philly had a food truck culture other than the generic, but delicious, halal trucks, cheese steak trucks, fruit salad trucks, etc., but I stand corrected.  No, they don't hang out in Center City where I would frequent them, but seem to focus on West Philly, and at special events.

Kung Fu Hoagie

Manayunk's 2012 StrEAT Food Festival this weekend, which kicked of Manayunk's Restaurant Week, brought in some of the best-- we saw Rival Bros. Coffee, Local 215, the Foo Truck, and Kung Fu Hoagie in just one block of Main Street.

The current food truck phenomenon has hit big cities all over the U.S. and reminds me so much of one of my favorite parts of traveling-- street food culture.  Now, if only they would bring it to Center City!

I love Philadelphia thanks to gourmet food trucks alive and well at street festivals and college campuses around the city!

BJH's Banh Mi from Kung Fu Hoagie

My Spicy Ramen Noodles with Lemongrass Tofu

Check 'em out!
http://manayunk.com/component/content/article/153
http://footruck.com/
http://www.facebook.com/kungfuhoagie
http://www.rivalbros.com/the-truck

Reason #10 (Local fair trade java)

The beans are roasted in coffee heartlands all over the world, workers, buyers, and consumers benefit from Fair Trade certified standards, and it's sold in my favorite farmer's market and a wonderful coffee shop near 12th Street Gym (and many other places, I'm sure!).  My favorite roast, Koseli, is chocolatey and delicious.

What more could a coffee lover ask for?



So, thanks to Philly Fair Trade Roasters for your rich, caffeinated yumminess whose business practices I applaud.  I love Philly because of you.

This photo courtesy of phillyfairtrade.com

Confession (Bad Blogger)

I'm a bad blogger.

It's not that I don't have ideas-- I even have a virtual sticky note on my computer of new reasons that I love Philly (Pizza! Coming soon...).

 It's not that I don't LOVE Philly-- I recently started traveling for work (planes, trains, automobiles) and riding the El home from Amtrak, or driving north towards the skyline from the airport after eating at chain restaurants and driving from A to B, reminds me of my pure love for this city.

It's not that I don't like to write to an audience-- I will wish upon myself to be born again as a food and travel writer who makes a lot of money... or Anthony Bourdain's sidekick.

It's that I haven't really understood this blog's purpose yet.  I love Philadelphia, I love food, I love urban gardening, I love BJH-- yes! But how does this transfer into the blog-o-sphere?  Julie of cantquitkidlit says I should blog about cooking and eating (because she knows me), but I'm no Julie Powell, or Julia Child for that matter.  But put that on my list as the next blog I attempt.  Do I review restaurants when Yelp does a great job already?  Do I write about my day-to-day life (feed cats, travel for work, present, come home, cook and enjoy time with BJH)? Nah.

But this post is about me getting re-inspired-- not being daunted by the fear of writing something interesting, but focusing more on taking photos that get me out in the city and appreciating it, and finding new ways to attract readers.  I've shied away from linking to Facebook, but am gaining courage!

 So here's to you, blog-o-sphere, for not letting me let this die!  I love Philadelphia because of you. 

Reason #9 [Street Humor]

Many side-street intersections in Center City never drain. Puddles aren't an effect of rain, but a constant pedestrian mini-obstacle. Someone recently, however, made it funny.


No Diving.

So, thanks again to a clever street artist who made a daily annoyance funny. I love Philly because of street graffiti humor.