When Philly's on my mind...

Just a few things that we love and miss about Philly...

1. The desolation on Saturday mornings...
- Many mornings, we'd wake up early, and take a walk. Philly was quiet then. The dew in the morning, or watching the sun rise as we walk north on Broad St.

2.Valanni's
- Especially late night. I don't know about now, but a few years ago, they offer a 20% discount to those in the restaurant industry. The people were nice, the food was good (especially the mussels and creme brulee), and the music wasn't bad either. Plus, there's outside seating. Just make sure that you put the cash in your server's hand before you leave...Dug and I had to jump some dude for trying to grab our check presenter.

3. Rarebreed
- I must say that the most convenient location was on 15th and South...since we lived two blocks away from there. Good peoples...our peoples own that store. So, check it out. For all your graffiti, music, art, and book fixes. New location: Broad and Tasker @ 1624 S. Broad Street. Whenever we make the trip to Philly, we make sure to stop by and see what's good.

4. House Parties
- Philly, to us, will always be remembered as the home of the house party. Somebody was always having one. I do fondly remember the days of Alexis, Paradocs and Apil throwing the summer house parties and bbq's. Never knew what was going to transpire, but there'd always be a story to tell the day after.

5. Backyard BBQ
- Loved the backyard in South Philly. Whoever showing up whenever, while we cooked on the grill that Dug made. Good food, good times.

6. Painted Bride (Day of the Poet)
- Never knew who was going to be there. A place that I saw as home every First Friday. Russell Simmons, Ursula Ruckr, Jill Scott, The Twin Poets...grew up watching these people perform there.

7. Ortlieb's Jazz Haus
- Always had live bands playing. Good food. Inexpensive, and a true to heart jazz spot. It's small, or shall we call it intimate? Definitely worth checking out though.

8.Harry's
- This particular one doesn't have to do with Dug, but I loved this place. So much that I started working there. Good, good people. They taught me alot, and although alot of people may think it's bullshit, I met so many different types of people. Some that I didn't even expect to step foot in an occult shop. One of the best jobs I've had to date.

9. The Gathering
- Especially when it took place on Penn's campus. In the springtime, live band, emcees, poets, breakers...oooh, can remember it like it was yesterday.

10. Walking to work
- Yes, there were those times in Philly when I was broooooooooooke. Like, really broke. But I always knew that I'd at least be able to walk to my shift at work. Always. And then, there were those times when I did have money to get to work, but opted instead to get up early and walk to 3rd and Chestnut. Those spring, summer and fall days when the city was moving. but taking their time to appreciate everything around them.

11. Rittenhouse/Clark Park
- The free shows, the festivals, the flea markets. Sitting by the frog in Rittenhouse Park and writing poetry. Taking lunch from work and eating octopus salad with Dug. Late night walks home. Naptime. Good times.

12. Letto
- Good, good food. Delivery. Sammiches. Sushi. Seaweed Salad. Aloe juice. Need I say anything more? Need one of those in Brooklyn.

13. Robin's Books
- Any book or magazine that I was looking for, I always found here. Whether a children's book, out of print, or a rare coffee table book, I knew that Robin's would always come through. Spent many hours in this store, and found alot of books that I'd never be able to in Barnes and Noble, or Border's. Plus, it always made me laugh when old dudes would walk out of the porn section, looking all shady. I know what you're doing , man, and it's all good. We're @ Robin's.

14. Mutter Museum
-Medical abnormalities. Used to take trips here in high school, and it grew on me. Not many people know about the Mutter Museum, or have visited it, but if this is your thing, it's definitely worth checking out.

15. Fairmount Park
- Late nights. Early mornings.Walks. Drives. The curves. The people. The Azalea Gardens and Boathouse Row behind The Art Museum. The city skyline. Looking up and discovering the stars glowing.

16. Zanzibar Blue
Tons of good times with friends and musicians. Jamie Cullum, Hiromi, Jamaladeen Tacuma, Maynard Ferguson...Dug and I drinking scotch with Lou Rawls and his wife, Nina, after his performance, three months before he died.

17. Black Lily @ The Five Spot
-Never knew who was going to show up here. And it was only $5. The Roots, Common, Erykah Badu, JazzyFatnastees, Floetry, Saul Williams, Ursula Rucker...

18. 5th and Cecil B. Moore after parties
-No matter where your night started, you could pretty much guarantee that a slew of people were going to show up here late night.

19. The free gelatis from Rita's
- One day while skimming through the Philadelphia Weekly, I found a coupon for a free gelati from Rita's. For a whole summer, every week, I would pick up 10 papers, tear out the coupons, and supplied us with free gelatis from Rita's for the whole summer.

20. The Fresh Grocer (40th and Walnut)
- Open 24 hours. Need I say anything more? I have yet to find a comparable grocery store, even in New York.

And, of course, all of the cool ass people that we met in this city...