Philadelphia

A couple of weeks ago, Emily and Mena invited me to join their Philly weekend. It didn’t take much to convince me. I’m actually a big fan of the critically-acclaimed film, National Treasure. I was more than happy to take the same pilgrimage as Nicholas Cage after he stole the Declaration of Independence. Although we did not find treasure under an old church, my experience felt similarly priceless.

Mena (Philly resident), Emily and I began our gastrointestinal tour with Charlie was a Sinner - we sometimes refer to it as “Jack was a Ginger” or “Jeremiah was a Bullfrog.” I loved everything we tried, and felt that we had started the trip off right - even if we were eating dinner at 11pm. The next morning, we rescued Emily’s car from being towed. We made it out of Philly with only one parking ticket, which feels par for the course. After our brunch at Indebleu, we made our way to Boathouse Row.

Before I go on, you should know something about Emily. This girl has never met a stranger. She befriends everyone, everywhere and I’m constantly surprised that she hasn’t let the world jade her into changing. She inspires me to be kinder to strangers and to be present with them, until they are strangers no longer. This was my experience in Philadelphia, and we had perfectly delightful conversations with many people we came across.

Although I did not recreate the famous scene from Rocky on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I did get moderately winded climbing up the steps and felt a similar sense of euphoria at the top. Our next stop was a hunt for coffee (you know me at this point, right?). We went to the flagship La Colombe in Fishtown, and I loved it. I felt like I had designed the location, because it fit me perfectly. What I would have given to grab my journal and spend the rest of the day at a table in the corner - watching people and writing about nothing and everything. The draft latte at La Colombe is in my top three list of favorite coffee beverages, which doesn’t hurt either. After coffee, we wandered around Fishtown, where we found an antique shop with magic light. We put our name on the two-hour waitlist for Pizzeria Beddia, and made our way to Evil Genius Beer Company. We got lost in conversation and ended up sprinting to the pizza place so we didn’t lose our table. I’m glad that I decided to wear my running shoes instead of something less practical.

After pizza, we took a power nap with the intention of going out. We ended up staying in, and I’m happy to officially announce my retirement from going out past 11pm. Thank you to everyone who has supported my journey thus far. I’m really looking forward to this next stage of my life. In all honesty, I was happy to stay at home and talk to Mena and Emily, and laugh about silly things over a pint of ice cream. It felt like something out of nineties movie. I’ll remember thinking that conversation has never felt so easy.

The first thing Emily told me when she met me, was that I reminded her of her friend Mena. After meeting her for the first time last summer, I couldn’t help but agree. Our lives seemed to be on parallel tracks, and I can’t help but feel grateful that our lives have crossed. Mena, thank you for creating space in your life (and home) for our friendship. Thank you for guiding us through your city. Specifically, thank you for taking us to my new favorite place on earth - Cafe La Maude.

I’m going to spend too much time talking about this restaurant. Take a deep, centering breath, and don’t leave me just yet. It might just seem like a restaurant to most people, but we happened upon the most interesting man in Philadelphia. Gabi, part-owner, was the man who put our name on the list for a table. He was also the man who brought out our food, and the same man who walked along the restaurant with a baby while the family ate. I could have watched this man interact with the world for countless hours. While we were waiting for our table, we watched him greet people and dogs on the street. He seemed to know everyone by name - even the pups. He engaged us in conversation by exclaiming, “in my next life, I want to come back as a dog in Northern Liberties. They get treated so well here.” And honestly? Same.

I watched him greet a family in Arabic. Although I could only pick out a few words, he spoke with such fondness and affection that I found myself wishing I could dust off my rusty Arabic and join the conversation. I think I was inspired by Gabi, because he was so present in the space around him. He seemed so comfortable as himself. He was loud and expressive, and the space seemed to enclose around him to protect his spirit and energy. He radiated authenticity and joy.

I hope I can radiate authenticity and joy in the spaces I occupy, and that I could brighten every space by being myself - whoever that may be. If that doesn’t work out, I hope I’ll live my next life as a dog in Northern Liberties. I hear they get treated very well.

I’m sure I’ll be back to Philadelphia, we still have treasure to find.