Boathouse Row in the daytime
Boathouse Row at night
I grew up in NJ (hold the jokes, please), but not the Sopranos NJ that everyone knows - that's North Jersey. I grew up in South Jersey, about 15 minutes from Philadelphia. I root for the Philadelphia Flyers, the Philly Eagles, and the Phillies. In high school, my friends and I would go to South Street and hang out, which was a street filled with restaurants, coffee shops, tattoo/piercing shops, hippie stores, punk stores, etc. During the summer, my camp would take trips to the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Franklin Institute (which is STILL one of my favorite places), and the Art Museum. My mom and I would run the Race for the Cure every year, warming up on the art museum steps -- yes, the same ones Rocky ran up in the movie. I interned at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania when I was getting my MS in clinical health psychology, and have spent more time on the campuses of Drexel University and Penn than I can even count. When I would drive home at night from classes, I'd cross the bridge over to NJ, and at night, Boathouse Row would be all lit up, and it remains one of my favorite memories.
Of course, Philly has changed a lot over the years. My brother couldn't pronounce it right, and he once called it "Filthy-delphia"...which isn't far from the truth. Crime rates have risen, and I would never, ever go to South Street at night now. Why the sudden nostalgia? Rocky is on tv right now, and it made me laugh at first -- because Sly Stallone reminds me of my dad. A lot. But then it cut to a shot of the art museum, and it actually made me a little homesick. I miss philly soft pretzels you buy on the corner, the planetarium at the Franklin Inst, Cereality on Penn's campus, Tiffany's at the Bellevue...I haven't had a real Philly pretzel in I don't know how long. mmm.
Anyway.....just watching Rocky and feeling nostalgic, and missing NJ a little tonight....
5 comments:
By the way, don't knock North Jersey. That's where I grew up and the sopranos are NOT north Jersey. North Jersey is farms and countryside. They are east jersey... as close to NYC as you can get:)
you are too funny. to me, there's just north jersey and south jersey...never even thought of east/west jersey. :)
My Dad grew up in South Jersey, near Cherry Hill. It really is beautiful there. Unlike other parts ( cough) of Jersey
hi Ned! I went to school in Cherry Hill!! that's so funny! I grew up in Blackwood!
If I could think of a way to keep them fresh, I would send you some fresh South Philly pretzels.
As a little girl, the pretzel man would come by on Saturday morning, and you would get three big pretzels (really cheap). I won't date myself by telling you how cheap.
I grew up in South Philly, and I am very familiar with South Jersey because that's where all the Italians in South Philly move when they move up in the world.
Boat House Row and the Schuylkill River....my favorite place in the city.
You are making me nostalgic now for days gone by. I live in the burbs now, but I will always be a city girl at heart.
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