Pray For Our Pastors

GET OUT OF THE CAR

My wife and I went to Queen Village this afternoon to meet with our pediatrician. We were deciding between whether to drive and have to deal with traffic and parking, or to take public transportation and deal with transfers or long walks. We decided on the latter.

As we walked and talked, I couldn’t help but look around and take in the scenery. Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods, and it was fascinating to walk from neighborhood to neighborhood and pick up on the unique flavors and textures. Some areas were nicer, and others were more rundown. As we walked from our house to the closest subway station, I told Amy about some of the things going on in West Philadelphia from a real estate standpoint, pointing out new projects along the way.

We got off on 8^th and Market Streets. It’s a busy intersection, with a large mall and several major retail stores. As we headed southward, we passed Jewelers Row, where I bought Amy her engagement ring. We walked through parts of Society Hill, a really pricey neighborhood, and I marveled at the cobblestone roads and historic houses.

Everywhere we turned, there was something interesting to see: ornate architecture, teens clustered together enjoying their last days of summer freedom, world-class medical institutions. That, and the wonderful company I was keeping, made for such an enjoyable walk, that even though it was a good ten blocks from the subway stop to the pediatrician’s office, I kind of wished we could have walked longer.

It got me thinking, that if we had driven, we would have missed all of this texture. One of the things I love about Philadelphia is just how walkable it is. Because it is so dense, you can easily walk to anywhere you want to go. But there’s more to walkability than convenience. It also helps that there are so many interesting things to look at. Not something you can do when you’re driving from Point A to Point B.