Philadelphia Trending Up

In the aftermath of his historic no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds, Roy Halladay was, not surprisingly, the talk of the town here in Philadelphia. He was also a "Trending Topic" on Twitter, which of course I had to check out. Interspersed with shouts-out from Phils fans and gracious applause from Blue Jays fans were some snarky tweets to the effect of "Halladay no-no makes Phillies fans feel good . . . until they realize they live in Philadelphia."

That's OK, haters, we don't mind that you're stuck in your misguided impression of the City of Brotherly Love. Some day, you'll wind up in Philly - your buddy from Temple insists you visit him this year, or the association you are a part of holds its annual conference at the Convention Center - and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how vibrant, friendly, and fun this city is, and how many kinds of ways you can have a good time.

You may even feel a little jealous when you find out that as nice as the place is to visit, it's an even better place to live and work. Did I mention to you that I pay less than a grand a month for mortgage and property tax for a three-story, 2,700 square foot house, or that our family of four people and two jobs owns only one car that gets driven less than 8,000 miles a year?

Remember, too, that the man of the hour had the chance to do what he did last night because he decided last off-season to forgo a higher salary in exchange for the chance to pitch in the postseason. That's right, the franchise that barely four years ago was best known for being the first professional sports team in the US to reach 10,000 losses has now spun off four straight playoff appearances and is on its way to a third straight World Series (and, dare I say, a second parade in three years down South Broad Street), and as a result is a destination of choice for the game's very elite players.

So haters can hate on Philly. But Roy Halladay made a choice to come live and work here, and look where it has gotten him. Here's hoping other twenty- and thirty-somethings that are the best at their craft make a similar move.