Going for a Walk, the Urban Version
If we lived in the suburbs and I wanted to take Jada for a walk, I might get in the car, drive a few miles, park in a lot, and stroll her around windy paths at some park. We might feed some ducks, say hi to other parents, and watch other kids play on the jungle gym.
But here in the city and in the Huang household, going for a walk looks entirely different. In the past week, I’ve taken Jada out for walks twice. The first time was Christmas Eve, and the weather was nice, so we decided to hoof it down to Center City from West Philadelphia. We passed through the PENN campus, crossed over the Schuylkill River via the Chestnut Street Bridge, and just like that we were downtown. We looked at the big Christmas tree at the Shops at Liberty Place, passed through City Hall, and stopped in at Lord & Taylor to find out when the next light show was. We had just enough time to zip through Reading Terminal Market, Strawbridge’s, and the Gallery Mall before we got back to Lord & Taylor to find a nice spot inside for the light show, a Philly tradition. Then, a brisk walk all the way home. Total time out of the house: three hours.
Today, we passed through the PENN campus again, crossed over the Schuylkill River via the Walnut Street Bridge, and headed for Rittenhouse Square. From there, we passed by the Avenue of the Arts, Washington Square, Independence Hall, and the National Constitution Center en route to the Federal Reserve Bank, which had a nifty (and free) exhibit on money – Jada even got a free bad of money. (Shredded, of course.) We passed through the Independence Hall Visitors Center, made our way to the Ben Franklin Post Office, walked down Elfreth’s Alley, and found an art gallery in Old City that was doing a “Ben Franklin: American Idol” exhibit. I thought of taking Jada to Penn’s Landing to see the waterfront, since we were just five minutes away from it, but decided it was getting late, so we hopped on the subway and headed home. Total time out of the house: two-and-a-half hours.
I suppose going for a walk in the suburbs is nice, and I’m sure we’ll do that with Jada every so often or when we’re traveling. But give me the urban version any day.
But here in the city and in the Huang household, going for a walk looks entirely different. In the past week, I’ve taken Jada out for walks twice. The first time was Christmas Eve, and the weather was nice, so we decided to hoof it down to Center City from West Philadelphia. We passed through the PENN campus, crossed over the Schuylkill River via the Chestnut Street Bridge, and just like that we were downtown. We looked at the big Christmas tree at the Shops at Liberty Place, passed through City Hall, and stopped in at Lord & Taylor to find out when the next light show was. We had just enough time to zip through Reading Terminal Market, Strawbridge’s, and the Gallery Mall before we got back to Lord & Taylor to find a nice spot inside for the light show, a Philly tradition. Then, a brisk walk all the way home. Total time out of the house: three hours.
Today, we passed through the PENN campus again, crossed over the Schuylkill River via the Walnut Street Bridge, and headed for Rittenhouse Square. From there, we passed by the Avenue of the Arts, Washington Square, Independence Hall, and the National Constitution Center en route to the Federal Reserve Bank, which had a nifty (and free) exhibit on money – Jada even got a free bad of money. (Shredded, of course.) We passed through the Independence Hall Visitors Center, made our way to the Ben Franklin Post Office, walked down Elfreth’s Alley, and found an art gallery in Old City that was doing a “Ben Franklin: American Idol” exhibit. I thought of taking Jada to Penn’s Landing to see the waterfront, since we were just five minutes away from it, but decided it was getting late, so we hopped on the subway and headed home. Total time out of the house: two-and-a-half hours.
I suppose going for a walk in the suburbs is nice, and I’m sure we’ll do that with Jada every so often or when we’re traveling. But give me the urban version any day.
Comments