Yesterday was spent decidedly doing anything except writing my paper, primarily sleeping, running and putzing arounf with R. I ran the 'loop' again, although it was way colder than last week. It was beautiful though even though the winds were not in my favor for the first half of the run. They expanded some of the paths around the art museum and while I didn't run it all the way to the end, it looks like now there is a bike path that goes right beside the river all the way to University City. It reminded me a little bit of Chicago, although to be honest, I can't put my finger on why.
Since we've moved, I have come to really love this city. Even though we are still on the relative outer edge, we are more 'inside' of the city than we were before. This change in geography alone has shifted my sense of being a participant in the greater orbit of Philadelphia life. I haven't done anything more particpatory in the last month and a half either, other than just live where I live, shop at the mega Pathmark or go to the local gym, but perhaps most importantly, pay attention. Maybe it's because the neighborhood is new to me that I am more atune to the details. For example, the network of crossing guards along Penn street and all the way up Oxford Ave. In case you don't know already, Philadelphia drivers are wreckless and insane, not because they are purposefully aggressive, but more so because it seems as if they are incapable of paying attention. Yet, these same crazy, sidewalk climbing drivers, turn into lambs at the sight of a crossing guard. Maybe I shoudn't be shocked that Philly drivers respect laws related to the safety of school children, but somehow, I can't get over it.
There is also the nostalgic appeal of the 'El'. I am not sure why I find it so nostalgic, considering that in the Detroit suburbs where I grew up there was hardly anything that resembled public transit, let alone and elevated train, but still, it feels as if it were a part of my past. Maybe it's a collective cultural remberance that has implanted the nostalgic feeling to 'Els', so that when we walk or drive down those dark streets with the steel framework canopy, we feel like we are 5 again.
So far today I have actually made some headway in discussing Chaplin's Modern Times (1936), so I guess it's time to make some more. In the meantime I'll be staring out the window trying to catch the train going by.