Tag Archives: South Philly

Sun flurries and sportswear in South Philly


On Sunday there were sun flurries. Very pretty, swirling on the parking lot under a semi-clear sky, but only for a few minutes. I was working outside a big-box store that sells sportswear. Ball caps bearing team logos, shiny clown … Continue reading

Posted in humor, life in the big city, pop music, sports, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

South Philly saints come marchin’ in


This is in case you missed the May procession held today under a soul-piercing blue sky on Philly’s Italian Market. Kids in white suits and dresses, followed by statues of solitary saints on floats pushed by local parishioners, with a … Continue reading

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Emotional weather report for March


The sun is beginning to shine on me, But it’s not like the sun that used to be. – Bob Dylan, “Highlands” Overheard on South Street, outside the city’s worst supermarket: “Yeah, but most South Philly people, they’re really rude … Continue reading

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‘Australia’ (Happy Boxing Day)


We’ll surf like they do in the USA We’ll fly down to Sydney for a holiday On sunny Christmas Day… I’m standing in line yesterday at a drugstore, one of those chain stores that turn wall-to-wall red a month before … Continue reading

Posted in arts, economic collapse, Great Recession, humor, Obama, Philadelphia, Politics, pop music, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Happy Third Day After the Solstice


Bernini’s St. Theresa in Ecstasy is in the Cornaro Chapel (Santa Maria Vittoria). Which means nothing to me, but the act of writing down the address for future reference seems constructive, especially with all the thinking I’m doing about Rome, … Continue reading

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A Christmas blessing


So I’m biking to pick up medicine in South Philly a few nights ago, and I find myself behind a slow-moving flatbed truck, tall and wide and crammed with Christmas trees, and spewing vile fumes. And there are cars parked … Continue reading

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How was your bird?


[My Thanksgiving Day post, two days late.] A bad cold was kicking my ass, but I felt the need for sun and exercise in the late afternoon. All around me was that weird holiday stillness and quiet, as if everyone … Continue reading

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Bikeless in Philadelphia — again


I rarely blog about myself. I prefer the veneer of fiction when it comes to personal matters, so when my bicycle was stolen Monday, I blogged about the thieves in business and government who prosper at the expense of the … Continue reading

Posted in bicycling, economic collapse, fiction, Goldman Sachs, Great Recession, livable cities, Philadelphia, The New Depression | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

A Python-esque rite in South Philly


Ah, the rites of spring in the `hood! You know — palm weaving, the Easter Parade on South Street, race riots in Grays Ferry. Here’s one that was new to me — the Good Friday re-enactment of the crucifixion of … Continue reading

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In the neighborhood, in spring


What’s he building in there?/What the hell is he building/In there?/He has subscriptions to those/Magazines… He never/Waves when he goes by/He’s hiding something from/The rest of us… He’s all/To himself… I think I know/Why… — Tom Waits Overheard while running … Continue reading

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