things to love {about philadelphia}

by Stephanie, a new blog friend.

1. The ultimate Philly snack - fresh soft pretzels
2. Public art - Philadelphia is the Mural Capital of the World, some have been painted by famous artists such as Kent Twitchel, Meg Saligman, and Tom Wyland.
3. History is everywhere. Home to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Betsy Ross house, National Constitution Center, Ben Franklin's grave, and Penn's Landing.
4. Restaurants & beer selection - Jose Garces, Steven Starr, Reading Terminal Market, DiBruno Brothers, Tony Lukes, Standard Tap and Monks (just to name a few).
5. Higher Education - The Philadelphia area has the second largest concentration of colleges and universities in the country. I think this lends itself to being a progressive and politically active city.
6. The local food movement means a lot to the city of Philadelphia, and me. This region is home to some of the richest and most abundant farmland in the country. Some of the best dairy, meats and produce come from the tri-state area which makes for some great farmers markets.
7. The people are real. While I don't always agree with our "City of Brotherly Love" title, there is something about this town that is so granular. What you see is what you get and I appreciate that.

My favorite things about Stephanie's list are that so much has to do with food! I never knew that there was such a rich food culture, but I'm slowly learning that food culture everywhere is a priority. Combine food with the rich history, the murals, and the real people- Philly sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing, Stephanie!

If you have a list of things you love about your city,
feel free to send me a list with some photos (including one of your feet!)
celeste.noche@gmail.com

P.S. - Turns out George knows a lot about Sudan. The north and south are in a very complicated situation, mostly over oil, and a lot of blood has been shed in order to take control. Peace treaties have been made, but they've also been broken without paying penalties. After being too late with Darfur, Rwanda, Bosnia, etc, etc- for the first time we are in a position to prevent a war. All it takes is doing a little research to know what's going on and then voicing our thoughts to our politicians so they have the will power to act.