Return of the Native: Philadelphia redux

2601 Pennsylvania Avenue, my Philly Spring 2012 residence

Springtime in Philly

In late April I arrived for a ten week hiatus back in my hometown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. I moved away in November of 1988, making my home in Minneapolis, Minnesota for almost 16 years, then on to Maastricht, the Netherlands for another eight. Not exactly a gypsy - rather an urban pioneer wishing to experience life and culture, friendship and career in a wide world.

The past 14 years were spent with my soulmate and fellow sojourner, my beloved late husband, Dutch citizen, keen philosopher, and kind human being, Martinus Anna Antonius Hermse, aka Martijn [MAR-tine], or simply Frog to me. The truth is home was wherever we were together. Creating coziness and welcome for friends, family and colleagues was our second nature. Although Martijn did not like being uprooted he was a unique and flexible fellow traveler, so once we changed locations and built our new nest, he happily readjusted and moved into the future. He was a man of the present moment, never steeped in nostalgia in spite of maintaining long term, solid relationships - we were birds of feather in that respect.

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Van Gogh exhibit final days, early May 2012

Serendipity Abounds

Welcoming me to my new abode was the final weekend of the Van Gogh exhibit at one of my favorite Philadelphia landmarks, the Museum of Art (PMA) which sits directly across the street from my temporary address here! An even happier coincidence  was that my long time friends, David Meyers and wife Roberta Strickler, were scheduled to see the exhibit just after my move in. Karma prevailed, I scored a ticket for their precise time slot, and my Philadelphia launch was encircled with friendship and culture!

 Exiting the Van Gogh exhibit at the rear entrance we are greeted by a Monet moment compliments of PMA’s extraordinary landscaping

 Old friends new friends as I get the bonus of meeting Jeff and Joyce, Roberta and David’s Baltimore friends

Here we are posing before the gates of my friend, Isaiah Zagar’s iconic Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens at 10th & South Streets. Zagar’s mosaic’s dot every nook and cranny of Philly shedding light in the midst of blight.

The five of us ventured from the Art Museum area, aka, Fairmount, to my former stomping grounds, South Street, where I proudly showed off this Temple of Madcap Mosaic, an outsider artist's mecca. 

Reflections

I’ve returned home not simply to visit but to ‘try Philly on’. I began this post testifying that I’ve been an urban pioneer, living deeply in three main cities: Philadelphia, Minneapolis and Maastricht. Now I’ve secured a quiet spot by the sea in South Florida, my Casita Susita in Pompano Beach, a respite from the jarring urban centers. 

However, I am and remain unsettled. Without my soulmate I find I need the larger canvas of metropolis in order to find the social and cultural stimulation that feeds my soul. My home by the sea would suffice if I had more engagement, a broader spectrum of life.

So, I’m here exploring options. I joined a top-notch fitness center and occasionally workout with trainers and yoga instructors and well as simply enjoying the hubbub of the diverse clientele and services like massage, sauna, whirlpool and pool! I walk everywhere with purpose, unlike Pompano where my walk is focused exercise. Here my errands are exercise. My car is spending the spring and summer with no exercise, by the way, resting back in Florida. Here I joined Philly Car Share but have yet to use it, finding my feet are far better and cheaper for city reconnoitering.

Boat House Row

I was fortunate to find a spacious studio to sublet in this Fairmount neighborhood. The middle of Center City Philly is literally 1.5 miles from my door here at 2601 Pennsylvania Avenue, a grand dam of a building designed in 1926 for Philadelphia’s ‘elegatti’. The building has seen her days, but I’m regaling being in this neighborhood I never explored. The building overlooks Fairmount Park, PMA, as I’ve mentioned, the mighty, muddy Schuylkill River (given the Dutch name by its European discovered, Arendt Corssen) with her at times ferocious falls and always elegant Boat House Row. Within 20 minutes walk there is all the best that Philly has to offer from actual woods to world class art to five star dining. 

I’m putting on my Philly lens to bring you along to my hometown. I hope you enjoy the journey over the next entries in the blogsphere.