Here I’ve come to the end of this journey. Philly was not originally in my plan, I didn’t know anything about it except for the movie with Tom Hanks and the cream cheese. But after DC and before going back to New York for my flight, I still wanted to spend a couple of days in a city with a hostel and enjoy some social life.
I found a hostel that looked nice in Philadelphia and the decision was quickly made. Its name was Apple Hostel. It was not the best I’ve been to in my life, but still, I had a good time there.
I arrived by bus in the morning. Directly downtown. My first impression was that it could have been a European city. It was sunny and chilly, so I immediately felt comfortable. I reached the hostel, and, without much effort, I met a couple of guys from Iowa I started playing pool with (even if I’m terrible at it). There was a German song on the radio while we were playing: Komet by Udo Lindenberg. Every time I listen to it, it makes me think of that moment.
We went for dinner to a very good Chinese restaurant and then went to the pub with other people from the hostel. I noticed that there’s a strong Chinese community in Philly. And at night the streets looked very different. A girl from there I met a few months later told me that Philly is dodgy at night. But since I wasn’t alone I didn’t really feel it.
The following day I went with one of the Iowa guys to visit the Magic Garden, a small but very interesting mosaicked open art gallery with murals and sculptures. I wish it was bigger, but I enjoyed it. After that, we went for a walk and grabbed a coffee, before looking for the famous Philly Cheesesteak, after the recommendation of a guy from Philadelphia I met in New Orleans. I have to say I was kind of disappointed since I had pictured – as the name suggests – a steak with real cheese on top, and I found a Subway sandwich filled with meat scraps and covered in cheez whiz.
Then he went back to the hostel to work and I continued my walk. The city made me think of England or Germany, maybe for the red brick houses. I really appreciated though that I was actually able to walk and get lost, which is what I enjoy the most when I’m in a new city.
I stopped at a cafè and had a couple of cups of coffee. I remember that the waitress was a nice lady in her sixties. The song on the radio was Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jacks.
I went back to the hostel and met a guy named Juan from Colombia (or was it another country?). He had a raspy voice for a sore throat or something. We had an instant connection and talked for hours until he left to go to the airport. I haven’t really heard from him again. But sometimes life is like that, you have a very intense conversation with someone you’ve just met and then you never meet again. Other times you meet people you just have a chat with and somehow they stay in your life. But the truth is that you never know how long people stay, if they’re meant to be just an encounter or an important person in your life. I used to attach to every person that made me feel an emotion, every person that made me feel alive. Sometimes it just lead to a huge amount of pain when they left. But now I’m trying to accept the role people play in my life, as it has to be.
Loneliness can be overwhelming at times, but then I think about all the people I met, who made me feel a real connection and this gives me peace.
I was a bit sad to leave Philly and head to New York, where I was supposed to visit a student of mine. I never liked going back from a trip. But that’s how trips work.
