Wall Sits in Philly

I got on the train this afternoon towards Philly and there were an insane amount of people. Never had I seen the train this packed! Then I realized, Easter weekend and most schools have spring break so I prepared myself for a packed city.

I got off the train in a pretty empty train station. I was the only one following the signs, up the stairs to Reading Market. There was almost silence before I pushed on the doors out into the street and was immediately bombarded with tons of people, scratching cars and music from street performers. 

I was meeting a friend of Tys for a blind friend date and was a little nervous as to how I would find her in this crazy crowd. While I was waiting for her, I thought I would explore the area a bit so I walked into Reading Terminal Market and wandered the isles. It was so packed in there that at some times I couldn't move. I love cities and I love being surrounded by people, but this was a bit much, I enjoy my personal bubble and I also enjoy being able to wander at my leisure. 

I heard from the friend that she was stuck in traffic, understandably, so I decided to walk the streets instead, hoping to get some space. I walked the streets for a bit and then got a call saying that after some time, she was having the worst luck finding parking. It was totally understandable seeing as how it was a complete zoo down here. So we decided to try find another spot to hang out that wasn't so crazy. She was leaving the parking garage that I was near and so we tried to coordinate her picking me up. Both of us in a city we were not very familiar with, not really knowing each other or what we look like was definitely a feat. 

"I am in front of Panera Bread on 12th"

"I am driving along market street near reading terminal"

"Theres a parking sign in front of me"

"Im about to go under a tunnel!"

Finally, we got our streets figured out and I caught up to her at a stop light.

"What are you wearing? I think I see you!"

"Im wearing a black jacket!"

"yup, definitely you, Ill try and pull over up here"

Then finally, I found her and we went on a driving adventure through the city to another place with, hopefully, more parking. We kept getting re-routed by the gps because this was our first time meeting and we were excited to get to know each other. So eventually, we got to the area we wanted and it was time to search for parking. We got pretty lucky with a spot on the street and after inching into the narrow spot, we started walking up Walnut to find somewhere to eat and decided on the Cheesecake Factory. 

Late lunch was delicious and the conversation focused around travel and other random things. I always like talking about travel.

Ater lunch we walked around a bit and then she drove me back to the terminal. I drank two glasses of liquids at lunch, so I had to pee real bad. I almost ran to the bathrooms in the terminal. Relieved, I walked out into the terminal at 5:06. I could have taken the 5:10 train but decided that some exploring would be more fun so I ditched the train for an hour to walk. 

I followed the signs for tourists as sneakily as I could. I hate being a gawking tourist. Its best to blend in. I was able to walk through Reading Terminal Market with more ease as the afternoon crowd was lessening. I walked by china town and I made it to the Independence mall where I walked around a bit before I had to leave to catch my 6:10 train. The area seems much more familiar then when I first stepped onto the street. Tour guide I shall be to everyone else.

As I was waiting for the train, some nice young man offered his seat and I politely declined. Apparently too much sitting can kill you. Instead, I started doing wall sits. During my second round of 30 seconds, the man asked again if I was sure I didnt want his seat. I laughed and had to explain to him that I was in fact exercising and enjoying my wall sits. He looked confused and maybe thought I was crazy, but hey, gotta work hard in life.