As readers of Yeah, Another Blogger know, I do a fair amount of walking. Many of the walks take place in my suburban neighborhood, whose pavements I pound for 25 or 30 minutes per session in the hopes of maintaining a decent level of cardio fitness. I would describe those outings as meh, because suburbia ain’t exactly crammed with interesting things to look at.
Pretty regularly, though, I head into Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, which is close to my town, to walk for pleasure. There, sometimes by myself, sometimes with my friend Gene, I cover a bunch of miles, avidly checking out multitudes of this, that and the other thing, many of them fascinating. I never get tired of spending time in The City Of Brotherly Love.
Now, just about all of the Philadelphia hikes have been in daylight. So, when the notion popped into my head recently to stretch my legs extensively in Philly under darkened skies, I gave it the thumbs-up. After all, I hadn’t indulged in a lengthy nighttime stroll in the city since the one I wrote about in 2018.
Thus, on a balmy Tuesday evening earlier this month, I rode a train into central Philadelphia, and then spent two hours wandering all over the place. I took nearly five dozen pictures along the way. A selection of them illustrates this story.
A bit to my surprise, none of the city sections I visited were anything resembling deserted. The sidewalks weren’t crowded, but they were busy enough, with folks popping in and out of stores and eateries, going about their business in other ways, or just plain hanging out. Not bad for a Tuesday night. I was glad about all of that in terms of my personal safety, and also because it showed that the hard hits delivered by the COVID pandemic have been reversed substantially.
When it came to hanging out, nobody I saw that night did it any better than a group of folks chatting away on a street corner in Philly’s Chinatown neighborhood. I’d have liked to have walked right up to them and ask if it would be okay for me to take an ensemble portrait. But I’m a chickenshit when it comes to approaching strangers for photographic reasons. My loss, of course, as I’ve missed out on any number of revealing pix over the years. Nonetheless, I like the snapshot in which, from a distance, they appear. The mural on the side of the TeaDo tea house anchors that scene with pride. And I like even better the picture of The China Gate, the magnificent welcome-to-Chinatown arch that straddles 10th Street a block from where I blew my chance to get up-close and personal with the locals.
A similar situation presented itself an hour later in Rittenhouse Square, one of Philadelphia’s stellar parks, where a guy was seated on a blanket. He was as content as can be under tree branches that smiled down upon him lovingly. Once again, a close-up would have been cool. On the other hand, the park’s calm vibes wouldn’t have been as evident in a close-up as they are in the picture I took instead.
Calm vibes, in fact, filled the air everywhere I went. The city was quieter, more welcoming than it is during daylight hours. The semi-darkness helped bring that about, and I was under its spell. Hell, just about everything looked good to me. City Hall, smack dab in the middle of central Philadelphia, and the modern skyscrapers just beyond it dazzled in an understated manner. Streetlamps and store signs bathed narrow blocks, such as the Sansom Street corridor west of City Hall, gently and warmly. A giant guitar sculpture, lit up like a Christmas tree and hanging from the facade of Hard Rock Café, never looked better.
But all good things must come to an end. A few minutes after admiring the guitar I entered Jefferson Station, within which I hopped aboard the train that took me back to my little town. It had been a big night in the big city.
Yeah, long solo walks in stimulating places are my cup of tea. I live in the moment during these mini adventures, enjoying the heck out of being able to go here or there as I like, answerable to no one and curious to see what’s around the next corner. They make my cares and woes disappear, leaving me with a sense of freedom that normally I don’t experience all too deeply. Man, I’d be golden if I learned to incorporate that orientation much more fully into my everyday life. Will it ever happen? Well, . . .
Yeah, Another Blogger 
Neil, a lovely example of living in the moment! Cities at nighttime are so different than the daytime, often much more atmospheric and great that you experienced such a sense of calm. The China Gate is fantastic and I’m glad Hard Rock Cafe is still going!
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Hey there, Annika. I think that Hard Rock Cafe is a chain with branches around the world. Are there any in your general area?
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I just checked and there are only four in England! The closest is London and the first one I went to many years ago but still quite a trek in on the train! Good fun memories though!
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Thanks for taking us on the journey, Neil. I take walks in the evenings too. Oftentimes, I wonder where all these people come from! Within the confines of my own house, the world seems quiet and deserted, but it’s obviously not the case.
Btw, I think you’re a (sort of) fan of Robert Glasper now? He’s playing in NYC shortly in case you were planning a trip. 😀
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Thanks for the tip, Eden. I don’t get to The Big Apple often, but I’ll keep him in mind if I find myself there. See ya!
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I live near Philadelphia also. In fact I was there for the first time since Covid for a conference in the Cira building on Arch Street. I’m glad to hear how lovely it is a night. I don’t think I’m ready to walk around for walks yet especially after hearing the looting on Rittenhouse Square last week. Lovely photos and post.
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Hi. The lootings were very bad news. Ridiculous, unacceptable behavior.
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I really like the photo of the China Gate. Thanks for taking us along!
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Howdy. Philadelphia is lucky to have a Chinatown section. It’s down-to-earth and has many eateries within it.
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Glad to hear that Philly is walkable at night. You never know anymore.
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There were some real bad nighttime incidents last week in Philadelphia. Like you say, you never know anymore.
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I love long solo walks but I miss quite a bit by confining them to daylight hours.
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Right, the world seems/is different after the Sun sets.
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Great piece fella. I enjoyed the stroll. Did they really “blow up the Chicken Man in Philly last night?”
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Love it Neil.
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*gasp!* City Hall looks so beautiful at night! Thanks for taking us with you on your hike.
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You know, I don’t particularly like the way City Hall looks in daylight — it’s not my style of architecture. But nighttime transforms it, making it look great.
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It looks like it should be part of a night-time movie set.
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Sounds like a fun time!
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Hey, Michele. The city, to a large extent, takes on a different appearance at night. It’s as though the city has two personalities.
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