The Wilds of Philadelphia

Come and let me tell you about the Wilds of Philadelphia. It is lot like the Wilds of Uganda, the new special on Disney+ except instead of mountain gorillas, we have pigeons. Instead of elephants, we have mice. Instead of lions, we have…well more pigeons.

Philly is not known for it’s wildlife. It’s not really even known for it’s scenic beauty. I once went to Seattle and it is breathtaking there. The Puget Sound. Mt. Rainier. It is all stunning. It boggled my mind that the friend that I visited actually took a ferry to work each day. A ferry!

The wonderful thing about Philly though is it’s beauty often catches you by surprise. You are walking down the sidewalk, lost in your own train of thought and suddenly you are struck by the magic of leaves falling down a tiny little street. (Philly is known for it’s tiny little streets.)

Or you walk up to the top of Flagpole Hill at Belmont Plateau which is just a hill. Nothing remarkable about it. Doesn’t even have a flagpole anymore. Once you reach the top however, you discover the best skyline view of Philadelphia.

Or you run by the Schuylkill Dog Park and you stop for a moment to watch the dogs, and you take a moment to take in this really great river right behind it that is snaking through the city.

Or you turn a corner and catch a mural that you hadn’t seen before. Philly has a ton of murals!

Or you walk by Rittenhouse Square at night in the winter and are struck by all the lights glimmering in the trees.

Or you go down to the Italian Market and you marvel at all the mish-mash of cultures going on. So many people from so many different places, all making their home in Philadelphia.

So Philly is kind of like it’s people: the beauty might not be readily apparent but it’s there and it catches you by surprise. And its wonderful.