Thoughts on Philadelphia

Just got home from a grueling journey home from Philadelphia. A few thoughts on my former city after having been gone for one year:

1. The city definitely seems to be in a good mood with (a) the recent and well-deserved World Series victory by the Philadelphia Phillies, and (b) the election of President Obama. There are still signs up celebrating both victories, I'm told that in both instances there were people cheering in the streets, and it's nice to see the town energized.

2. New buildings: since I lived there there's a cool new skyscraper (The Comcast Center, tallest building on the left) and also apparently a new superskycraper proposed (The American Commerce Center, below--which if built would be the 3rd-largest building in the U.S.) which are helping to transform the skyline into a pretty impressive & modern-looking one.

3. Very nice city to live in. I was there for 3 years (2003-2006) and I don't think I realized how much the city grew on me until relatively recently. It has its issues (bad parking, a little grungy in some areas, and starting to get a little more expensive) but seems to be a city on the rise. Hopefully Philly will weather the current economic climate and continue its ascent.

More photos from our trip to follow!