Rocky and the cheesesteak
I was recently in Philadelphia for work, my first time visiting the historic city. The upside of traveling for work is you do get to visit fun/exciting/awesome/new places, but the downside, of course, is that you are working and don’t have time to get out and see anything. This trip wasn’t much different, although I did get up early one morning to go see the Rocky statue and steps, a sweltering 35-minute walk from my hotel. It had been the thing I most wanted to do while there, along with eating a cheesesteak sandwich, although I confess I couldn’t help but ask myself as I walked back to the hotel if it was bad that seeing the Rocky statue and eating a cheesesteak were both higher on my list than seeing the Liberty Bell. Maybe don’t answer that.
It’s worth noting that I’m a vegetarian, so the cheesesteak I ate (and went back for a few days later to eat another one) was plant-based, and while I can’t tell you how many Philadelphians seemed downright insulted by this—insisting it was not, in fact, a cheesesteak, and I get it—I am here to tell you that it was quite possibly the best sandwich I’ve ever had. Take that with a grain of salt (I think all the fake meats taste just like meat, something meat-eaters tell me regularly is not true), but the point is, I was so delighted by its unique deliciousness.
I promise I did get over to see the Liberty Bell on my last night in town, but what struck me was that there’s something so individual about visiting new places. Because we each have lists, or at least a few ideas, of things we want to do/see/eat while in any particular place. And those lists would be different for each of us. One of my favorite memories is a trip to Scotland I took a few years ago, a trip I prepped for by making literal lists of everything I wanted to do while in each city. When I think back on those couple of weeks spent meandering through gorgeous countryside and quaint city streets, what makes it so satisfying is I was doing the things I had always wanted to do. Things I had hand-picked based on my own interests and passions. It’s the best way to travel, and, honestly, the only way. I may never find myself in Scotland again, or even Philadelphia, just as you may only get one chance at the places you find yourself in. So if there’s something you really want to do while there, then do it. Your cheesesteak is out there!