Never saw the show that inspired this post, btw.
This is my 4th week in Philadelphia now and it’s
been quite a ride. I work in downtown Philadelphia, so it’s a lot like downtown
LA or a lot of other downtowns I’ve been through: the mornings are bustling
with businesspeople and white-collar workers commuting to work (I walk to work
from my temporary apartment and there’s actually a lot of foot traffic, I feel
like I need a honk or turn signal sometimes to indicate my intentions). There’s
a nice statue of William Penn overlooking the city like the iconic religious
figure in Rio de Janiero overlooking the city (a quick Google search indicates
that it’s Christ the Redeemder), and there are really nice parts of the city,
like the historic Franklin Square and Museum strip, comparable to D.C.’s National Mall area
(except the museums aren’t free).
It really hasn’t been as hot as I expected…..I figured I’d
been spoilt in LA for 5 years so living in other cities during the summer would
be brutally insufferable, but it’s been relatively good, not too much humidity,
not too many 90+ days. Maybe it just speaks to the extreme weather patterns in
Chicago that I remember as a youth.
The problem is, and I feel like a lot of cities are like
this (a quick train ride through parts of Baltimore confirmed this) is that
outside the city center large areas are……. What’s the word? --- dilapidated.
Old buildings that look like they’re crumbling or survived multiple
earthquakes, dark allies that are very dirty and unkempt, whole neighborhoods
that just do not look pleasant to live in.
The great thing about Philadelphia though is its proximity
to other cities. A quick train ride down to Baltimore/Washington, D.C., and
almost equidistant to NYC, very close to Jersey/Atlantic City and even a
reasonable distance from Toronto/Pittsburgh.
As is my tradition I visited the conjoining universities
that are located in Philly, UPenn and Drexel, adjacent to each other. Very east
coasty; I could have seen myself living there. One visit I would not recommend unless
you’re mentally and physically prepared for it is a bike trip to Valley Forge.
Certainly a worthy place to visit and brimming with history and landmarks, but
not something you need to take a 20-mile bike ride to go to. Big mistake; the
scenery was nice for about 3 miles but then it just turned into old country
roads; I was sore the next day. Nah. You also got plenty of stuff to do in the
city, like the huge LOVE sign (almost forgot that this was the City of
Brotherly Love), the rebuilt Lincoln Financial Field home of the Eagles (nice
modern stadium and a sleeper team to rebound in the NFL) and the Liberty
Bill/Constitution Hall, which are brief reminders that this city relies heavily
on tourist attractions involving Revolution War and Founding Father days,
including a large reverence towards Benjamin Franklin. Man that guy shows up
everywhere, including random guys dressed like him in the street.
Why are there so many horseback carriage rides offered? Don’t
get that. Seems really princess-y and old relic-y especially in the modern day
of Iphones and Ipads.
Meanwhile during the 3 weeks I’ve been here, lots going on
in fantasy baseball, and a lot of unheralded guys making it feel like “The
Summer of Esteban Loaiza,” or “The Summer of Rondell White,” guys we never hear
from again.
Oldie but Goodie: Alfonso Soriano had a week that was out of
this world after he got traded back to the Yankees, channeling the early 2000’s
Alfonso Soriano and batting .600 with
like 5 HR’s and 18 RBI’s in a 4 game stretch in mid-August. Maybe he just likes
playing for the Yankees.
The Post-Hype prospect: Andrew Cashner is now 2.45 and 1.03
in his last 5 starts. The man can throw a fastball.
The “Who is this guy?” R. Grossman: No, not Rex Grossman,
Robbie Grossman, hitting .342 with 16-4-18-4 in his last 30 games for the Team where Fantasy production goes to
die Houston, almost as good as Will Venable, .380-18-7-13-6, good for 4th
in the whole fantasy world in the last month. Wow.
Finally, meet the “Rosses,”:
Tyson Ross, Ross Ohlendorf, Cody Ross, and Ross Detweiler. Tyson has been an
excellent pitcher for the last month or so, Ross Ohlendorf is an Ivy League
grad who has some great matchups left in the National League East, Cody and
Detwiler are on the DL but almost make solid contributions when healthy.
I know fantasy football is coming. The Fantasy Football Zoo
or some other form of prognostication will be here soon. Stay tuned!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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