Watching The City Awaken: A Morning Walk In Philadelphia.

It is now November, and here in the Northern Hemisphere.  This  means short days and long nights. It was still dark when I awoke in downtown Philadelphia on Thursday. My Estate Law seminar started at 8:30 a.m. so I had no choice but to walk in the dark.

This was not new to  me, in fact I have often roamed the streets of Philadelphia in the dark before seminars in the Fall and Winter.  And this morning I was fortunate to have unseasonably   mild temperature in the low 60’s as I left my hotel and walked  south to Walnut Street.

I made a quick stop in a church that was open and chatted with some of the homeless people congregating on the steps. Of course it cost me have of my newspaper money. It’s sad to see this folks sleeping on the street. From talking to many of them it appears that their difficulty does not result from lack of work but more from emotional and drug and alcohol addictions. Sad all the same. 

I then made a quick detour   toward Broad Street. I always enjoy seeing this usually congested street in early morning. 

As I expected, there was little motor vehicle traffic on the street, mostly the early buses, utility vehicles and commercial and garbage trucks.

I left Broad Street and headed east on Walnut Street, retracing some of my walk from the day before.

I walked past Jefferson Hospital which was already bustling with doctors, nurses, interns and other health  care workers even at this early hour. 

I also took a few side streets just to see what was there. Contrary to many reports the crime in Philadelphia is greatly exaggerated, as it is in most towns and cities. Fear of the unknown still haunts mankind. It is a ghost of our ancestry that we must work to vanquish. Caution yes, fear to roam and explore these beautiful cities, no. 

I once again  walked into  Old Town and the Society Hill section of the city, first seeing Jewelers Row and it’s many long-established businesses..

I found that  twilight had arrived as I made my way to Independence Hall. Even though I have been here many times before, at all hours of the day, and just the previous evening, I still get emotional when I see this historic building. My mind just has to imagine the activities that occurred here in 1776 and what it meant for our Nation and all the nations on Earth. I just hope that the words  and hope they professed, that ALL men (and women) are created equal, are not forgotten. 

I walked under the ancient trees shedding their leaves. Unfortunately, most are only 100 years old and were not alive at the time of our Nation’s founding.  Still they made for a pleasant walk in the increasing light of the morning twilight. 

It was now getting late, and I had to return to my hotel, so I  walked to Market Street. It was  already busy with the early rush hour traffic. 

I walked briskly now, but still made a detour to walk past Chinatown. It is a wonderful place to be early in the morning. 

It was now a short walk back to my hotel. I quickly showered and made it to my seminar just in time. Here is a link to some more photographs  from  my morning walk. Philadelphia morning walk November 1 2018.  

An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. ~Henry David Thoreau

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