Milage may vary...

What the hell am I doing in New Jersey...

Read: Dave doesn't know where he's going.
Translation: Dave apparently doesn't know east from west.

So last night I decided to see what downtown Phily was like. I had a map, thought I knew where I was going, but apparently, I had no clue. I started out the right way and then suddenly I was on the bridge heading east into New Jersey.

I was not a very happy person...

After spending 20 minutes getting turned around and heading back the right way, I was back on the right track. Yeah, right back into rush hour traffic. I don't see how people who live in these cities stand it. I guess, after a while, you'd just get used to it. Blah, no thanks.

I finally made it into the downtown area and that's where the real fun began. Narrow streets, people darting in and out of traffic, bicycles, buses, cabs, and the pedestrians. If I had a heart condition, I think I would have checked out right then and there. I've driven in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and LA before, but for some reason this seemed worse. I spotted a parking garage close to where I wanted to be and ducked in real quick.

I'm in the wrong business...

Parking was $4.50 per half hour. $16.00 after 2 hours. What a racket. I mean, I know you have a captive audience, but please.
After parking, I started to walk around. Phily is an interesting city from an architectural standpoint. There's a mix between really old buildings and new, really old technology and new. The thing that amazed me the most is how run down everything looked. I've been in several big cities, but I've never had that feeling of decay as what I felt here. And the graffiti, I think everywhere I looked something had been spray painted. Even heading out of town on the calls I made this week, the stuff is everywhere.

Anyway...

I wandered for about an hour before I walked by a side street and there, in the middle, was this sign.

Fergie's Irish Pub: Traditional Food & Spirits

This place was awesome. Dark paneling, stained glass windows, wood floors, the place just felt right. The waitress was able to tell me about every beer they had down to the smallest detail. I settled on a porter that was brewed just down the street they serve from a beer engine. For those of you who don't know what that is, they store the beer in the basement and hand pump the beer into the glass from the tap at room temperature. They have to keep fresh beer on hand because beer in this style is not pasteurized and they don't put any preservatives in it. It was, in a word, awesome.

There's one thing I've wanted to do for years, and that is to have a place like this back home. Places like that in Oklahoma tend to be more bar and sports bar than what I feel a real pub should be like. To me, a real pub is like a second home. A place you can go, and even if you've only been there once, can feel like a regular. A place you go to have a pint or two with friends, not just just get blitzed. A place that is more character than hype with service and quality that goes beyond price.

Who knows, maybe this trip will yield some inspiration yet...

posted by Dave @ 3:19 PM