When I want to recharge my batteries, I go to the one place that always makes me feel alive....the city of Philadelphia. My spirits surge in tune with the constant blaring horns. I relish in the sound of my heels on the pavement. I sigh in contentment as the subway whooshes past me; my hair flying in all directions.
I am happiest chatting with friends at a sidewalk cafe, sipping an electric blue martini on a bar rooftop, or window shopping on Walnut Street. I love the contrast of the city. One second I can be surrounded by powerful men in suits, while the next I'm standing next to a woman on the Blue Line, singing her heart out to a captive audience.
Growing up in a small town had me itching to spread my wings somewhere far away from cornfields and cows. Of course, my first year in Philly I must have looked straight of the farm because I attracted the strangest people. However, as time went on, I became comfortable navigating the public transit system, venturing downtown alone, and confidently giving directions to lost tourists.
Philadelphia holds an emotional connection for me. I grew up both personally and professionally amidst the sparkling skyscrapers and cobblestone streets. I went on my first date in Rittenhouse Square. I held my first internship at the Red Cross' headquarters in Center City. I spotted my first glimpse of a pimp and his hookers at an ATM in South Philly.
I aspire to one day work and play in the 19106 zipcode. I can see myself working furiously in a cubicle in one of Center City's high rise offices, walking hand-in-hand with my significant other to one of the up-and-coming Steven Starr restaurants, and, eventually, pushing a stroller past the fountain in Logan Square. Philly is where I want start my adult life.
Of course, I can't predict what the future holds for me, but I know that no matter where I travel that the City of Brotherly Love will always hold a special place in my heart.
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