Look, it's almost a dog...

I have always had a deep love for the city. I was raised in the suburbs, but my mother and older sister worked in center city so I used to take the train to see them sometimes. Sometimes we would go to the gallery or of course South St. I'm the kind of person who loves riding the train and the subway. I love the pigeons and noise, I enjoy eating from those little metal vendors on the street. I prefer a Philly cheesesteak from a center city vendor to Geno's or Pat's. I think those two are overpriced, overratede tourist attrations. Although Pat's cheese fries are bangin. And that's the only place I've found that has fountain cherry soda!
Anyway, as I got older I was able to venture more and more into the various neighborhoods and always felt like I was on an adventure. I've had boyfriends in southwest Philly, north, south. I had a best friend that lived in Overbrook Park,another good friend from Frankfort. I had a job near the airport. I attened Freedom Theater on Broad St. I used to volunteer at Urban Artscapes which was part of MOCS (Mayors Office for Community Service). And of course I attended Temple University as an education major, so I was able to tour the various school and community centers. Even still, I know most of the city is still a vast mystery to me.

Eric was an orphan, originally from the Philadelphia, and homeless for a portion of the time I knew him, so he knew the city well. He was a nomad in the true modern sense. I haven't seen him in over a year, but there is always a chance that at any given moment he will materialize, somewhere out of the blue.
I met him in the Spring of 1999 on South St one day while on a working/training lunch for a security alarm company. I was headed to a little Greek restaurant when I spotted this cutie playing a video game at the arcade a few stores down. The first thing I noticed was his blue eyes. He saw me looking, gave me an cocky smile, which I returned, then I kept walking. I told the woman I was with and she encouraged me to go get him. To this day I debate with myself, was that good advice? Should I thank her? Or if I ever see her again should I cuss her out? Either way, I collected all my arrogant sex appeal and went to catch me a man....