10 Things to Be Thankful for in Philly

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These are rough times in Philly if you’re a sports fan. There isn’t much to be happy about or thankful for right now. But, don’t let that get you down. There is plenty to be thankful about in Philadelphia.

1.  SPRUCE STREET HARBOR PARK/WINTERFEST at Penn’s Landing. For decades people have talked about doing something with Penn’s Landing. Finally, something cool has happened. We have Harbor Park in the summer and Winterfest in Winter. Both provide a lively place to chill with other Philadelphians while enjoying games, activities, cocktails, good food, and music. Harbor Park has a barge jetting out into the river, while Winterfest has a heated lodge and outdoor ice skating rink. It doesn’t get any better.

2.  Murals. Philly is the mural capital of the world. Murals across town celebrate Philadelphia’s history, education, culture, and achievements. We have murals for rescued animals finding their forever homes, the celebration of veterans returning to our city after service, and our sports teams. You can actually take a tour of the city’s murals through the Mural Arts Program. Here’s my favorite:

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3. Yoga. If one thinks of yoga, they think of New York, LA, Hawaii, or treking off to India for the best of the best. You’d be wrong not to include Philly. After spending some time with yogis in the area, I can tell you that Philly’s yoga community is as good as it gets. Pound for pound, Philly may be the best in the country. Spots like Maha Yoga, Dig Yoga, Practice Yoga, Amrita Yoga, Palo Santo Wellness, and Kaya Aerial Yoga are just a few that you can’t go wrong taking a class. Yoga your face off…namaste!

4. Live Music. We live in a city where you can basically see a decent show every night of the week, whatever genre you’re in the mood for. Seriously, there are far too many cool venues to list. My favorites include: Underground Arts, PhilaMOCA, Kung Fu Necktie, Johnny Brenda’s, Boot & Saddle, and Franky Bradleys.

5. Dive Bars. I’ve been in some seriously great and sketchy dive bars, but Philly’s collection reigns supreme. You don’t need to worry about no dress codes or fancy cocktails. You’ll be surrounded by fascinating people from all walks of life. Every neighborhood has their own special dive bards. Here are a few of my favorites: Oscar’s, the Friendly, Dirty Frank’s, Doobies, Fiume, Locust Bar.

6. Pizza. Yo, Travel and Leisure magazine recently named Philadelphia the 4th Best Pizza City in America and we think they’re bat-shit crazy. Nobody outside of Italy does pizza better than Philadelphia. Seriously, we have a pizza museum at Pizza Brain. Sure, Philly may not have their own style of pizza, but you can get a great version of any style pizza you’re seeking. Tacconellis, Tony’s Place, Brigantessa, Santucci’s, Nomad, Pizzeria Beddia, Buffad, Gaeta’s Italian Bakery are just a handful of the dozens that are great pizza in the area.

7. Jim Kenney. This guy is a Philly lifer. He has his critics who don’t like his ties to the unions. Come on, it’s Philly. No one gets elected as Mayor of Philly without support of the unions so get over that. Kenney knows how this city functions, he seems to be a man of the peeps, and genuinely wants Philly to be a great city. If you ain’t down with Kenney, you might just be a curmudgeon. Oh, did we mention he did a great podcast interview with us?

8. Sandwiches. Sandwiches, sandwiches, sandwiches! Absolutely no one does sandwiches better than Philadelphia. We gotta be thankful for all the great options we have in town. Hoagies, chicken cutlets, cheesesteaks, roast pork, vegan, Jewish Deli’s. We have it all. I’ll put up John’s Roast Pork, Tony Luke’s, Sarcone’s, Paseano’s, Famous 4th Street Deli, Hip City Veg, and Old Original Nick’s Roast Beef on 20th Street against any other city’s lineup of sandwich joints. Philly is in a league of its own.

9. Project HOME. Project HOME is a non-profit in Philadelphia that provides housing, employment opportunities, medical care, and education to homeless and low-income persons in Philly. Project HOME was started by Sister Mary Scullion back in 1989 with the motto “None of us are home until all of us are home.” Phillies owner John Middleton and rocker Jon Bon Jovi are supporters of Project HOME’s work. The organization and it’s work has been recognized by news organizations across the country including the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Denver Post. Project HOME is a great asset to Philadelphia and we should all be grateful for the work they do for the less fortunate in our city. Oh, and they can always use donations or volunteers!!!

10. The Phillies Phanatic. While the sports teams suck, we can take pride in having the best mascot in all of sports. The Phanatic continues to entertain generation after generation of baseball fans in Philadelphia. He was invaluable this year as the team sucked so bad that the Phanatic’s 7th inning appearance on the Phillies dugout was usually the highlight of the game for most fans in attendance.

Yes, we are in a terribly dark period of Philly sports. I could tell you that the Flyers have some youth in the pipelines, that the Phillies have a fresh front office, and that the Sixers may have four first round draft picks this year to cheer you up. Instead, let’s focus on what we have and be grateful. This short list of ten things is just a start. I’m from Philadelphia and I’m thankful for that! That could change after the game on Thanksgiving.