The Real Juliedelphia

Well, I actually live in Philadelphia now. This is no joke. Juliedelphia is in Juliedelphia.

I arrived at 8am, dealt with the rental car and was headed in to town by 9. I immediately noticed that the streets in Philadelphia are frighteningly narrow; often when it seemed as if there was only one lane, people drove as if there were two. I assume this is a characteristic of driving in an older city, but it was a fairly big shock to someone who learned to drive on the 405 freeway.

I arrived at my apartment and it looked like this. This does explain the seven frantic phone calls from my building manager suggesting I might want to delay my move in. But by 5 pm the place was painted, neat, and best of all, had a brand new washer and dryer in the kitchen! They even redid all the kitchen cabinets, and I believe my fridge might be brand new too. Ahhh, begging for a washer dryer-- the best tenant decision I've ever made.

It's also pretty cool that though it's impossible to park in my 'hood, there's a designated spot for loading (30 minute limit) on my block. Of course, I only got to use that once since the local construction crew took it over for the rest of the day (300 minute limit?), but it was a lifesaver when it came to getting my luggage in. The hauls from my three Target trips and Trader Joe's trip were accomplished first via a brutal walk from the pay lot, and then from an illegal parking job. It appears that pulling in front of your building and blocking a lane with your hazards on is standard practice in Philadelphia's Center City. I'm calling it "pulling a Philly".

OK, so here's the absolute coolest part of living here so far (not that I accidentally bought two boxes of plastic forks instead of one of spoons, which means I can't eat my Trader O's tomorrow morning)-- on my way to my local hardware store, I pass a violin repair workshop and the Underground Railroad Museum. Bring on the charming old East Coast!

Less cool part (worse than the dearth of spoons in my apartment) is that my super cheap movers are delivering the service one might expect and say they will be here towards the end of my 'delivery window', which means August 17th. Here's a catalog of the furniture in my apartment (not counting any duffel bags, boxes, counters, etc. I may be using in a furniture-type capacity out of desperation):

1. Inflatable mattress (twin) with sheets and pillow-- serves as sofa and bed.
2. Folding 'stool', appears to have been designed for Bilbo Baggins. But it was the cheapest option and it had a seat back which I really needed after today.
3. TV tray-- Thank you, Isaac Mizrahi, for turning at $20 standard item into a $40 white lacquered and pink fashion statement (with handle cutouts!). Whatever, it's a perfectly decent desk and kitchen table. I'm sitting on #2 (#2 is the stool) and using this 'desk' right now to post this!
4. Bookshelves-- massive, left by the last tenant at my request. It's nice to have another place to put things. I think I need to move it for how I want to set up the living room, which means I need help. Anyone coming to visit really really soon?