As I'm walking through Philadelphia this weekend, my mind shoots back to January 2004. As of late, that particular point in time actually comes to mind frequently. January 2004 was when I first arrived in Milan, Italy. That was when I first experienced living in a city. I've been hooked ever since.
Perhaps the way that Thoreau yearned for solitude in the woods or Kelly Slater yearns for beach towns, I've learned that I naturally yearn for life in the city. There's always a surprise around each corner... always a new place to discover just a block away... everyone living in compact quarters within such a small radius. There's nothing like being part of a truly vibrant, eclectic and interesting city.
Philadelphia will always be among my favorites, and not just because it's essentially home.
Along with my friend, Matt, I discovered one particularly awesome place near Rittenhouse Square called Monk's Cafe this weekend. They call themselves a "Belgian Beer Emporium and Restaurant," but that just begins to describe the experience there. I felt like I was actually transported back to Belgium, where I visited in June 2004. Their menu is filled with hundreds of beers, imported from around the world and especially from Belgium. Prices per bottle average from $8 for more common Belgian ales to $100+ for the rare brews. With such an overwhelming selection to pick from, to the cavernous feel of the place and the scattered candles over the copper-top bar, it all made for such a great "experience."
And that is what I'm always finding in Philly and other cities. Great "experiences." It's safe to say that lots of restaurants simply fill needs-- i.e. Fox and Hound as a sports bar (where we actually spent watching the Villanova NCAA tourney game prior to Monk's). And some restaurants are just over-the-top, unreasonably expensive, and once the food is digested and the bill paid, you wonder if the whole amount of time and money spent was really worth it-- i.e. McCormick & Schmick's.
But places like Monk's, like Nodding Head, like any of Stephen Starr's incredible restaurants... they are awesome experiences. They may still be relatively expensive, but you can at least discern the value added. They're clearly promoting not just great menu's, but a new lens from which to view a meal, a night, a lifestyle. How much more fun and interesting is it to be part of a grand symphony rather than just the same old elevator music?
Speaking of Stephen Starr, I walked by his new Parisian bistro, Parc, yesterday afternoon around 4pm. This was about the time when my mind rushed back to Milan. Parc is a slice of Europe brought to Philly: The grand and elegant cafe, people sitting at outdoor tables lining the sidewalks, and the waiters and waitresses dressed in white, formal attire. Seeing the scene at Parc brought back that feeling of home that I first began to feel in Milan.
I'm just so fascinated with the study of urban design, and the places and people and activities that fill in those spaces. Or, rather, the way those finite structures might inspire all that come to fill in those spaces. It's just that, as I walk around Rittenhouse Square in Philly, as I walk through Union Square in New York... and Harvard Square in Boston... and Golden Gate Park in San Francisco... and the National Mall in Washington, DC... and Millennium Park in Chicago... and the Zocalo in Oaxaca, Mexico... and many other cities...it continues to amaze me at the remarkable way that good urban design, places and communities play out.
You just know it when you see it. It makes great sense. It doesn't feel forced, it feels right. It's natural. It's the warm, cozy feel you get as you sit inside Monk's Cafe sipping imported Belgian brews at 3pm on an idle Saturday. It's the satisfaction you feel from buying artisan goods in an open-air market versus at a cash register under the florescent lights at Wal-Mart. It's the pride you feel in sharing the "experience" with your neighbors around you who also seem to just "get it."
Good urban design. I'm going to keep delving deeper into this topic over the next few weeks.
