Diversity is Culture

Walking off the bus, Jelani and I could smell the diversity in the air, nothing like either of us could ever explain before. Philadelphia. We took one long look around at City Hall and knew our adventure had begun. As though we were in another country, we only had our $21 and maps to show us what Philadelphia had to offer. Both of us having been to New York City, we were familiar with the city’s atmosphere, however, this city felt different.

As all places, Philadelphia had a particular smell. It smelled like accomplishments and new beginnings. Looking around, all the young business men had a look of stress and determination and ready for new beginnings. Jelani and I were the same. This city was new for us and we were ready to find the city’s cultural side. First, we made our way down to the Liberty Bell, where the earliest culture of the city was prevalent. Seeing the long lines, we decided to just get a glimpse of it and a picture. Independence Hall was our next stop across the street. Again, this was as crowded if not more crowded than the Liberty Bell. However, being a big part of the old culture of Philadelphia, they were a necessity for this trip. We walked into the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed and could just feel the history in the atmosphere. I stood there looking at the room for a couple minutes, putting myself back in that time with all the delegates. I felt a sense of pride to be a part of a country with such history. It was inspiring to us to find out more about the city’s history and culture.

Next on our itinerary was South Street, the life of South Philly. It was here where we could find the diversity and culture of Philadelphia, such as stores like Pearl of Africa. This was one of the most interesting stores in my opinion on South Street. Walking up to it, loud Rastafarian reggae music was playing from inside the store with it’s medium sized sign in Rasta colors, red, yellow, and green hanging on the side of the building. The store was lined with everything Rastafarian, from t-shirts and flags to CDs and toys. Jelani and I looked around in for a while, admiring some of the more interesting collections he had. However, the person who worked there didn’t even look up from whatever he was reading. I asked him, “How much is this belt?” He responded, “Tin dollar,” without looking up. From his accent, I could tell he was not originally from Philly, so I decided that it would be a good opportunity to ask him a few questions.

“Where are you from and how long have you lived in Philadelphia?”

“Well….why are you askin’ me dis?”

“I’m new to Philly and I am just trying to get a better sense of the city and the people.”

“Err…I don’t know. Is you going to buy that belt or not?”

I learned a lot from this small transaction, and could gather a better understanding of natives from Philly, even though he wasn’t one. He had clearly adapted the ways of a native Philadelphian from only living in the city a part of his life. From this, I made a generalization about Philadelphians, much like people in big cities such as New York City and Los Angeles, are conservative and rough around the edges. The store, on the other hand, was a perfect example in Philadelphia’s rich diversity, not only in its contents, but also in its workers, being a mix of both African and Philadelphian culture.

After South Street, Jelani and I decided that we would take the long walk down past the lively Italian Market to Pat’s King of Steaks, one of the most famous Philly Cheese Steaks places in Philadelphia. This was a focal point in searching for culture and tradition in Philadelphia, as this was a popular place among the locals. When we got there, we didn’t realize that this was going to be such an event. Geno’s another cheese steak place across the street, making the competition fierce. When we got there, I was astounded. Granted it was a nice day. But it was Sunday afternoon and the lines were out the door for both places. Given that we had just walked for 30 minutes to this place “where 9^th crosses Wharton and Passyunk Ave.,” there was no way we were turning back. Even though the line was out the door, it moved relatively quickly. When we got to the front, I was amazed at the type of business they ran. They instantly handed us our steaks the second we ordered them and was already taking the order of the next person in line. We grabbed a table and ate our calorie filled cheese steak; living up to it’s hype as being on of the best in town.

Walking back up 9^th to South Street where we would make a right and finish our trip with the Vietnam War Memorial, I reflected on the two cultural and diverse places that I went to today, Pearl of Africa and Pat’s King of Steaks. Places like this made Philadelphia, Philadelphia. I thought it was amazing how culture was so prevalent in this city, and even more so with the people of the city, even those who were not native there. Diversity is a part of Philadelphia’s culture.