Last Saturdaynight I was in Philly with some of my 'buddies' from Delaware, when we ran into Al Morganti . So we walked towards him:
“Hey Al Morganti! How are you”
“Good guys, where are you from?”
“We are from Delaware!”
“Delaware?!? What are you doing in Philly?”
“We are visiting our Dutch friend Daniel, he lives here!”
“Dutch! I was the commenter of the Eurocup in 1988, when the Netherlands won. I will never forget: Gullit en Rijkaard, what a team!”
“Cool! Do you also remember Ven Bestin?”
“Sure! He was a great offender!”
“He is currently the coach of the Dutchies, and we are going to win the Euro again!”
“Wauw, that’s amazing!”
There you go: Dutchies are famous everywhere. And my guests - the locals from Delaware - were very dissapointed: they finally met someone famous, and a Dutch guy that doesn't even know who he is steals the show!
Showing posts with label philadelphia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label philadelphia. Show all posts
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Phillies
While everyone in Europe is talking about Euro 2008, we´re in the middle of the baseball season in America. The baseball teams have to play 162 games in the period between April and October, which is 6 games a week! And it is filled with entertainment, just like a flyers game.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Skyline
US cities are famous because of their amazing skylines. New York is by far the most familiar: skyscrapers in Midtown and Downtown Manhattan, with a huge park on one side and water on the other side. Cities like Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Dallas en Seattle all have their own unique skyline; whenever a movie or TV show is recorded in a city, it usually starts with an overview of the skyline.
Philadelphia’s skyline started back in 1901 when the City Hall was finished, with a statue of Pennsylvania’s founder William Penn on top of it. The completion of the City Hall started a gentlemen’s agreement: no building in Philadelphia should ever be higher than the shoes of William Penn´s statue, or 548 feet.
City Hall was the tallest building in the US till 1909, and the gentlemen´s agreement was intact until the 1980s. By then, this agreement was becoming less important than business space in the city, and Philly needed to compete against other cities. That´s when Liberty 1 and 2 were build: two skyscrapers, based on the Empire State Building, with heights of 945 feet and 848 feet. Some people believe that building these skyscrapers released a curse for Philadelphia´s sport teams: the Flyers, Phillies, Eagles and 76´ers had had some great years, however this completely changed when Liberty 1 was build!!
Years later, the Mellon Bank Center (792 feet) was build, also with a pyramid-like top. Until last year, these buildings were the skyline of Philadelphia, but last year the Comcast building beat all of them with 975 feet. During my daily drive back from work, it is still impressive to drive towards a skyline!
Here are some pictures of Philly´s skyline (nope – I didn´t make all of them):
The skyline in 1901:
William Penn's statue:
City Hall:
From left to right: Liberty 2, Liberty 1, Mellon Bank Center, City Hall
Liberty 1, with Liberty 2 in the background:
Philly's current skyline with the Comcast building:
Philadelphia’s skyline started back in 1901 when the City Hall was finished, with a statue of Pennsylvania’s founder William Penn on top of it. The completion of the City Hall started a gentlemen’s agreement: no building in Philadelphia should ever be higher than the shoes of William Penn´s statue, or 548 feet.
City Hall was the tallest building in the US till 1909, and the gentlemen´s agreement was intact until the 1980s. By then, this agreement was becoming less important than business space in the city, and Philly needed to compete against other cities. That´s when Liberty 1 and 2 were build: two skyscrapers, based on the Empire State Building, with heights of 945 feet and 848 feet. Some people believe that building these skyscrapers released a curse for Philadelphia´s sport teams: the Flyers, Phillies, Eagles and 76´ers had had some great years, however this completely changed when Liberty 1 was build!!
Years later, the Mellon Bank Center (792 feet) was build, also with a pyramid-like top. Until last year, these buildings were the skyline of Philadelphia, but last year the Comcast building beat all of them with 975 feet. During my daily drive back from work, it is still impressive to drive towards a skyline!
Here are some pictures of Philly´s skyline (nope – I didn´t make all of them):
The skyline in 1901:
William Penn's statue:
City Hall:
From left to right: Liberty 2, Liberty 1, Mellon Bank Center, City Hall
Liberty 1, with Liberty 2 in the background:
Philly's current skyline with the Comcast building:
Monday, February 18, 2008
South Philly
On the third Monday in February, people in the US celebrate Presidents Day: the birthday of George Washington. His actual birthday is February 22, but over here they thought that the third Monday was easier to remember. Being American or not, this means: a long weekend!
This gave me some time to check out some places in Philly, and, since I finally got my Social Security Number: get a PA drivers license! Last Saturday, on my way to the DMV (where they give away licenses, once you have all the administration) I thought: what is going to go wrong this time? Maybe they don’t understand my VISA status, maybe I do not have enough prove that I actually reside at my current address? No, it should all be set. Then I arrived at the DMV office… closed. Simple, it’s Presidents Day next Monday, and we feel like having a long weekend but we are too lazy to put it on the DMV website. Thanks guys! Well, the longer I don’t have a car, the more money I save, let’s stay positive…
I was glad to live in the center of the city: it gives me the opportunity to walk to nice places. Last Sunday I scheduled a walk to see some interesting places in South Philly. Close to my apartment is ‘Camac Street’, which completely changes the street image: from a busy street filled with people, cars and even bikes, you walk into a quiet European-look-a-like street, with old houses and beautiful architecture. Camac Street's nickname is ‘Avenue of the Artists’, because the artists used to live here. Today, it is filled with restaurants, bars, and even a law office!
From Camac Street I walked to South Street. This street is familiar because of the wall paintings and other forms of art. Walls are filled with art to prevent graffiti, which gives a unique street image! With a unique store: ‘Utrecht Art Supplies’ (Utrecht is a city in the Netherlands). You can also see artists opening up their garden with different forms of art; a brand-new condo building next to an old, closed house; and many sport fields.
I walked on to 9th street, also known as the Italian Market. This is the oldest and largest outdoor-market in the US! Like the ‘Albert Cuyp’ in Amsterdam. After walking around (I didn’t really need anything, except for a car but unfortunately they didn’t sell them) I walked to the end of the market towards one of the most famous places in Philly: the corner of Pat’s and Gino’s. Two Cheesesteak rivals, always challenging each other to make the best Cheesesteak – which is simply a sandwich with steak, melted cheese, and (optional) onions. Sounds simple, but it is very famous over here! (and very tasty!!!!) Last summer I visited Pat’s, so this time I went to Gino’s.
The way of ordering this Cheesesteak is just as famous as the Cheesesteak itself. Choose your cheese, and with- or without onions. For example, a Cheesesteak with American Cheese without onions is an ‘American without’, and that's all you should say. If you make a mistake while ordering, or you don’t do it fast enough: no problem, just go to the back of the line, practice it, and try again. Both places were extremely busy. Conclusion: bad service, long waiting times, and it wasn’t cheap ($ 7,50); in other words: name branding is a great business model!
Camac Street:
You think you arrived in a European city...
Until you see those flags again!
Camac Street: Law Office
Camac Street: Law Office
Utrecht Art Supplies!
Art on South Street:
A brand new condo building... next to this old, closed house
The Italian Market
Philly Cheesesteak!
How to order a Cheesesteak
Geno's
And it's rival Pat's
Sport fields in South Philly
They can also be art!
This gave me some time to check out some places in Philly, and, since I finally got my Social Security Number: get a PA drivers license! Last Saturday, on my way to the DMV (where they give away licenses, once you have all the administration) I thought: what is going to go wrong this time? Maybe they don’t understand my VISA status, maybe I do not have enough prove that I actually reside at my current address? No, it should all be set. Then I arrived at the DMV office… closed. Simple, it’s Presidents Day next Monday, and we feel like having a long weekend but we are too lazy to put it on the DMV website. Thanks guys! Well, the longer I don’t have a car, the more money I save, let’s stay positive…
I was glad to live in the center of the city: it gives me the opportunity to walk to nice places. Last Sunday I scheduled a walk to see some interesting places in South Philly. Close to my apartment is ‘Camac Street’, which completely changes the street image: from a busy street filled with people, cars and even bikes, you walk into a quiet European-look-a-like street, with old houses and beautiful architecture. Camac Street's nickname is ‘Avenue of the Artists’, because the artists used to live here. Today, it is filled with restaurants, bars, and even a law office!
From Camac Street I walked to South Street. This street is familiar because of the wall paintings and other forms of art. Walls are filled with art to prevent graffiti, which gives a unique street image! With a unique store: ‘Utrecht Art Supplies’ (Utrecht is a city in the Netherlands). You can also see artists opening up their garden with different forms of art; a brand-new condo building next to an old, closed house; and many sport fields.
I walked on to 9th street, also known as the Italian Market. This is the oldest and largest outdoor-market in the US! Like the ‘Albert Cuyp’ in Amsterdam. After walking around (I didn’t really need anything, except for a car but unfortunately they didn’t sell them) I walked to the end of the market towards one of the most famous places in Philly: the corner of Pat’s and Gino’s. Two Cheesesteak rivals, always challenging each other to make the best Cheesesteak – which is simply a sandwich with steak, melted cheese, and (optional) onions. Sounds simple, but it is very famous over here! (and very tasty!!!!) Last summer I visited Pat’s, so this time I went to Gino’s.
The way of ordering this Cheesesteak is just as famous as the Cheesesteak itself. Choose your cheese, and with- or without onions. For example, a Cheesesteak with American Cheese without onions is an ‘American without’, and that's all you should say. If you make a mistake while ordering, or you don’t do it fast enough: no problem, just go to the back of the line, practice it, and try again. Both places were extremely busy. Conclusion: bad service, long waiting times, and it wasn’t cheap ($ 7,50); in other words: name branding is a great business model!
Camac Street:
You think you arrived in a European city...
Until you see those flags again!
Camac Street: Law Office
Camac Street: Law Office
Utrecht Art Supplies!
Art on South Street:
A brand new condo building... next to this old, closed house
The Italian Market
Philly Cheesesteak!
How to order a Cheesesteak
Geno's
And it's rival Pat's
Sport fields in South Philly
They can also be art!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Weekend in Philadelphia
I spend last weekend in Philadelphia to go over some social activities! Last Saturday I had a ‘Potluck’ party, which meant that all the guests brought along something to eat or drink. Combine this, and you get a buffet with some interesting combinations!
On Sunday, I checked out the city center and some interesting shops, like a large store selling all kinds of meat, fish and vegetables from all over the world, a Belgium lunch restaurant, and some nice small parks. In the afternoon, a colleague gave a housewarming party in New Jersey: watching the American Football playoffs! This picture shows the small TV:
The big TV was a wall filled with a projection… That’s the American lifestyle!
On Monday, a friend came over from New York City. We explored the city center of Philadelphia. While Philadelphia is a large metropolis (1.5 million people live in the city, but 5.8 million people live in the metropolitan area), the center city is quite compact, just like Amsterdam’s center. But it was cold… So we stayed more in the Starbucks than on the street
Last weekend was also the first weekend in my new studio-apartment in Philadelphia’s center city. It is small – small for an American house, but I’m kind of used to living small in Amsterdam. Next week I’ll be moving all my stuff to Philadelphia and I’ll make some pictures!
Last Tuesday gave me another new experience. As part of ING Direct US’ introduction period, every employee should work one day as a volunteer instead of working in the office (also called habitat). Our assignment: building new houses! This project is executed by volunteers, who build houses for people with low income, proven responsibility of home ownership and a stable job situation. Why does ING Direct US do this? Two reasons:
• ING Direct US ‘does things different’ by supporting the community (read more about it);
• ING Direct US wants to market their good name and during these community affairs, they teach people about how to handle money.
In the end, we had a great day: instead of meetings with colleagues, we were working on drywall. In the meantime, the news is about the economy and the government’s intension of refunding taxes to the lower- and middle class. This is going to be an exiting year: presidential elections, and a economy that might go into recession!
Daniel
Click here to check the pictures from Philly!
On Sunday, I checked out the city center and some interesting shops, like a large store selling all kinds of meat, fish and vegetables from all over the world, a Belgium lunch restaurant, and some nice small parks. In the afternoon, a colleague gave a housewarming party in New Jersey: watching the American Football playoffs! This picture shows the small TV:
The big TV was a wall filled with a projection… That’s the American lifestyle!
On Monday, a friend came over from New York City. We explored the city center of Philadelphia. While Philadelphia is a large metropolis (1.5 million people live in the city, but 5.8 million people live in the metropolitan area), the center city is quite compact, just like Amsterdam’s center. But it was cold… So we stayed more in the Starbucks than on the street
Last weekend was also the first weekend in my new studio-apartment in Philadelphia’s center city. It is small – small for an American house, but I’m kind of used to living small in Amsterdam. Next week I’ll be moving all my stuff to Philadelphia and I’ll make some pictures!
Last Tuesday gave me another new experience. As part of ING Direct US’ introduction period, every employee should work one day as a volunteer instead of working in the office (also called habitat). Our assignment: building new houses! This project is executed by volunteers, who build houses for people with low income, proven responsibility of home ownership and a stable job situation. Why does ING Direct US do this? Two reasons:
• ING Direct US ‘does things different’ by supporting the community (read more about it);
• ING Direct US wants to market their good name and during these community affairs, they teach people about how to handle money.
In the end, we had a great day: instead of meetings with colleagues, we were working on drywall. In the meantime, the news is about the economy and the government’s intension of refunding taxes to the lower- and middle class. This is going to be an exiting year: presidential elections, and a economy that might go into recession!
Daniel
Click here to check the pictures from Philly!
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