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Whole afternoons would go by sitting on the floor with a small red ball, some silver metal jacks, next to my best friend Amy.
Best friends who once decided to swear our loyalty to each other as blood sisters by pricking our fingers with a sewing needle, but at the last minute opting for something less deadly, equally yucky, by touching tips of tongues and sharing a cookie.
We were inseparable... usurpers of time.
We'd spend endless hours riding our bikes around circular streets where rarely a car would pass, or bouncing a pink Spalding and chanting..."'A' my name is Alice and my husbands name is Al, we come from Alabama to sell you Apples", eventually working our way through the entire alphabet. We'd draw crude chalk lines on pavement of rectangular and spiral hopscotch diagrams for jumping on one foot and when we tired of the outdoors, we moved inside to play board games like... Monopoly and Clue, card games like Spit and Rummy, and jacks to keep busy.
When none of the standards worked, we invented games of our own.
Like... standing on the corner of Flower Lane and Powers Avenue, in East Meadow, New York directing traffic to the few cars that entered our neighborhood. With arms stretched and palms facing out, we'd stop vehicles then wave them on, handing out paper wrapped, mint flavored toothpicks to those that obeyed. It didn't matter much that a stop sign was erected directly where we stood. Most drivers found the 'sport' amusing, except for one, a policeman, cruising the area in a black and white patrol car, who immediately sent us packing.
Or... the afternoon we created a board game on Amy's parents newly hung kitchen wallpaper, a busy tight pattern made up of various small figures and scenes. Two matchbooks sitting on the table became measuring devices and pieces for moving about the board. The whole concept was intriguing, worthy of our attention and possibly Milton Bradley's had he been there to play along. We played the wall game for hours stopping only to devour the entire contents of a large jar of green olives stuffed with pimentos found inside the family's refrigerator.
I don't remember ever being hungry as a kid or taking the time to eat lunch, but I do remember the olives and Sylvia, Amy's mother, and her reaction, which wasn't over the top, but held disappointment when she found the condiment jar empty, the one she bought earlier in the day for her cocktail party planned for later that evening.
Cocktail Party... two words seemingly incongruous, conjuring images of people dressed to 'the nines', smoke filled rooms, sipping whiskey, and murmuring shallow conversations. Adult fun, just not my cup of 'mar TEA ni'.
Fun is different now... sporadic, somewhat intangible, and I'm clueless as to the exact moment when having fun started to require effort. Gone are the seemingly endless days of bouncing a ball, hopping on one foot, pretending, or having unstructured time without obligation, concern, or feelings of guilt for having a day unfold without expectation. I suppose it's about being in the moment and I'm no longer sure I can get there from here, though I try.
So here I am, after a 30-minute train ride from Jenkintown, standing across from Philadelphia's 30th Street (train) Station at 'The Porch'.
'The Porch', once a parking lane and boring sidewalk, now an urban space fitted with outdoor umbrellas, colorful metal chairs, some lounging, tables and the reason Michael and I are here... gourmet food trucks!... and to have fun!
For ages, I've wanted to eat my way around the city sampling street food from a multitude of vendors catering to people who like to eat 'on the run'. But since I don't run, and prefer the more civilized approach of dining while seated in a relaxed atmosphere, I've never taken the opportunity until now.
Today the conditions are perfect... cool temps, glorious sunshine, a slight breeze, a view of the skyline in the distance, people quietly lingering about, tables, chairs and... cupcakes, But I'll get to that later.
Our first stop...
'The Sunflower Food Truck' to split a Green Curry Bacon BLT sandwich comprised of thick slabs of juicy bacon from Burt's Farm, mixed lettuce, tomato, a lime cilantro mayonnaise on Texas toast with homemade tortilla chips and a pickle. It may not look impressive, but after one bite, I instantly regretted not having the whole sandwich to myself. It was the best BLT sandwich EVER!
Next we shared some Midwest flavor... Battered Fried Cheese Curds with smoked ketchup from 'The Cow and the Curd', all the while thinking of our friend Richard, a 'cheesehead' from Appleton, Wisconsin, who loves cheese... and oysters, and chocolate... just not together.
Together 'M' and I sampled a Greek lamb and tzatziki wrap from 'Vernalicious' and for dessert, from 'Cupcake Carnivale', recently rated one of Zagat's 10 best food trucks in the country, a strawberry cupcake with butter cream icing topped with shredded coconut...Yum! Lucky for us, we nabbed the very last one before hearing the words, "Sorry, we're sold out."
If you're in the city this month and looking for a different kind of food experience, on Wednesdays from 11:30 AM until 2:30 PM Vernalicious will be back at 'The Porch' along with Taco Mondo, Nomad Pizza and Buttercream and on Fridays, same time, Dapper Dog, Pitruco Pizza, Local 215 and Sum Pig will make the rounds with new trucks arriving each month.
And so after a day of eating, strolling the city, and looking at galleries, we were ready to catch a train home, but not before checking out a sculpture by artist KWAS, called 'COMPANION' (PASSING THROUGH), temporarily installed inside the station.
This piece really tickles my fancy much like the small-scaled plastic designer toys I love to collect. I'm really looking forward to October, when The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) plans to erect one of KWAS' works on the outside of their building. Kewl!
And speaking of buildings...
I wish we could have stayed in the city longer to view first hand a spectacular event, part of Philly Tech Week, a giant video game of PONG to be played on the outside of the Cira Centre, a 29 story building with LED's on mirrored glass easily seen from the steps of the Art Museum. Laptop computers, with players selected by lottery, would control the game, an idea brilliantly conceived by Drexel University's Game Designer, Professor Frank Lee. W00t!
Once home, I did get to watch the game in action on my computer... after downing a few green olives with pimentos, a tribute to Amy, our friendship, and youth.
What fun activities or games did you enjoy as a child?
Now what makes time fly for you or brings back feelings of being a kid again?
Here are a few links you might find interesting:
PONG played on the Cira building here.
KWAS an interview here.
"Monopoly Fans Dump Iron Token For New Cat Piece" here.
One thousand 'Ksoid' toys designed by Danil Krivoruchko here.
Photographer Gabriele Galimberti's 'Toy Stories here.
14 photographers document their children in 'You Are My Wild' here.
To the kid in all of us... boing!
Enjoy!
XOX...Dyan
