Big news to share: it looks like we're going to be moving out of Port Richmond. Not right away, but by the end of 2021 at the very latest.
Pam's reasons for wanting to move include wanting more space for the kids to play, wanting some actual green plants/trees/grass/woods near the house (as opposed to one single city-owned tree growing out of the front sidewalk), living somewhere that doesn't involve people blasting shitty music over shitty car speakers, and living somewhere that doesn't have as much traffic on the street in general.
My reasons are... basically, that I want to be a good husband. Ya know at the end of Friday Night Lights when Mrs. Coach is like "yo, it's my turn," and Coach is a good husband and chooses to coach a mid-tier Philly high school team so that Mrs. Coach can have her career for once, doing posh administration work at what is clearly Temple University? I see the situation like that. I want to make Pam happy.
So I will absolutely willingly move out of this neighborhood that I love, despite all its many flaws, because family comes first. I will not see out the future I envisioned for my children, where they grow up with a little bit of street smarts. They'll have to find out about this city the same way I did growing up—by finally leaving their little pocket of the Northeast when it's far too late.
I can't really complain all that much, and even if I could, I wouldn't. It's not like we are moving into some crushingly sterile suburb or whatever. We literally can't—my job stipulates that I have to live in the city limits. We will probably end up somewhere like Fox Chase or Somerton, those areas of the city that emulate the suburbs, but don't quite take the full dive. But the distance (figuratively) between Port Richmond and Fox Chase isn't as large as I make it sound sometimes. I'll survive.
For now, let the long slow goodbye begin. Our time in Port Richmond is borrowed, and might run out by next summer. I'm going to appreciate everything we have here for as long as we have it.
One of the things I appreciate about Port Richmond is the wide cast of characters that populate this dense neighborhood. We live up the street from a convenience store that sells cigarettes and lottery tickets, so we see the same people every day, going to pay for their venial sins. I love the people watching. I love when even the crustiest old lady turns and smiles at the kids. I love feeling like I am part of a vibrant tapestry of human togetherness. I do not know any of these neighbors' names, but I will miss seeing them every day.
Top Five Port Richmond Regulars
5. The dude wearing the same raggedy red/white striped button down shirt and Temple hat
4. The guy who is always yelling into his cell phone, whom I saw one time selling T-shirts on Aramingo Ave.
3. The slowest lady on Earth, who was in front of me in line one time in Estevez Grocery but somehow I still made it home before she even got out of the store (she likes Willow though)
2. The dude who looks exactly like Johnny Weeks (passes three times a day minimum)
1. The old Polish man who walks with his hands behind back except when he's waving to the kids, always smiling, never saying a single word, walking slow but you can just tell the speed is to savor the beautiful day, not because he can't go faster
Honorable mentions: The lady who walks with a bright blue walker and had a Scary Spice wig and falls asleep between cars sometimes; the homeless lady who smiles as much as our Polish friend above, whose wrinkles are canyon-deep; the red-headed twins who always look like they are dipping while walking (and who might be #4's kids?); that kid who used to ride his bike up and down the street, and you could tell he was doing a wheelie because his bike would squeak when he did; the Italian dude with a bluetooth in his ear and the tiniest pocketbook dog on a leash; etc. etc. etc.
I will have much, much more to say about Port Richmond once the moving process begins in earnest. For now, it's merely an idea that has just started to take true shape. I will not be sad; it's impossible to be when it's something that will make Pammy so happy.
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