I'm going to add some sentamental snapshots to supplement my top ten list. These are lovely images that just come to mind when I'm away from home and I think of Philly:

* Walking up the BF Parkway on a crisp fall morning by myself, thinking, heading toward the Art Museum, seeing the flags waving, the leaves changing color, Logan circle, and the circle in front of the museum.

* Sitting in my living room on a hot summer night watching the Phillies, with the sound of a night-time thundershower outside, eating a Rita's water ice with the windows open, a fan blowing on me.

* Walking up to a lady at a cash register and hearing that Philly accent, the nasaly sounds, "wooter", "O"s turning into "OW", and the wierd "ea" dipthong that people make

* Crowded bar during Eagles season, a sea of green, and the place going nuts on a touchdown, people hugging each other after wining a huge game.

* Sitting on a bench waiting for SEPTA, seeing an old white guy and and old black guy accross the street playing chess on a table, and admiring a huge mural of a civil rights figure painted on the side of a building.

* Rittenhouse square on a cold, clear winter night before Christmas time with all the lights.

* The drive on 76 east from NW to downtown--first you go through Fairmount park, then you hit boathouse row with the lights and river in front of it, the back of the art museum, and by then you see the Cira center followed by the rest of the skyline.

* A tiny, crowded neighborhood deli, walking up to the counter, ordering quickly in code words, "provolone, wit" or, " mixed cheese, everything, sweet, mayo, oil, vinager", and some fat scruffy Italian guy nodding his head, scribbling something, ripping the order off of his pad, taping it up, yelling something to the back, and saying, "Next! Yeah, what can I get you? "