We had a rental car in Philadelphia, but still I walked. I walked through downtown, down to the Italian market and back up again. When I got tired, I took the subway or hopped on a bus. But mostly, I saw the city on foot. I walked in muggy heat and pouring rain, both of…
– I have a persistent and haunting memory from my childhood. I must have been 8 or 9 years old, and I was at the county fair in Florida. County fairs in the south are a big deal: they’re fun but also sort of creepy and disturbing. The structures are temporary, there’s extension cords everywhere,…
– I arrived at Oyster House long after the lunch rush, which is one of the advantages of traveling eastward – by the time you are hungry, everyone else has eaten. It came recommend to me by our friend Nora, with whom we were staying. “It’s really good,” she said. “And don’t worry – they have…
– One thing that has always struck me about the northeast United States is how many darn town squares there are. You can’t walk more than a few blocks without running right into some sort of old, well-laid-out public park. I figure it’s a hold-out from colonial times, when you needed public areas like that…
I am climbing the stairs up and out of the subway, and before I even reach street level, I know: I’m lost. There are only two subway lines in Philadelphia, and I’ve managed to get on the wrong one. There’s plenty of amusement to be found in the situation (seriously, how the hell did I…
– We spent a week in Philadelphia, and halfway through our trip someone asked me what I thought of it. We were in a neighborhood bar, dark and cozy, the breed of which sadly does not exist in my town. Everyone knew everyone by name, and no one seemed to give a damn about tabs…
I’m starting to realize I visit a lot of old prisons. Well, maybe not a lot, but certainly more than the average person. Enough to where I can roam around one and find myself thinking something like, “This old prison reminds me of that other old prison!” Can I tell you something? When you realize…
I have the emotional maturity of an 11-year-old. A really immature 11-year-old. Remember how I laughed maniacally at the scene where Jean Claude Van Damme walks around naked in Universal Soldier? Not much has changed since then. I think the human anatomy is hysterical.
– It is late Sunday night, and I’m staring at my computer screen, trying to figure where the time went. “How is the weekend already over?” I wonder (even after years of having no real obligations on Monday morning, I am still sad when it approaches). And just earlier today, I asked a friend how,…
Tales of Food, Feminism, and Fury
by Geraldine DeRuiter
Available Now!
In Hardback, e-book, and audiobook from these booksellers:
