Philadelphia was my hometown as a kid and I moved to Virginia as a teen. When I’ve visited Philly as an adult, I’ve felt like a tourist and not a native. This is a very black and white way to think about visiting, though, and rarely is the world black and white in reality. As I think about visiting, I realize that I see new things that I never experienced when I lived there before. In reality, I’ve grown and changed and the city’s impression on me is also growing and changing me.
Maybe this is what cities do… and big cities in particular. The static infrastructure is there for ages, but I am affected by the city when I interact with it. What I thought was the static city of Philadelphia changes when I experience the space over time, and also with other people. Some shops have come and gone, people have come and gone, and some infrastructure is updated slowly. But ultimately, the city is an anchor in a sea of change.
It was good going back to Philly. I was able to be a tour-guide and gave a little bit of myself in doing so. It changed my perception of Philadelphia, too, as my perception of the city changed again as other people discovered it for the first time.