Avoiding a midterm that you’re supposed to be studying for on a Thursday night? Then I highly suggest going to a Flyers’ game. There’s no better way to procrastinate, guaranteed. My roommate’s boyfriend had managed to score tickets for a big game between the Flyers and Devils, two major rivals. It promised to be an interesting and intense game, with at least one fight bound to break out on the ice. Now that I think about it, there would probably be a few fights off the ice as well. I had been looking forward to the game all week…Game On!!!!
After enduring another boring day of class, I walked back to the dorm and proceeded to get my game face on. Once I finished my hour long shower, I went through fifty different outfits trying to find the perfect one for the game. I had to find just the right outfit that said, “I’m a fun-loving sporty babe, but not a manly girl.” Living in Philadelphia, I naturally assumed we would be rooting for the Flyers, but to my duress and apprehension, my roommate’s boyfriend was sporting a New Jersey Devils ensemble. Noting how nervous I was, he assured me nothing unfortunate would befall upon us. Apparently, he wasn’t too sure himself either, and before we made it to the subway, he had pulled a hoodie over his jersey. For you female partiers, it’s kind of like when you lived back at home and had to cover up your revealing outfits with a hoodie in order to escape your father’s radar. With his assurances in mind, I was ready to enjoy my first Flyers game.
That didn’t last for long. It was our misfortune to walk by a New Jersey Devils fan who was proudly displaying his jersey in the sketchy tunnels of the subway. During the taunts of all the Flyers fans, he still proudly held his head up. That was until they proceeded to beat the living crap out of him, as he curled up in a ball on the ground whimpering. My heart skipped a beat…or two…or three. We were screwed. What was I thinking tagging along with a group of enthusiastic New Jersey Devils fans? I fixed him with my best evil glare as he cowered back in fear. I’m sure he immediately regretted his decision.
When we got to the game, we were swept through the gates with thousands of other half intoxicated hockey fans. Obviously, they had pre-gamed before attending the hockey game, ensuring a rowdy crowd. My only previous experience at a hockey game was at the outdated Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins-my favorite hockey team. I was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm of the crowd because back at home, hardly anybody gave a crap about the Penguins. Here, everyone, excluding my Devil’s entourage and the poor guy at the subway, was decked out in their orange and white Philadelphia Flyers jerseys, and the fans chanted and cheered for anything Philadelphia-related. We gingerly maneuvered our way through the angry mob, and cautiously sat in our seats.
Surrounding us was a sea of orange, white, and black. Glancing around, I noticed what we were up against. Fans had their faces painted with the colors of the home team. Not only did one man have his face and body completely covered in orange, white, and black paint, but he also had a huge mohawk that he dyed the colors of the Flyers. Moreover, the fans managed to coordinate a perfect “Lets go Flyers” cheer multiple times without regard for the score or the state of the game. They also made signs to hold up and did insane things to get on the jumbo screen. Never did I feel more like a sitting duck with the hunters wearing orange and black ready to shoot me.
Fortunately, my roommate’s boyfriend seemed to show no inclination to display his team colors, so I relaxed for a bit and managed to enjoy the first period of the game. Once again I noted the differences between here and back home. Coming from Mellon Arena, which is quite possibly the crappiest arena in all hockeydom, the newly built Wachovia Center blew Mellon Arena out of the water. Not only were the facilities more sophisticated looking, they also had a wide array of special effect lighting and high quality television displays. As the game progressed, the special effects only worked to heighten the crowd’s fervor.
Speaking of the game, it was a heated battle between the two teams with neither team making much headway within the first period. As predicted, elevated frustrations levels lead to entertaining brawls on the ice. After all, what’s a hockey game without a fight…or ten? As the testosterone levels rose, my roommate’s boyfriend suddenly felt the need to prove himself as a man. Because the Devil’s weren’t losing, he was lead into a false sense of security and whipped off his hoodie, and the red white and blue clashed horribly with the orange and black. I waited for the inevitable profanities and upcoming bloodshed.
Nor was I disappointed. Almost before he whipped off his hoodie, the catcalls and jeers began raining down upon us. Unluckily for him, this was when the Philadelphia Flyers decided to stop messing around and actually kick some devil ass. By the end of the second period, the Devil’s were behind three to nothing, and the crowd really started going nuts. His team having let him down, my friend decided to take off his jersey. The non-stop catcalls and putdowns might have had something to do with it as well. Who knows? At least bloodshed was temporarily avoided, but we still weren’t out of the danger zone yet. When we were on the subway heading back, people mocked his crumpled up Devil’s jersey that he attempted to hide. However, at least this time they were good humored about the whole ordeal since their fan fever had abated.
Riding the subway back from the game, I was thoroughly pumped after watching the four to nothing slaughter the Flyers had accomplished. Time had flown by so quickly, and everything that happened was a happy blur in my mind. Going out for some fun was definitely worth not studying for that midterm tomorrow morning.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Gut Buster
Do you consider yourself to be the “Go big or go home type”? My friends and I think that overall we fit this definition. I think of college as a time when we can re-invent ourselves, test limits, and learn new things. A rite of passage for college students in Philadelphia, the Philly Challenge allows you to pick the time this event takes place and the people who you will attend this challenge with. Go before a night out or after that big midterm that had taken over your social nightlife for the past week and a half. Just go once though, otherwise you are truly aiding in America’s obesity problem.
You can pick either daytime or nighttime for this adventure. Knowing my readers I would advise for you, like I did, to complete this gut busting challenge at night. By choosing the night option you and your friends will be ready to go out and let loose. For me this event occurred on a balmy fall night around 9 pm. A group of Drexel Dragons boarded the Market Frankford Line towards 2nd Street; from Drexel’s campus it was the Market Frankford East line, for a total of two dollars per person. Embarking on this adventure from University of Penn will also require you to take the Market Frankford line, whereas a Temple Owl will need to first take the Broad Street subway line to the Market Frankford line. The subway is an acquired taste. The urine and trash begin to waft itself into your nasal passage as you walk. While walking through the platforms some maneuvering is usually required. Most likely you will find yourself moving around a puddle of something or another, avoiding trash from someone’s mid-day snack, and/or dodging the occasional bum. But after a few rides you, like me, will appreciate SEPTA. Without a car on campus or parents chauffeuring me around “Daddy SEPTA” has provided a reliable way for me to get my food, clothing, and adventuring accomplished without much hassle or cost. I guess the faint at heart could always spring for a cab. But unfortunately, money does not grow on the trees outside of my dorm thus those pricey cab rides need to be avoided if possible.
I feel like I should be honest with my always-intrigued college readers; SEPTA provides no amazingly direct and convenient route towards South Street. With a walk that took about thirty minutes, including our detours and shenanigans, one could say that we had both a great journey and destination. We got off at 2nd street, yet again I am going to be honest; we were all perturbed on the correct direction of South Street based on where we were positioned after resurfacing from the subway. Seeing only historical buildings, we knew this was not what we wanted. That night we learned an important lesson. Contrary to popular belief finding a cop in the city of Philadelphia is not as easy as one would think. After walking five blocks in what we soon found out was the wrong direction we decided that a horse and buggy tour guide’s directions would need to suffice for the nonexistent cop’s guidance within the city. And to think, people wonder why Philadelphia’s crime count is so large!
Once the horseman led us into the correct direction, of course this direction was given in conjunction with about thirty advertisements for his personal buggy service that included a tour of the city and velvet blanket for the ride, we all heard the rumble within our stomachs. This rumble was audible from several feet away and seemed to multiply with each step towards South Street.
Do the words oozing grease, sugar, food dye, and large enough portions to make the healthiest heart clog-sound like an adventure to you? In reality Philly cheese steaks, pizza, and Italian Water Ice really is an adventure. Moseying down South Street you will first need to locate Lorenzo Pizza. This pizza is unlike anything you have ever seen before. After standing in a fast paced line to get your piping hot plain pizza, the standard paper plate will not suffice for this greasy deliciousness. Instead you must use two plates to hold this edible delight, and the tip will still hang over the edge. But DO NOT eat your pizza! Instead bring it with you to Jim’s Steaks. The smell of melting cheese, oregano, and just all around Italian-ness will penetrate your nose and make your mouth water. I felt my body temperate rising. At first I thought maybe this sudden rise in temperate was due to my increasing excitement for the challenge before me. But, I soon realized this warmth was actually my hand burning due to the sizzling pizza.
Traveling down South Street toward Jim’s Steaks can be an interesting time. With stores such as “Condom Kingdom” and exotic dancing supply stores, window-shopping provided a delightful laugh for my friends and me. When approaching Jim’s Steaks the first thing you see will not be the store’s sign or the store itself. Instead you will first lay eyes on the line that, most likely, surrounds the block and encroaches upon the next street.
After waiting in line for approximately ten to fifteen minutes the pressure was on. I opted for the “cheese wit” while others got “provolone wit’ out”. Knowing the lingo to ordering becomes crucial. This is where the natives and tourists are clearly defined. The woman in front of us during our time at Jim’s Steaks had fallen victim to mis-ordering. The punishment for this was being sent to the end of the line. Once our gaggle of Drexel freshman reached the front of the line the workers automatically knew that the Philly Challenge was underway. I have a feeling that the large slices of pizza within each of our hands also gave them a tip to what we had truly come to South Street and more specifically Jim’s Steaks for. While in line, everyone including the old ladies out with their group of bingo buddies of fifteen years and the bikers from suburbia, all questioned our motives. Upon hearing our story they had all laughed and wished us luck in completing our task.
After grabbing my “cheese wit” I climbed the stairs to the seating above, telling myself on the way that the total amount of walking I had accomplished up until that point that night would cancel out all of the, excuse my language, “shit” I was about to eat. The tables were covered with crumbs and the atmosphere was extremely rowdy. Everyone knew that it was more than worth it. And so step one of the Philly Challenge began. Wrapping our previously bought pizza around the cheese steak creating a sandwich big enough for Goliath to snack on. The sandwich dripped everywhere leaving a trail of yellow grease stains on the paper plate, which at one time was not big enough to hold the first part of this adventure.
After gorging ourselves in this Philly feast step two of our edible adventure was just two blocks north on South Street. Rita’s water ice is one of Philadelphia’s most famous desserts. After grabbing the tongue staining red, green, or pink frozen wonder we all started our long walk back towards the subway.
Subways, walking, intriguing stores, food, friends, and Philadelphia were all key parts to this event. Without any of these parts the event wouldn’t have been so grand. This late night adventure will provide enough Facebook and MySpace profile pictures to last you till the end of the month, thus allowing you to take down the goofy one of you and your best friend trashed after last week’s frat part. Overall I will give this adventure and challenge of mine that I have completed four and a half stars out of five.
You can pick either daytime or nighttime for this adventure. Knowing my readers I would advise for you, like I did, to complete this gut busting challenge at night. By choosing the night option you and your friends will be ready to go out and let loose. For me this event occurred on a balmy fall night around 9 pm. A group of Drexel Dragons boarded the Market Frankford Line towards 2nd Street; from Drexel’s campus it was the Market Frankford East line, for a total of two dollars per person. Embarking on this adventure from University of Penn will also require you to take the Market Frankford line, whereas a Temple Owl will need to first take the Broad Street subway line to the Market Frankford line. The subway is an acquired taste. The urine and trash begin to waft itself into your nasal passage as you walk. While walking through the platforms some maneuvering is usually required. Most likely you will find yourself moving around a puddle of something or another, avoiding trash from someone’s mid-day snack, and/or dodging the occasional bum. But after a few rides you, like me, will appreciate SEPTA. Without a car on campus or parents chauffeuring me around “Daddy SEPTA” has provided a reliable way for me to get my food, clothing, and adventuring accomplished without much hassle or cost. I guess the faint at heart could always spring for a cab. But unfortunately, money does not grow on the trees outside of my dorm thus those pricey cab rides need to be avoided if possible.
I feel like I should be honest with my always-intrigued college readers; SEPTA provides no amazingly direct and convenient route towards South Street. With a walk that took about thirty minutes, including our detours and shenanigans, one could say that we had both a great journey and destination. We got off at 2nd street, yet again I am going to be honest; we were all perturbed on the correct direction of South Street based on where we were positioned after resurfacing from the subway. Seeing only historical buildings, we knew this was not what we wanted. That night we learned an important lesson. Contrary to popular belief finding a cop in the city of Philadelphia is not as easy as one would think. After walking five blocks in what we soon found out was the wrong direction we decided that a horse and buggy tour guide’s directions would need to suffice for the nonexistent cop’s guidance within the city. And to think, people wonder why Philadelphia’s crime count is so large!
Once the horseman led us into the correct direction, of course this direction was given in conjunction with about thirty advertisements for his personal buggy service that included a tour of the city and velvet blanket for the ride, we all heard the rumble within our stomachs. This rumble was audible from several feet away and seemed to multiply with each step towards South Street.
Do the words oozing grease, sugar, food dye, and large enough portions to make the healthiest heart clog-sound like an adventure to you? In reality Philly cheese steaks, pizza, and Italian Water Ice really is an adventure. Moseying down South Street you will first need to locate Lorenzo Pizza. This pizza is unlike anything you have ever seen before. After standing in a fast paced line to get your piping hot plain pizza, the standard paper plate will not suffice for this greasy deliciousness. Instead you must use two plates to hold this edible delight, and the tip will still hang over the edge. But DO NOT eat your pizza! Instead bring it with you to Jim’s Steaks. The smell of melting cheese, oregano, and just all around Italian-ness will penetrate your nose and make your mouth water. I felt my body temperate rising. At first I thought maybe this sudden rise in temperate was due to my increasing excitement for the challenge before me. But, I soon realized this warmth was actually my hand burning due to the sizzling pizza.
Traveling down South Street toward Jim’s Steaks can be an interesting time. With stores such as “Condom Kingdom” and exotic dancing supply stores, window-shopping provided a delightful laugh for my friends and me. When approaching Jim’s Steaks the first thing you see will not be the store’s sign or the store itself. Instead you will first lay eyes on the line that, most likely, surrounds the block and encroaches upon the next street.
After waiting in line for approximately ten to fifteen minutes the pressure was on. I opted for the “cheese wit” while others got “provolone wit’ out”. Knowing the lingo to ordering becomes crucial. This is where the natives and tourists are clearly defined. The woman in front of us during our time at Jim’s Steaks had fallen victim to mis-ordering. The punishment for this was being sent to the end of the line. Once our gaggle of Drexel freshman reached the front of the line the workers automatically knew that the Philly Challenge was underway. I have a feeling that the large slices of pizza within each of our hands also gave them a tip to what we had truly come to South Street and more specifically Jim’s Steaks for. While in line, everyone including the old ladies out with their group of bingo buddies of fifteen years and the bikers from suburbia, all questioned our motives. Upon hearing our story they had all laughed and wished us luck in completing our task.
After grabbing my “cheese wit” I climbed the stairs to the seating above, telling myself on the way that the total amount of walking I had accomplished up until that point that night would cancel out all of the, excuse my language, “shit” I was about to eat. The tables were covered with crumbs and the atmosphere was extremely rowdy. Everyone knew that it was more than worth it. And so step one of the Philly Challenge began. Wrapping our previously bought pizza around the cheese steak creating a sandwich big enough for Goliath to snack on. The sandwich dripped everywhere leaving a trail of yellow grease stains on the paper plate, which at one time was not big enough to hold the first part of this adventure.
After gorging ourselves in this Philly feast step two of our edible adventure was just two blocks north on South Street. Rita’s water ice is one of Philadelphia’s most famous desserts. After grabbing the tongue staining red, green, or pink frozen wonder we all started our long walk back towards the subway.
Subways, walking, intriguing stores, food, friends, and Philadelphia were all key parts to this event. Without any of these parts the event wouldn’t have been so grand. This late night adventure will provide enough Facebook and MySpace profile pictures to last you till the end of the month, thus allowing you to take down the goofy one of you and your best friend trashed after last week’s frat part. Overall I will give this adventure and challenge of mine that I have completed four and a half stars out of five.
As the Shot was Taken…
On a Friday night during basketball season it is hard to approach 33rd and market without hearing, “D-D-D-D-R-R-R-R-E-E-E-E-XEL-XEL! GOOO DREXEL!!!,“ or smelling a faint smell of pizza grease. Drexel students love to have fun and love their school and are not afraid to show it. Any chance students get, they “rep” their school. Sporting evens are a particular time that students can do this. Most schools are able to share their school spirit at a football game. Since Drexel does not have a football team, students anxiously wait for basketball season to start. Fans get excited for every game. Students know that game night will always be a fun party! Especially on this particular Friday night. This would be one of the biggest games of the season. The Drexel Dragons opened the season with a game against the University of Pennsylvania Quakers. This game was well promoted offering free tickets on a specific day as well as a free DAC PACK t-shirts; and we all know how much college students love free t-shirts. Flyers were posted all over both Penn and Drexel’s campus. Everyone knew this would be a good game and couldn’t wait for the opening tip off. The night started at 5:30 at Drexel’s Athletic Center (DAC). Here is where almost every Drexel student gathered to “get pumped” for the game. Everywhere you looked you saw blue and gold clothing, pom-poms, jewelry, as well as face pant. If you were not there in your blue and gold people would have looked at you like you were crazy!. There was an abundance of free stuff, and we all know college students love free stuff. You could get some food to hold you over for the game as well as pom-poms to cheer your favorite team on. The smell of pizza and soda was in the air, and everyone knew it would be there for the entire night. Some may doubt why so many people were there. Though some people were probably there for the free food and paraphernalia, it was very apparent the majority of attendees were there to have fun and cheer for their school. I am not one to argue that free stuff is not cool, but Drexel fans bleed blue and gold. This pre-game pep rallied acted as a perfect event for everyone to socialize and meet new people. Everyone in the room had something in common, a love for Drexel. After about an hour of excitement had passed, the massive number of Drexel fans started there walk to the game located of Penn’s campus at The Palestra . This was no quiet walk. The cheers from the fans could be heard over the loud honking of rush hour traffic. Not one person in the crowd was not loud and energetic. Due to the abundance of noise it seemed as if the pep rally never ended. The excitement that was built up at the DAC was being spread through the streets. Some cars even honked in approval at us and joined in the commotion. As I looked around at the crowd, it was apparent that these students felt like they were on cloud 9. Nothing could bring them down; Except losing of course, and this was the furthest thing from anyone’s brain. This walk that would normally feel long in the cold, went by extremely fast that night. Walking down the street in that crowd felt like a huge party. Before anyone knew it, the crowd was outside the building and ready for the real action to start. The second the crowd reached the gym doors, your could feel everyone’s adrenaline rising. Soon the players would hit the court and it would be game time. Even though in reality it was only a matter of minutes before tip off, those few moments seemed like an eternity. The crowd was anxious and ready to go. As everyone took their respected sides, the rivalry between the fans began. It almost seemed like the fans were having a “cheer-off” and everyone knew it. The cheers immediately started. People sat in amazement at the excitement. Others wondered who would cheer louder or longer or who would have the best cheers? Each side was determined to out do the other and took advantage of every chance they got. As the ball was tipped-off, the fans just got more rowdy. Their intensity levels simply grew. One would think that as the game wore on, the fans would get tired and start to die down. This was not the case at this game. The score was close the entire game. Each team took at turn capturing the lead. This made every moment just as exciting as the last. In the final minutes of the game Drexel was up by a basket. The Drexel Dragons thought they had it in the bag, but knew the game was not over yet. As the clock counted down, 5-4-3, Penn took a shot tying the game up, 2, the ball went through the hoop-1. The fans went nuts! They excitement in the room was so intense no one could tear their eyes from the court. The game went into overtime and so did the fans. The Drexel dragons won in overtime. The crowd went wild. It was the perfect ending for a Drexel student. Their faces were glowing! However not so much for those who attend Penn. It was apparent that they were upset. Some of their nights may have even been ruined. Hopefully they could appreciate what a good game it was though. These types of events, sporting events, are perfect for the party type of student in University City. They are a great way to start off your night and find a fun after party to attend. You are surrounded with people who want to have fun just like you. Sporting events are great ways to network and meet new people as well. You can meet new people from your college as well as people from the opposing team. You are sure to have a good time because of the enthusiasm that these types of events bring. They usually start relatively early leaving your plans for the night open. You can then fill this time with new friends you made at the game, or old friends you went with. I most definitely had a great time at this game. I would rate my night a 5 out of 5. The school spirit and exciting basketball game could not have been any better.
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