Great Team, Great Beer, Great...Veggie Fare?

What a great time to be living in Philly. Not only are the Phillies the world champions, not only do we have the best selection of local beers at any damned ballpark in the major leagues (and not just at one piddley little "craftbrau" kiosk on the fifth level behind 3rd base, either, all over the place and at a -- God help me -- reasonable $6.75), but according to PETA (speaking of God help me), Citizens Bank also has the best vegetarian fare of any major league park.

The Phillies are the first-ever dynasty when it comes to delicious vegetarian fare. Now that they've added Southwestern black bean burgers and faux "crab cake" salads to an already stacked lineup that included veggie "steak" and veggie "chicken" sandwiches, veggie dogs, vegetable wraps, and various salads, we've noticed a connection between CBP's vegetarian rankings and the team's on-field success that tells us the Phils may well be on their way to another World Series crown.

Yeah, whatever. I'll stick to roast pork. But I'm still proud to see that the folks at Citizens don't see us as cattle to be fed whatever they feel like feeding us, and I'm glad they don't have a stupid exclusivity contract on beer or food. We the people, baby!

Thanks to Tom Cizauskas for the tip on this!

Great Day for a Parade

We meant to take public transit.

But it was monumentally overwhelmed. I was already at Rhawn and the Boulevard, doing platelet donation, so I just kept going in (parked on 7th, just south of Market); Cathy tried to get the kids to the Woodbourne station, but the parking lot was overflowing. She drove in with no problems -- thank you to all the suckers who stood on the SEPTA platforms watching train after train blow by full...to be fair, it sounds like no one expected the crowds they got for the parade, estimated this afternoon at 2.2 million people along the parade route and in the two arenas. That's some Phillies pride. (We even like our mascot.)





I walked down to The Foodery to score some cans of Sly Fox (open at 9:50, thanks!), some sodas for the kids, and a couple snacks, then couldn't resist stopping by McGillan's for a quick Penn Dark on my way up to City Hall. Met up with the family on the southwest corner, and that's where we stayed for two hours until the parade came. Lots of police, the Clydesdales (with Pat Burrell riding with the driver), the Phanatic, and then the team, with head coach Charlie Manuel -- in a pinstripe suit -- right there. We howled, we cheered, we clapped, and we grinned and told each other how great it was. As the truck made its way around City Hall to Broad Street, Mayor Nutter was holding up the trophy, and it was grand, just great. (Later in the afternoon it came to me that if this had happened last year, and Mayor Street had been holding the trophy, I'd have been incensed. Funny.)

And then we slowly made our way back through City Hall, got in the cars and went to Memphis Taproom for a late lunch. A very, very good day. Congratulations to the team, and thank you for bringing Philadelphia something so special: pride.