Philly as I know it

Today, i was walking down 13th street trying to get to drexel. Then it occured to me i was going home to visit for a little while. As i looked down the street this cloudy morning, starred at the cars waiting at the red light adn the the people around, i realized i'm gonna miss philly, even if i'm leaving for 2 weeks.
I love philly, it's a great city. I take a lot of things for granted such as the art museum, city hall, which i walk past at least once a week, reading terminal market which i walk by at least 4-5 times a week among other things.
Thinking about how i was gonna miss philly when i leave for my vacation made me realize i wouldn't have felt the same way if i was leaving for kansas. I wouldn't have felt the same way if i lived in kansas and was leaving for Ghana. It occured to me that this is prolly cuz philly is a city i know very well. I've been in many cities in the US, been to more than 30 states or is it 40+ states. I've never really lived somewhere where i knew the city, had friends in different parts of the city and did stuff. One thing about the midwest is that you have to drive everywhere, walking seems to be a sin in most parts of the midwest. Plus diversity is absolutely nonexistent so you don't see much and the little you see isn't engaging or fun. Philly is different, it's a vibrant city with young and old around, rich culture and diversity, lots of history and great people.

Over 2 years ago, when i was choosing which state to move to, i thought of maryland, then i chose philly cuz it looked like it had a lot going on and the truth is it does. I just never new how attached i was attached to philly when it occured to me i was gonna go away for a little while. i used to travel a lot before i came here and it occured to me i haven't gone out of state since i came. I tried to think of how ghana will look like, i can't imagine because i've known philly these last few years and it's vibrant, busy and soo much like accra that i really didn't miss it that much.
It just occured to me 2days ago at work that i was going to travel, prior to that time, it had been something that didn't seem real, now it is an the time left is little. I don't even have my suitcase, it's still in kansas. i guess i'll need to get one from walmart or kmart...kmart has a sale so it might be the best place to go, plus it's downtown so i can just walk down the street and get the thing.
For the two weeks, i know i'll miss living downtown, center city is awesome and i'll miss philly, the sweet city of brotherly love, i'll miss those days when i see 2 girls fighting over a cell phone, or when someone sits on top of a building threatening to jump down and seeing the cops and everyone standing and trying to do what they have to do, i'll miss chestnut street, where i've spent a lot of money this spring and summer shopping my heart out. Gosh, downtown philly can turn a tightwad into a shopaholic, lol. I'll miss a lotta things and i hope that when i get back, philly will be the same great philly it is. I don't expect much to change in two weeks but you can't be too careful about, can you?
I was so excited in may when i bought my ticket then sam scared me and i realized he was talking bout the holland embassy for transit visa. Now, i got excited early this week and thinking about philly brings me mixed feelings. But i've been dying to see Ghana for the last 2 or so years so i'm happy to go HOME and see what my country has come to.