Philly really CAN be the City of Brotherly Love

Sometimes I get on Philadelphia's case, and rightfully so - crime, corrupt government, totally pathetic sports teams, an abysmal recycling program, the list could go on and on.

But, on the whole, I love city life. Our time in Philly isn't going to last forever, so sometimes I try to stop and smell the roses. And sometimes you run across people in the city who make that smell just a little bit sweeter.

Valentine's week was a nightmare for traveling in the city because of a Valentine's Day snowstorm. What's really bad about getting snow in Philly is that when the side streets are plowed, a big lump of snow/ice forms between the street and the rows of cars, which quickly turns to ice after the first day of warm weather and then a night of freezing. That, combined with the enormous piles of plowed snow, limits already tight parking conditions.

Well, Vandra parked essentially on top of a snow pile this past week because there were no spots left. The next morning, I was running later than I wanted, and her car was hopelessly stuck. A guy who was walking his dog happened by, and a neighbor came out to help with a bag of salt and an extra shovel. Five minutes later, her car was freed.

We thanked both men profusely, and I told our neighbor down the street who helped us "I owe you one." I have to pay that one forward - it was awfully nice of both of them to stop and lend a hand.

Sometimes the city wrongfully gets a bad rep, but there really are nice, helpful people, too.

In the spirit of winter weather, here's two winter-themed YouTube clips that I got a kick out of.



This one is hilarious. I can only wonder if the kids meant to do it on purpose.



I can sympathise with the drivers in this clip. I'll drive in just about any amount of snow, but ice - forget it.