For this project, I spoke to twelve couples at Independence Mall.
Disclaimer: I approached these pairs under the assumption that they were romantically involved (based largely on their body language); however, during my interview, I asked no questions to confirm or deny this. I was cold and they were cold and for the purposes of this project, I was more interested in how they looked together than knowing about how they came to be together.
Joseph and Mona are visiting Philadelphia from New York City, and, according to Joseph, they’ve been here “five minutes.” They had just driven in from Atlantic City. They said, so far, they only had time to see Independence Mall and the Liberty Bell which would be their favorite thing about Philadelphia; Joseph said his least favorite thing about Philadelphia was the Phillies. “I didn’t say that,” Mona added.
Joe and Valarie were also visiting Philadelphia for a few days; Valarie said they were from California and New York. Joe said his favorite thing about Philadelphia was the “cheap cab rides” in comparison to Calfornia and New York, and added that he liked the food here and the University of Pensylvania campus. (They said they hadn’t seen Temple’s.) Valerie said she liked that Philadelphia was a small city. She said that her least favorite thing was that Philadelphia was a small city, and Joe recognized that their were pros and cons to the city’s size. Valarie added that she thought Philadelphia was “kinda ghetto.”
Unfortunately, my tape recorder seems to have skipped this couple. His name is George and her name began with a Z, and it was something I could never hope to repeat or spell from memory. He did all of talking for them both.
Michael said they were visiting for the day from Bristol, Pennsylvania. She declined to give her name. Michael said his favorite thing about Philadelphia was the Eagles, and that his least favorite thing was the crime.
Julien and Maria are visiting Philadelphia for three days. They are originally from France but now live in Washington, D.C. They said their favorite thing about our town was the Old City and all of the “history stuff.” Their “least favorite stuff” is the weather, and how “freaking cold” it is.
Steve and Tasho are visiting Philadelphia from Grand Rapids, Michigan for four days. When asked what their favorite thing about Philadelphia was, Tasho wryly replied, “The one way streets.” Steve said his favorite thing about Philadelphia was the history, and his least favorite thing was the one way streets.
Caroline and Chris have lived in Philadelphia for three years. Chris said his favorite thing about Philadelphia was the restaurants, and Caroline agreed. Chris said his least favorite thing about Philadelphia was the traffic signals, and “how inefficient their timing is.” Chris also thought that the city didn’t have enough trash cans on street corners. When asked what her least favorite thing was, Caroline said “I’m going to stick with his.”
Steve and Dawny are visiting from North Field, Minnesota. Dawny did all of the talking for them both. Dawny said they’d been in the city for “about an hour,” and that her husband Steve had a week-long work assignment in Philadelphia. When asked what her favorite thing about Philadelphia was, Dawny said, “The fact that it’s warm” in comparison to Minnesota. She said her least favorite thing was “It’s too late in the day to do anything” since they just got in.
Winning the award for largest difference in height, Roy and Liz both go to St. Joseph’s University. Liz said she was originally from New York City. Roy said his favorite thing about Philadelphia was all of the sports complexes along Madison Avenue, and he said he tries to go to basketball and baseball games often. Liz said her favorite thing about Philadelphia was the history, and she added that she “loves doing the tourist-y thing.” Roy said his least favorite thing about Philadelphia was the “hectic” public transportation; he said that “Septa was twenty minutes late, and then we got on the wrong side of the subway coming to Old City.” Liz agreed; she said she was used to really fast subway stations, and that “having to wait a long time means you have to plan it out ahead of time.”
Jeremy and Jessie are they were visiting from Brooklyn. Jessie said they were in town because Jeremy had a performance yesterday, and that they were leaving today. They both said they had been to Philadelphia once before; Jeremy said he’d actually been to the city a couple of times “for work, but only once for fun before.” They took a moment to think about their favorite and least favorite things because someone else from class had already asked them, and they wanted to come up with something different. Jessie said her favorite thing was “historical… stuff.” Jeremy said his favorite thing was the “breakfast at Morning Glory,” located at Fitzwater and Tenth. Jessie said they had “big bread-y things and fresh-fruit pancakes.” Jeremy said their least favorite thing was that it was “just too cold today.”
J.P. and Laura said they both moved here relatively recently; Laura has been here since the summer and J.P. has been here a year. Laura said her favorite thing about Philadelphia was “the culture and history behind the city.” J.P. said his favorite thing was the food, and that their favorite restaurants are Sabrina’s and Sushi Planet. J.P. said his least favorite thing about Philadelphia was the poverty. Laura said she had no least favorite thing. When pressed, she added, “I haven’t found it yet, if I do have a least favorite thing.”
Gordon and Gwen both live outside of the city, and seemed hurried. They said they were in town for the car show. Gwen said her favorite thing about Philadelphia was the restaurants. Gordon said their least favorite thing about the city was the traffic, and driving.
