I have always felt a connection to the city of Philadelphia. My father grew up there, and I would always visit as a child. I am also a huge fan of Philadelphia sports. I grew up roughly 40 minutes away from the city, in Delaware County, PA. I remember when I was younger, the city always felt way bigger than it was, almost like another world. I always knew I wanted to live in a city when I was older, as I was really intrigued by the lifestyle.
This is why Temple University was my first choice for college, because it was a good distance from home, and in my favorite city. I’ve had numerous memorable experiences in the city throughout my life, however none can compare to the ones I’ve made since attending college these past few years. There is one specific night that took place during the winter of my sophomore year that really stood out amongst the others, and earned a special place in my heart. The night as a whole may look somewhat simplistic on the surface, however the significance is truly felt by those who experienced it.
Life in a Pandemic
For some context, this was during the winter of 2021, during the covid-19 pandemic. We were not going out very often because of this, but we decided we needed to go on some sort of adventure. This was my sophomore year of college, and it was all virtual, so we did not have any real need to leave the house often. My close knit group of twelve friends and I (that’s right, twelve) felt we needed to escape the confines of our cramped apartments and get some fresh air for once. Being that we were all neighbors in the same apartment building, we were used to traveling within only the space of our own.
Since it was snowing out, my friends and I decided it would be a good idea to go sledding down the steps of the museum. Not the smartest idea admittedly, but we had seen plenty of videos online of other people doing it so we assumed it was alright to do. We had taken trips out into the city before, but nothing as daring as during a snowstorm, let alone to subside down historic steps at great speed on cheap plastic bins.
The Art Museum
We made the mistake of believing we would be the only ones there, but to our surprise upon arrival, there were plenty of other people with the same idea as us. In fact, they had thought it out even more than we did, as they were equipped with legitimate sleds, instead of trash can lids. Regardless, it was a beautiful snowy night, and the lights of the museum were illuminescent, creating a foggy yellowish and blue glow all around the building. With the lights of the city in the distance, the view was picture perfect, and provided a wonderful backdrop to the immediate space of the museum.
After sledding for a while, we digressed into a massive group snowball fight at the top of the steps. There was something about the peacefully chaotic nature of the snowball war that really captured the vibe of the night. Despite the pain of catching a freezing snowball to the face, the experience itself took over the momentary discomfort. After the snowball fight began to subside, a couple of my friends and I began to climb the accessible architecture placed throughout the art museum’s premises. Along the sides of the steps were large columns stacked above and below each other, with small bodies of water filled in at the ends of them.
Since it was during a snowstorm and cold winter’s night, the body of water had frozen over. In a foolish attempt at crossing the frozen body of water, I stepped onto it. Only seconds later, the thin layer of ice collapsed, and I fell halfway into freezing cold ice water. I managed to squirm my way out and back onto the street level pavement. In only what I could describe as the coldest, most mind numbing feeling I had ever experienced, my body went into shock. My entire lower half of my body, up to my waist, was soaking wet. The leather boots that I was wearing were shriveled and filled with water, and I had no feeling in my legs.
The true significance of the night was present in the moment, but even more so in the coming days. While it is true my perception might have been altered through alcoholic means, I know that the events of that night were out of the ordinary, and something special. The painful chaos that came after the beautiful museum events were so comedic and eventful that I could not help but sit back and appreciate it in the moment.
It’s incredible how one seemingly simple night out with friends can make for an unforgettable memory that will last a lifetime. When thinking about why it became such a memorable night, it becomes clear that the city of Philadelphia itself played a direct role, in numerous ways. Not only because it provided the physical landscape of the events, but because the people I was with would never have met each other if it were not for the city bringing us together through school.