Where have all the seniors gone?

I've spent the bulk of the last two summers in Philadelphia. Same house, same bedroom, (unfortunately) same landlord. Same car that won't start when I want to go home for the weekend. Same trips to 7-11 for donuts when I'm bored. Same. Old. Shit.

It's not all the same though. Last summer, I woke up each morning eager to seize the day, to grab the city by the scruff of its neck and slap it into submission. (Don't get my metaphor? I'll slap you too). I owned this place in the best of figurative, solipsistic ways.

But this summer sucked. Coming back to Philly was almost as wise a choice as diving headfirst into a pile of manure. (Both are things I'll never try again). What's happening here? I've listed the similarities; so what's gone awry?

Last summer, my will to live in the city without any connection to Penn triumphed over the bacterial party pad that was my living situation. There were people -- people I knew! -- swarming the Spruce/Walnut span between 40th and 42nd. Plans seemed to manifest themselves out of thin air:

"What's going on tonight?"

"Barbecue!"

"Shots!"

"Moooovie!"

"Live 8!"

"Elton John?"

Just like that -- five viable responses for even the most indifferent of queries.

This year, the ol' off campus corridor is more like a ghost town. Of course, that's all relative. The houses are all full, I'm sure; but with who? Sophomores and juniors. You know this, because you are one.

This is the key, folks. Most of my rising senior ilk does one of two things during "the last summer." Many earn promotions in the internship industry, and that means New York City. (Although I have a lot of friends from "The City" anyway. They come to Penn and Philadelphia in the same mindset as a Senator spending October antiquing in New Hampshire). Everyone else goes home, gets some McJob and drinks heavily, trying to relive their best "home moments" with high school friends before time runs out. After these two temptations have taken their picks, Philly doesn't have much left.

Eh, whatever. I'm going home Sunday night to Maryland, where people actually (and surprisingly) live. And if you're reading this, chances are you're in summer session II, so Philly's just about spent for you too. Let's all go home and recoup. My Philly Summer '06 may have been an ersatz Philly Summer '05, but I hope the sophomores and juniors kept the spirit alive.

(Cough cough September 14 first issue of Street cough hack cough).

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