Ooops! The new parameter for this walking project will include calling ahead to find out if it is a. still in business and b. actually open when I am out wandering. Maybe not b, we can't eliminate all sense of adventure, right? Unfortunately, despite some rave reviews online, Remedy Tea Bar on Sansom was out of business when I trudged up there in the heat today. Not wanting to lose the opportunity at hand (and starving!), I continued on. One observation I can make about Sundays in Philadelphia is that they seem to involve some sort of a siesta. A number of places are open at lunch time and then again at dinner, but few I walked by were open in between. The exception were bars airing the World Cup, which was not the scene I was searching for this afternoon. As the heat began to take its toll, I stepped into Cosi's on 15th & Locust. The part of me looking for a local experience cringed a little. In my defense I believe there is something to be said for "any port in a storm" or in this case, any air conditioning in an extreme heat wave. There's nothing I didn't know walking into this Cosi's, or so I thought. I knew exactly what my coffee would taste like, I knew which salad I would chose, I knew what the furniture would feel like and I knew all the decorations that would be on the walls surrounding me. They are the exact same in every Cosi's on the planet. In the spirit of openness, I first met my husband in front of a Cosi's and five hundred days later, he proposed on that very spot, so they do have a place in my heart. But to stay on track, here's what I didn't know entering this Cosi's, this was a truly open and welcoming home for a very diverse community. While I sat and enjoyed both the cool air and what was expected from my ice coffee, I say something I didn't expect. I saw, repeatedly, a level of patience and kindness exhibited by a young staff, far beyond their years. While there, I witnessed an onslaught of customers looking for refuge from the heat. From a gaggle of children continuously interrupting the counter staff with a silly game to an elderly gentleman who required a lot of physical assistance; each person who walked in the door was met with dignity (and this did not fade once their transaction was complete). So today's walk has something to do with being open to the unexpected, even in the places where you know exactly what to expect...
