I am thinking about moving back home (Philadelphia PA) next year. I was wondering if there was any one here that could tell me what the music scene ( R&B, Smooth Jazz)was like there.

Erik (CMDN) is from Philly. He might be able to hook you up.

There are an awful lot of great jazz bassists who come from Philadelphia. Maybe there is something in the water.

I left home in 1977 and have not been back to live, but my mom is there and I am her only, so if I can't get her to move here I will come back, but I don't know what the scene is there. Back then when I went into the Army I knew people, but not any more.
As for all the great jazz bassist I know that, but I really don't do a lot of jazz, and the people i knew are gone, moved on, stop playing or dead.

Yo EZ,
There's PLENTY of jazz and R&B here.
Come on home, you'll be happy with the music scene.

You're a PLENTY.

Peace.
--Dub $$

How'd you survive all those years without a decent Philly steak?

I moved out of West Philadelphia 5 years ago to the Central PA area (family in the area, cheaper, cleaner, among other reasons). But man, am I jonesing for a good cheesesteak!

BTW-- NEVER call it a "Philly steak" in Philadelphia-- you will become bait for every pan-handler in a 3 mile radius. A native Philadelphian simply calls it a "cheesesteak" (one word).

Didn't I say "cheesesteak"?

It is "Chicago beef", right?

Anyway, if you're ever in the D I'll treat you to a coney island. (No, it's not some beach in NY. )

What's considered "central PA"? I've stopped in Hershey and State College before.

And EZ, enjoy your first winter back home.

After 4 years in Atlanta my first Michigan winter felt colder than I remembered. (You're in Savannah, right?)

At least the summers are milder at Mom's, eh?

I live in Cental PA. In York (it is actually south central PA). Hershey is Central PA, State College too. West Philly is not.... They are cheesesteaks here too....

I don't know if i;ll be moving back yet, it really depends on my mom, we are going to wait untill I'm done wiith school in Dec. then we will decide if she will move down here with me, and if she is unwilling I'll go home. I'm from S. Philly and I do miss waterice, and Gino's, and Pat's chessesteak down on 9th street. I know a lot of people go to jims on south street, but that's not the place to go.

He probably survived because he HASN'T been eating those high-fat (though undoubtedly delicious) cheesesteaks...

OK, it's official. I've got a tear in my eye.

I was born and raised in NE, practically in the shadow of the Tacony-Palmyra in 61. Family moved to the burbs in 71 and then off to the Bay Area in 74. I've been back twice, but not in the last twenty years (my grandmother, still was still living in Cherry Hill until 81).

Now for those rare occations that I'm in the Seattle area to visit everyone's favorite "Bass Only" Store, there use to be a little place between BassNW and Pioneer Square called "Tat's". It was run by two guys from South Philly (yes, the passed the test). Best c'stake I've had this side of the 'Sippi.

I hope it's still there - the panhandlers were getting really out of hand last time out.

Cool. I live in Hershey.

Yeah, there are a few decent pizza shops around here that do a cheesesteak... but they either use that overly-fluffy bread that seems so popular around here, or the steak has some weird MSG aftertaste. And they ALL insist on putting some kind of marinara sauce on it-- in Philly, that could constitute a "Pizza Steak."

It certainly isn't the same...

There isn't anything wrong with a pizza steak, as long as what you want is a pizza steak.

A pizza steak is NOT a cheesesteak.

Flank, my man, I drive through your old 'hood every day--I take the Tacony-Palmyra to work. I live in Holmesburg, about three blocks from the old prison. NE Philly represent!

Cheesesteaks are dismal pretty much everywhere else I've ever been... you really need to get them in Philly or a few places in New Jersey. A big part of the equation is the roll--you gotta have a decent roll. Rule of thumb: If the maker of your rolls doesn't have a last name that ends in a vowel, your roll will not work for a steak. Trust me. I think a lot of the places outside of the area miss this.

Then, you also need to have the right meat--a real cheesesteak is NOT made from Steak-Umms, people! A lot of the really good steak joints used sliced-down London Broils.

Man... I haven't eaten a cheesesteak in months. Stupid diet.

The roll. Word.

You can't get a no s**t hoagie roll out here. You get these lame "stadium" rolls that are called hoagie rolls. Then I got to explain a hoagie to everyone.

Damn, I could use a no kiddin' Italian Hoagie as much as I could use a decent cheesestake.

So, what are they nicking you to cross the bridge? Last time over to Penshauken, my old man was loosing his mind becaue it went from a nickle to a dime. Showin' my age.

... and, Tates, YOU'RE a hoagie roll!

Try living down here in Ga. They have a place here called the Philly Cheesesteak house or something like that. When I asked were they from Philly they tried to BS me. They had something they were calling water ice, had to tell the guy I was working with that is not a real Italian water ice. The worst part is if someone has been to Philly they thik they know, and I tell them it's not so, I can't be from Philly because they have been there on vacation. WTF!!! People who are not from Philly, 1. a sub is not the same as a hoagie, 2. Rocky is not a real person, 3. a chessesteak is not made with steakums, or whatever the heck. 4. we from up north are not rude, if we don't know you we don't care to know you, we mind our biz.

First of all, if the "wudder oice" isn't made from Schuylkill punch, it ain't right. That's basic. I think the same "wudder" goes into those killer rolls and makes them specially suited to enclose cheesesteaks. Hmm, Mista Cohen mentioned the water here in his first post... maybe there IS something to that.

Rocky the boxer wasn't a real person. The REAL Rocky used to work the door at the Barbary Coast bar at Frankford and Delaware Aves. He had three teeth and would watch your car to make sure none of the locals would break in during your band's set. RIP Rock.

True thing--Philly was voted the most hostile city in the U.S. a few years ago. We're still pissed about it.

Frank, your dad would lose his mind over the cost of bridge tolls these days. The Tacony is $2. That's pricey, but get this: the Ben, the Walt and the Betsy have gone up to $4! Yikes. Needless to say, I avoid those bridges whenever possible.

..you wouldn't like the trip from Philly to Brooklyn via the Verrazano Bridge; that'll be $11, please.

So your water is wudder? We have wauta here

If I had to roll to Brooklyn from Philly every day, I'd have bigger problems than an $11 bridge toll. I always wonder what the bridge uses my money for, anyway. It's not like bridges have to eat. Oh wait... I get it--they have to feed the trolls under the bridge. My bad.

To be perfectly fair, Fluffyans (that's how we say "Philadelphians" here) don't all say "wudder." Smartypants, bougie suburbanites say "wahtur" and think they're better than everyone else. Lousy rich bums.

I can take Rt 1 south to 95, take that right into Center City for free. Or is that "sennersiddy"? Only way I can get into Manhattan for free involves swimming.

Ken, using that manuever would take me about 50 miles out of my way just to avoid a $2 toll. I'd burn more than $2 in gas! Luckily, we only pay to get out of Jersey, not to get in... Anyway, I only live about 10 miles or so from my office in Mt. Laurel. Sadly, the toll bridges are the most practical route for me. I'm guessing this is the case for a lot of folks... hence, the damn tolls. Bastards.

And yeah, it's "sennersiddy" to rock out at clubs and "downashore" on the weekends for beach time. Wanna drop any more Philly-isms? Folks have the most unpleasant accent around here. And I say that with love...

I'm a born and raised New Yorker who loves Philadelphia.

Back in 1992 I got very, very sick. They couldn't help me in Princeton so they med-evaced me to Temple University Medical Center where they saved my life. A few years later my infant son got very, very sick and they med-evaced him to Thomas Jefferson in Center City where they saved his life. You'll never catch me bad-mouthing Philly.

Just their sports teams.

And their funny-shaped pretzels.

Sounds like Philly's been good to you, bro.
I'm glad to hear it.