A few weeks ago Pepperwine, a New Jersey band that Christina and I saw at the Turks Head Music Festival last July, posted that they were going to be playing in Philadelphia at Milkboy’s. I ordered the ticket last Saturday, was super excited that on Monday when I had off from both jobs, I bought a beautiful dress on consignment from Crash Bang Boom.
When I went on lunch break on Friday afternoon, I received a refund from the venue and explanation from Pepperwine that an inspection was done of Milkboy and found that a structure wasn’t sound. They had no choice but to cancel all performances until the restaurant was fixed. I was disappointed, but Pepperwine plays in Asbury Park a lot and I’m going to plan my trip around when they play there over the summer.
As disappointed as I was, I decided to still trek into Philadelphia on Saturday evening in the lovely dress I bought from Crash Bang Boom and a white sweater. For certain performances, the Philadelphia Orchestra offers $10 community tickets about 2 hours before the performance and you have an hour window to get the ticket. I decided to do that and if I was out of luck, I would check out Jolly’s Piano Bar for dueling pianos.
I arrived in Philadelphia at 5 PM and went to Trader Joe’s to pick up a few non-perishables that I wouldn’t have to worry about keeping cold. I got out of there before 5:30, the beginning of the slot for the community tickets, and it started to rain as I waited for a bus. The 125 flew by this elderly lady and I – we were both upset, but started a nice conversation that we carried on when the next bus arrived. She instructed me where to get off when it came getting close to the Kimmel Center. Last night was the Keystone hockey match and Philly was a madhouse. The closest I could get to the Kimmel Center, on Broad and Spruce, was 15th and Market, and a fifteen minute walk.
Despite the rain, I made it in 10 minutes. I made it to the Kimmel Center at 5:50 and fortunately, there were plenty of community tickets left. I had a choice of the orchestra or conductor’s circle. I opted for the conductor’s circle and they were awesome seats for only $10. I was super excited.
A little TMI: I bought new white tights earlier at Target to wear with my dress, a size I bought before, but they must have been a different brand because they were smaller and kept falling down. I made many bathroom stops earlier in my travels, but to no avail. On my way to dinner at Panera, I went into the Target in the Gaybourhood. No dice – they didn’t have tights left. I decided to run to the bathroom and take off the tights – I wore my dress bare legged. My legs were a little chilly, but it was a warmer than usual evening. I warmed my legs as I ate my Fuji apple chicken salad for dinner.
The Philadelphia Orchestra $10 ticket was a gift of self-love to myself. When I went to my seat, I was amazed with the view. Only two others were sitting in my section and unfortunately, the show wasn’t sold out. The evening was Eastern European oboe concertos and Brahm’s. Beautiful is an understatement, but I just love the Philadelphia Orchestra. The love coming from the musicians brought tears to my eyes. As I’ve said before, in the past few years I’ve fallen in love with classical music. I had a lovely evening out. It also felt good to go to an impromptu concert at the fraction of the price.
I ended my evening at Big Gay Ice Cream with lactose free soft serve vanilla ice cream in a gluten-free cone. Even my Lyft ride home was awesome, I sat up front with the driver since two friends going to Paoli joined in on the ride. The driver and I chatted music and food for the hour commute. I arrived home with a smile on my face and went to bed.
A cute pigeon I saw on my way to see the Philadelphia Orchestra.
The Happiness Box Project 
Hi, Jessica Marie!
This was another great outing for you. As a football fan I am sure you know that sometimes a “busted play” can turn into a huge gain, and that’s exactly what happened when you needed to abandon your original plan and improvise. You gained a very enjoyable experience at a bargain price. You looked terrific in your outfit, had dinner at Panera, listened to Eastern European classical music courtesy of The Philadelphia Orchestra and topped off the evening with lactose free vanilla ice cream. You even enjoyed friendly people and good convo on the Lyft home. You made the very most of what began as a disappointment, turning it into a night of self-love. I hope you can make a new plan to see Pepperwine on your next trip to Asbury Park.
Have a wonderful week, dear friend JM!
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