Where have all the hookers gone?

Even as I sit here drinking Grand Marnier my body is like, “Yo, lets go ice skating tomorrow. Running aint enough. We should play hockey. Call that Polish friend.” 40 degrees is the perfect temperature to run. All you need is a pair of pants and a hooded sweatshirt. I could run a marathon in 40 degree weather, just so long as it’s not raining or sleeting. But, since there are no January marathons and I'm really lazy, I should run a spring or fall half-marathon. My body wants to exercise more. My body loves to be in motion.

After a long day at work I spent some time in traffic, scored a prime parking spot then strapped on my running shoes. I ran along the Schuylkill River, not down Kelly Drive but on the trail between Spring Garden and Walnut Streets. The trail that never used to be there. Milder weather is melting the ice that has covered the river all week. As I ran I heard the sheets of ice cracking and watched them drift toward the Delaware.

In addition to the Eagles playing in the Super Bowl in 116 hours and two minutes, Philly is really changing for the better. It used to be that the only people you’d see beside a brave jogger or lone mountain biker on this trail were junkies and hookers. Three years ago I ran past one man sucking another mans dick right on the trail. In their defense, it was nearly dark and anyone who wasn’t homeless, an addict, a dealer or looking to catch HIV had no right to be in that part of the city in those days. They were expecting more privacy. It was before the city paved or lit the trail. Now the blacktopped trail is an extension of the Kelly Dr. and West River Dr. trails, which you can ride, run or skate all the way to Valley Forge. Even in the January weather I passed several other runners. But where have all the hookers gone? The excess brush has been cleared and there’s a fence separating the tracks from the trail and river. Construction trailers and equipment have taken the place of the vagrants, junkies and prostitutes.

All we need now is a Super Bowl win.