La Fille Atomique: Tattoo You

One of my favorite things about living in Philadelphia is the history. Unlike when I lived in San Jose, a city with what felt like no soul, Philadelphia can't escape its roots. Despite all the new restaurants and renovated townhouses that pop up, all you need to do is walk around the crowded South Philly neighborhoods to see evidence of 400 years of generations. Case in point, this tiny cemetery I stumbled on a few blocks from my apartment. It barely takes up half a small city block, but the weathered gravestones date back as far as the 1800s.

I was a bit hesitant to take pictures here, out of fear of trying to appear morbid and out of respect. I'm glad we went though because this was one of the most serene places I've found in my neighborhood. Ray and I were the only ones there and all the chaos of the outside world seemed to cease. Gone were the sounds of people screaming at each other and the incessant honking of horns or blaring of bad rap music. Instead, the trees offered welcome protection from the unrelenting sun and all we could hear were birds chirping away.