Today, Wednesday October 15 2003, between about 4pm and 4:30pm, I'll be sitting out in front of Cosi's at 4th and Chestnut in downtown Philly, inviting passersby to guest blog in this very space.

I may have to move, so watch this space if I end up at a different location.

Philadelphians or visitors, bloggers or bloggees, all are welcome to meet me there.

UPDATE: 4:45pm: After about a dozen attempts to pass out flyers, I can tell this is going to be a bang-up success. 'Tis true, there is a very small amount of foot traffic at this location. And, I'd probably have much better luck near UPenn, where I might go next. However, the Lonewacko can just tell.

UPDATE 2, my first interview: "Lived here all my life. Great place. One of the best towns in the country. Lot of potential. I don't like the mayor. He's a nut. Him and brother used to fight other people in the council. The mayor owed a lot of money on gas bills, because he was a slum lord. It has the potential to be a cosmopolitan city. The old money is holding it back. The night life could be a lot better. The cops are out of touch, out of sync. They have a hard job to do, but they're out of sync with the community. The PALs (Police Activity Leagues) aren't open anymore." - according to Steve

UPDATE 3: Tired of the mostly cold reception at 4th and Chestnut, I've now moved to the Cosi's at 12th and Walnut. I'll be here for at least a few minutes.

UPDATE 4: This was supposed to be the looser part of town. Perhaps there isn't a looser part of this flat burgh. It's almost like they have slightly flexible steel rods welded to each side of their heads. (To be fair, a few people wanted to be interviewed, but they had good excuses: trains to catch, dinner dates to meet, stitches to get...) I gotta admit, the "my friend's gotta go get stitches" was a good one, and it did indeed look like his friend's hand was bundled up.

UPDATE 5: What would Huell Howser do? Well, even Ever-Friendly Huell would get tired of these people and leave like I did.

I've since figured out the problem. Whereas in Chicago the rods seem to be only half or three-quarter height, Philly is an older, more established city with its roots firmly in the 18th Century. Consequently, the rods there are a bit more complicated.

Although because most of these people were bundled up against the cold wind I couldn't tell that well, the rods seemed to be in a Y-shape, with the two arms of the Y on either side of their heads preventing them from looking off their beeline.

Now, for those of you who are saying, "But, Lonewacko, you intentionally set these people up to look bad. Who would stop to find out what a strange stranger in a Goretex jacket, olive shorts, and hiking boots was doing with the flyers and the laptop? Why, you look like a park ranger who was fired and has since taken up drifting. Who would want to be interviewed by you?"

Well, I'll tell you who: Angelenos, that's who. As I said about Chicagoans when I tried guest blogging there, if they were as adventurous as Angelenos, they wouldn't still be living where they are.