Pilgrimage - postponed

This last week I had planned to make a trip to Philadelphia.

I had promised the Weeble that I would investigate the pride of his home town, Fergie's, a place he acclaims as The Finest Burger Joint In The World (and he makes a strong case; he's shown me photographic evidence).

I have also long been yearning to make a nostalgic return to Hogan's, one of my all-time favourite bars.

Oh yes, I had planned to go. I was on the brink of going. I'd checked out the bus timetables and the hotel rates and everything. Monday, I deferred because I'd accepted an editing job from China, and my contact had omitted to send it to me early in the morning, as she'd promised (which would have been still Sunday evening for me here in the US, of course); so I ended up having to do that for a big chunk of the day. Tuesday..... I just got cold feet about the expedition.

I don't know anyone in Philly any more. And I didn't have anyone to go with. So, this was going to be a rather extravagant expense of time and money just to try a burger (however marvellous).

Also, I was rather fearful that perhaps Hogan's would disappoint - that it might no longer be there, or would be sadly changed. The British Cowboy hasn't kept up with the folks there, so I don't know if Big Dave is still running the bar. And I fear it's a near certainty that the owner will have passed on by now: it's a dozen years since I first went there, and a good 8 or 9 since my last visit; and Old Man Hogan was well into his 70s at least back then.

Nostalgia is a dangerous thing. Sometimes it's better to leave our cherished memories undisturbed by updates. I think I may have said this before: Never go back to a scene of past happiness.