Today I had the pleasure of meeting the great Jacob P. Secrest! Yes, I beheld the wonder and glory that is he. His mother had some business in Philly before the dreaded two week Florida trip, so I whisked him off for a brief tour of the city.

Walked him by the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, then on to Gianna's Grill. Very popular with the bike messenger and skater set, they serve huge, messy vegan cheese steaks. Then we walked South Street to see the cool shops, but there really aren't many left anymore. Even the Gap has closed...

Jacob is a great guy, funny and much like he is online here. His haircut looks good and I saw the new iPod. I also got to meet his family- his mom is sweet.

Very cool!!!

J.L -- one of my favorite restaurants in Philly is called "Friday, Saturday, Sunday." Do you like it?

They have a mushroom soup there that is like crack.

It's been a few years since I've eaten there, Jay. I'll keep the soup in mind.

These threads lead me to wonder when all of us will be in the same room at the same time. Taft will show up last and crush us all to death.

NOTHING GOOD CAN COME FROM THIS!

Oh. And cool story. Thanks for sharing.

THE J.C.S.! Very cool of you to give Jacob the city tour. Junkie's hospitality knows no bounds.

I just sang "I met an IMWANker today . . . " to the tune of the opening line of "A Day in the Life." It fits!

I'm now Picturing this in my head, and its really not a pretty picture.

It was also in a sort of falsetto voice. And I have a miniature dachshund nearby. Your mental picture is accurate.

Can you sing "Tiptoe trough the Tulips" next?

Jay is clearly evil. A miniature dachshund is a definite sign of that.

So, I now have one degree from Junkie Wuv?

These "real life" hook ups continue to be cool.

Junkie, just tell me that Zipperhead is still there on South Street. And Fat Tuesday's.

And Inky's! My vote for best cheesesteaks in the city...and, therefore, the world, since cheesesteaks outside of Philadelphia do not count and may as well have been prepared by Taco Bell employees.

Unask the question, Frank. I beg of you. Unask the question.

You can't unring a bell, Mr. President.

So Zipperhead is gone, then?

Sadly, it has been renamed and moved to one of the sidestreets. I got the dire news while on my own Junkie-meeting trip into Philly.

South Street looks much, much different these days. The counter-culture vibe is only barely there.

Aw, maaaan. I loved that neighborhood. When I lived in South Philly, there was a crappy but functional comic book store at 6th and South. I would get my weekly run there in the late afternoon, and then walk east along South Street and hang out and get a bite and people-watch.

Ah. Here it is. It was called Showcase Comics back then. http://stores.atomiccitycomics.com/StoreFront.bok

HI, guys. Yes, Zipperhead is no more. They did leave the zipper on the building along with the ants, but they are so out of place with the lady's bling store downstairs.

Yeah, Frank, Showcase, the 2nd best comic shop in Philly. When did you live in Philly?

Hey, Darren, when did you meet the great Secrest?

Junkie, I lived in Philly from August 1993 - June 1995. Got my graduate degree at Temple and then came home to Chicagoland.

Apropos of nothing, I found Philly's Chinatown to be far superior to Chicago's...and, that said, the best Chinese place in Philly is not in Chinatown proper. It's Noodle Heaven, on Broad Street, just a few blocks south of City Hall, on the west side of the street. Remarkable cuisine at a reasonable price.

Go there tomorrow, Junkie.

He never has, but he sent me comics once.