A Male Bonding Trip to Philadelphia Sees 50 Cent, Parties and ,of Course, Cheesesteaks
There was an unexpected brush with celebrity, an all-night house party and a first glass of beer. All a part of two-day trip through Philadelphia in a bachelor party send-off that lives on in the memory of the men who traveled and lived that experience.Despite being a born and bred citizen of New York, I had visited and enjoyed greatly Philadelphia several times by the summer of 2004. Hey, I may not like the sports teams, but I have a dear appreciation for the city itself. This trip would be a different and unique experience. It was a "men only" bonding experience and my first bachelor party of any kind.
I accompanied my friend Joe and his brother-in-law to be Scott as we road tripped down to Philly. It was Scott's bachelor party weekend and it was just us three guys doing just guy things in the city of Brotherly Love. Scott had spent an extended amount of time there for college He played the tour guide, knowing the ins and outs of the streets. We were pumped to be there. We were ready to make the most of our time.
One of the first major events of that weekend was a moment of pure happenstance, but would become a perfect snapshot of the unpredictability of that weekend. Joe, Scott and I were gob smacked almost as soon as we entered Centre City by the sight of two huge tour buses. They were parked one block away from our hotel at another, glitzier and pricier hotel. On the side of the tour buses were huge murals of 50 Cent, Eminem and the rest of G-Unit.
Amazingly, it seemed we had run right into the middle of that year's "Anger Management Tour". They were scheduled to play a show in nearby Camden, New Jersey, but were using Philadelphia as a rest-stop. We decided their presence in this town and ours was a synchronicity that couldn't be denied. Investigating further, we joined in with the fifty or so Philadelphia locals, teenagers and adults who had also spotted the bus outside the hotel and were hoping against hope that it was 50 Cent in there. It may have been the most awkward fitting collection of people, but we were united by one common goal—to spot Fitty.
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