It might have been the last
all-I’m-doing-is-standing-outside-and-I’m-sweating day of the season. Still, a
smattering of folks took their lunch to Clark Park to bask in the
lingering summer. A woman in a bright purple dress pulled a Diet Coke from her
Playmate 'Maxcold' and took a sip, her fingers leaving marks in the condensation.
Cristina packs her lunch
almost everyday. She Ziplock-bags and stages in the fridge the night before – a
sandwich, fruit, yogurt, and cheese curls – and sticks them in the cooler with
ice cubes before she heads to work in the morning. She’s a high school teacher
coach and has a patchwork schedule of appointments in schools all over the city.
She drives to the appointments and fits her lunch in when she can.
Today it’s roast beef and
cheddar with spicy mustard, Chobani yogurt (tropical escape, one of her
favorite flavors), grapes, baked Cheetos and a Diet Coke -pretty much the same
as it is every day. “I can’t heat it up,” she said, “It works.” She eats it in
the same order: fruit, sandwich, cheese curls. The yogurt’s saved for an
afternoon snack.
Her leisurely lunch today
is different than years past. When she was teaching high school, the idea of
eating in a park was laughable. “We had a scheduled half hour,” she said, “but
by the time you do your running around, it’s fifteen minutes.”
Cristina has lived in
Philly her whole life, though it’s her first time in Clark Park. Enjoying her
sunny spot on a south-facing bench, a few whole wheat bread crumbs on her lap,
she looked content. “People should give neighborhood parks a try.”
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