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PHILLY IN FIRST PERSON

Take in writer Lisa Scottoline’s view of her hometown.

The evidence can’t be denied: Edgar Award-winning mystery writer Lisa Scottoline is mad about her native Philadelphia. And though she now lives in the nearby countryside, her sisterly devotion to the City of Brotherly Love is rock-solid. She’s never left—not for college (University of Pennsylvania), not for law school (Penn again) and not for her earlier career as a trial attorney. And her perspective and experiences are very much caught up in what makes the city tick.

Where would you bring folks on their first visit to Philadelphia?
“I would take them on a walk down Walnut Street, the old city. It’s the shopping center, with a lot of great restaurants. But if you walk just 15 blocks through new Philadelphia, you’re right at Independence Hall (www.nps.gov/inde). So you can walk about 200 years in 15 blocks. It’s really very cool.”

How are you able to use Philadelphia as a resource for your novels?
“Every novel of mine is set very much in a real section of the city. It’s often said that Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods and that’s true—it’s a balkanized city, to an extent. You can walk one block over from a Korean neighborhood and you’ll be in an Italian neighborhood. And they have remained surprisingly very constant. I use all that; I cooperate closely with the police departments from those areas.”

As one of the founding members of the University of Pennsylvania’s crew team, tell us about the Schuylkill River.

“My dad and I actually built the dock that the women’s crew used. I’ve fallen into the Schuylkill River (www.schuylkillriver.org)—I’ve drunk the Schuylkill—and that’s not pleasant!

I have two views that I love—first the one on its western side, when you’re driving into the city and see it on the left, where it opens wide. The second is from the water. When you’re on the river, on either side traffic is rushing. When you’re in that traffic, you don’t sense the river. But when you’re on the river, you don’t hear the traffic… It’s enormously centering and lovely and focused. I feel very much attached to it.”

Let’s talk about the ultimate local food: Is there a perfect Philly cheese steak?

“There is—and I make it! The only place to get it is at my house. The key is provolone—fresh provolone. I eat at all the cheese steak places, but I still think mine’s the best. “

Where do you like to watch the Mummers Parade every New Year’s Day?

“I go down to see the Mummers Parade (www.. mummers.com) on Broad Street like everybody else, in the freezing cold, with my nose running and a thermos of hot chocolate and hope for the best. Broad and Chestnut, right before the judges’ stand—I’m right there.”

Have you ever run up the Rocky steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum?

“Yeah. You know what? I’ve actually driven a car up the steps. In one of my books, with one character, I thought, wouldn’t it be terrific if, instead of running up the steps escaping a bad guy, she has no choice but to go around the oval in front of the art museum, take a right turn, and drive up. I had to see if that was really possible. And it is. I had a Ford Expedition, and put it in four-wheel drive, and I drove almost all the way to the top of the steps before I got scared, and then reversed back down again, which is even scarier. So I know it can be done—and I did it. That’s the kind of research I do for my novels. “

You’ve never left—not for your education, not for your career. What is it about Philly that always keeps you there?

“It’s such a livable city. It has the cool, high-end stuff—and I love to shop and eat in nice places. But it’s also dressed-down, unpretentious. We are what we do. And I just love that. And it’s home.” —Michael J. Bandler