The Avenue of the Arts on South Broad St is always bustling, but today it had an extra burst of energy. The students at the University of the Arts were moving back into the dorms, and the first-year students were on campus to pick up their IDs and do the usual first-day orientation go-round.
It's marvelous to watch a room full of college students and their parents. A mother came forward to introduce her daughter; a father helped his son move a TV, a bookshelf, and a box fan inside; a group of older students, awash in piercings and hair dye, smiled and hugged each other at the corner coffee shop. Policemen were directing traffic on Pine St, helping people park, making sure no 18-year-old gets crushed by a garbage truck while lugging a futon mattress. Staff young and old were bustling around, making themselves helpful, answering questions and directing people to where they needed to be.
