Here we are, week two. Appreciate all of you who are along for the ride early on.

I'm going to shoot straight with you. I'm figuring this out as I go, and I'm going to rely on your feedback to shape what it becomes. The main goal, first and foremost, is for this to come together as an in-person community where we can get together at least once a month. As we grow, I'll be proposing different types of events and meetups beyond that.

As for the content, I'm going to share things that are interesting to me that I think will be interesting to you as well. This will develop as we go, but I will do my best to flag interesting events and ideas each week. I’ll be ramping this up in the coming weeks. Never hesitate to send over ideas or share your favorite spots in the area.

My north star is making sure we have an event on the calendar to get together, to make new friends, have great conversation, and hopefully better ourselves and our community.

The first gathering will take place Wednesday, April 8th at 6pm at McNally's in Chestnut Hill. A neighborhood tavern with a great Guinness pour, home of the Schmitter, and multigenerational family history.

No RSVP necessary, but if you haven’t done so already, let me know if you’re attending by responding to this email. That rough headcount will be helpful for me. And feel free to bring a likeminded friend who would enjoy being a part of what we are building.

Last week I wrote about Thomas Paine and Common Sense and how by March of 1776 it had picked up serious steam, and how Paine's courage came partly from having nothing to lose. No reputation to protect, no position to defend. Just conviction.

In March of 1776, Philadelphia had over 120 taverns, inns, and ordinaries. This was tavern culture at its peak. Common Sense had been circulating for two months, and it was at the center of no shortage of lively discussions and debates.

The taverns were the civic infrastructure of the revolution. What made tavern culture remarkable was that it dissolved barriers. People who would never cross paths outside, different trades, different classes, would bump shoulders and argue about politics and revolution over a drink.

It was also a venue to discuss freely and openly the topics that mattered most. At that time, the conversation was no longer, should we resist but how do we break away. The ideas in Common Sense had taken root.

Look, it's a bit of a stretch to even make the comparison, because I know what we're building here doesn't remotely come close to that. But I bring this up to reiterate the focus and importance of bringing us together in person. It's one of the main reasons I am building Sound Life Philly. To build a community of people who think similarly, with shared values, a spirit of revolution, and individual liberties, and bring us together face to face. Often in a tavern.

That's the gathering on April 8th and the long term vision here.

Please reply to this email and let me know the following:

What part of the Philadelphia area are you in?
What are your favorite local spots — restaurants, farms, trails, taverns?
What would make this community useful to you?
I want to build the most valuable community, your input matters a lot.

Cherry blossoms are peaking across the area right now. If you have some free time this weekend, it's worth getting outside with the family to catch them.

A few spots worth checking out:

Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center in Fairmount Park, Belmont Plateau, Rittenhouse Square, and the Centennial Arboretum. All free, all walkable. They don't last long. I may go check out Morris Arboretum Saturday if I'm in town. Maybe I'll see you there.

Sound Life Philly is in its early stages, and your help growing it matters more now than it ever will later. If this resonated, forward it to someone in the Philadelphia area who should be part of this newsletter and community.

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