{"id":800273,"date":"2026-05-16T09:37:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T09:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/800273\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T09:37:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T09:37:23","slug":"robot-cars-eagles-in-london-and-fifa-parking-phillys-patience-is-running-thin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/800273\/","title":{"rendered":"Robot cars, Eagles in London, and FIFA parking: Philly\u2019s patience is running thin"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Eagles are going back to London, and Eagles fans are absolutely going, too: B+<\/p>\n

The Philadelphia Eagles are heading back to London this fall to play the Jaguars<\/a>, meaning Eagles fans will once again be unleashed upon the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

Britain knows what\u2019s coming. They\u2019ve already heard \u201cE-A-G-L-E-S\u201d chants bouncing off historic buildings and watched someone in a Brian Dawkins jersey explain Wawa<\/a> to a confused bartender before noon.<\/p>\n

Now, we\u2019re going to do it all again.<\/p>\n

The best part of these international games is always watching Eagles fans treat them less like a football trip and more like a citywide cultural exchange program centered entirely around beer and yelling. Someone should warn Philly fans that a pint in London is 25% bigger than one in the U.S.<\/p>\n

You just know somewhere in London there\u2019s already a pub mentally preparing itself for 400 emotionally charged Philadelphians asking if they can put the Phillies game on, too.<\/p>\n

\"AA rendering of the Philadelphia FIFA Fan Festival’s soccer and gaming installations at Lemon Hill in East Fairmount Park. From June 11 to July 19, the festival will serve as the official fan experience for the 2026 World Cup in Philadelphia.(Courtesy of Philadelphia Soccer 2026)<\/p>\n

FIFA parking permits are annoying Philly residents, and the games are still a month away: C<\/p>\n

The city announced this week that residents living near the FIFA World Cup<\/a> 2026 fan festival at Lemon Hill will need special temporary parking permits during the tournament.<\/a><\/p>\n

Even if they already have parking permits. That\u2019s the part making people spiral.<\/p>\n

According to the Philadelphia Parking Authority<\/a>, residents with regular annual permits still need to register for separate temporary permits or risk getting ticketed and towed during the 39-day festival.<\/p>\n

And Philly residents reacted exactly how you\u2019d expect<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait the annual pass doesn\u2019t cover it during FIFA? that\u2019s absolutely ridiculous,\u201d one Reddit user wrote.<\/p>\n

Another summed up the mood more bluntly: \u201cThe whole system seems like a mess tbh.\u201d<\/p>\n

To be fair, the city is trying to prevent total parking anarchy around what\u2019s being described as a \u201csoccer Coachella\u201d expected to draw 15,000 people a day.<\/p>\n

So now you\u2019ve got neighbors panic-sharing permit links, warning elderly residents, and mentally preparing for 39 straight days of circling blocks behind somebody from Delaware trying to \u201cjust pop in real quick.\u201d<\/p>\n

The World Cup hasn\u2019t even started yet and Philly is already arguing about parking.<\/p>\n

\"FlyersFlyers goaltender\u2019s Dan Vladar and Samuel Ersson after the Flyers lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference second round Stanley Cup playoffs on Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

The Flyers wrote fans a love letter, and honestly, Philly wrote one back: A<\/p>\n

The Philadelphia Flyers season ended, and instead of immediately disappearing into vague \u201cwe\u2019ll evaluate things\u201d corporate-speak, the organization released what was basically a love letter to fans<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s touching. Because after years of bad hockey, weird vibes, coaching drama, and pretending we weren\u2019t emotionally exhausted by the team, Philly accidentally fell back in love with the Flyers this spring.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s message talked about the standing ovation after the final game, the city\u2019s \u201chunger\u201d for playoff hockey, and how \u201cthe Orange and Black aren\u2019t just colors. They\u2019re part of who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

A little cheesy? Sure. But also true.<\/p>\n

The funniest part of this playoff run was watching the city remember how insane Flyers fans actually are. Suddenly everyone was screaming \u201cshoot\u201d at their TVs again, and Gritty<\/a> was everywhere.<\/p>\n

Even the players sounded emotional during locker clean-out day<\/a>. Travis Konecny<\/a> said the team is \u201con the right path.\u201d Trevor Zegras<\/a> talked about rediscovering his love of hockey in Philly. Cam York<\/a> called it the most fun he\u2019s had since turning pro.<\/p>\n

Which, for a franchise that felt dead just 14 months ago, is a pretty massive turnaround.<\/p>\n

\"AA Waymo driverless car heads down Market Street on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Philadelphia.Alejandro A. Alvarez \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Waymo has to survive Philadelphia before Philadelphia decides if it wants Waymo: B<\/p>\n

City Council members and local activists are raising concerns about Waymo bringing self-driving ride services to Philly<\/a>, citing safety issues, job loss concerns, and the general question of whether any robot should be trusted on our roads.<\/p>\n

Because before Philadelphia even gets into the philosophical questions around AI and automation, there\u2019s a more immediate issue here: Can a self-driving car handle driving on I-76?<\/p>\n

This is a city where lane markings are suggestions, every third block is under construction, and potholes have tenure.<\/p>\n

And somewhere out there is a Waymo engineer confidently saying the vehicle can \u201cmap its surroundings.\u201d Buddy, good luck.<\/p>\n

To be fair, Waymo says its cars are significantly safer than human drivers and have logged millions of autonomous miles.<\/p>\n

But Philly drivers also operate with a kind of improvised chaos that probably looks deeply illegal to artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

Honestly, the first Waymo that successfully navigates a PPA truck, SEPTA<\/a> detour, sinkhole, bike lane argument, and unmarked construction merge without short-circuiting deserves a trophy.<\/p>\n

\"PakistaniPakistani chopped cheese sandwich at Karak Cha inside Kabobeesh.Hira Qureshi<\/p>\n

The chopped cheese keeps wandering into Philly like it wants a problem: B+<\/p>\n

The chopped cheese discourse has returned<\/a>. This time because Karak Cha in West Philly is serving a Pakistani-inspired version of the New York bodega staple using chopped chapli kebab, onions, peppers, ketchup, and mayo on a seeded roll.<\/p>\n

It sounds fantastic.<\/p>\n

And for the record, this sandwich is not trying to be a cheesesteak, and nobody involved seems interested in restarting the \u201cis a chopped cheese basically a cheesesteak?\u201d war that briefly rocked Philly food media.<\/p>\n

In fact, owner Halima Ghumman explicitly credited New York restaurant Nishaan for the inspiration.<\/p>\n

Still, there\u2019s something very funny about the chopped cheese continuing to slowly make its way into Philly like it\u2019s testing whether we\u2019ve calmed down yet.<\/p>\n

Especially because Philly\u2019s relationship with sandwiches is deeply normal and never territorial in any way.<\/p>\n