It was bound to happen sooner or later.

In fact, part of me is surprised that it hadn’t happened earlier. I guess I’m a real Philadelphian now: I was mugged for the first time on Saturday.

When I told my friends, no one was too shocked. Concerned, sure, but astonished? No. If you move to Philadelphia, the common sentiment goes, you have to expect this sort of thing.

It went down like this: On Saturday at around 1:30 p.m., I was wandering around north Third street in Northern Liberties, (for Septa users, past Spring Garden), trying to locate the homes of some people I was supposed to interview (for the DP, no less). With me were a DP photographer, a note pad, my cell phone, and my wallet. Note to self: Never appear to seem lost in a neighborhood you don’t know.

After fumbling with the directions, we set off to find the houses. Out of nowhere, a man came running at us with a gun pointed at our heads. Unfortunately, his face was covered by a black ski mask. “Give me your money!” he yelled, as I backed away slowly. He didn’t seem to notice my presence, opting to concentrate on getting the contents of Matt’s wallet. Surprisingly, he didn’t ask me for anything, nor did he grab Matt’s expensive camera. Within thirty seconds, he snatched thirty dollars and ran down the street.

After calling the cops and filing a report, we continued with the interviews, physically unscathed. But I couldn’t stop thinking about what had just occurred. According to crime statistics obtained from the Philadelphia Police Department , there were around 10,000 robberies reported in 2005, so I know mugging is commonplace. What does fascinate me, however, is the method by which it’s accomplished.

When I study abroad in Europe next year, I know there will be a high chance of getting pick pocketed. Yet somehow it seems to be a dignified sort of robbery, if you will, one that actually contains a fair amount of finesse. A glided movement into your pocket without your knowing, a graceful extraction of your wallet, and bam, he’s gone while you’re figuring out what train stop you should get off at.

Here, however, we have the added variable of guns. Whether using them is a demonstration of power or just an easier way to get victims to comply, I’m not sure. What I do think is interesting is the perceptions associated with it. Guns add an entirely new element of fear to a situation that’s already scary enough.

So I suppose I’m wrangling over a few questions: are muggings in American and Europe fundamentally different, or just executed in various ways? Does the absence of a gun make the situation less scary?

While I don’t know the answers to these questions, I do know that this experience won’t prevent me from heading into unsafe areas and fulfilling my role as a journalist. I will, however, be sure to bring a brave DP photographer along.

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