Philadelphia puzzle

Two questions were puzzling us in Philadelphia. Just where was the original Baldwin Locomotive Works and why were the railroad tracks nearby running in a trench below grade.
Research pointed to the works being in several locations and in a sense it was, as it covered four huge city blocks, bounded by Broad Street, Callowhill Street, 18th Street and Spring Garden Street (the yellow box shown below, the hatched green box adjacent being a commemorative park, which may also have formed part of the complex).

The rails were sunk below grade about 1900 eliminating many level crossings, as indicated on the tunnel arch (top), shown in detail below.

Pics by Annette.

A streetcar named Kawasaki

This is the #36 Philadelphia trolley approaching the junction of South 70th Street and Elwood on Tuesday 3rd January 2012, heading back toward the city centre. This "modern" Kawasaki streetcar is now more than thirty years old. Some former-Toronto Red Rockets found their way to Philly, when there was a ready market for used equipment.
We were intrigued by the surviving remnants of what was a much more extensive system back in the day. Most North American cities ripped out their streetcars years ago, while some struggle to put them back. There is now no downtown trolley in Philly to delight tourists - what they have is underground. Curiously the tracks and the overhead power supply survive in a number of locations but the political will to revive the city centre seems to be lacking. Using public transit is habit forming - a habit most Americans have long ago abandoned.
P.S. We bought tokens for the trolley at $1.55 per ride. Deal.
Pic by Annette.

Day trip to DC

While in Philly we decided to ride the Amtrak train to Washington D.C. for a day sightseeing. We were up early and caught the local train at the Suburban Station for the short ride to 30th Street Station. We booked on the 08:13 Amtrak NE Regional train #131 from Philly to D.C. and splurged on the Acela Express for the return leg ($70 each outward, $104 each return sector).
It was some 30 years since I rode these rails. The approaches to Baltimore were an eye-opener as street after street of rowhouses were all boarded up. The final approach into Union Station was also rather grubby, in no way suggesting arrival in one of the world's great cities. Once off the train however things immediately looked up as we headed for the Capitol Building on foot in bright but cold weather. A quick gander at the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress and we headed up Pennsylvania Avenue towards the White House. The party was flagging so we stopped in at Starbucks on Indiana, which was more like a drop-in centre with folk taking a nap.
The White House was much changed from years ago - the road to the south being blocked off and security in evidence everywhere. We had already passed the occupy camp at Freedom Plaza. We warmed up in the visitor centre in the Baldridge Building. We then walked south via the Washington monument - a great obelisk - and on to the Smithsonian Institution for a look at the Air-Space Museum. I'd been here before and the exhibits all had a dated feel and in need of a refresh. Across the way we had a quick look in the National Art Gallery.
I felt, what many others have felt before me, that Washington, with its grand scale and lack of industry, has an air of unreality. Far from the rustbelt in a political bubble it is easy for politicians to forget that any healthy economy relies on manufacturing.
We rode the 17:00 Acela Express #2222 back to Philly. The showpiece project of the Amtrak fleet was something of a disappointment as the train juddered and shuddered far too much to sway the doubters. Philadephia is the spiritual home of the American locomotive but here is a railway that has failed to move with the times. I wanted to like it but it is less than it could have been.
On arrival we took the subway to 13th Street for supper at the Banana Leaf, 1009 Arch St (mains $7.50, Singapore noodles recommended).
Pic by Annette.

Philly Mummers memorable moments

We visited Philadelphia in time for the 112th edition of the New Year's Day Mummers Parade. Put this on your bucket list!

The Mummers are made up of some 44 New Year's Day Associations and Brigades, marching up Broad Street, in a parade lasting from 09:30 until 19:00. This is followed by an evening event indoors at the Convention Center. The show was covered throughout on live TV on Channel Phl17, with extensive coverage in the Philadelphia Inquirer. We chose grandstand tickets, in the City Hall Performance Zone, at $18 each, positioning ourselves in JFK Plaza at the finish line.
The Mummers are constituted in societies which have a history of founding, merging and disbanding; a shifting coalition. The music chosen included the Sound of Philadelphia with Mummers in costume dancing in the street, with umbrellas or parasols, a signature motif. Rosettes were also much in evidence. The event features four main categories: Comic, Fancy Costume, String Band and Fancy Brigade.
The comic division included old timers, babies, Oktoberfest, clowns, smurfs, wenches (traditionally men dressed as women), Lady Gaga (from Vineland, New Jersey), and Super Mario. We also saw Musketeers (I even spotted a Cardinal), Lola the Showgirl, Gorillas, Keystone cops and gangsters, Chinamen and the Disco Duck. Themes vary year to year, including topical and political: this year the BP Oil Spill and vote Ron Paul 2012. We also had lampooning the Occupy Movement with Octopi and Froggupy. Each troupe had a limited time in front of the judging stand.

Also strutting their stuff were pirates (with sailing ship tableau), Hot n Chilli Peppers, Mardi Gras, Egyptians, Oregon Wench Brigade, Jokers, Romans, Astronauts and Aliens, Werewolves, Gators and Frosty the Snowman.

Participation runs in families. The Penguins had two marchers under age one. I even heard: "Bringing them up in the tradition." One gentleman, introduced to the crowd, had been parading since 1937 earning a place in the Mummers Hall of Fame. The comic division was won by the Wenchtoberfest of the Two Street Stompers.

After a while jazz bands show up on the back of trucks with the Fancy Costume Division. There is no attempt at costume accuracy - the Fralinger sequinned Scotsmen in kilts were a parody. The Hog Island NYA won the Fancy Costume Division, a cumulative points competition with nine categories. The String Bands winner was Woodland with "It's A Jungle Out There!"
The event was sponsored by SugarHouse Casino, a Pennsylvania gaming house built to rival Atlantic City. Participants competed for $395,000 in prizes. Free samples were handed out to the crowd including Goldenberg's peanut chews, Turkey Hill lemonade and iced tea, and Phl17 inflatable flags. Serving soldiers, parading with flags, were well received. The weather was relatively warm, untypical for the time of year.

The Fancy Brigade Finale was held at the Convention Center, a choreographed display by ten societies, which has been running for the last 15 years. The move indoors was somewhat controversial, but serves to promote Philly as a tourist destination, being compared on TV to Broadway shows or Las Vegas. The city sees its future in the hospitality industry. The displays set to music featured elaborate, intricate staging:

Downtowners Fancy Brigade - Pirates Dead or Alive, 5th
Saturnalians NYA - Empires of the Deep, 6th
Avenuers NYB - India: The Maharaja Celebration, 7th
South Philly Vikings - Kalightoscope, 1st
Golden Crown NYB - World of Witchcraft, 4th
Jokers NYA - Ancient Egypt, 3rd
Bill McIntyre's Shooting Stars NYB - Quest for the Yeti, 2nd
2nd Street Shooters - Monsters unleashed, 9th
Satin Slipper NYB - Dragon Emperor (disqualified, staging malfunction)
Clevemore Fancy Brigade - Voodoo, 8th

The Mummers are strong in South Philly and they claimed the big prize on the night. We'll have to wait until next year to hear "Oh dem Golden Slippers" once more. Pics by Annette and RLT.

Trolly trip in Philly

We headed out into the suburbs on this 1981 Kawasaki trolley car (begs the question where would you buy a tram in the USA?). We were going to the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum. This proved to be a world class collection in a most unlikely spot. We walked some two miles into an industrial estate, out close to the airport, and there it was. We were greeted warmly and given a pretzel at the desk - Petey the dog eyed me throughout. They let us photograph beyond the ropes, took us backstage into the workshop, and gave us a lift back to the trolley stop.
This Porsche 917 is a Le Mans lap record holder.

We were also taken by the Allard-Cadillac on display and the unrestored Daytona Cobra, CSX2287, with Bonneville heritage.

I sent some Bugatti pictures to Joe Saward, who replied with many thanks.
Pics by Annette.

Wrong side of the tracks

Still buzzing about our railroad adventures yesterday. We met a Letter Carrier who said the "marauders" had broken the window in this old railcar off Broad Street, close to the centre of Philadelphia.

We walked on a short distance to find the tracks all gone.

Weather unseasonably warm, high of 56° F expected today. We have grandstand tickets for the Mummers Parade.
Pics by Annette.

Tracking down old Philadelphia

Last night to Vietnam Palace Restaurant, 222 N 11th Street, on the edge of Chinatown. Veggie Spring Rolls, Garlic Shrimp, Eggplant Tofu, Brown Rice, Green Tea plus one bottle of '33' Export Beer - $36.82 plus tip. Recommended. On the way there is a Mummers band playing outside a press reception, for the Winter Classic ice hockey, at the Reading Terminal Market.

Early breakfast and we hike off up the Parkway towards the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Waiting for the Free Library to open we stumble upon Matthias Baldwin Park and an old railroad trackbed running in a trench.

After visiting the art museum on the hill we trace the old railroad running back to town. The trench turns into an overhead railroad east of Broad Street. The librarian told us that they hope to turn it into an overhead park, similar to one in New York. The dereliction in this neighbourhood shows that Philly has some way to go with urban renewal.

Pics by Annette.

Footloose in Philly

Last night to the Down Home Diner, 51 N 12th Street, for soup and sandwich, in the old Reading Terminal Market, $26.42 for two with bottomless coffee. There are streetcar tracks outside but no streetcar has been seen in a long time.
This morning walk down Market Street to the Reading Terrminal, now converted into a Convention Centre. On to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell - repelled by crowds of grockles - so we carry on via the City Tavern (now an upscale eatery, but once home to plotting secessionists) to the Delaware River. Great view upstream to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

Return via South Street, the antique district on Pine and up Broad Street. Philadelphia has some bike culture, almost entirely derailleurs and fixie with hardly a hub gear in sight. The sign below was displayed outside the Masonic Temple - what have the Masons got against cyclists?

We find the statue of Matthias Baldwin (1795-1866), locomotive manufacturer, on the north side of City Hall. The inscription simply says "BALDWIN" which is both flattering and uninformative at the same time.
Lunch at Jake's Real Italian Pizza and Grill, 201 N Broad Street, Ziti with Olive Oil, Garlic and Basil with Garlic Bread, $6.95; Veggie Wrap, $6.50.
Pics by Annette.

I'd rather be in Philadelphia

To Pearson Airport for Air Canada 346 to Philadelphia. Took forever to get through Immigration and Customs. The whole place was a zoo - several hours wasted for a one-hour flight. Let us hope Porter start serving Philly from the Island Airport.
The 73-seat Embraer 175 was 40 minutes late departing - the substitute captain informed us that his colleague was stuck in customs, he was originally going to Newark but now taking us to Newark, er, Philadelphia. The inflight entertainment was hors de combat for most of the flight - "this feature is currently unavailable."
As it was getting towards midnight we took a taxi into town - $31.50 with tip. A quick pitstop at Dunkin' Donuts, some late-night TV (how tired the talk show format has gotten - who is writing this lame material?).

Up for scrambled eggs and out into chilly Philly, down JFK Boulevard. They have HSBC and TD Bank here which is a bonus when it comes to charges. We walk to 30th Street Station (via the Suburban Station) which was named by Trains magazine as the finest surviving station in the USA. Completed in 1934 it is a marvelous marble hall not to be missed. (See pic at top.)

We walk back up Market Street which is altogether seedier, including porn cinema and Sally Army thrift store. We have a kitchen in our room at the Marriott so, after a Pizza lunch in an authentic Italian diner (Zio's, 111, South 13th Street), we crash out with tea and pastries. So far so good.
I forgot to mention Air Canada are charging $25 per piece for checked baggage - we brought carry-ons - I have a folding bag for any shopping so we may check one bag going home.
Pics by Annette.