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Austinlee

Aug 29, 2006, 3:51 AM

I loooooove pennsylvania and Philly is such a great city to have as our main urban area! I get so sad when people from philly say: "I pretty much hate PA outside of the philly area".. Thats just a slap in the face and soo stereotypical of an east coast elitist... But I realize most people love our state... I mean, we have such history across the whole commonwealth...

Anyway, I was hanging on the south side slopes of Pgh about ten days ago and this total ghetto bitch who lives in South Philly was there visiting for the weekend: And there we were: About 100 people from all ove rthe country and Pittsburgh drinking & doin rails till 9 in the morning on a 3 story balcony overlooking downtown Pittsburgh, chillin with cool people from all over the state and also new york, california and some other places... If i wasnt so strung out i wouldve cried with happiness! The girl turned out to be super cool and was in love with me since I affectionately called her city Filthadelphia.... Anyway, my point is, this state has soo much to be proud of but our brightest and best chapter has yet to occur! in this century, population will take off all across the state, hopefully we will once again become one of the main immigration states, and our state business tax laws and property tax laws in certain areas will be updated and we will once again be one of the premier states, and a place where people from around the world will tell their families about and how awesome the USA is, just based on living in PA.... Ive got a hardcore case of PA Pride suckas!!!!!!!!!

EastSideHBG

Aug 29, 2006, 2:17 PM

PhillyRising

Aug 29, 2006, 7:26 PM

Question.

How much "Philly" is in Invincible? The only scene I've seen from the trailor on TV has been a clip of Marky Mark with "The Vet" in the background.

I'm glad Philly is getting more play lately with It's Always Sunny and Invincible.

They filmed the movie pretty much in Philly. They computer generated the Vet by using Franklin Field (as the seat in the movie Vet had bleachers like Franklin Field). They also show computer generated Vet exteriors as well...but they are in the parking lots along Oregon Ave near Columbus Ave...because you see the Walt Whitman below the "Vet" parking lot in the movie. Also...they use the VEt as it looked post 1985...with the elevator towers for the Penthouse Suites and not how it looked in 1976. Only Philadelphians will really know the difference.

The Dallas scene was very short...with it being the game the Eagles opened the 1976 season in Dallas.

What pissed me off was they filmed near where I used to work along Passyunk last summer and I never saw the filming crews!

....and when the movie ended....there was a a group of young guys who did the E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES! chant as teh credits rolled. I saw the movie at the Regal in Downingtown.

EastSideHBG

Aug 30, 2006, 5:00 AM

Well crime in Philadelphia hit a little too close to home today: A coworker/friend of my girlfreind's was mugged this morning in CC (around the 1500 block of Market St. I believe) on her way to work at 10 freakin' a.m. and with a sidewalk full of people! She actually fought back and the thug didn't get her purse. She said she was struggling with the guy and screaming, "Help me! Help me!" at the top of her lungs while a crowd gathered and just gawked at her, never doing a thing. When the guy realized he wasn't going to get what he wanted he took off. Soon after a cop was flagged down but the guy was long gone.

One of the guys who watched and did nothing even had the nerve to look at her and say, "I saw the whole thing...that really sucked!" after it was all said and done! :brickwall:

I must admit that the Philly metro has disappointed me/us quite a bit in regards to crime and my g/f and I have already witnessed first hand, experienced and heard quite a bit now. We actually received news of this when we were helping another one of her coworkers/friends with a slashed tired...the third in her 'hood in a week! :(

PhillyRising

Aug 30, 2006, 2:53 PM

^Yeah...but there is crime everywhere. I know you love Balamer...but they have their crime issues too. It's a fact of life in America.

EastSideHBG

Aug 30, 2006, 5:52 PM

^Yeah...but there is crime everywhere. I know you love Balamer...but they have their crime issues too. It's a fact of life in America.
I agree, there is crime everywhere, but it seems as if the Philly area has it a little worse than most. No stats to back that up at this time and just my opinion because of all that we have experienced, seen and heard thus far.

Wheelingman04

Aug 30, 2006, 10:22 PM

^ Just try to remember the positives of the Philly area. Trust me, I have traveled to so many cities and Philly definately has more character than most cities, especially the ones in the Sunbelt. Crime is in an upward cycle in Philly and many other cities. Hopefully the citizens of Philly elect a new mayor who tackes the root of the crime and improve other aspects of the city.

Swinefeld

Aug 31, 2006, 12:22 AM

Well said, Wheelingman.

:tup:

volguus zildrohar

Aug 31, 2006, 12:30 AM

EastSide, it may be worse, it may not be at all. How much time have you spent living in a city of this size? Yes a mugging at 10am in the middle of downtown is unusual but it's not the The Seventh Seal.

This is a city with a big chasm between the have's and the have-not's and lots of crimes of opportunity occur when that situation exists. It doesn't excuse not aiding someone in need but when you see it and hear it everyday, yeah you get numb. That is, as they say, life in the big city.

Joey D

Aug 31, 2006, 12:56 AM

Honestly, HBG, I'm surprised that you're surprised about the whole situation.

You should be glad it was just an attempted mugging and not a murder like what happened to that lady last year right in the CBD in the morning. Now THAT is kinda unsecuring.

I wouldn't call it a size thing, either... it's more of a 95-corridor thing.

Just look at all the cities on 95 between New York and Washington - almost all monumentally high crime rates - Newark, Elizabeth, Trenton, Phila, Camden, Wilmington, Chester, Baltimore, DC.

Philly's a nice city, but you're gonna have to get used to it, and live with it. I can't tell you all the times I got chased home, beat up, woke up as someone's hanging out of my window trying to get my computer, or chasing vandals through the neighborhood in my socks. And I live in the state nobody's heard of.

ColDayMan

Aug 31, 2006, 4:19 AM

Just look at all the cities on 95 between New York and Washington - almost all monumentally high crime rates - Newark, Elizabeth, Trenton, Phila, Camden, Wilmington, Chester, Baltimore, DC.

Shit, try I-75, the Drug Cartel Expressway...presenting:

Saginaw, Flint, Detroit, Toledo, Dayton, Cincinnati, 10-A-Key, Atlanta, Macon, Tampa, and the palm cocciana itself, Miami.

More black folks per highway capita than any this side of Memphis!

EastSideHBG

Aug 31, 2006, 2:37 PM

You are right, Wheelingman, but with that being said:

EastSide, it may be worse, it may not be at all. How much time have you spent living in a city of this size? Yes a mugging at 10am in the middle of downtown is unusual but it's not the The Seventh Seal.

This is a city with a big chasm between the have's and the have-not's and lots of crimes of opportunity occur when that situation exists. It doesn't excuse not aiding someone in need but when you see it and hear it everyday, yeah you get numb. That is, as they say, life in the big city.
Oh I don't need to be in the big city to experience such things, and you should see what types of things went on in "little" ol' Harrisburg. But in a way you just proved my point even more, vz: crime is so rampant that people are becoming numb to it! I feel that this is a huge chunk of the problem and allows for some of this nonsense to continue.

Yes, the Philly metro is much bigger than the HBG metro (for example). But to only be here a few months and already experience such nonsense both from people we know and first hand (the list would be huge if I typed it all out for you), it is a sad, sad state of affairs. And all I see around here is A) the typical what I like to call "PA attitude" and nothing but finger pointing and B) complacency, excuses, a shrug of the shoulders and, "That's just the way it is around here." No, it is that way beacause it is ALLOWED to be that way!

Honestly, HBG, I'm surprised that you're surprised about the whole situation.

You should be glad it was just an attempted mugging and not a murder like what happened to that lady last year right in the CBD in the morning. Now THAT is kinda unsecuring.
You bring up something else I noticed around here, Joey D, and IMO another example of the downplaying of crime. If your tire is slashed, you hear from people, "Be happy your car wasn't stolen." If your purse is stolen out of your car, "You are lucky you weren't mugged for it." If you are mugged, "Hey, at least you didn't get killed!" Yes, things could always be worse...but they could awalys be better too!

I wouldn't call it a size thing, either... it's more of a 95-corridor thing.

Just look at all the cities on 95 between New York and Washington - almost all monumentally high crime rates - Newark, Elizabeth, Trenton, Phila, Camden, Wilmington, Chester, Baltimore, DC.
I am not surprised that it is happening really, rather, I am surprised at how MUCH is happening in such a short amount of time. And I totally agree, it is not just a Philly problem. But the difference between Philly and most of those cities is its size. The smaller cities don't have the tax base and resources to deal with the problems. It's NOT an excuse mind you, but something I feel is worth mentioning. Philly on the other hand, who taxes its residents 4.7%, non-residents 3.7% and God knows how much to businesses, SHOULD have the resources. It's completely inexcusable IMO.

Philly's a nice city, but you're gonna have to get used to it, and live with it. I can't tell you all the times I got chased home, beat up, woke up as someone's hanging out of my window trying to get my computer, or chasing vandals through the neighborhood in my socks. And I live in the state nobody's heard of.
I will never get used to it. Rather, I will do what I did in Harrisburg and get involved wherever I can. I would never ask people to put their lives on the line because we all know how deadly the streets are these days, but just get involved! If someone is getting mugged by some thug and needs help, do what you can to HELP THEM! If you see someone breaking into a car, they run but you can identify them, TELL THE POLICE! Don't just stand there and talk a lot of crap. In fact, that is one my biggest beefs with the area thus far: lots of tough talk but very little action (if any at all).

More black folks per highway capita than any this side of Memphis!
:laugh:

EastSideHBG

Aug 31, 2006, 3:59 PM

And this does bear worth repeating: there is A LOT about Philly and the area I like; I wouldn't have moved here if I didn't! :yes:

Garbageman

Aug 31, 2006, 5:14 PM

Do mean a purse snatching or a mugging?....not to side track the conversation but there is a difference to me between an attempted purse snatch and a mugging. I would consider a mugging as a face to face robbery using force or with the threat of force. If someone tried to steal a lady's bag on a busy street that is very different than someone confronting you and saying, give me your purse of I’ll stab/shoot/beat you etc.

Both are crimes of course but I wouldn’t get down on a place because there was a purse snatching attempt on a busy street….that’s where they tend to happen ….much like pick pockets which I also wouldn’t consider a mugging.

EastSideHBG

Aug 31, 2006, 5:23 PM

Do mean a purse snatching or a mugging?....not to side track the conversation but there is a difference to me between an attempted purse snatch and a mugging. I would consider a mugging as a face to face robbery using force or with the threat of force. If someone tried to steal a lady's bag on a busy street that is very different than someone confronting you and saying, give me your purse of I’ll stab/shoot/beat you etc.
I am classifying it as a mugging because she was confronted first, pushed around as he tried to grab it and then he started to assault her for it; it wasn't like he came up from behind and tried to grab it and then run.

Swinefeld

Aug 31, 2006, 5:36 PM

Garbageman

Aug 31, 2006, 5:37 PM

Thanks for clarifying....I would aslo call that a mugging....wow, ballsy guy...in a bad way. It is crazy how some people are so boldly despicable.

PhillyRising

Aug 31, 2006, 8:48 PM

I remember when crime was much worse in the city. This was the early 1990s. Compared to then, it's actually much safer.

Eastside, you're preaching to the choir. We all know the problems and everyone here is doing their part.

Yep...almost every car parked on the street in Center City 15-16 years ago had "The Club" on the steering wheels due to the high rates of auto theft. Car breaks ins were epidemic back then. The Penn Campus was very sketchy and there were a few high profile murders there back then as well.

PhillyRising

Aug 31, 2006, 9:46 PM

I'm on a You Tube kick lately...finding thre wierdest stuff on there...however I found the opening theme to one of the first shows that I can remember watching that was actually set in Philadelphia. The show was called "Angie" starring Donna Pescow who was in the movie "Saturday Night Fever" and younger Doris Roberts..the mother in "Everyone Loves Raymond". It aired in 1979.

You'll notice the "Welcome To Philadelphia" sign...isn't in Philly as much of the opening you can tell it's still LA. There are two noticable local landmarks in it though....enjoy...and enjoy a chuckle at it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C0cw_2hmwQ

Btw...I and most every gay man my age had the hots for Robert Hayes back then...:yes: :haha: :whip:

frank_pentangeli

Aug 31, 2006, 10:32 PM

Kidd Chris on 94.1 WYSP(3-7pm) has now branched out to the other side of hte state. 93.7 KROCK is simulcasting the show...great stuff. Check it out everybody!

EastSideHBG

Aug 31, 2006, 10:35 PM

I remember when crime was much worse in the city. This was the early 1990s. Compared to then, it's actually much safer.
I would imagine so, but I wasn't living here in that era so I have nothing to compare now to really.

Eastside, you're preaching to the choir. We all know the problems and everyone here is doing their part.
Oh yeah, I would imagine so. My statements were more of a rant towards the general public...I really don't like the blinders most of the members of our society seem to have on these days.

PhillyNation: It's funny you mention that, as 90% of the cars in my complex lot and near me have the club on their steering wheels; it really cracks me up LOL Little do they know how easy that thing is to get around...

frank_pentangeli

Aug 31, 2006, 10:45 PM

I'm definitely doing my part. Why just today I found myelf three purses, two cars and a nice coat.

Swinefeld

Aug 31, 2006, 11:46 PM

I'm on a You Tube kick lately...finding thre wierdest stuff on there...however I found the opening theme to one of the first shows that I can remember watching that was actually set in Philadelphia. The show was called "Angie" starring Donna Pescow who was in the movie "Saturday Night Fever" and younger Doris Roberts..the mother in "Everyone Loves Raymond". It aired in 1979.

You'll notice the "Welcome To Philadelphia" sign...isn't in Philly as much of the opening you can tell it's still LA. There are two noticable local landmarks in it though....enjoy...and enjoy a chuckle at it.
Holy crap! I vaguely remember that show. It wasnt that good, but I watched because it was set in Philadelphia. It only ran for two seasons, I think. That intro is longer than most shows today.

Thanks for bringing back an old memory.

EastSideHBG

Sep 1, 2006, 12:59 AM

Now tell me THIS isn't ironic! When I came home yesterday two tow trucks were dropping off two cars. I thought it was rather odd but, eh, it could've been a million things. Well long story short, I found out tonight that they were both stolen over the weekend from my lot, recovered and returned to their owners!

Yep, I stand by my statements...

:yes: :laugh:

PhillyRising

Sep 1, 2006, 9:25 PM

EastSideHBG

Sep 2, 2006, 4:01 PM

It's nice to know the Norristown PD is doing their job....;)
Well I guess it all depends on how you look at it: they aren't doing their job because the cars were stolen from the lot in the first place and I have yet to see a cop drive through this lot (and FYI we are starting to have a lot of problems here, and from what I understand, a few residents have brought it to the PD's attention). On the other, they did get the cars back...

;)

EastSideHBG

Sep 3, 2006, 2:13 PM

A funny joke that was sent to me recently:

Living in NJ

Jack was sitting in an airplane when another guy took the seat beside him.

The new guy was a wreck, pale, hands shaking, moaning in fear.

"Hey what's the matter?" Jack asked.

"Oh man. I've been transferred to New Jersey," the other guy answered. "There's crazy people in New Jersey. They have shootings, gangs, race riots, drugs, the highest crime rate."

"Hold on," Jack interrupted. "I've lived in New Jersey all my life. It is
not as bad as the media says. Find a nice home, go to work, mind your own business, enroll your kids in a good school and it's as safe as anywhere in the world."

The other passenger relaxed and stopped shaking for a moment and said, "Oh, thank you. I've been worried to death. But if you live there and say it's okay, I'll take your word for it. What do you do for a living?"

"Me?" said Jack...........

"I'm a tail gunner on a Coca-Cola truck in Camden."

frank_pentangeli

Sep 3, 2006, 3:19 PM

Oh wow, that's hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAHAHAHA LOL OMG ROTFLAMO HHAHHAHAHAA :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :whip: :whip: :whip: :jester: :jester: :jester: :jester: :cheers: :notacrook: :P :haha: :haha: :haha:

Wheelingman04

Sep 8, 2006, 5:37 AM

A quiet August slows city homicide surge
The 27 killings, almost half July's total, left the annual rate barely ahead of last year's.
By Barbara Boyer
Inquirer Staff Writer

Murder in Philadelphia took a rest in August.

While several high-profile homicides kept the city's mayhem in the news, the rate quietly dropped, and officials hope that what could be a blip signals a trend instead.

In early August, the homicide rate was 10 percent higher than the year before - which ended with 380 slayings, the most since 1997. In recent weeks, a significant decline has left the rate just 2 percent above a year ago.

It was an odd shift, given what appears to be a national rise in violent crime in large and small cities alike, including Washington; Miami; Boston; Detroit; Cincinnati; Orlando, Fla.; Kansas City, Mo.; Las Vegas; and Sacramento and Oakland, Calif.

In most of those cities, like Philadelphia, violent-crime rates are reaching highs not seen in five or 10 years, said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum in Washington.

"In many communities across the country, East Coast to West Coast, we are seeing a spike in three major crimes: aggravated assault, robbery and homicide," said Wexler, who last month participated in a National Violent Crime Summit that included representatives of 50 cities experiencing more crime, including Philadelphia.

He said reasons differed for each locale: Boston has a gang problem, methamphetamines have spiked in Las Vegas, and Washington, where the mayor declared a state of emergency in July, has been dealing with a rise in juvenile crime.

But common factors include increased gun violence and a high number of released felons, Wexler and others said. In the 1990s, Wexler said, a record number of felons were imprisoned, and they are returning to the streets "not better educated or fully prepared to fit into society."

In Philadelphia, the number of shooting victims remained 13 percent higher through Aug. 30: 1,330, compared with 1,172 a year earlier. The homicide rate has dipped and climbed this year, peaking with 49 homicides in a particularly violent July.

In August, 27 people were slain, including several high-profile homicides at month's end: the gunning down of an Army veteran in a robbery, the shooting of a couple who tried to help a rape victim, and the mutilation of a South Philadelphia man.

Through Tuesday, 266 people had been slain in Philadelphia this year, compared with 261 a year earlier.

"I knew we were turning around," said C.B. Kimmins, an antiviolence advocate who patrols the city with a bullhorn declaring it is time to stop the violence. "I knew something was right about Philadelphia in the past month."

Police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson cited a combination of reasons that success may be coming now.

"Hopefully we're seeing the initiatives we have are starting to stabilize things," said Johnson, who attended the national summit.

Several weeks ago, he launched a Strategic Intervention Tactical Enforcement Unit to work high-crime areas at nights and weekends. He reassigned more police to work nights and redeployed more of the force to uniform and back to the street. He also pointed to a closer relationship among police, community groups and religious organizations.

However, Johnson said he did not rule out the possibility that August was an aberration. A month ago, he said it was unfair to blame Philadelphia police for the rise in homicides, noting other cities were experiencing the same problem, and has consistently said the rate would drop by year's end.

Still, Johnson said, it is far too early to declare success.

"The police are doing everything we possibly can do, and we'll continue to do everything we can," he said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact staff writer Barbara Boyer at 215-854-2641 or bboyer@phillynews.com. Inquirer staff writer Alletta Emeno contributed to this article.

EastSideHBG

Sep 8, 2006, 12:59 PM

In August, 27 people were slain, including several high-profile homicides at month's end: the gunning down of an Army veteran in a robbery, the shooting of a couple who tried to help a rape victim, and the mutilation of a South Philadelphia man.

"I knew we were turning around," said C.B. Kimmins, an antiviolence advocate who patrols the city with a bullhorn declaring it is time to stop the violence. "I knew something was right about Philadelphia in the past month."
:haha: :koko:

justremember

Sep 8, 2006, 8:09 PM

It's not a turnaround yet, but if rate continue to drop, then this would be a turning point, but we don't know that. Yet.

PaSkyX

Sep 9, 2006, 2:49 AM

Oh Philadelphia... how you do amuse me...

volguus zildrohar

Sep 9, 2006, 3:26 AM

Swinefeld

Sep 9, 2006, 2:49 PM

August is a chill month. Either that or everybody who had bullet coming according to the wackos out there has caught it. The rapid fire pace seems to have slowed a bit and for that we ought to be grateful.

Let's hope for a cold winter to keep the nuts indoors.
August '06 (27 homicides) was far less deadly than August '05 (41 homicides).

Strange how 27 murders in a month is viewed as "progress". And wasn't last December one of the deadliest months of 2005? The indoor nuts are killing each other.

passdoubt

Sep 9, 2006, 7:39 PM

Philly's so much safer than it used to be. Especially in West Philly, you see so many people out at all hours where people would have kept inside scared in the 90s. It was very encouraging to walk around this summer and see everybody sitting on their porches, walking their dogs, etc.

I don't think the "drug dealer-on-drug dealer" murder rate is indicative of overall safety. It's the non-aquantance violence that bugs me out, like the Haitian cabdriver who got shot at the gas station at 47th and Chesnut in July. And he got shot by an Upper Darby resident...

In the 90s, most murders didn't even make the papers. It's encouraging that the Inquirer's actually made a big deal about the murder rate this year. Those "STOP THE VIOLENCE" banners hung over the streets, police everywhere (I was driving down Elmwood Ave in Southwest one night and there were 2x as many cop cars on the streets as civilian vehicles), and the greater outrage from the public are all good things. That's one thing I've noticed about living in other parts of the country: people really get up in arms about every individual murder. In North Carolina, they reported on a murder victim for a month straight. They talked about his family, news teams went to his funeral; it was a big deal. In Philly the attitude used to be, "Well, serves 'em right for being in Mantua after dark."

PhillyRising

Sep 10, 2006, 9:02 PM

Swinefeld

Sep 10, 2006, 11:01 PM

Donte Stallworth, 6 catches, 141 total yards, 23.5 average, 1 touchdown. Mark me down as catiously optomistic. The Texans suck, but the word on Stallworth is that he plays big against good teams. It will be interesting to see what he does against the Giants secondary next week.

And the Cowboys are losing! :banana:

EastSideHBG

Sep 11, 2006, 1:06 AM

Went to the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown today. Small, but well worth the price IMO ($8.50; $7.50 if AAA member and you show your card). If you haven't been yet and looking for something to do one day, check it out! :)

*Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.

Evergrey

Sep 11, 2006, 1:39 AM

WooHoo.....great game by the Eagles today! Welcome to Philadelphia Donte Stallworth.

The Lombardi Trophy needs to be be moved 300 miles due east from it's current location...sorry Stiller fans...you had your turn...again...for the fifth time.

yeah... but it was the first time since this Steeler fan's been alive...

congrats though... I always thought McNabb was a class act

xzmattzx

Sep 11, 2006, 3:56 AM

Nice win by the Birds today. Offense looked pretty good, and the defense looked good after that first drive that the Texans had.

Wheelingman04

Sep 11, 2006, 5:38 AM

I think if you live in Pennsylvania, you should root for both NFL teams in your state, unless of course, they are playing each other. Maybe some people wouldn't agree with me.

PhillyRising

Sep 11, 2006, 12:52 PM

yeah... but it was the first time since this Steeler fan's been alive...

congrats though... I always thought McNabb was a class act

Yes...but you also got to see two Penguins Cup runs,.......we haven't had anything to cheer about period since 1983. I was happy for Pittsburgh...but Philly fans have suffered long enough.

We need a championship...and we need it now!

PhillyRising

Sep 11, 2006, 12:53 PM

I think if you live in Pennsylvania, you should root for both NFL teams in your state, unless of course, they are playing each other. Maybe some people wouldn't agree with me.

Uh...that'll happen when Penguin fans stop chanting "Go Home Flyers...Go Home". ;)

Palms

Sep 14, 2006, 2:15 PM

After Months of Wavering, Mayor Street Signs Citywide Smoking Ban

by KYW’s Mike Dunn

Mayor Street has informed Philadelphia City Council he’ll sign the anti-smoking law passed by Council in June. The measure, which takes effect in January, bans smoking in most public places including bars and restaurants.
There are exceptions to the ban -- including outdoor cafés and certain small neighborhood taverns -- and the mayor had previously indicated he was reluctant to sign a measure that contained those loopholes.
But he issue had boiled down to bad blood between Street and former councilman Michael Nutter. Nutter pushed the smoking ban through Council in June, then resigned to run for mayor. Mayor Street said before Thursday's announcement that that left others in Council high and dry since Nutter had promised them certain revisions in the fall:

“He said, 'We will fix that part of it in September.' The commitment was made, and then Councilman Nutter upped and resigned. That’s unfair to everybody.”

Nutter responded that Street shouldn’t let their bad relations get in the way of signing the smoking ban into law:

“People in this city are sick and tired of this kind of nonsense, gamesmanship, and personality politics, because the mayor has an issue with one person. Let’s grow up.”

Mayor Street's announcement came in a note to City Council, delivered without comment. He indicates that his intention is to fix the anti-smoking law's shortcomings in the next session of Council.

Swinefeld

Sep 14, 2006, 3:36 PM

Cool. :tup:

xzmattzx

Sep 14, 2006, 4:01 PM

I think if you live in Pennsylvania, you should root for both NFL teams in your state, unless of course, they are playing each other. Maybe some people wouldn't agree with me.

Good luck finding many people that agree with you. From my experience, Eagles fans and Steelers fans don't get along very well at all. The fans of each team clash with each other, especially in Central Pennsylvania in places like State College. I think part of the reason is because there's too much of a cultural difference between the two cities.

EastSideHBG

Sep 14, 2006, 4:08 PM

Awesome news! And as luck would have it, it was announced today that Harrisburg is STILL screwing around with theirs LOL

City smoking ban snuffed out again
Police union cries foul, presses complaint with state labor relations board

http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1158200711217990.xml&coll=1

I have been slamming Harrisburg for all the dumb things they are doing as of late...they make it so easy! :)

volguus zildrohar

Sep 15, 2006, 1:43 AM

NFL Part 1: The Steelers got their thumb bling. Now I don't have to root for them anymore. When we get a taste we'll talk.

NFL Part 2: I'm glad we won but...it was against Houston. Don't get all giddy until after The Giants.

Smoking ban: If you don't know where I stand you haven't been paying attention.

Elmwood Park Zoo: EastSide, that is an awesome place to kill an afternoon, especially with kids. At my old job we took a group there and I was pleasantly surprised.

passdoubt: West Philly is relaxed in general. I do, however, love the fact that "West Philadelphia" and "University City" have suddenly become interchangable. More than once I've told people I live in "West Philly" then tell them 62nd Street and get a quizzical look. That's partly why last week's PW cover story irked me a bit. There's so much to this area, easily the most diverse one in the city, and it extends far north of Lancaster and far west of 40th.

Like Mantua at night:)

PhillyRising

Sep 15, 2006, 12:12 PM

Elmwood Park Zoo: EastSide, that is an awesome place to kill an afternoon, especially with kids. At my old job we took a group there and I was pleasantly surprised.

It's one of the hidden jewels of Norristown that many people in the region have no idea about. However, most good things about Norristown aren't usually seen. The bad parts of town are all along the more busy streets and the nice, stable ones are off the beaten track.

Elmwood Park in general is pretty nice and Harding Blvd which borders it is one of the more picturesque streets in town.

I wish someone with a good camera would do a Norristown picture thread. I would do it but I don't have a nice camera. However, I would accompany anyone who would want to do it and be their guide around town.

EastSideHBG

Sep 15, 2006, 3:57 PM

I wish someone with a good camera would do a Norristown picture thread. I would do it but I don't have a nice camera. However, I would accompany anyone who would want to do it and be their guide around town.
Well you are in luck, because I have actually started taking pics all over Norristown and was planning on doing a thread very soon. But I will take you up on the offer to be my guide one day because I could always use more, and I am sure there will be things I miss. :)

Wheelingman04

Sep 16, 2006, 6:34 AM

Good luck finding many people that agree with you. From my experience, Eagles fans and Steelers fans don't get along very well at all. The fans of each team clash with each other, especially in Central Pennsylvania in places like State College. I think part of the reason is because there's too much of a cultural difference between the two cities.

You are probably right. The cultural differences are pretty stark. I have also heard of Steelers and Eagles fans clashing in the State College area.

PhillyRising

Sep 16, 2006, 2:26 PM

Well you are in luck, because I have actually started taking pics all over Norristown and was planning on doing a thread very soon. But I will take you up on the offer to be my guide one day because I could always use more, and I am sure there will be things I miss. :)

Anytime! Hopefully there are some "Toss It For Ted" trash cans left in town. That would be a funny picture since Ted LeBlanc got tossed into jail!

PhillyRising

Sep 16, 2006, 2:36 PM

You are probably right. The cultural differences are pretty stark. I have also heard of Steelers and Eagles fans clashing in the State College area.

I don't really give much thought to the Stillers in general these days. Sure...when I was in college in Western PA...I endured all the Philly insults thrown my way....which in turned made me root against all Pittsburgh teams for a while....like when Sid Bream was ruled safe at home against the Braves...I was happy knowing all my tormenters from college just had their hearts ripped out.

However, time heals all wounds and except for hockey....our two cities really don't have much of a sports rivarly going at all. The Phillies and Pirates haven't had a rivalry in baseball since the 70's and the Iggles and Stillers aren't even in the same conference.

We hate New York in that respect....with Dallas a close second. It's normal to see cars with Stiller stuff on them around here...with the number of Western PA transplants in the area. I don't see anyone give them a hard time.

Evergrey

Sep 16, 2006, 4:47 PM

I don't really give much thought to the Stillers in general these days. Sure...when I was in college in Western PA...I endured all the Philly insults thrown my way....which in turned made me root against all Pittsburgh teams for a while....like when Sid Bream was ruled safe at home against the Braves...I was happy knowing all my tormenters from college just had their hearts ripped out.

However, time heals all wounds and except for hockey....our two cities really don't have much of a sports rivarly going at all. The Phillies and Pirates haven't had a rivalry in baseball since the 70's and the Iggles and Stillers aren't even in the same conference.

We hate New York in that respect....with Dallas a close second. It's normal to see cars with Stiller stuff on them around here...with the number of Western PA transplants in the area. I don't see anyone give them a hard time.

I used to despise the Eagles when I was at Penn State... mostly due to that insufferable E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES! chant... though I always thought the "Fly Eagles Fly!" melody was rather cute. It's also funny in retrospect how many people wore 81 jerseys a couple years ago...

I noticed a lot of SteelerMania in Philly this winter when I visited... and it's not just Ex-Western PAers... the Steelers forged a national following with their 4 Super Bowl victories in the 70s and have always remained competitive... take forumer Represent, for example... Here's a couple shots from this winter along South Street

why isn't this store selling any Eagle jerseys?
http://i.pbase.com/g3/86/571686/2/55548304.100_4295.jpg

oh yeah!
http://i.pbase.com/g3/86/571686/2/55548095.100_4258.jpg

Roethlisberger fan in the distance
http://i.pbase.com/g3/86/571686/2/55548298.100_4285.jpg

Now that I'm away from Eagles fans (and instead surrounded by Browns fans... ewwww)... I find myself actually rooting for the Eagles... I've always thought Donovon was a class act... Here's hoping for that elusive Keystone State Super Bowl! :cheers:

PhillyRising

Sep 16, 2006, 5:48 PM

I used to despise the Eagles when I was at Penn State... mostly due to that insufferable E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES! chant... though I always thought the "Fly Eagles Fly!" melody was rather cute. It's also funny in retrospect how many people wore 81 jerseys a couple years ago...

I noticed a lot of SteelerMania in Philly this winter when I visited... and it's not just Ex-Western PAers... the Steelers forged a national following with their 4 Super Bowl victories in the 70s and have always remained competitive... take forumer Represent, for example... Here's a couple shots from this winter along South Street

Just think of the Eagles chant as the same as "Here We Go Steelers..Here We Go" chant. The Eagles chant has been around for decades and the team reintorduced the fight song during these past few years. You used to hear the instrumental version of it years ago at The Vet and on the radio during game broadcasts...but it went away during the Second Dark Ages better known as the Norman Braman era of Eagles ownership.

As for all the Stiller stuff on display after the Super Bowl...not really a shock for stores trying to cash in on that even down here. The Eagles are still second in the NFL in team sales overall and Eagles merchandise is in the stores once again in full force locally. Again...most Eagles fans aren't really hostile towards the Stillers and their fans. You're just our distant cousins who talk really funny. :yes: ;)

Now...if we are talking about the Giants and Cowboys...that's where you will see total and complete hatred spewing from Eagles fans.

Wheelingman04

Sep 17, 2006, 4:32 AM

^ Most Steeler fans hate the Cowboys too. I know I sure do.:yuck:

mglan80

Sep 19, 2006, 3:55 AM

Phillies = bums

signed,

a disappointed fan with great seats

ps - please, don't drop the series to the cubs

Swinefeld

Sep 20, 2006, 11:47 AM

Cheer up. The Phils got a good performance from Jamie Moyer last night and are a game back of the Dodgers. But they have to win tonight's game. You can't lose a series to the Cubbies at this point.

PhillyRising

Sep 20, 2006, 12:01 PM

Cheer up. The Phils got a good performance from Jamie Moyer last night and are a game back of the Dodgers. But they have to win tonight's game. You can't lose a series to the Cubbies at this point.

Hey...two months ago...the team was considered dead in the water. We really can't be too upset...the team wasn't even picked to be in contention at all this season.

I just have a feeling that they will win the Wild Card.

LostInTheZone

Sep 20, 2006, 9:57 PM

hey, I don't care about sports.... but here's pics of the 30th street area before the extension of the Market Street subway to 44th street in the 50s:

looking in the background, you can see the Belber building on the left :

http://www.pa-trolley.org/Roster/Images/PTC8042-10Lancaster.jpg

the trolleys and el cars emerged from a portal on the north side of Market at 24th street, where the Peco building now stands (it was also constructed partly on the "Chinese Wall" tracks that fed into Broad Street Station):

http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/se040.jpg

they then went over a truss bridge over the Schuylkill; the El rose up and turned to go over Market, and the trolleys continued at grade to stop in front of the station (first pic):

http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/se083.jpg

http://thejoekorner.quuxuum.org/phila/1512027.gif

mglan80

Sep 20, 2006, 10:09 PM

Nice. Dig the lights on the trestle. Where'd you find these?

volguus zildrohar

Sep 20, 2006, 10:38 PM

I've seen some views of the time before but not these particular shots.

Indeed, there still remains a remnant of the old El - a trackless portion exists just east of 46th Street right where the trackway leads down into the tunnel. The stations were at 40th and I believe 36th Street.

The first photo is great. You can clearly see "Daily News" atop the Belber Building and check the destination on the trolley. Some things change very little in 70 years.

Great find, LITZ.

PhillyRising

Sep 21, 2006, 12:48 PM

I love those old photos.....I never knew the EL used to come that far down Market St. Great job LITZ!!

xzmattzx

Sep 21, 2006, 8:32 PM

With a crushing loss to the Giants, here's a pick-me-up to get pumped for the 49ers game. I saw these a while ago on the Eagles Message Board (I remember watching Frozen Tears the week leading to the Super Bowl), but I am not sure if anyone here has seen these.

Frozen Tears (2004 NFCCG vs Atlanta):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYsiqD_GrpY

Weapon X (Brian Dawkins highlights):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axtcDLC_qdo

Palms

Sep 22, 2006, 1:23 AM

For those that don't deal with the Philly vi thread. Sasso laid down the preliminary scoop on a mega-project( Philadelphia River City) that will add a whole new dimension to Philadephia if it becomes reality.

Check it out.

http://www.phillyskyline.com

Wheelingman04

Sep 22, 2006, 2:20 AM

^ That project is amazing. I really hope at least some or all of it happens. The Philly construction boom makes this project more likely to happen than in the past.

LostInTheZone

Sep 22, 2006, 3:20 AM

thanks guys, I found those pics while I was googling for pics of 30th Street Station for my art deco thread (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=115302) (I'd appreciate pics, especially from Volguus or Sasso, rep the hometown:)).

http://www.pa-trolley.org/TakeRide2.htm
http://www.ectma.org/adamcik.html
http://thejoekorner.quuxuum.org/phila

a few more, showing the steel truss bridge a little better:

http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/hog027.jpg
http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/se015.jpg
http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/mis002.jpg

24th street station- would that be the Marketplace Design building in the background then?

http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/se014.jpg

40th street just below market...

http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/bir016.jpg

...and at Spruce:

http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/se010.jpg

midcentury Reading Terminal:

http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/se011.jpg

everything except the leftmost margins of this photo was replaced with the Gallery on Market East:

http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/se161.jpg

mostly replaced for that stupid ramp to Penn's Landing at Market Street, in the disturbingly recent past:

http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/se159.jpg

I've come across these trolley photo sites many times over the years. What truly makes you sad is that so many of the pictures are from neighborhoods outside of center city, and you really get a sense of how much has been lost, probably irretrevably, in the vast area of this city. So many vibrant neighborhoods and main streets that are now just totally bombed out or shadows of their beautiful former selves:

46th & Market:

http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/de067.jpg

Erie Avenue at 17th st:

http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/se097.jpg

and at 15th:

http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/pcc040.jpg

and 13th:

http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/pcc050.jpg
60th below Market:

http://www.ectma.org/hja_photos/de017.jpg

what did we do to ourselves? such a waste.

Wheelingman04

Sep 22, 2006, 4:19 AM

Is more news going to come about this megaproject soon?

PhillyRising

Sep 25, 2006, 12:51 AM

xzmattzx

Sep 25, 2006, 12:53 AM

Nice win by the Birds today.

Mike Patterson's 98 yard touchdown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6HDqbUS2Jk

JManc

Sep 25, 2006, 12:58 AM

man, i love philadelphia and so wanted to move there last year but the eagles...

xzmattzx

Sep 25, 2006, 4:33 AM

It's nice to know the tattered nerves of the local sports fanatics are soothed for at least another week.

Anyone else think the Phillies may actually win the wild card? What a ride they have been as of late? I kept flipping back and forth between the Eagles and the conclusion of the Phillies game after the rain delay was over.

I'm still skeptical about the Phillies. Uncle Cholly is still at the helm. But I would like for them to make it. A first-round match-up would be in their favor most likely; St. Louis has not been playing well recently, and the Phils could handle the Padres or Dodgers as well. The Mets would be the only problem, but we wouldn't play them in the first round if we made it in.

k2wilde

Oct 3, 2006, 8:31 AM

At this time, I think this is the right thread for the moment for my comment.

About the inferiority complex situation, I have a perfect example of how it pervades in international media( let alone national/regional )- ( and many a Philly residents subconcious).

The headline of the 11pm BBC World News Broadcast was the Amish Schoolhouse shooting. Of couse they had some great coverage, but a certain city was neglected in the broadcast. Even though the news was of a terrible nature, I said to myself "please mention Philly". Not only did they NOT mention Philly, they showed a map of the area with New York And Wash DC as the nearest cities of note for reference. And the report was based from Wash DC.

For some reason I was very dissapointed/hurt/upset/etc; I was actually talking to the TV about my disapointment. I forgot about the severity of the situation at hand. And I still feel bad about how such a little thing could affect me like this.

I have such a strong passion for this city that i usually forget that no one notices that we exist. I have seen the media forget/neglect to mention Philly much to often. Even with several of the victims at CHOP, there was no mention of Philly ( unless they said something when I walked away upset). Yeah, where are my stupid priorities at?

So much more I could say-

Thanks for letting me rant.

xzmattzx

Oct 3, 2006, 1:26 PM

:previous: Some of the victims were even brought to Philly hospitals.

Don't trust the Brits to mention Philly though. They don't know much about our country.

Represent

Oct 3, 2006, 5:00 PM

^ Most Steeler fans hate the Cowboys too. I know I sure do.:yuck:

That is true considering we faced them three times in the superbowl, the last one being XXX when we lost to them.

Swinefeld

Oct 4, 2006, 1:11 PM

Joey D

Oct 5, 2006, 2:42 AM

Re one of the comments on the old photos of N. Phila - it is really sad to see how beautiful some crap areas were then, how well taken care of, and how nice it seemed.

I have perused some Wilmington books on how many people actually lived and did stuff in the city then, instead of driving out to the far burbs to go to Best Buy, passing thru the Wendy's drive thru, and going back to their McMansion.

Such a damned shame.

wanderer34

Oct 7, 2006, 3:06 PM

Now that I'm away from Eagles fans (and instead surrounded by Browns fans... ewwww)... I find myself actually rooting for the Eagles... I've always thought Donovon was a class act... Here's hoping for that elusive Keystone State Super Bowl! :cheers:

Sorry, but with the Eagles' state of mind, it will never happen, but I'm praying that the Stillers get their second consecutive SB championship and become the team w/ the most SB's.

xzmattzx

Oct 8, 2006, 12:37 AM

Big day tomorrow. The circus come to town!

Get your percocets ready!

Swinefeld

Oct 8, 2006, 3:53 PM

Big day tomorrow. The circus come to town!

Get your percocets ready!
Most over-hyped football game EVER.

xzmattzx

Oct 9, 2006, 12:17 AM

DALLAS SUCKS!!!

How bout them Birds?http://209.85.12.232/5359/75/emo/muscle.gif

Swinefeld

Oct 9, 2006, 12:21 AM

That was quite a game. Big win for the birds.

Thanks, Lito, for saving the game at the end.

:cheers:

PhillyRising

Oct 9, 2006, 4:36 AM

DALLAS SUCKS!!!

How bout them Birds?http://209.85.12.232/5359/75/emo/muscle.gif

I went from wanting the throw the remote through the window when Lewis got called for the pass interference to help setup the Crackboys to tie the game to jumping up and down on the couch like Tom Cruise on Oprah as Lito sealed the win. I can't handled such a swing in emotions.

I'm just glad that selfish prick didn't get what he wanted......a grand day for Philadelphia indeed!

PhillyRising

Oct 9, 2006, 4:37 AM

That was quite a game. Big win for the birds.

Thanks, Lito, for saving the game at the end.

:cheers:

Lito...whoaa-oohh-ohh-ooh...one for the money.....two for the show....

I love that Boz Scaggs song!

sciguy0504

Oct 9, 2006, 5:31 PM

xzmattzx

Oct 10, 2006, 3:52 PM

phillyskyline

Oct 10, 2006, 7:33 PM

hahaha.... Crackboys, i like that better than Cowgirls.

PhillyRising

Oct 11, 2006, 2:35 AM

hahaha.... Crackboys, i like that better than Cowgirls.

They have historically been "Columbia's Team" as well......leading the league in cocaine arrests and rehabs over the years......

PhillyRising

Oct 11, 2006, 2:37 AM

If Bledsoe wasn't an jackel and didn't make so many mistakes, we would have been looking at a very different game. By the way, I think the Eagles are the only team in the NFL that feels the need to dance and act obnoxious after every play. They should start being called on it since there is a rule against such immature behavior. I shouldn't be surprised, though. Like players like fans.

Still, the Eagles won. Good job.

yeah...well...if McNabb hadn't thrown a late game INT last season when the two teams met in Philly...we would have won that game.

Woulda...coulda...shoulda....DIDN'T!

Crackboy fans are the biggest whiners.....like their team should never have lost. They have't won a playoff game in a decade...the glory days are long gone and now their fans are like guys who are losing their hair and do the combover.....

xzmattzx

Oct 11, 2006, 2:46 AM

hahaha.... Crackboys, i like that better than Cowgirls.

I prefer to call them BrokebackBoys.

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/6580/howboutthemcowboyskl5.jpg

brenster

Oct 19, 2006, 11:22 PM

Can anyone recommend a good lunch spot on saturdays downtown? I wanted to spend the afternoon with my wife.. so I was thinking somewhere nice (since i am going to be dragging her around to all the contruction sites first!) thanks for any help ahead of time.

xzmattzx

Oct 20, 2006, 7:55 PM

I leave for Tampa tomorrow. Look for me on TV on Sunday. Go Birds. http://209.85.12.232/5359/75/emo/Eagle_smiley.jpg

volguus zildrohar

Oct 20, 2006, 8:38 PM

One of my bosses and coworkers went down this morning. I hate all of you.

Make sure Tampa feels the love too!:)

EastSideHBG

Oct 21, 2006, 2:58 AM

Whoa, two of my coworkers went down too!!! If I would've actually paid attention for once, I could've went down also and had a place to stay for free, as my best friend moved down there a few years ago. :brickwall:

EastSideHBG

Oct 21, 2006, 4:59 PM

Feds lose fencing match over Independence Mall

Park Service bows to pressure on proposed barrier

By DAN GERINGER
geringd@phillynews.com 215-854-5961

To the delight of activist Ann Meredith, who led the fight to free Independence Mall from proposed six-foot security fencing, National Park Service Director Mary Bomar announced yesterday that the national shrine would remain fenceless.

Bookended by smiling U.S. senators Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum, both R-Pa., Bomar said the Park Service had decided to "eliminate" the proposed fence and to remove the bicycle barriers outside the Liberty Bell Center.

"This is a great day for freedom," Specter said, adding, "Today, we have told the would-be terrorists, we're not going to pay any attention to them" when it comes to limiting public access to Independence Mall.

"There oughtn't to be a fence," Specter said. "People ought to have access."

He called the Park Service decision a "great illustration of how citizen involvement" can affect public policy.

Afterwards, Meredith, the citizen who fought long and hard to convince the National Park Service not to surround Independence Mall with detention-camp style fencing, hugged Bomar, who was the Independence National Historical Park's superintendent before her recent promotion to National Park Service director.

"This is a great leap in the right direction," Meredith said. "We heard all the right things today. Senator Specter said there will be no fence. This is a great day for the people."

Dennis Reidenbach, the park's newly appointed superintendent, said that instead of fencing, the park would propose to do "more things with human resources" to secure it from potential threats.

He declined to talk specifics, saying only, "The park already has many things in place that you don't see."

"We are very excited," Mere-dith said, "and, at the same time, will wait and see what the next proposal brings. I hope Senator Specter's promise of 'no fence' does become a reality."

Meredith also praised Bomar's announcement that visitor screening will be moved from Old City Hall to the east wing of Independence Hall, allowing for the restoration of the nation's first Supreme Court Chamber in Old City Hall.

"Not turning the nation's first Supreme Court into a screening facility is a great victory for the people," Meredith said.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/15816142.htm

EastSideHBG

Oct 22, 2006, 9:27 PM

Ouch, what a loss, Iggles...

:no:

volguus zildrohar

Oct 22, 2006, 10:00 PM

PhillyRising

Oct 23, 2006, 12:21 PM

That final field goal was the kind of thing that only happens to the Eagles...and the Giants in conference championships:)

Two weeks, two killer field goals. I was right to be nervous after we scored with 33 seconds left. I'm serious....if these guys don't get on board with time management and better play-calling I'm going to send some large black men for Andy Reid myself.

I doesn't help that Donovan threw two balls right to Ronda Barber of the Barber sisters.

The Suckaneers didn't beat the Eagles...the Eagles once again beat themselves. Because of their stupidity...they are 4-3 instead of 7-0.

Wheelingman04

Oct 24, 2006, 3:08 PM

On the waterfront
N.Y. has turned things around. Lesson for Phila.: It takes time.
By Miriam Hill
Inquirer Staff Writer

NEW YORK - On a recent evening, New Yorkers let go. They saluted the setting sun, savored dinner with wine, whizzed by on their bikes, cast fishing lines, and strolled grassy boardwalks - all on the banks of the Hudson River.

Just a few years ago, much of this land lay abandoned, a reliquary of the city's long-gone industrial era, its once-bustling ports and railroad lines supplanted by cheap parking spaces and squatters' shanties.

But thanks to roughly three decades of civic planning and ardent battle, New York has reclaimed huge portions of both its riverfronts with a new 32-mile path around Manhattan, 20 of them on the water. Planners continue to add playgrounds, landscaping and cherry trees.

And the new path is just the opening act.

New York's waterfront regularly serves up basketball, music, movies, trapeze lessons, ice-skating, golfing and dining. Water taxis ferry people to New Jersey, Brooklyn and Queens, where they can gaze back at the dreamy Manhattan views.

As Philadelphia ponders the future of both the Delaware and Schuylkill riverfronts, New York's metamorphosis sheds light on what is possible. Mayor Street this month signed an executive order to create a master plan, including the possibility of a casino, for the Delaware from Oregon Avenue to Allegheny, and planners are hoping to add new parks, housing and boat rides on the Schuylkill.

Long-term planning was the key to New York's progress. The overhaul began with Battery Park City, the 90-acre river community of apartments, offices and parks, a project that itself took 25 years. Once that was largely completed in the late 1980s, city and state officials turned north, to connect Battery Park with Riverside Park. That historic four-mile sliver of green was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of Central Park and godfather of a generation of landscape architects and urban planners.

Then the city's leaders waged war. Residents fought legendary battles about whether to bury the West Side Highway (they didn't) and what to do with homeless people living along the river (they kicked them out).

They even forced Donald Trump to pay for part of the new parkland.

The battles were epic and nasty. (At one point, Trump called one of his opponents a "fat slob.") But with commitment and cash, officials and public advocates finished the job.

Getting citizens involved

In 1998, the state passed the Hudson River Park Act, conserving the five miles from Battery Place to West 59th Street. The act forbids hotels, warehouses and gambling on the river, among other things. The city and state together contributed about $360 million over 10 years to the overhaul.

"The government is paying for the capital costs of this park. That used to be the norm, but in the past 25 years it has become unusual," Albert Butzel said. As president of Friends of Hudson River Park, and a veteran of decades of planning, Butzel raised much of the money.

Government spending on parks boosts the value of adjacent properties and attracts new development, he said. One sparkling bit of evidence: Near the park rise three new minimalist glass apartment towers by Richard Meier that are home to stars such as Nicole Kidman, Calvin Klein, and celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

Private donations and volunteer work also underpin the waterfront revival. The Riverside Park Fund, a nonprofit, raises about $2 million yearly. Volunteers last year logged 39,000 hours in support.

"One of the ways to take back the park was to get citizens involved," fund president James Dowell said, "and from there it just grew."

Revenue from vendors also helps. Once construction of Hudson River Park is completed in the next several years, such revenue is supposed to pay for an estimated $15 million in yearly maintenance and operation costs.

Transformed

Some of that money already comes from commercial ventures such as Chelsea Piers, the 150,000-square-foot cargo piers now transformed into a sports club with two skating rinks, a rock wall, a swimming pool, a spa, a bowling alley, a driving range, exercise machines, and banquet space. And because Law & Order is filmed here, you might see a celebrity for your $155 monthly dues.

Food concessions and other businesses provide more revenue, but Butzel said he was not sure the park would ever sustain itself as planned, so organizers may have to find new sources of cash, such as city funds, private donations, or a park improvement district that levies fees on nearby property owners.

At 59th Street, Hudson River Park gives way to Riverside South, a new 23-acre park that ends at 72d Street.

When Trump first bought this land from a failed railroad company in 1984, he proposed building "Television City," which would have included the world's tallest building, offices for broadcast companies, a mall, and several apartment complexes. He had to settle for much less. Officials and neighborhood activists let him build only seven high-rise apartment buildings. In return, he had to pay for construction and operational costs of a new 22-acre riverfront park.

In Waterfront: A Journey Around Manhattan, author Phillip Lopate calls the Trump buildings "looming, unavoidable, mediocre" - and they are.

Many New Yorkers just don't look. They turn their backs and meander over Riverside South's boardwalks, dine al fresco, and run, bike or Rollerblade.

The park's centerpiece is Pier I, a new 715-foot undulating recreational pier where people relax, fish, and catch free weekly movies in warm weather.

But for many New Yorkers, daily access to green space with waterfront views is the primary draw.

"Look at it: I think everybody's out," said Susan Schwartz, gesturing to crowds gathered to watch Showboat on a giant inflatable screen. She was enjoying the setting sun with her 11-year-old nephew, Josh Levy, who was casting a fishing line off Pier I.

Jackie Garzone, a Port Richmond native and University of Pennsylvania graduate who lives in Manhattan, walks her dog, Sydney, in the park almost every day.

"This is great down here," she said, glancing at a free yoga class breathing from the diaphragm. She said that Philadelphia had Fairmount Park, but she found the Delaware unappealing or inaccessible.

New Yorkers must cross the busy West Side Highway to get to the Hudson, and FDR Drive to get to the East River, but frequent crosswalks (usually, every two blocks) and stoplights put pedestrians on more equal footing with cars.

Initially, the path consisted mostly of a series of lanes for bikers, runners and others, but the dream grew from there.

"One of the absolutely critical things that happened was that we developed a temporary walkway, made it a place where people could walk and run safely, and that started to change everyone's attitude about crossing the highway," Butzel said.

Park benches and tables serve as natural gathering spots. At 79th Street, the Riverside Park Fund has resurrected a 1930s-era rotunda as an outdoor cafe, with affordable food and tables shaded by umbrellas. From there, the path travels north through Harlem and Inwood, curves around the northern tip of Manhattan and then follows the East River.

Of course, this is a city of eight million people, so on some portions of the path, getting trampled is a distinct possibility. At 30th Street, a heliport on the Hudson can make runners feel as if they are starring in a M*A*S*H episode. The greenway also includes trash-strewn patches, some so narrow that bikers must dismount and walk.

But for most of its 32 miles, the greenway offers lush, verdant views, uninterrupted by car traffic and, in some spots, even by other bikers and pedestrians.

Centuries ago, New Yorkers shunned their waterfronts as mangy, buggy, unhealthy places, but now they can't seem to live without them.

Joshua Laird, who oversees planning for the New York Parks Department, said that at government and neighborhood meetings, access to the rivers was a constant topic.

"We've really reached some sort of tipping point," he said, "where public access to the waterways is demanded."

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Contact staff writer Miriam Hill at 215-854-5520 or hillmb@phillynews.com.

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© 2006 Philadelphia Inquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.philly.com

Palms

Oct 29, 2006, 1:50 PM

Who's buying in Phila.?

Ex-renters. Young singles. Empty- nesters. All after a piece of the city.

By Alan J. Heavens
Inquirer Real Estate Writer

A couple of weekends ago, some friends visited Garrett and Judy Smith at their Society Hill townhouse. One, a native Philadelphian who left the city 15 years ago, couldn't stop talking about how much Center City had changed.

"By the end of the weekend, he was talking seriously about moving back," said Garrett Smith, who moved here from Massachusetts in January.

"We weren't city dwellers before," Smith said. "But when my job moved me here, and after I had rented on Washington Square for a few months, we didn't even give the suburbs a look when we went to buy."

The Smiths are just two of the newcomers who have found their way to Center City since 1997, the year City Council approved the first 10-year tax abatement for residential development.

A population estimated at 88,000 at the end of 2005 - living in the country's third-largest downtown after New York and Chicago - occupies 66,000 housing units. More than 11,000 units, mostly condos, have been added since 1998, with more than 3,000 expected to be completed by year's end, according to Paul Levy, executive director of the Center City District.

Buyers are being attracted to both Center City and the neighborhoods abutting the traditional boundary lines of Vine Street and Washington Avenue. Some are young, single professionals; a growing number are empty-nesters.

Renters are jumping through financial hoops to buy in town, willing to spend $200,000 for a 450-square-foot studio in the right location. Out-of-towners don't give a thought to relocating to the suburbs. Older suburbanites readily give up their lawns for a view of one of Center City's parks.

"The only thing I do miss about the suburbs is charcoal," said Jill Colton, who shares a condo with her lawyer husband, Neil, in the Lippincott on Washington Square.

But, she added quickly, "I'll survive." They dine out so regularly that they could easily find a restaurant that cooks with charcoal.

"This place is like Paris," said Colton, a retired executive in the development and travel industries. "In the last few years, just about every restaurant has added tables on the sidewalk."

Indeed, in the last two years, the number of sidewalk cafes has increased by 12 percent, to 187, according to the Center City District.

The Coltons' Center City experience is a romantic one. They met after losing their spouses, and for a time shared an 800-square-foot apartment at the Barclay while maintaining separate homes in the suburbs.

"Every Saturday, we made runs to the suburbs for clothes because we didn't have closet space for two," Colton said. She was renting the apartment before they met so she didn't have to commute from her Center City job to Chester County every day.

Now, "we walk everywhere and any time of day or night," said Colton. Neil walks back and forth to his office at 19th and Market Streets every day. (Thirty-seven percent of Center City residents do the same.)

Smith compares living in Society Hill to the village life of Wilbraham, Mass., with theater, history and nightlife thrown in.

"When we moved in around Memorial Day, neighbors knocked at the door to welcome us," something unexpected in the supposedly impersonal city, Smith recalled. "But when we go away, people water our flowers, and we do the same for them. These are lasting relationships we are developing."

The Smiths, who have two children in college, and the Coltons are in the 55-plus category of Center City buyers.

But Christian Deussing, who's about half their age, can't wait to move there, too.

More than four years ago, Deussing, now 29, bought a rowhouse in Manayunk, a major destination for young people.

Too young.

"College kids," said Deussing, a Cheltenham native who spends more time with his late-20 and 30-something friends at Center City hangouts than in Manayunk these days.

Deussing has a reservation on a condo at SouthBridge, the Robert Venturi-designed project on the Center City side of the South Street Bridge.

"I want to be living with people my own age, down by the river and along that ever-expanding bike trail that runs along the Schuylkill," he said.

It means trading a three-story rowhouse for a 1,000-square-foot condo, but the price was right and Deussing is considering keeping the Manayunk house as an investment property, if he can swing it.

Deussing went for rehabbed space. The Smiths chose a townhouse built in 1802. The Coltons bought "raw space" at the Lippincott and, while "keeping the brick walls, ceilings and beams," made that space their own, Jill said.

Herbert Kean wanted new and smaller, because he was downsizing from an apartment in Independence Place that he's lived in since 1991.

The retired Jefferson Medical Center surgeon put a binder on a two-bedroom condo at the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton at 15th and Market Streets, which will be completed in 21/2 years.

"I'm not in a hurry," said Kean, 70, who owns a house in Key Biscayne, Fla., he bought three years ago "to enjoy the sun and the ocean breeze."

He didn't spend time searching for new living space.

"I needed smaller, but I also needed something in the right location, with what I consider the gracious style of living I'm used to. Remember, too, that I have a complete residence in Florida," and that will hold anything that survives downsizing.

Like Kean, many Center City renters want to buy there.

Anne H. Dormeier, a single professional in her late 20s, became a condo owner earlier this year when the lease on her apartment expired. She found a unit that needed work, but at just the right price.

"I'm putting in some 'sweat equity,' which has enabled me to get more square footage than I would have been able to afford had the unit been totally rehabbed when I bought it," she said.

Dormeier, a Gladwyne native, finds going home to visit friends easy, but suburban life wasn't an option for her. "It is just a great place to live without being completely overwhelming, like some other cities."

That's a sentiment Bob and Carolyn Aberbach share.

They bought a townhouse at Liberty Court in Society Hill after moving here from Fairfax County, Va., a Washington, D.C., suburb, "because we wanted to live in a city," said Bob Aberbach, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native who has been retired for the last four years.

Basically, they shopped for cities as well as houses, looking at Washington, Baltimore and elsewhere along the East Coast before settling on Philadelphia. Then they spent six to seven months looking for houses before putting a binder on Liberty Walk in 2004 and moving in on its completion in 2005.

"We sold the house in Virginia before our place here was finished, but we have a condo at the Shore where we stayed in between and put our furniture in storage," said Aberbach, who was stationed at the Navy Yard when he was in the service.

There are other Philadelphia ties. Carolyn graduated from Rosemont College, and one daughter and son-in-law met when they went to Villanova. Another daughter lives outside Baltimore, so "the location here is perfect."

"Philadelphia has an old, established feel," Bob Aberbach said. "I don't think there's a city in the country that can match it."

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Contact real estate writer Alan J. Heavens at 215-854-2472 or aheavens@phillynews.com.