Thanks a bunch.

EC generally answered that question, but he left out some relevant details:

Of the three rapid transit subways built before World War I (Boston and New York, in that order, being the other two), Philadelphia's was unique in being built and paid for entirely by the holder of the operating franchise -- the chronically undercapitalized Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company.

Working with the City Councils' (prior to 1951, Philadelphia had a bicameral municipal legislature) requirement that the new Market Street elevated line run underground between the rivers, the PRTCo had originally designed a four-track subway tunnel running the length of Market Street in Center City. The outer tracks -- the streetcar subway -- were to have functioned as "local" service, and the inner tracks for the El were "express" tracks. Provision was made for possible conversion of the outer tracks to heavy rapid transit at some future date (note the absence of support columns between the El and trolley tracks just west of 19th Street station; this is a provision for a scissors crossover). Had the tunnel been built as proposed, the local stops east of City Hall would have been trolley stops only too, with an "express" station at 8th Street and another at the east end of the tunnel at 2d.

But the four-track tunnel proved costlier than the PRTCo could afford, so as work progressed east from the Schuylkill in 1905-06, the PRT decided to terminate the outer tracks in a loop around City Hall and under the El tracks on its east side. (The El also originally ran around City Hall; the tunnel that follows the alignment of Market Street right through it and its courtyard was built in 1915 along with the eventual City Hall station of the Broad Street Subway.) The tunnel east from City Hall then became local, with the same closely spaced stops the trolleys make west of it.



The slovenliness of the natives appalls me too. But I am fond of saying a variant of the famous marketing slogan EC gave you:

"This city is a helluva lot nicer than the natives crack it down to be." I think one reason they think so badly of it is that they don't travel beyond it enough.

You would no doubt appreciate Robert Downey Sr.'s (yes, that Robert Downey's father) love letter to the park, the 2005 documentary film Rittenhouse Square.

"They do it just a little bit better." (Change the pronoun from the third to the first person and you have the company's ad jingle and slogan when I moved here in 1983.)

If the information I got from that cashier is correct, there will still be at least one Wawa in Center City -- Jefferson students and residents of the northeast part of Wash West will be lucky. However, I also have heard nothing about the 11th and Arch store closing, but note that its interior has not been updated to the current corporate standard while 912-16 Walnut has. I do consider that a relevant indicator of each store's fate.

Don't get me started, Karen: Last night after rehearsal, I noted that Boston's Gay Pride parade is much, much larger than Philadelphia's anemic affair (though part of the reason for that lies with the local parade's [dis]organizers, who seem to reserve most of their efforts for the festival that ends it) and that the Boston Gay Men's Chorus was as large when I sang with it in its debut concert in 1982 as the Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus was when I finally joined it at the start of its 25th season in 2005.

I think that the character of Philadelphian insularity -- which is a different creature from Boston's -- has something to do with this, and I always recommend that newcomers to this city read E. Digby Baltzell's classic study Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia for a window into the souls of both cities via their upper crusts -- who did shape each city's culture and politics, for better and for worse.

If this is any comfort, the City of Philadelphia recently dropped the longstanding requirement that anyone seeking employment with the city reside in it for one year before they can be hired. That has now changed to a requirement to move into the city within six months of hire. I suspect that the city bureaucrats doing the hiring will probably still cast a cold eye on your address now, but at least you can get your foot in the door.

Good luck, and welcome to Philadelphia!

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Sandy Smith, Exile on Market Street, Philadelphia
"Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising." --Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Lots of nice parks here, but just know that Wissahickon is the jewel of the city. West Park near the Tea House is nice too, as is Kelly Drive.

I've lived here all my life and never once have felt that we are in the "shadow" of New York. If you spend your time here you would never even know that NYC existed. I would bet that almost half of native Philadelphians have never been there.*


*or anywhere else, for that matter.


Love, the happily miserable Philadelphian

p.s. yes, this city is dirty and we need at least $.05 deposit on plastic bottles.

Nice post MarketStEl !!

Thanks.

I've actually been up your way too: kinda-sorta-partner's mother lived in an apartment complex on Rowland Avenue just above Lincoln High for a few years before decamping for Haddonfield, NJ with her daughter and daughter's hubby, who lived in Northwood, where she used to live.

The Grey Lodge rules! (But that's technically not in Mayfair.)

I regard the whole city as my own, even the parts I don't venture into that often. All of us should too.

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Sandy Smith, Exile on Market Street, Philadelphia
"Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising." --Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Glad to hear you liked UC

Been to Austin 2 or 3 times to visit and it's an awesome city. It lacks Philly's walkability and architecture, but it's got a really cool vibe. The rolling hills to the north are also really beautiful. Wouldn't mind living there if I ever find myself back in the south.

Couldn't agree more. 22nd St's a commercial corridor somewhere in North Philly, IIRC, so that would probably be better than 21st.


The area around the 46th St el station is run down because somebody decided to build a bunch of projects there.

As far as no stops in CC, West of City Hall, it was a giant rail yard when the El was first built, so there was no reason to put any stations there. I imagine none have been added for the same reason we don't have South, 5th and 22nd St subways (I.e. politicians and the people who elect them).

Shoulda been here 5 years ago. It's amazing how much time place has changed since I got here.

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Your representatives on Philadelphia's City Council are at odds with our new mayor over whether many reforms he has proposed should become law. Please write to them and tell them what your priorities are.

Indict State Senator Vince Fumo into The Crooked Pol Hall of Fame.

The high-rise project is located right next to the subway tunnel portal at 44th Street. The Lucien Blackwell Homes, a newer, Nehemiah-style development, is at 46th, just north of the CVS. Across 46th is the former headquarters of the Provident Mutual Insurance Co. (since merged into another company, IIRC), now underused; I believe the local Job Corps center and a handful of other social-service and community-development agencies have offices in it now. The grounds are overgrown.

You all don't want me to trot out the 1913 rapid transit plan here, do you? A subway up the Parkway that would have become an elevated over 29th Street to Ridge, thence over Ridge to Roxborough, was part of it.

See my prior post for the actual story of why there are no El stations between 15th and 30th. However, the rail yard -- actually, the approach to the Pennsylvania Railroad's Broad Street Station (1878?-1952) -- was indeed in this area.

22d Street is a commercial strip from Lehigh Avenue northward. The large church one block east of 22d and Lehigh sits on the site of Connie Mack Stadium, nee Shibe Park (1909-1971), home of the Philadelphia Athletics from 1909 to 1955, when they decamped for Kansas City, then of the Phillies from '55 until Veterans Stadium opened in 1971.

Five years? The transformation is truly astonishing when you look at it from the perspective of 25 years, as I have. Ground had yet to be broken on Liberty Place when I moved here. That was the beginning.

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Sandy Smith, Exile on Market Street, Philadelphia
"Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising." --Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Hiked the I know you want an honest exchange of information

Gutted your post, I see.

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Sandy Smith, Exile on Market Street, Philadelphia
"Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising." --Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

rodo is not representative of the literacy level of Philadelphia.

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Death to the PLCB
http://noplcb.blogspot.com/