STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA

After I'd ascertained that Paul Krugman was in decent health, and after lunch at the Reading Terminal Market — where I saw real Amish, but for a moment thought they were in costumes — and after another panel discussion at the Courtyard Marriott, I had about an hour to wander the location of the Springsteen song mentioned above.


There's Will Penn, standing atop the Philadelphia City Hall. If there's a Robert Sylvania, maybe his statue is in Pittsburgh.


Looking East down Market Street. Or maybe it's Filbert. But I'm 100% on the East part.


A block past Maple? That's John F. Kennedy Drive... the Boulevard is right here.


So, here commences my march Northwest up Benjamin Franklin Parkway, through a section of town known as Fairmount Park, toward the Museum of Art. The museum, which you can already see in the background, is best known for its cameo role in the original "Rocky." This is in the multi-level JFK Plaza (hmm, doesn't Philly have any hometown heroes?).


Looking back Southeast from the plaza.


An even bigger fountain, in Logan Square.


An even closer picture of Rocky Balboa's exercise equipment, taken while standing in traffic.


Oooooh... Segways! They may not have revolutionized the world, but they do seem to have revolutionized the sightseeing tour industry.


Most scenic city centers have rather less-scenic parking lots — the Mall in Washington is one exception — but does it have to be right across the street?


How about that building? This isn't the best angle, but you'd need a degree in trigonometry to figure out the shape. It's as if the architect was going for a Frank Gehry look using only straight lines.


The skyline looks a bit different than it did in the movie. And, yes, I jogged up. A little hard with a laptop bag slung over my shoulder, but I managed. Moments after taking this shot, I dashed back down the steps, hailed a cab, and made it back to the Amtrak station with about 10 minutes to spare.


And here's a cove at the northern end of the Chesapeake, not far outside Baltimore. I hope you enjoyed the journey as much as I did.

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posted by WWB at 5:15 PM |