STL DPB IN THE AIR AGAIN: I SAID I WOULDN'T POST PICTURES OF THE PHILADELPHIA AIRPORT BUT I LIED

If Kevin McCarthy can get away with it then so can I.

We've been through this airport a few times but I don't know my way around. I'll take a beacon when I see one. On to central Pennsylvania today.                     

Philadelphia Archeology: The Search For Toynbee Tiles

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We spent a couple of hours yesterday hunting for Toynbee tiles. I've rambled on about this obsession before. There were four in St. Louis but two have been paved over. Philadelphia has by far the most and is thought to be the point of origin. They are apparently cut from linoleum, placed between sheets of tar paper and placed on the pavement at the beginning of hot summer days. The traffic presses them down into the warm asphalt and wears away the tar paper.

There are variations on the tile technique in Philly. We saw several of what the locals call Stickman. The bottom tile is in German. It translates as "I'm sorry" in English.

Train to New York this afternoon.  

So Little Time To Shoot

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Damn. I actually had to sort  of work all day yesterday. Meetings, meetings, meetings, and then a company I buy advertising services from insisted on taking us out to dinner at a swanky restaurant in the Ritz Carlton. (Instead of calling us a cab, they insisted on sending us back to our plebeian hotel in the house BMW. Fer free.) Almost no spare time so I went back to Reading Terminal Market in the late afternoon. These pix give you a better flavor of what's going on. The gentleman in the second pic made my lunch. He did a very good job.

I think I'm going to blow off the conference this morning. Mrs. C and I are going out hunting for Toynbee Tiles! Philly has far more than any other city and they are thought to have originated here. There are some in St. Louis.

 

Philly Cuisine

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I was in meetings all day long yesterday and out to dinner with colleagues last night. Just had time to sneak in some shots at the city's Reading Terminal Market as it was closing for the day.

One of the highlights of local cuisine is the cheesesteak sandwich. Check the link for a description. Mmm, way-overcooked beef, onions and Cheez Whiz on a long roll. Not endorsed by the American Heart Association.

And so to bed. 8 AM meeting today.

Philly Bingo

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Got to the hotel about 6 PM yesterday, had something to eat and hit the street with my camera. Just to the west of city hall is a big municipal services building with an odd sculpture plaza. It contains bingo tokens, chess and Parcheesi pieces as well as dominoes. A plaque nearby says the title is "Your Move."

At the sidewalk entrance to the plaza is a statue of the famous - or infamous - Frank Rizzo, mayor of Philadelphia during the 70s.  Rizzo is remembered for saying “The streets are safe in Philadelphia, it's only the people who make them unsafe.”

The price of a glass of wine in the hotel is exorbitant so I stopped in a store to buy a bottle for the room. The cashier asked what I was doing with the big camera around my neck so I explained. After I said something about St. Louis he remarked in a bitter way that "Philadelphia is a mean and beastly place." I asked him what he meant. He replied that "it's hard to make a buck here," that the taxes and city fees were high and the opportunities limited. Okay. I've enjoyed visiting this city in the past. Maybe I should look more carefully.

So welcome to the so-called City Of Brotherly Love. That's a lot of hooey. Philadelphia sports fans are renowned for booing the other team, as well as their own players if they don't meet expectations. On the way in from the airport I saw a billboard that said "Boo Anyone You Want To." The sign was apparently promoting part of the U. S. Constitution.