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Happy new year.
And I have returned from San Francisco, so much fun can be had in the Philly area now that I have returned.
First, the geek lust:
OH WOW! Let's see, in a week I rode diesel buses, electric buses, cable cars, vintage electric street cars, and subway, all within the city limits. The highlights were, of course, the cable cars and the street cars. The cable cars are an institution and, while not much faster than marching up and down the hills, certainly a lot more fun. The street cars were an unexpected bonus. SF is running classic streetcars along the waterfront and down market street. The cars I rode on were all classic PCCs from the late forties, mostly hailing from Philly. The cars are all painted in the colors used by the cities where these cars were operated. Check out www.streetcar.org for more information on these cars. The buses covered the city well. The electric (overhead wire powered) were much more pleasant to be around than the diesel, though the electric motor was whiny when riding the buses and the acceleration was quite extreme. Still, better than diesel.
Also, browsing for more information on the SF streetcars revealed that SEPTA is going to be putting PCCs back into service along Girard starting next year. I vaguely recall streetcar service on Girard from when I lived there as a very young child (moved into the 'burbs right before I started kindergarten - August 12, 1987 - I have no idea why I remember that date).
Anyway, other things we did in the bay area was walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, explore the western part of the city including Japantown, the Cliff House, and the Palace of the Legion of Honor, poke around SFMOMA and the Metreon (very nifty, modern mall), the Musee Mechanique (collection of ancient to modern arcade machines, ranging from player pianos to modern video games, and many things in between), hiking in Muir Woods (old growth forest in Marin Cty), and the Asian Art Museum. Pictures and more details can be furnished upon request.
But it's good to be back, and I'll try and catch up with as many of you as I can in the next few days.
And I have returned from San Francisco, so much fun can be had in the Philly area now that I have returned.
First, the geek lust:
OH WOW! Let's see, in a week I rode diesel buses, electric buses, cable cars, vintage electric street cars, and subway, all within the city limits. The highlights were, of course, the cable cars and the street cars. The cable cars are an institution and, while not much faster than marching up and down the hills, certainly a lot more fun. The street cars were an unexpected bonus. SF is running classic streetcars along the waterfront and down market street. The cars I rode on were all classic PCCs from the late forties, mostly hailing from Philly. The cars are all painted in the colors used by the cities where these cars were operated. Check out www.streetcar.org for more information on these cars. The buses covered the city well. The electric (overhead wire powered) were much more pleasant to be around than the diesel, though the electric motor was whiny when riding the buses and the acceleration was quite extreme. Still, better than diesel.
Also, browsing for more information on the SF streetcars revealed that SEPTA is going to be putting PCCs back into service along Girard starting next year. I vaguely recall streetcar service on Girard from when I lived there as a very young child (moved into the 'burbs right before I started kindergarten - August 12, 1987 - I have no idea why I remember that date).
Anyway, other things we did in the bay area was walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, explore the western part of the city including Japantown, the Cliff House, and the Palace of the Legion of Honor, poke around SFMOMA and the Metreon (very nifty, modern mall), the Musee Mechanique (collection of ancient to modern arcade machines, ranging from player pianos to modern video games, and many things in between), hiking in Muir Woods (old growth forest in Marin Cty), and the Asian Art Museum. Pictures and more details can be furnished upon request.
But it's good to be back, and I'll try and catch up with as many of you as I can in the next few days.
