It's hard to believe that it's only been 12-years since the tire-fire of 1996, and the subsequent closing of I-95 for the emergency reconstruction of a not-insignificant portion. It's even more incredible to realize that the stretch that runs through Center City (and the bane of most of Center City's development worries) has only been less than 3-decades. Furthermore, the whole system wasn't effectively started until 1965, and wasn't completed until the very end of 1985 (with the completion of construction of the airport segment), costing half a billion ($500m) dollars.

Photo from Flickr user kgradinger with Creative Commons license.

Since it's quite likely you may not be making it to work (or home), and you want to get your road-on, try Wikipedia, the Philadelphia Inquirer's map suggesting alternate routes, and PhillyRoads.

With memories of the Minnesota I-35W collapse fresh in our memories, and reports of a crumbling national infrastructure, it's not a bad idea to consider the condition of the roadway (either national, state-owned, or local) passing beneath your bottom, lest you 'kiss your ass goodbye'.

Update: Philly.com has an archived interactive map displaying regional bridges and their ratings. Alas, the newspaper archives require registration.

On the weekend of October 14th and 15th, local artists in our neighborhood will open their studios up to the public for the annual Philadelphia Open Studio Tour (POST). POST is a program of The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, a nonprofit dedicated to making arts careers viable. More than 230 professional visual artists will be opening their studios during this two week citywide event.
In collaboration with POST, New Kensington CDC will provide a shuttle for those needing transportation to and from each studio in the Fishtown/Kensington area. The shuttle loop begins both Saturday and Sunday at 12 noon infront of Johnny Brenda’s (Frankford and Girard), and will make its way around the neighborhood, stopping at each studio along the way. The shuttle will loop every half hour and run until 6 p.m. A $5 donation grants each rider an all-day pass.
Coral Street Arts House is taking special advantage of this event by hosting a collective exhibit of fifteen area artists. The event, called “Attraction,” will showcase local artists exhibiting, selling, and performing their work at the Arts House. Two musical guests, Christine D. Baran and the Neil Podgurski Trio, will be performing on both days. The Arts House is located at Coral & Hagert, and the festivities will take place all-day Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon until 6 p.m.
Come out and join POST and New Kensington CDC in supporting local artists!

I sent this complaint to SEPTA last week and I've yet to get a response. After reading something like this, you'd think they'd at least take a minute to send me a form letter apologizing for my inconvenience etc., but I don't even get that. The deafening silence coming from SEPTA speaks volumes.

(Before I’m accused of being overly negative, I’d like to say that my beef is with the small number of drivers with attitude, not the majority who have to put up with all kinds of crap I’d never have the patience to deal with.)

To whom it may concern--

Greetings folks.

I felt like the time was right for a new venue for my opinions and being new to Philly I thought this was a good time and place.

As I don't have an abundance of time today, I would like to invite any interested parties to visit my two other blogs, wherein you will find an interesting story about George Bush and his plans to fight aliens from the moon at Let's Talk About Democracy and a story about Ahmad Chalabi becoming oil minister, again, in Iraq at Non Sum Dignus.