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15 April 07: Behold the mighty Schuylkill
QUACK. Between the above and the below, the Schuylkill definitely seems a little mightier raging under a duck friendly Walnut Street than it does at the lean & green Arch Street
grassy knoll. It's no Hurricane Tropical Storm Jeanne but the Schuylkill was definitely over the banks at the Banks on Sunday evening. This
double shot o' Philly Skyline Philly Skyline is click-n-enlargeable.
* * *
Also on Sunday and with exactly one month until the primary election, Le Château de Poop played host to the 39th(!) and latest
mayoral forum, It's About the Arts! Chaka
Fattah, Tom Knox and Michael Nutter (and Al Taubenberger, who was granted a few minutes to say hi and give his take on arts and culture but did not participate in the forum) --
but neither Bob Brady nor Dwight Evans -- showed up to field questions about the arts and culture in Philadelphia. There weren't any particularly shocking revelations, especially in
light of the Daily News' Stop Dodging the Arts editorial (which struck a nerve with City Commerce Director Stephanie Naidoff),
but . . .
Nutter, Fattah and Knox all seemed to support the idea to reinstate the office of arts and culture, which Mayor Street cut, as well as
continue to share services with institutions like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Franklin Institute. The three agreed in so many words that after school arts programs NEED
expansion and involvement, but Nutter suggested that the curriculum itself needs more art based courses, citing his own daughter. Think about it: in a city where the high school
graduation rate is a dreadful 55%, if you're in 10th grade and have already considered dropping out of school because it's a drag, would you rather write a ten page paper on Beowulf
or sketch a scene from your own head if it meant sticking it out in school?
When asked what cities Philadelphia could learn from based on their treatment of the arts, Knox put forth New York, which drew quite the hohum from the audience. Nutter
mentioned Chicago several times, citing that city's ability to accomplish large and important tasks both within and outside of the arts world. Fattah took it one further and
suggested Paris and Vienna, then cited a cultural consortium put forth by London Mayor Ron Livingstone.
Chaka Fattah stressed the importance of bringing the region together since Philadelphia is at the center of the region's arts scene and said that he would convene a commission of the
five counties on the PA side, with its members appointed by the arts community, not by a mayor. He also implied that this would be funded by a new -- or at least shifted -- tax, including
one within each of the four other counties. Hmm.
Michael Nutter specifically addressed the state of libraries in the city and drew up an interesting comparison to illustrate a way to help fund them: the Barnes & Noble model.
Bookstores are not libraries and libraries are certainly not bookstores, but when you live in the highest taxed city in the country and library services are down (in spite of
increased book circulation), something's got to give. Nutter proposed breaking off a small percentage of each branch for a cafe like those you'll find in B&N and Borders. Finding a
partner for this conceivably shouldn't be that hard; you'd think they'd just want to require that the doors be closed, what with it being a quiet library and all. Shhhh.
Tom Knox brought up the one percent for art program and wondered why it couldn't be applied to non-office, non-large projects, especially those which incur the tax abatement.
He's speaking of course about residential developments of a certain size . . . you have X number of condos/apartments/sq ft, you set aside a measly percentage point of construction
costs to make your neighborhood a little better.
All five Dem candidates took part in the first official debate on Friday, moderated by CBS3's Larry Mendte. You can view it in its entirety at cbs3.com.
* * *
Did somebody say TAX DAY? No? Oh. Well, blah blah Ben Franklin blah blah death and taxes. And don't you forget it! Really doe, we hope you got yours done on time. If you need a
post-tax pick-me-up, look no further than DJ Bob Dylan, as his Theme Time Radio Hour tackles that very topic in the latest episode. A charming Czech fellow has all the TTRHs archived
in mp3 format for your XM-approved listening at http://dsp.vscht.cz/pavelka/TTRH/. It's history in the making, so if you haven't been listening, you've got some catching up to do.
[TTRH Wiki.]
* * *
OK OK, enough yapping for one weekend, I'll put a cork in it and get down to Murano and RATR business. If those sections aren't up to date by high noon, you have permission to flick
me in the teeth when we meet again. Also, be on the look out for a Philly Skyline Time Warp to February 2005 in which Steve Ives and myself play cat and mouse through Roxborough and
stick a bunch of pictures in our pockets along the way. It's gonna be a hoot up on the hill.
Be safe out there and remember your galoshes, b'gosh.
Click for yr local forecast.
–B Love
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FRIDAY THE 13TH: Changing Skyline
A big Friday the 13th salutation to my friend Inga Saffron as I steal tip my cap to her with that headline. Though most Philly Skyline readers are already
reading Inga's Changing Skyline Inquirer column, a few recent columns deserved mention on their
own, and today's served as the reminder I needed. Check out her bio-columns on the 2007 Pritzker Prize winner Richard Rogers HERE and her look at how
and why Brandywine Realty upped its image by moving to its own Cira Centre HERE.
I forgot to mention it earlier, but this weekend begins the American Planning Association's 2007 conference -- appropriately enough at that bastion of questionable Philly planning,
the PA Convention Center -- and Inga previews today it with a welcome and some suggestions of things to keep an eye on, like the Convention Center itself and the South Street Bridge.
Read it HERE.
The Planning conference's details and schedule are found HERE, and interestingly, zoning doesn't come across as a
dirty word. Relatedly, Design Philadelphia is running parallel to the conference, with many overlapping events, ideals and ideas. Several architecture firms are hosting open studios,
and a number of exhibitions, lectures and events are scheduled over the next week. Visit Design Philadelphia's web site HERE.
One event that's sure to bridge these symposiums is the second annual Urban Forum presented by the Ed Bacon Foundation. The panel discussion (including
CBS3's Pat Ciarrochi and the Inquirer's Stephan Salisbury) addresses Ed Bacon's legacy (pro AND con, I hope?) and the future of planning in Philadelphia.
The future must be now, considering ballot question #6 in May 15's primary election, asking if you wish to create a Zoning Code Commission. YES YOU DO. Too bad the Bacon event is
scheduled during a Phillies-Mets game (Moyer-Glavine rematch of 40+ men).
Let's make all these people welcome here, Philadelphia. Pull the curtains on the surface parking lots, pull the rug over the potholes, and for god's sake don't kill anyone.
* * *
Back to the changing skyline, then. Earlier this week we compared and contrasted the direct opposite views of the skyline, from South Street Bridge and from Fishtown. Each has its
merits that make it people's favorite view of the skyline. South Street and Fishtown aren't everyone's favorites, though . . . like:
Elliott from Fishtown:
As much as I hate driving on the Schuykill, taking it eastward into the city with boathouse row on your left, coming up over that last hill and seeing the Cira Centre on your right
with the entire city unfolding in front of you is definitely my favorite view.
Sean from Jersey:
The best location for a Philly skyline shot is from the Ben Franklin Bridge as you're crossing into Philly from the lefthand side(southside) sidewalk. That's the exact spot I proposed
to my fiancee, and didn't drop the ring into the water. That spot is a great view.
Peg from G-Ho:
Personally, I think the view from my third floor deck is the best view...since I am on Christian and the deck faces north, and the question is South Street or Fishtown . . . Well,
South Street is a nice close second to my deck view . . .
James from Delco writing from Germany:
My pick is the sports complex, where you get the full span of the skyline, the antique intermarried with modernity.
Tim from Roxborough:
I would have to say my favorite view is going east on the Schuylkill Expressway. Right after you pass the mural on the right hand side by the old bridge, Boat House Row pops up on the
radar and then the view of the skyline changes as you make your way towards 676. I have to say, as traditional a Philly local I am, the new lights on BHR are phenomenal (even though
the original bulbs were what gave BHR its character). It looks awesome at night with the skyline in the background and you also have all of the trees along the river as well as
Fairmount Park.
Steve from Dovate:
A clear view from the Cira Center to the BFB, I love the view from the Walt Whitman.
And then . . .
Rob from Art Museum Area:
I'm not going to say which Skyline is the best but I don't think it can be called an "official philly skyline" if that picture doesn't include William Penn.
Rob makes a good point here, considering Bill Penn's role in the Philly Skyline, both pre- and post-gentleman's agreement. Although it's for that same reason that a lot of Philly
sports fans would choose South Street Bridge as their favorite skyline view, since that cursed thirty-seven foot statue is hidden.
* * *
Mmmmmmm, porterhouse . . .
Philly Skyline Philly Skyline which includes William Penn: the view from Sedgely Porter House. Click to enlarge.
In addition to the Planning Convention and Design Philadelphia this weekend, there is another mayoral forum, this one on the arts and sponsored by the Cultural Alliance and being held
Sunday afternoon at the Academy of Natural Sciences (whose big exhibit right now, you might recall, is The Scoop on Poop --
someone PLEASE ask the candidates if they're staying to see the exhibit, and say "poop" as loud as you can). The forum is free but you gotta register, which you can do HERE.
* * *
Pour out a little liquor for Kurt Vonnegut (who this writer saw lecture in 1995 because it was extra credit for a freshman year
world history course, go figure), go for a ride and soak in those cherry blossoms on Kelly Drive, and go easy on us because we don't have the Murano and Residences at the Ritz
sections up to date . . . it's gonna happen, for reeeeeal! Here's a verbal update: Murano is now visible from South Street Bridge (what's that, four SSB refs today?) and RATR has just
unveiled the largest banner ad (make your own web site joke here) on any building in the city. We'll bring that up again with the next round of RATR updates.
You go ahead and have yourself a nice weekend, ok?
–B Love
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13 April 07: Caution: men at work
Sorry for the slacking, y'all, I had to finish up a conversation with my Congressman before returning to Skyline duties.
A big thanks to everybody who emailed their regards for Rick D this week. Thanks also to everyone who's sent their comments about their favorite skyline view. We're putting some of
those together, and we're also trying to make good on our promise to get our Murano and Residences at the Ritz sections up to date. All this and more is like Septa, we're getting
there.
Speaking of Congressman Chaka Fattah, as the primary election draws closer we'll be elaborating our thoughts on the mayoral candidates and some City Council candidates. For a brief
primer on Fattah, who represents PA's 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses most of the city west of Broad Street (including all of West and Southwest Philly), the
northwestern part of the city (Chestnut Hill to West Oak Lane), Cheltenham Township and the Hidden River River, I'll turn things over to one Stephen Colbert.
–B Love
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12 April 07: How to Say Goodbye, or a Jager for the Road
by Paulie the Suit
1:06am
In nine hours I will be present for the burial of Rick Dobrowolski. Rick D. The man in the black vest.
I found out tonight (courtesy of Dave Lorenz) that his name in Polish means "good will".
How appropriate. He gave me my first bar booking ten years ago, and he and Dave Rogers gave me my first bartending job over five years ago.
And in between he was there for me more times than I can count.
It wasn't always pretty. More often than not, his advice hurt, hit you right to the core, but it was almost always right, and he always meant what he said.
He would hurt you sometimes, his honesty cutting you to the quick, and in a blink of an eye, he would realize that he hurt you and take you aside to apologize and make sure you
understood that he was just exaggerating to make a point. Then, after he calmed you down, he'd sit with his drink and make sure to say, "It's true, though."
When my band stopped playing certain songs, he was livid. "You have three absolute fucking hit songs, and you're too much of a pussy to demand that everyone just shut up and play
them!" He was convinced that one day the Sinners would hit it.
Then, when he first heard Dave's other band, El Dorado, he took me aside and told me, "They're good. If you want to keep Dave in your band you better step it up."
I never did.
He shouldered me through every broken relationship and did his damnedest to make sure I never did anything stupid, even when it meant forcing me to crash at his place.
When Tara came with me to TriTone for Skinny Dave's memorial service just a few weeks ago, he took me aside, hugged me, and said, "It's about time."
Goddammit he cared so much that the only time he ever yelled at me and meant it was when I held my problems from him. "Dammit, Paul, how the hell can I help you if you don't tell me
when something's wrong?"
After Skinny Dave died, another friend, Bruce, died. I talked to Rick about it and told him that our friend Kevin Karg was trying to find out what happened. Rick called Kevin to tell
him personally. Kevin then asked how Rick was doing overall.
"I'd be fine," Rick said, "If only everyone would stop dying."
He had a heart attack less than a month later.
One more person has died, and I'm not going to be okay with it for a very long time.
In my heart, I want to say so much more about this man, but I truly don't know what else to say except that he was so strong for so many people I just can't believe we have to go it
without him now.
In the long run, it makes sense that he had a heart attack. He carried so many people in there for so long, I guess something had to give eventually, and he just never stopped caring
about the rest of us.
We're going to bury Rick in the morning. I can't tell you how much it hurts to say that.
* * *
(thanks Mark)
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11 April 07: Put my thing down flip it and reverse it
After the Dewars calmed us down on that Fishtown rooftop where we enjoyed that panoramic Philly Skyline Philly Skyline yesterday, we drew a straight line directly to our
traditional favorite skyline view at the South Street Bridge, hopped on it and flew straight there, Bugs Bunny style between Mellon Bank Center and One Liberty Place with
the little gremlin on the plane.
Anyhow, the classic South Street view. The ol' postcard shot every stock photography company sells, especially funny when it's the circa-'88 shot with a finished One
Liberty and One Commerce, an under construction IBX and no other trophy towers. Almost as funny as using a picture of Columbus on your city's "Best of 2007"
stickers.
Which view is better? South Street Bridge or Fishtown? SSB's got the daily painting of dusk's saturation, the Schuylkill River and the trees which change with the season,
but it doesn't have City Hall and it leaves the skyline as an emerald city rising out of nature. (Not a bad way to imagine a city where people get shot while attending peace vigils for previous shootings.)
Fishtown, on the other hand, does have City Hall in its vista, it's got the hard, real, built envionment in its fore, and that same sun sets behind the skyline,
leaving it in silhouette . . .
Which is your favorite? South Street Bridge or Fishtown? Got a different fave? Art Museum steps? Belmont Plateau? The sports complex? If this site had a comments
section (and if all goes well, it soon will), this is where you would say so. Till then, if you'd like to drop a line, please do so HERE and
we'll put the best responses up in the next few days. In the meantime, that photo above is today's Philly Skyline Philly Skyline, a view you're used to but one which
you'll be even more used to in the coming days. I think they called that foreshadowing in Mr Merriman's 11th grade english class.
* * *
ALL ABOARD FOR LUBINVILLE
The 2007 Philadelphia Film Festival is in full swing, midstream, and tonight it salutes one of its predecessors. Siegmund Lubin was a North Philly man at the turn of the
20th century who made a name (and fortune he later lost) for himself with cinemas, projectors, and bickering with Thomas Edison. Philly-vs-Jersey, 1897 style, dig it. At 7
this evening, the International House will screen some of the surviving reels, including the oldest known footage of Oliver Hardy and a recreation of the early-on
nickelodeon with live music, narration and sound effects.
Nathaniel Popkin's latest entry on his new web site is a tribute of his own to Lubin, The Wizard of Swampoodle.
Our two latest neighborhood photo tours, appropriately enough, cover neighboring ground in North Philly, and the snowy set actually passes through the land once known as
Swampoodle.
–B Love
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10 April 07: Stuck inside of Fishtown
with the rooftop blues again
Between that disgusting affair at Shea Stadium yesterday afternoon, having to miss the Mayoral Forum at the last minute last night and filing taxes this morning, we're
gonna just have to leave this Tuesday afternoon with a grayscale panoramic Philly Skyline Philly Skyline. Consider it your I Love The Business Privilege Tax edition and
we'll see you on Hump Day. Barkeep, let's make that Dewars a double!
Matt Blanchard has a recap of the forum on Plan Philly, and Albert Yee will have his own up shortly. It'll be the one right after Albert's thoughts on Senator Bob Casey's decision to vote against a bill that
would establish federal money to use already-existing embryos for research that would help save lives of already-existing human beings.
–B Love
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9 April 07: In Bloom
If you're feeling spring, then you must be feeling festive. And if you're feeling festive, then BOY HOWDY you should get yourself to a festiv-al! There are three big'uns
taking shape this week (and this past weekend when I forgot to mention it) . . .
PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL: Thom Cardwell and the gang have rolled out the red carpet on their 16th annual celebration of the big
screen. Dozens of films (many from local filmmakers) have taken over the Ritzes, the Bridge, the I-House, the Prince and more.
Among the features are some old Disney flicks including Fantasia, and Little Rascals silent shorts. Ciudad En Celo (City In Heat) "typifies the daily rhythms of life in a large city," Buenos Aires. The
Curse of William Penn hasn't gotten very good reviews, and its studio dares to phhh -- Phrustrated Phan Films (why not Philms if you're going that far?) -- but it's
still something any, erm, frustrated fan of any of the city's pro sports teams (or horses) should see. See it now before the Phillies win the World Series, ha ha ha ha!
One of the highly recommended films is Kurt Cobain About A Son, a reflection on Cobain's life through his own spoken words (taken from interviews and
recordings) and featuring no Nirvana music. More on this cheery fellow in a minute.
[Philadelphia Film Festival.]
CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL: Today marks the tenth anniversary of the Cherry Blossom Festival of Philadelphia. While DC may grab all the
attention of casual tree huggers on this side of the Pacific, any Philadelphian enjoying the outdoors could probably point out his/her favorite local cherry blossom vista,
be it Kelly Drive or Aviator Park or the corridor between the Horticultural Center and the Abstinence Circle. This year's festival has the goal of planting 1000 new cherry
trees in Fairmount Park, and the Saké Festival (Wednesday evening at the Loews) is always a heavy hitter.
Even if you can't make either of these events, make time to go for a run or a ride (or a drive if you're really lazy) out Kelly Drive to enjoy the cherry blossoms.
CHERRY BLOSSOM GIRL, I'LL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR YOU. THAT MEANS NO TIME TO WASTE WHENEVER THERE'S A
CHANCE. CHERRY BLOSSOM GIRL.
[Cherry Blossom Festival of Philadelphia.]
POPPED! It's been what, a few days?, since we last mentioned Johnny Brenda's, so here we here we here we go. The first ever POPPED!
(all caps and with exclamation) Philly Music Festival officially kicks off tonight at JB's with The Cobbs and Asteroid #4. POPPED! is a truly city wide festival, with
venues ranging from JB's in Fishtown to Mill Creek Tavern in West Philly to the Parlor at Broad & Federal in South Philly. Nouveau Riche, Birds of Maya, Hail Social, the
Yah Mos Def, Bardo Pond and, you betcha, Dr Dog are all in the lineup. You've got a million places and a million bands to choose from -- go support your local rockin'
rollers.
[POPPED!] [POPPED! Posters @ In
Liquid.]
* * *
We interrupt this calendar of events to bring you this Philly Skyline Philly Skyline, Mercedes Benz edition. This was last night at sundown looking east on Arch Street, a
preview of future sunsets reflected off of Comcast Center. Speaking of, 14 new CC pics are up o'er here.
We interrupt this Philly Skyline Philly Skyline to migrate, to evolve, to segue, to mooooooooooooove . . . into your Monday Morning Looking Up.
- KICK 'EM WHEN THEY'RE UP, KICK 'EM WHEN THEY'RE DOWN: I'd like to thank my man Pat the Bat for that reference. Our fair(weather)
city's boobirds' favorite whipping boy can't exactly boo back (although he can flip the
bird on live TV), so he's taken his message to the PA system with that ever-annoying but oh-so-funny Don Henley FU, "Dirty Laundry." And good for Pat, I say.
One week
into the season in which the Phillies are the 'Team to Beat . . . and Beat and Beat' (credit: the Daily News), the Phils are 1-5, RyHo and Chase have 0 HR and 3 RBI
between them and the bullpen is, well, the bullpen. J-Roll is putting his money where his mouth is with 3 HR and a team leading 6 RBI (this is a leadoff hitter,
remember), and Pat Burrell? Pat has amassed a .500 on base percentage (.381 avg) and already has an outfield assist.
To be sure, it's way way early in the season, but as we said last week, April is crucial for the Phillies with all the division games. We're 1-5 against the Braves and
Marlins, and starting at 1:05 this afternoon we're in an especially hostile Shea Stadium for three more. Thankfully, Pat's a traditional Met killer and he hasn't cooled
off yet, and Cole Hamels is on the hill against a very hittable John Maine. This is game one of eighteen against the especially-now hated Mets and their
cheesedick third baseman David "OMG I Love Dubya So Much I'm Gonna Have Dinner With Him And Tell My Grandkids How Awesome It Was" Wright.
While on the subject of these Philadelphia Phillies, MAD PROPS go out to my man DMac for bringing attention to that long, painful road to 10,000 losses that our favorite red pinstripers are on. Only 39 to
go!
- SYMPHONY HOUSE HILARITY: Speaking of DMac, yesterday's Symphony House Easter Sunday pastel party prompted a few unusual responses
including his:
DMac: i feel like symphony house isn't quite pastel enough for easter. it
needs to be a little paler and, uh, friendlier. i feel like symphony house is more like the color of vomit.
That's not untrue, especially after a night of, for example, a steak dinner and half a bottle of scotch. But then over on Skyscraperpage, Bryson offered up this . . .bryson662001: the color
of this building is exactly the color of a dog's penis when errect. [sic]
Now, whether you choose to Google Image Search 'erect dog penis' is up to you, but you just cannot hold Philly Skyline accountable for the results, particularly if it
belongs to a web site called free-k9-beastiality-sex.com . . . I mean come on now. (But hey, Bryson is right!)
- HOTEL OR NOT HOTEL: In last Monday's Inquirer, Tom Belden reported that Marriott and the Parkway Corporation are planning a 650 room hotel to use the Renaissance brand, the only one of
Marriott's not already represented in Philadelphia, to complement the forthcoming expansion of the PA Convention Center. (For reference, the Loews at the PSFS Building has
581 rooms.)
However, the article mentions the northwest corner of Broad and Race -- where there is a surface parking lot primed for development -- but shows two
pictures by Tom Gralish of Parkway's garage on the southwest corner, home to Parkway's headquarters and a Quizno's, implying that the hotel would be built on top of
the garage. Hi, I'm fact checking. Have we met? The article does have some hard new info on the area to be razed for the expansion:The city Redevelopment
Authority has acquired virtually all of the land in the path of expansion, and expects to award a contract in May to demolish buildings and clear the site, spokesman
Frank Keel said.
Get over there and take pictures of the Gilbert Building, that baseball mural and the old fire hall before it's too late.
[Inquirer.]
- TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT -- MEET DA MAYOR: You see what I did there. Bob Brady and Tom Knox are unavailable for the mayoral forum
this evening, but Mike Nutter, Dwight Evans, Chaka Fattah and Al Taubenberger will be at the Free Library tonight to talk about design and planning. The event begins
punctually at 5:30, is sponsored by Design Advocacy Group and other design minded organizations, and is being moderated by Chris Satullo of the Inquirer. [DAG.]
- IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS: To anyone who may have missed it yesterday, we're rocking two new North Philly additions
to the neighborhoods section, a look at Nicetown/Tioga in the weeks before Election Day 2004, and the blizzard of Presidents Day 2003. Links via the graphics just after
this MMLU.
We'll close out this Monday morn with a nod to The Man Who Changed Music. Seems appropriate enough. Yesterday was the 13th anniversary of the discovery of Kurt Cobain's
body after he ate his shotgun, the Philly Film Festival's got the aforementioned biopic, and well . . . the trees, they are in bloom. Plus last night I rocked
Nevermind cranked up to 9.5 on my headphones for the first time in like a decade. It's still amazing. On that notion, we're gonna yank on YouTube and bid you
adieu.
–B Love
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8 April 07: Ring Out the Easter Symphony
By Jove, that's it! Symphony House IS a masterpiece, if only for one day a year: Easter Sunday! That most pastel of all days, full of daffodils and pinks and
lavenders and sky blues, Easter is worth an easterly look at that usually ugly duckling. The squat, southern view is indeed the most unattractive of this most
unattractive new building, but the east-west (in particular, the one above from South Street Bridge during last night's sunset) isn't really that bad. Especially if,
you know, you like pink. And lots of people like pink.
Like Craig LaBan, for example. His review of Fogo de Chão is a must-read. Though a chain Brazilian steakhouse is not really that high on our
restaurant destination list -- much less one that ripped
out a Horace Trumbauer interior -- the thought of an unlimited supply of fifteen rotating meats is nearly irresistible. LaBan's 'sweet pink juice' review just
may lead you to make a reservation. [Fogo: 2 bells.]
* * *
On an entirely unrelated note, it's high time we make good our North Philly promise. This double dose of the Philly Skyline Time Warp finds us at two defined points
on the timeline: Presidents Day 2003 during the storm which dropped 22" of snow on us, and election season 2004, when George Bush and John Kerry were yapping back
and forth and when North Philly soaked up a little sunshine. Enjoy.
–B Love
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8 April 07: Peace out to the man in the leather vest
|
 It's with a heavy heart that we go live on this Easter Sunday morning, for another rock & roll obituary
has been written. Rick Dobrowolski, one half of the brains behind our beloved Tritone Bar, has passed away at 40.
Rick was the easy goin', punk rockin' dude in the black leather vest behind the bar. His Philly roots ran deep, from JC Dobbs to Bob & Barbara's to his own Tritone
gig with Dave Rogers.
That (uncredited at the source) photo there seems like the only known photo of Rick online, dating from a City Paper story in which AD Amorosi reviews a newly opened Tritone bar,
circa August 2001. I stumbled across it at Raised By Bees, the half of herjazz.org
belonging to Sara Sherr, whose email informed us of the sad news. Her monthly girl rock show, Sugar Town, was the night after the Chili Skyline Cookoff, each one
booked by Rick D.
Sympathies to his girlfriend, family, friends, business partner and regulars of Tritone. You'll be missed, Rick.
–B Love
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6 April 07: Mello Yello'
Oh my god it's finally happening! After months of anticipation and lots of dollars in renovation, the yellow bar formerly known as Pandora's Box is
rolling out the red carpet this weekend as . . . Yello'bar. The o' is a subtle nod back to the motherland of one of the owners (and his wife).
The doors open at G-Ho's latest, greatest resto-bar (one might call it a gastro pub) at 11 tomorrow (Saturday) morning for brunch, and the tap heads will all be
screwed on by evening.
Anyone who remembers Pandora's Box (whether open OR closed) is in for a surprise on a Ten Stone level. The same attention that went into refinishing the bar, bathrooms
and pool table there went into the feat of engineering that was transforming Yello'bar into a split level area with oak, granite and bronze accents and room for over
100 people. Plus there's an outdoor area -- Pandora's Box, naturally -- which will serve as a beer garden regardless of temperature, thanks to a large awning and
heat/cool lamps.
Ken Hyland and Kirk Phillips have spent the better part of two years making the corner of Grays Ferry & Catharine the newest destination in what they see as a
craft beer corridor (including Ten Stone, the Sidecar and Grace). To do so, they have to maintain a decent menu, and chef James Ceravolo (L2) intends to do just that,
with duck quesadillas, chicken picante, a half pound angus burger on a pretzel roll, and a mini-Irish menu including Guinness beef stew and of course shepherd's
pie.
2425 Grays Ferry is the place to be this weekend. Wash down your resurrection with a Bells Kalamazoo Stout (a beer which is assuredly Philly Skyline approved), a
Brooklyn Smoked Weiss, or just hang with the Irish with a Smithwicks draught.
L-R: Owners Kirk and Ken, Manager Devin and chef James.
* * *
Let's see let's see . . . in other highly important news, it's First Friday, it's apparently still winter, and the Phillies have started their Team To Beat season 0-3.
Worth noting after three games: Pat Burrell is batting .364, RyHo's off to a slow start, Rod Barajas is 0-for-6, Brett Myers and Cole Hamels look terrific, the bullpen
has justified all its critics, Adam Eaton gave up eight runs, as in eight million dollars, and they have people taking
your picture at the Ballpark now.
On a more serious note, though, Design Advocacy Group is hosting a mayoral forum at the Free Library on
Monday that, in the scope of the many forums, should be of interest to readers of Philly Skyline. The forum is co-sponsored by the Community Design Collaborative, AIA Philadelphia and the Local Host Committee of the 2007 American Planning Association Conference, which kicks off
next Saturday the 14th at the Convention Center. The forum will be moderated by the Inquirer's Chris Satullo and begins promptly at 5:30 Monday at the Free Library
(1901 Vine) and runs until 7, so be there on time.
Hey now, you have a nice weekend and in honor of our new avian friends at the Navy Yard, we'll yank on YouTube for this excruciatingly long and beautiful performance by
the
Missouri man who lost an election to a corpse and who didn't like the thought of bare breasts on sculptures.
–B Love
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5 April 07: Comcast Center-a-thon
(Like that one, Bitonti?)
BRRR. I love these days, these deep blue skies with passing fluffy clouds and the wind of a witch's teat. These skies are the artist's skies, the Claude
Monet, Ansel Adams, Simpsons intro, Inspiration Poster skies. Under these dreamy skies this morning, I had to stop and marvel at Comcast Center. (Urrr, gee
really?) Yes, really.
The dueling glass -- the reflective vs the translucent -- is just mind blowing on days like this, and it's not even clean yet. Depending on where you're
standing -- in the east or the west, the north or the south, in the sun or the shade, on the ground or in a highrise office, up close or far away -- it looks
completely different. If it's overcast, it looks gray. If it's dreamy skies out, the glass looks dreamy skies . . . except where it doesn't look dreamy skies,
and instead has a greenish hue with dark stripes at the spandrels. And then on the north side of JFK Boulevard, where the sun shines but maybe a couple weeks
a year, CC's reflection is so bright that you can see your shadow; in essense, it's shining sunlight on the shady side of the street.
Once it's complete, Bob Stern can put Comcast Center in the pipes of anyone who's ever
accused him of being a hack and they can smoke it. There's no accounting for taste, of course, but I honestly don't see how anyone will dislike Comcast Center
the building upon its completion.
S'pose I should mention here that I have no affiliation with Comcast nor any of the companies involved in the construction of Comcast Center, a fan of their
work though I may be. I bite the bullet like anyone else when I remit my $120 a month for their service (of which I honestly have no complaints).
HOORAY FOR COMCAST CENTER! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Anyhoo. Check our Comcast Center section a little later today for a bunch of new photos taken this morning. Today's post is
a short one so's we can finally get back to all you kind folks who've emailed us. If you haven't and you'd like to, clickity-click HERE.
–B Love
PS: What, oh what, did we do to Tom Gordon to deserve that crap last night? The Phillies bullpen, in spite of their excellent spring training and Geoff
Geary's confidence, has in the first two freaking games of the season justified every negative thing written about them. Brett Myers and Cole Hamels have been
superb, while Tom Gordon and Ryan Madson have drained the hope out of even the most positive season ticket holder. |
4 April 07: Sprung on spring
Blossoms up above, blossoms down below. Can you feel it? Spring, that glorious light green colored, warm & breezy, cherry blossom scented spring . . . it's in
the air . . . the air that turned thick and cold overnight and is now knockin' us around with some April showers. What can ya do.
It's been a hot minute since we rocked a proper Hump Day Umpdate, so on that notion and since we ain't goin' outside till the skies clear up for Phillies
baseball game #2, today will be a deluxe edition Umpdate with photographic accessories.
* * *
BRIDGMAN'S VIEW, NOW FROM NOLIBS TO SOCHILL
Ok, this is HUGE. The developers formerly known as 2945 LLC, now known as Bridgman Development LLC, have acquired the much ballyhooed empty lot formerly known
as New Market, now known as Stamper Square. (PLEASE NOTE, Society Hill residents: the above is just a graphic on a web site . . . it is in no way any
indication that the developers wish to build a 915' tower at Front & Lombard.)
Stamper Square, you say? Yes yes, Stamper Square, as in John Stamper, mayor of Philadelphia from October 1759 to October 1760, and as in Stampers Street,
which intersects the headhouse at 2nd Street (and which would run through the heart of this project). The developers promise a project along the same scale as
the Will Smith hotel, circa 2001, which was met with at very least more community approval than the most recent Ravi Chawla / Daroff Design New Market
concept.
This Bridgman concept should be the beginning of a positive do-over for this empty lot. These same developers worked with the Northern Liberties
neighbors to make Bridgman's View Tower the best project possible, and they intend to do the same with Society Hill, Headhouse Square and Queen Village
neighbors. Stay tuned.
* * *
CITYSEARCH, BEST OF COLUMBUS OHIO
Ummmmmm. Yes, Joe's Pizza is highly recommended. (Get the Hawaiian; there's something about the peppers they use.) But uh, Citysearch? What's up with
the picture of the Columbus, Ohio skyline on all the Best Of stickers around town? Yeah, we get it, it's stock photography, no one notices these things.
Except, well, the people who notice these things.
Citysearch is backed by Microsoft. Isn't the pool of money there deep enough that each city's Best Of can be, I dunno, unique to that city? I'm sure Columbus,
Ohio has some fine pizzerias . . . but I don't really need to think about them while I'm eating at Joe's.
Eh. There's nothing wrong with Best Ofs, though, so if you've got some time to kill, there are approximately 738 categories including See and Be Seen
Bar, Shoe Repair, & Bridal HERE. On a related note, Citysearch informs
us that gangsta legend Schoolly D is a fan of Honey's Sit-n-Eat. [Citysearch.]
* * *
EAST FALLS' CEASED TALLS
Pardon the file photo of Falls Bridge here, it's the best we've got. One of these days, we'll bring East Falls to life greater than a file photo of your
famous bridge. To our friends in East Falls - Ray, Bito, Governor Rendell, Senator Specter . . . soon, friends, soon.
A while back, we mentioned the plan to develop the "Rivage" site (between Kelly Drive,
Ridge Ave and Calumet St) in East Falls by Global City, designed by MGA Partners. To be called the Terrace at East Falls, its goal was to have a mixed-use
development with retail (including an outdoors themed store, given the proximity of the bike paths and the Wissahickon), a 12 story residential tower, and,
hence the name, a terrace facing Kelly Drive, Falls Bridge and the Schuylkill River. BUT . . .
Effective last month, this plan is no more. Global City and the Redevelopment Authority could not come to terms on an extension. It's too bad, too, because
the Terrace had community input and support and was designed not just by a local architect, but by one who lives in the neighborhood. Gina Snyder, executive
director of the East Falls Development Corporation, has the full story for The Fallser HERE.
* * *
THE TOILET READER'S PYRAMID SCHEME
Pyramids, Paris and Papyrus font: these are the ties that bind the latest cover story at the Center City Weekly Press by Thom Nickels. The article draws
a closer, direct comparison out of the (usually ridiculous) Paris-Philadelphia analogies that seem to happen so often, and nearly always born of a
Champs-Élysée-Ben Franklin Parkway comparison.
It's an interesting read, specifically examining Mellon Bank Center's pyramid (pictured,
designed by Kohn Pederson Fox) and the Louvre's pyramid (not pictured, designed by I.M. Pei). Challenge yourself to figure out their web site and enjoy the
read over HERE.
* * *
G-HO NOT G-HO
The Graduate Hospital's sale is now final, and Penn has already removed all the signs calling it its old name. As it eases its transition into the Good
Shepherd Rehabilitation Center (which is to open as such in summer 2008), it's already opened the urgent care center on South Street. [PBJ.]
What, then, becomes of the name G-Ho? It KEEPS ROCKIN' HARD, that's what! Viva la G-Ho!
* * *
SING A SONG FOR THE PHILLIES
Click, enlarge:
Today's Philly Skyline Phillies Skyline rounds out your Umpdate. Cira Centre is, like us, high on Phillies baseball. It's gonna be a lot colder and wetter
than Monday's opener, but this evening the Phils are back in action against the Braves. "Must win" is an overused sports vocable, but hey, clichées all
have a starting point. Spring training is over, and with it went any excuses. Cole Hamels, who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men, steps up against Tim Hudson.
My man Enrico has a nice beginning of the season feature on the intro music the Phils use for their at bats on today's 700 Level. Wes Helms is the new guy and makes a name for himself with Marilyn Manson's "Beautiful People", while Pat the Bat has at long
last put Ronnie James Dio to rest, in favor of a little message of his own with Don Henley's "Dirty Laundry".
We'll see you at 7:05 on the Arcade Level.
–B Love
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3 April 07: Fire Charlie Manuel
I'm only half kidding with that headline which should be familiar to long time visitors of Philly Skyline. The Phillies tradition of losing on opening day was
carried out yesterday in a fashion so predictable it hurts. Charlie Manuel makes a stupid decision, bullpen blows the game. And this after the 'pen had such a
nice spring training where they shoved that 2.2 ERA in the faces of its critics, i.e. everyone who whined that the bullpen was the Phils' weak spot. Well . . .
It's easy to blame the loss on Ryan Madson's meatball to Edgar effin Renteria, but why was he pitching AFTER Tom Gordon, who at 39 should not really be
pitching in tied games? Also, if you are bringing Flash in in the top of the ninth and he's scheduled to lead off in the bottom of the same inning,
why not make a double switch and have Greg Dobbs (or whomever) lead off as a position player instead of a pinch hitter? Also, did that ball on which Ryan
Howard erred not hit Brian McCann's foot? (It looked like it from section 107.) Also, Chase Utley surprisingly left five men on base. Also, Pat Burrell
started the rally which gave the Phils their 3-2 lead, so put that in your pipe and smoke it, Burrell Boobirds. It's a new season, why can't we give Pat a
chance? (Says the guy who wants Charlie fired on opening day.) Seriously though, with Davey Lopes and Jimy Williams on the bench, I don't think it's a stretch
to think that if the Phils aren't above .500 at the end of April, we're gonna have a new manager.
Just some observations. Needless to say, losing in ten against a division rival on opening day is a buzzkill. The Phils have GOT to play strong in April, as
well over half the games in this first month are against the NL East. If you're inna-rested in the Skyline house camera's view of yesterday's game, have a
look-see
HERE. More on the Phillies later, but click that image above for today's RyHo Philly Skyline
Phillies Skyline. WARNING: SEGUE ALERT.
* * *
Today's PSPS is actually a double shot. This 'ere is how the skyline, Comcast Center in particular, is shaping up from Citizens Bank Park. The glass is now
taller than 1700 Market from the south and 1650 Arch from the east & northeast. The steel has also reached the concrete core on the north side, and it looks
like it will do the same on the south side within a week or so, which will then make the steel the highest part of construction. The days are numbered before
we have ourselves an officially new tallest building. Click that guy below for an enlargement (also note that Symphony House's crane has been removed) and
then head on over to our Comcast Center section, which is up to date as of this morning. (Murano and Residences at the
Ritz updates are up next.)
–B Love
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2 April 07: And now they count
Phillies Phillies Phillies Phillies Phillies Phillies Phillies Phillies Phillies!
Baseball baseball baseball baseball baseball baseball baseball baseball baseball!
Oooooooooh baby. It's the most wonderful time of the year. Today is the first of 162 thrill-a-minute days full of big bats, blasts, bombs, bases, balls,
bunts, balks, blunders, Burrells and ballpark beers. It is a good day. The Phillies have this city in such high hopes and in such a good mood that Cira
Centre was all red with a big white P last night, welcoming us home from a really long weekend in Telluride (which, DID YOU KNOW, has America's only
gondola-based public transit system, with multiple lines with transfers and climbing over 10,500', and it's all free).
As it is opening day, we're going to do our duty and go cheer the Fightins on. That surely highly anticipated Phillies preview we promised should be up late
this evening, so here's hoping today's game spins it a little happy. With John Smoltz on the hill for the Braves, signs point to yes. LET'S GO PHILS!
* * *
Now as for the rest of what's happening on da Skyline, we've got lots going on behind the scenes. A Time Warp is due any day this week, with a photo essay
taking us back to the Presidents Day blizzard of 2003 where we find ourselves traipsing North Philly, from the Barrio to Strawberry Mansion and all points
between. There's a little catching up to do on the Comcast Center, Murano and Residences at the Ritz sections, plus yes we know it needs an update a
long awaited update to The Skinny. Promise promise promise. All this and more, on your friendly Philly Skyline.
Your Opening Day Philly Skyline Philly Skyline is the bright and early edition from Terminal D. Put all your loose items in the tray and click to enlarge.
–B Love
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1 April 07:
No foolin' here, just sayin' hey from the Rockies is all. It may seem odd to wait till it's officially spring to head into snowy Colorado, but once
you're there, you know why Oprah recommends it so. We'll be back on track shortly, so thanks for your patience.
–B Love
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29 March 07: PSPS: Peace out for a few days
Not a bad Philly Skyline Philly Skyline view they're enjoying up in Northern Liberties these days, even when the sun ducks behind the clouds.
Pardon the abrupt departure if you could, but we're gonna close up shop for a few days of Rocky Mountain R&R. My apologies to everyone whose emails haven't
been answered just yet . . . that will happen upon our return, promise.
You have yourself a fantastic weekend and we'll see you in time for Brett Myers' first fastball.
–B Love
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28 March 07: A Whole Lot of Meaning and Nothing to Do
by Nathaniel Popkin
I'll proceed, as did our Godmother Jane Jacobs, right into the physics of the squares.
We'll all agree that Rittenhouse, Jacobs' "success," is the most wonderful place in the world. Why? Well we know why: it's our stage, our promenade, always
open and open to all. It is the only place in Philadelphia where – without restraint or self-consciousness – we embrace the idea and fulfill the
act of living in public.
This is a curious thing to say about a city – even the so-called Private City, isn't it?
Why else live in a city but to live in public?
Public space abounds in Philadelphia. The sidewalk, of course, is the greatest of all. But ours are narrow, practical, and seem always at the mercy of cars.
(The curb-cut mercilessly threatens even this fragile yet demarcated territory of the pedestrian.) Aside from a few notable exceptions, our sidewalks are
famously boring. Yesterday on Walnut Street, I saw an elderly immigrant wearing an American flag baseball hat emblazoned with a gold eagle playing the
accordion. That, despite the joy of people in motion, was the extent of the entertainment.
My alter-ego Siskind says that Septa is really our most-trampled public space (at 300 million rides a year it may be true – it may also, despite the
shooting on the 33 a couple of weeks ago, be our safest). And he's right: the average bus is more crowded than the average sidewalk. He's on to something
more. Unlike in most cities, where people read, Philadelphians on the bus or the El talk to each other. I could write a book just from the
conversations I've heard/had on Septa. So, like it or not, stuffed like a sardine or not, on Septa we get to know each other – at least in
passing.
Septa, reflecting our vernacular urbanism, gives us an intimate public experience. But it lacks the scale, joy, and ambition of true urban space. And so
here's our problem: we've public space aplenty, acres of dazzling potential, and almost nothing to do.
There are reasons: intimacy of scale, parochial ambition, Quaker influence, a reasonable desire for peace and quiet, fear/the desire to control, a penchant for
missed opportunities, and a fetish for purity (the Magnolia Garden, the Azalea Garden, the Rose Garden), an addiction to symbolism. Thus, stepping back into
the Squares, we can see how our potential becomes limited. While the uses and users of Washington Square are slowly becoming more dynamic, it remains
essentially a passive vessel of monuments. It is hallowed ground, but even the fountain is uninteresting. The buildings that frame the square, aside from the
eponymous Starr restaurant, are closed to it. The subway station and associated scale (of Strawbridge and Clothier, of Lit Brothers) is three blocks away.
There's no ice cream man, no balloons, music, or newspaper stand. Washington Square is a great place to nap.
The new Franklin Square, Skid Row Park in 1961 when Jacobs wrote "The uses of neighborhood parks" until 2005, is equally one-dimensional. (I'll stop right
here and say that the upgraded Franklin Square, as the cliff-park along the Waterworks, the Schuylkill Banks Seine path, Laurie Olin's INHP reconfiguration,
the ongoing reclamation of Logan Square (the Aviator Park part now being completed) are essential statements of belief in Philadelphia. They make us happy.)
But Franklin Square, which does offer ice-cream, balloons, horses, and a lovely fountain is a caricature of the traditional city park. It functions outside
the fabric of everyday city life: to get there, you have to plan in advance. And when you arrive, you feel you're nowhere. Nothing faces it but Noguchi's
Lightning Bolt and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The over-sized colonial lamps appear as Manute Bol loping down the Spectrum floor, the carousel, which my
kids adore, an amalgamation of styles, the mini-golf a half-assed city in miniature. The vendors and their extension cords both too formal and not formal
enough . . .
But I'm being too harsh on Franklin Square. After all, the folks at Once Upon a Nation have broken that old brick wall between the purity of leisure and the
filth of commerce.
Now we just have to break free of the heavy symbolism. Think about it: from the eternal flame in Washington Square to the Sister Cities plaza on Logan Square,
our public spaces are pushed to the limit of representation and remembrance. INHP was redesigned on a symbolic balance beam between Independence Hall and the
Constitution Center. That curious and beautiful sculpture garden on Kelly Drive? The Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial was a modernist project on the universal
experience of building the nation. The Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the Swann Fountain in particular: a generous tip of the hat to Paris and European ideas
of urbanism. We call it our Champs Elysee: I say then where, at the very least, are the cafes? Why is Peacock on the Parkway my only option? The flags of
the nations (which represent a terrific instinct) – it's all surface symbolism, not the reality of a true world city. Ed Bacon's compass in City Hall
Courtyard? The City of Firsts displays on Penn's Landing. The war memorials, the Irish memorial, the Columbus Memorial, the International Sculpture Garden,
Foglietta Plaza, the piazza in front of the Art Museum (oh, I could go on with these examples): empty all of them, burdened by being too pure, too fetishized,
too in-love with the ideas and not the reality of urban life.
I'm beginning to sound like a pro-Barnes-move charlatan (I am in favor of the move). I'm in love as the next guy with symbolism, especially when it encourages
you to think, explore, and imagine. So I think Venturi's Franklin House is pretty neat. And I bet I'm going to like the new President's House too. But I'm
guessing the purists are reeling (they probably hate Franklin Court, anyway). They've stopped reading. We don't want to be New York! We don't need
tourist shops everywhere. We won't give in to that low instinct to turn everything into a commodity . . . Greene Country Towne! Greene Country Towne!
Greene Country Towne!
The funny thing is that it's those old-liners at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society who, handing the charge over neighborhood parks back to the neighbors,
began the movement to challenge the ruling paradigm. It turns out we folks like to use our parks: to play, to listen to music, for festivals, movies,
ceremonies, to eat, stroll, fight, to dig in the dirt. And so with the Horticultural Society's funding, neighbors across the city have taken control of the
public spaces; and the Recreation Department provides funding and equipment and staff for concerts and films. The result is that many neighborhood public
spaces are alive, as perhaps never before.
So what of the major venues? I think there are tendencies in the right direction. As much as I was opposed to it at first, placing the Please Touch Museum in
Memorial Hall and making clear physical connections between it, the Zoo, PMA, the Mann, Japanese House, among other attractions and Martin Luther King (West
River) Drive, might allow Fairmount Park to be enjoyed in new ways by more people. Indeed, turning the old Visitor's Center into a FP gateway is great idea
too. We all need help finding the treasures. The Parkway plan is excellent; Penn Praxis' work on the Delaware may also reveal potential ways to variegate the
experience. It's happening on the Schuylkill Banks, where apparently they get it. I'd like to see a restaurant or two down there, just as I proposed for City
Hall Courtyard and Centre Square. I'd like to see more and more constant performance, ice cream, book stalls (The greatest outdoor book stalls maybe in the
world are in Istanbul in the University section, so I propose turning the Chestnut Street edge of Penn's Hill field, space that essentially connects Penn and
Drexel, into a permanent used book mart.), art, music, vendors, food stalls, stores, coffee, and tables. Headhouse Square is a New York-style Washington
Square waiting to happen (the old Jewish anarchists used to meet right around the corner). The Merchant's Exchange, recently and dreadfully castrated by the
Park Service, ought to present theatre and music from Back Then. Old Dock Street might fill again.
Just as I started with Rittenhouse, for similar reasons I'll end with Valley Green. Why do we love to go there? Yes, the Creek, the trees, the ducks. That
isn't enough, though. We go there because we sit on the grass watching kids ride their bikes into the water; or on the porch of the Inn drinking beer. We can
buy popcorn, walk, bike, ride horses. We can watch everyone else doing all these other things. We love it because it feels, in a strange way as only
Rittenhouse feels, as an open public space, a truly dynamic crossroads. It's powerful, moving, fun.
Now imagine so much more of Philly that way.
It might feel good to be impure.
–Nathaniel Popkin
nrpopkin@gmail.com
* * *
Nathaniel's archive can be found HERE, but I'd like to personally welcome him, the published author, into this crazy internet world, as he
has at last unveiled nathanielpopkin.net. If you enjoy Nathaniel's writing, please visit his web
site. He's also got a photo section of photos he has accumulated over the past decade.
* * *
A quick footnote: the first photo above, of Rittenhouse Square, was taken from the former Sheraton Hotel, currently being converted by Allan Domb,
Lubert-Adler and David G Marshall into the Parc Rittenhouse, with an updated design by Hillier Architects. Allan's team graciously gave me a tour of the building in
progress, so expect the next installment of the Hard Hat series next week some time.
On an unrelated Rittenhouse Square note, there's a rumor on the wind, and it has the scent of what one might call a Cheesecake Factory. The scent was picked up
at precisely the location of the 10 Rittenhouse Square construction site.
–B Love
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