ansoncfit

Philadelphia in the Fog

Philadelphia City Hall in the Fog

I got a few cool pictures of Center City Philadelphia’s towers in the foggy weather Saturday night.

Mellon Bank Center

Comcast Center

Comcast Center

Read Full Post | March 29 2009 | Swarthmore | No Comments » |

Lövborg is a Woman

I’ve long thought that Eilert Lövborg is appropriate as a female name; it’s the name of my laptop, which is clearly a female.  Mauckingbird Theater Company‘s production of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler proves me right.  I’d love to go see this adaptation in Philadelphia and relive AP English, with the added fun of a crossdressing Eilert, but the last show is tonight.

Read Full Post | January 29 2009 | Swarthmore | No Comments » |

Media Trolley Getaway Attempt

Route 101 Trolley at 69th St

Earlier this week, two suspects robbed a bank in Media and tried to escape on public transportation.  They boarded Route 101, the trolley I often take from the Springfield Mall near Swarthmore to either Media or 69th Street.  From The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Yesterday, after the Sovereign Bank branch at Providence Road and Baltimore Pike in Media was robbed, the two suspects were spotted climbing on board the Route 101 trolley…

News of the robbery went out on the police radio and officers were stationed at every stop along the trolley route, said SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams.

Read Full Post | December 23 2008 | Swarthmore and Transportation News | No Comments » |

ACC Tower Rendering

[See Rendering]

The American Commerce Center Tower, which will soar above the recently completed Comcast Center in Center City, Philadelphia, passed its last zoning test last week. When completed, the skyscraper will be the third tallest building in the United States. It’s great that the developer is stressing SEPTA and AMTRAK accessibility and seeking LEED Gold Certification. If construction goes as scheduled, the tower should be completed in 2012, the same year as the Cira Center South project. It’s exciting that Philadelphia is becoming quite a hub of architecture.

Read Full Post | December 17 2008 | Local News and News and Happenings | No Comments » |

Silverliner V in Suburban Station

SEPTA has a mockup of the new Silverliner V cars available for the public to walk through at Suburban Station.  Unfortunately, my last couple of trips into Center City have been either too rushed or too late to go through the car.  I plan to finally make it in next week during fall break.  Having three level platform doors will really help reduce dwelltimes in Center City.  I’m most excited about the digital LED destination signs.  The plastic placards they use now are frequently wrong, though they are quite the ticket for dorm decorations around campus.

One of the many Silverliner V advertisments posted around Suburban Station

Read Full Post | October 06 2008 | Swarthmore and Transportation News | No Comments » |

My First First Friday

Molecular models at the Chemical Heritage Foundation Museum

I enjoyed the opening night of the Chemical Heritage Foundation Museum for First Friday (Old City’s monthly tradition of keeping galleries open late and admission-free).  One of their inaugural exhibits is “Molecules that Matter,” which includes models and cultural artifacts related to the 20th century’s most important molecules.  Some of the selected molecules included nylon, DNA, buckminsterfullerene, DDT, and penicillin.  The main exhibit space contained some cool chemical instruments and interesting perspectives on chemistry’s role in shaping modernity.

Read Full Post | October 03 2008 | Anson and Swarthmore | 1 Comment » |

Exploring Philadelphia

Living in Boston this summer, I gained a great appreciation for finding events and entertainment in cities.  I resolved to make it into Philadelphia more this semester than I have in my past time at Swarthmore.  Most of my time in Philadelphia has been in transit; I am trying to take time to enjoy the city itself this year.  Since leaving Irvine in August, I have explored around the city on four days, for an average of once a week.  Highlights include gelato, cannoli, pho, the Ben Franklin Bridge, and the Comcast Center.  I really enjoy watching the images on the Comcast Center’s 2000 square foot LED screen.  They randomly cycle through images of nature and the solar system and sometimes include videos of officeworkers bungee-jumping in…

Read Full Post | August 31 2008 | Anson and Swarthmore | No Comments » |

Swarthmore Borough Endorses R3 to West Chester

The Borough of Swarthmore approved a resolution in support of the R3 extension to West Chester.  The ville has to be good for something…

http://www.r3westchester.org/2008/06/swarthmore-jumps-on-board/

I think it’s a great idea.  SEPTA would get increased ridership, and it would be more convenient to get to Chesco from Swat.  And most importantly, R3 service to Wawa would be restored!

Read Full Post | June 18 2008 | Swarthmore and Transportation News | No Comments » |

The 50 Greenest Cities in the United States

Popular Science came out with its ranking of the 50 Greenest Cities in the United States.  Boston ranks number three and Cambridge number six.  I’m happy to see that Irvine made it at number 21, right behind New York City.  I’m not too confident in the methodology, however.  It seemed like they were looking for innovative techonologies and development more than practical and proven enviornmental approaches.  Philadelphia, with all of its mixed-use development and public transit, didn’t even make the list.

Read Full Post | June 02 2008 | Environment | No Comments » |

Comcast Center Dedication

I love the new Comcast Center, and I’m looking forward to checking out the winter garden.  Hopefully the building’s LEED green certification will go through.  It would be awesome for Philly’s tallest building (and the 12th tallest in the US) to be certified.  It’s good that my urban economics class introduced me to Inga Saffron.  I’m now quite a big fan of her, especially since she calls the tower a “giant flash drive.” I’ve always liked USB flash drives…

Read Full Post | May 30 2008 | Environment and Swarthmore | No Comments » |

Spike in Transit Ridership

There’s been a lot of coverage lately about the recent increase in transit use due to high gas prices.  SEPTA Regional Rail is seeing 11% more passengers than last year.  Ridership on LA’s Gold Line has jumped 19% over last year.  The BBC recently covered the LA subway’s rising popularity.  Even Garrison Keillor is making fun of new bus riders.

Read Full Post | May 29 2008 | Transportation News | No Comments » |