Snowy Day II:Invasion of the Snowmen

Normally a perambulation across the street, around the park, and back inside, all in less than twenty minutes wouldn't justify a blog post, but the fiercest blizzard in generations extenuate such an inclusion. Today, during the third major winter storm of the season, Philadelphia surpassed its all-time record for snow accumulation (65.5 inches) for Winter.

Transportation so precarious, our office, along with many in the city, closed for the day. With a slippery, four-block walk, I joined about a half-dozen other stalwarts at the office anyway. Despite contrary reports, I believe this is the first time in my six winters with PREIT, they closed the office. Already, they decided to cancel the workday tomorrow as well, certainly a first time occurrence. After I left for the day, I walked around Rittenhouse Square until I was too cold and wet to bear any more.

One benefit to receiving a lot of snow, is a surplus of material to construct snowmen. While I was working in my office, other Philadelpihans were busy crafting snowmen in the park. Here are a few pictures.

Artists Practicing their craft.

This guy was about 8 feet tall.

This head reminds me of something my brother Jon would do.
I was told rubbing his nose guarantees a male child.

This kid picked the wrong time to get a time-out.

And in a nod to diversity, a snowwomen. (All the others I saw were white males)

And a few more pictures of the park at its snowiest.

A good overview.

Looking East outside the park down Locust Street.

If today is a great day for football, it proves any day is a good day for football.

Snowy Day

We got a little bit of snow in Philadelphia today. My paper didn't come. Restaurants stayed closed. The gym shut down early. All interrupting my normal Saturday routine and giving me a chance to hole up inside for the day. Just to make sure I would appreciate the value of being huddled up in a what being huddled in warm apartment, I did venture out briefly around Noon to survey the blizzard's effect on the city. Here are a few pictures from my walk.

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Sunset Cruise

The night before the wedding, the bridge & groom arranged a sunset cruise from Key West Harbor for wedding guests to mingle. I was fortunate to be able to attend as my original travel plans didn't get me to Key West in time for boat's departure. Luckily, I was able to get on an earlier flight to Key West by flying stand-by. I didn't bring my GPS with me aboard the chartered catamaran, which is a shame because the course would have made a great track darting back and forth across the harbor. Of greater import, I definitely had my camera on me for the ride and came back with a few great shots, shots good enough to justify a mapless post. Enjoy.

Key West

I wouldn't have thought my second post for the year would include a biking tag, but thanks to a fortuitous trip to Key West for good fiends' wedding, I got the chance to log a few miles last weekend. The bride and groom, Jeff Katersky and Debbie Love, wanted a destination wedding, but sensitive to the demands of international travel selected Key West, Florida, about as foreign a locale as you can get without leaving the country.

I arrived in Key West on Friday, meeting my roomie for the weekend, Barry Deatrick, during a layover in Atlanta. Friday afternoon, we picked-off one must-see Key West landmark, the Southernmost Monument Marker/Buoy before grabbing a late lunch at a laid back place on South Duval Street. Along the way to the restaurant, Barry spotted a motorcyclist with a live parrot on his shoulder, the most unusual of many unusual characters I saw that weekend. The first wedding event was a a sunset cruise on a chartered catamaran Friday evening.

Saturday morning, I woke up early—well early for being on a vacation—and inquired with the concierge about procuring a bike. Obtaining one from the onsite rental desk, I set out on the first of three rides that would criss-cross most of the key. The first ride blanketed the western extremes of the island, with a long stop to explore Fort Zachary Taylor. In the afternoon, I ventured west into the residential and commercial neighborhoods supporting the local, versus tourist, population. Finally the next morning, in less idyllic, but tolerable weather, I filled in the middle section of the island including the main tourist district and the very Southern graveyard. All told, I paid $20 to keep the bike twenty-four hours, in which I rode just as many miles (24), a very good deal in my book.

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They held the wedding on Saturday evening on the beach behind the hotel. The weather, which had included some near-record lows in the preceding weeks, blessed the couple with a perfect conditions for the ceremony, which commenced just as the sun slipped behind the clouded horizon. The chuppah even held up to the strong wind blowing across the beach, with adornments flapping gracefully in the breeze.

The wedding activities concluded with a brunch at the hotel the next morning. Barry and I both departed on the same afternoon flight. Though it was later in the day, the good weather from Saturday didn't hold, limiting our options for the surplus hours. Barry pointed out that slightly inclement weather should be preferred to perfect weather on the last day of such a trip to ease any hesitancy in departure. We spent the last hour of the trip visiting with the newlyweds under a large-umbrellaed table on the hotel patio.


Key West Airport. They let me in the republic even without a passport.

Southernmost Point Marker. After settling in to our room, Barry and I walked the short distance from the hotel to this spot, which only approximately represents the southernmost point in the continental US.



Saturday afternoon, Barry and I did a little exploring on foot. Hemingway House, a top attraction on the Key, served as our final stop. The two cats belong to a line that stretches back to a six-toed cat given to Hemingway's son. Today 43 progenies populate the grounds.


The reason for the whole trip, Jeff & Debbie's beachfront wedding, my first attendance at Jewish nuptials.


The Conveyance, the bike I rented for a day.



Good Friends (from the left, Barry Deatrick, Jeff Katersky, Debbie Love-Katersky, and Jeremy Mollison) shortly before Barry and I had to leave for the airport.

Perambulating in Philly

I had an errand to run on the other side of town today, dropping off my cable box at the Comcast office. As I had an armful to carry, I took a cab there, but returned on foot through the Pensport and Bella Vista neighborhoods of South Philadelphia. It may have been a little frosty (hovering around 30 degrees) to walk through 3.5 miles, but I made back little worse for wear. Along the way back, I dipped south to Dickinson, found the intersection of Passayunk & Ninth—home of Geno's and Pat's, two well-known Cheesestake outfits—and rode a swing in Capitolo Playground.

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Dickinson Square



















South Philly Mural



















Italian Market
























South Broad Street from Bainbridge Intersection