rush hour on the schuylkill

Philadelphia has many problems: High murder rate, trash, crime, traffic (but honestly...what major city doesn't?), poor public transportation, corruption. Sometimes it is very difficult to embrace the city when these blights are always headlining the news.

But Philadelphia does have check marks in its positives column. Culture and arts are actually well represented here. The local music scene is nationally renowned. There is a new mayor who seems genuinely interested in turning this city around - genuinely being the key word and probably why he was elected in the first place. The new police chief has released his plan to lower the city's crime rate. The city is home to one of the largest urban green spaces in the country.

The Philadelphia skyline is striking from nearly any location in which it can be viewed. Somewhat small, but well represented, it is beautiful from the Art Museum stairs, John's Roast Pork in South Philly, the Regional Rail. Depending on where you are on it, just about the only advantage to sitting in traffic on the Schuylkill is the view. If you can't see the skyline, then really you're just wasting your time in traffic. But if you can see it, it's something to behold. For a while now, I have been waiting to be stuck* in traffic so I can take a photo of it. Tonight, just before South Street heading westbound, I finally had my opportunity. The photos didn't turn out all that great...a night shot would be better. Here they are; now you can pretend you were sitting in traffic with me.





*By "stuck," I mean literally not going anywhere. Traffic on the Schuylkill is notoriously bad, but often you're still moving just enough that a photo will be blurry in all but the brightest conditions. Just the other night, the lighting was perfect, but the stupid cars in front of me wouldn't stop long enough for me to snap a long exposure. Now...how many times have you heard of someone complaining that traffic wasn't bad enough?