As most of you already know, six of us (four from the list, actually) met in Philadelphia the weekend of July 9th. Just to spare those of you who don't want to read the boring narrative, the entire gallery can be seen here: http://twosixteen.com/gallery/index.php?list=16
My arrival in Philly reminded me of rush hour traffic in St. Louis. Never mind the fact that rush hour in St. Louis was never as bad as a Saturday morning in Philadelphia. I circled the city center, found a parking spot, and then met Rick, Tom, Susan, Nate and Amita at a nice little restaurant for lunch. And beer. Nothing better than beer to start off a hot afternoon on foot. After lunch the rest of the gang went off to take photos. I went to the hotel to check in and then made a rendezvous at Love Park. There are quite a few very recognizable landmarks visible from the park. http://twosixteen.com/gallery/index.php?id=114 In my former city life, I spent about seven years in St. Louis. I never once saw a homeless person sleeping in public. (There is really no political commentary intended. Merely an observation.) I saw several during my short visit to Philadelphia. http://twosixteen.com/gallery/index.php?id=112 Tom, Zen, and the art of camera repair. http://twosixteen.com/gallery/index.php?id=108 Sometime after leaving Love Park and before arriving on Boathouse Row, I shot another roll of film. It is fogged beyond my capability to digitally correct. Maybe I'll try to fix it in the future. If you need a visualization of this part of Philadelphia, watch "Rocky". Our final leg of the Bataan........er :).......walking tour took us down Boathouse Row. Rick told us that many of these beautiful homes are owned by private rowing clubs. http://twosixteen.com/gallery/index.php?id=109 Nate, Amita and I took a cab back to the hotel. Tom and Susan caught the train home. And Rick, who later informed me that he was "wiped", went home to have dinner with his family. After a little relaxation, Amita, Nate and I ventured out of the hotel in search of food. And beer. We didn't eat here: http://twosixteen.com/gallery/index.php?id=113 We found a nice quiet Irish Pub a few blocks away. Amita let me play with her fish eye lens. http://twosixteen.com/gallery/index.php?id=111 At 9pm, the fine folks from Molson started the money machine, which made it not-so-quiet. But Molson drafts were two bucks, so we stayed a while. The next morning I had breakfast at the hotel with Amita and Nate, and then met Rick for a very interesting tour of the city near Washington Square. http://twosixteen.com/gallery/index.php?id=110 http://twosixteen.com/gallery/index.php?id=115 Shortly after starting the morning, I switched to chrome. I'll post some scans in a couple weeks. I had a wonderful time meeting a few folks from the list. It's always nice to put a voice and a face to the email address. Many thanks to Rick for organizing the event. -- Scott Loveless http://www.twosixteen.com -- "You have to hold the button down" -Arnold Newman
