Re: [UC] USPS delivery issues
This raises a question: if we're going to place the blame on a particular post office (namely Kingsessing/19143), does the quality of postal service markedly change when one crosses Spruce (heading into 19139 territory) or 45th (19104)? Isabel On Dec 13, 2007 6:28 PM, Wilma de Soto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dear Al and Ruthann, All I know is some of my ex-students who were thugs when I taught them in Elementary School, who subsequently dropped out and I see again work at UPS in South Philly on Oregon Ave. right above Delaware Ave. The Kingsessing post office has ALWAYS been comprised of knaves, rogues, and blackguards, who revel in assisting costumers at below slug's pace. I dealt with them for many years as Secretary of Cedar Park Neighbors. I cannot fathom how awful they must be now. -Wilma On 12/13/07 4:42 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a message dated 12/13/2007 4:29:25 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Over the past few months I have been having serious issues with mail delivery as have other residents in my apartment complex. I have lived at 4840 Pine St. for about 5 years and it was never that good in the first place. I now have companies like the people who manage my student loans and my life insurance calling to tell me that the post office is sending the mail back to them as undeliverable. I spoke with the rental office and they told me that no one has brought them any mail in 3 days because the regular mail guy has been out for a long time. Does anyone have suggestions on who I can call or what can be done about this? Do any neighbors in the area have similar problems. We've had no end of problems, too. Mail delivery has been messed up ever since they relocated from 30th Street to the new facility near the airport. I think they had a big change in personnel. And the fact that we seem to get a different person delivering the mail from day to day doesn't help, either. The last time I tried calling the post office to complain, the phone system there was also messed up. Unfortunately, I don't have a solution to offer. I only send this so you'll know you and your building are not the only ones having problems. Maybe a call to Senator Specter's Philadelphia office? Always at your service ready for a dialog, Al Krigman See AOL's top rated recipes http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop000304 and easy ways to stay in shape http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aoltop000303 for winter. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
[UC] zip codes?
Have the boundaries between the zip codes in this neighborhood (19104, 19139, 19143) always been where they are now? (Currently it's my understanding that 19104 covers the area east of 45th, 19139 west of 45th and north of Spruce, and 19143 the area west of 45th and south of Spruce.) I'm asking this because every so often I see an address on, say, 46th or 47th that incorrectly uses 19104 as the zip code, and there are two possible reasons I could think of: - 19104 used to be larger, or - people have in their head 19104 = University City, which isn't true. Isabel You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] Google Maps' Street View comes to Philadelphia
Any ideas when they took the pictures? I can tell that they took the pictures of the building where I live sometime after the end of May, because there's an air conditioner in my window. On 10/9/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Try this link to see Google's photo of the Other Green Line: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8ll=39.956843,-75.211415spn=0.011514,0.020084z=16om=1layer=ccbll=39.953824,-75.209684cbp=1,389.79087100085985,0.5,0,1.9327092942446904 Or, if you prefer, - go to http://maps.google.com, - enter your address, - click on Street View in the upper right-hand corner, and - click again on the little yellow person that appears on the map. Street View requires that your web browser be Flash-capable. Their coverage of University City and West Philly is very good. I was surprised to see they omitted large areas of Center City! Mark You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] Zoning notice is up on Locust St side of former stores at 45th St SE corner
I was kind of hoping nobody would point that out... I work near there and patronize the 34th and Walnut Starbucks fairly regularly. I suspect I wouldn't use the 34th and Chestnut one because I am for vague, unsupportable ideological reasons opposed to the ridiculous prices at the apartment building it's in. (That, and the one on Chestnut's a block further out of my way.) Isabel On 9/20/07, Frank [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Except at 34th Chestnut and 34th Walnut. Frankus Sleek. Edgy. Infinitely flexible. On Sep 20, 2007, at 04:15 PM, Isabel Lugo wrote: Why not leave the 43xx Locust location open *and* open another one at 45th and Locust? It could be called Yet Another Green Line. Although that might be a bit silly. Even Starbucks doesn't put locations that close together. Isabel On 9/20/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: A zoning notice has been posted on the Locust Street side of what used to be three stores on the SE corner of 45th Locust. Not much detail. Rumor has it that the Other Green Line, currently located on the 4300 block of Locust, will be moving to this space. I noticed that when they cleaned out the storefront units, they knocked holes in the units' walls so you can walk between them on the inside. If the rumor is true, it looks like the OGL's new space will be a lot bigger than its current location next to the laundromat. I'm not sure why a cafe would need a zoning variance though. Is it so they can prepare food inside? Mark You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] Zoning notice is up on Locust St side of former stores at 45th St SE corner
For some reason that one doesn't show up on the Starbucks store locator (http://www.starbucks.com/retail/locator/) but the one in UPenn's 1920 Commons (38th and Locust) does. Does anybody know what the difference is? Isabel On 9/20/07, Kathleen Turner [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Don't forget that there's already another Starbucks in one of the Drexel buildings at 33rd and Market. I think we're reaching saturation point here. Kathleen On 9/20/07, Isabel Lugo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I was kind of hoping nobody would point that out... I work near there and patronize the 34th and Walnut Starbucks fairly regularly. I suspect I wouldn't use the 34th and Chestnut one because I am for vague, unsupportable ideological reasons opposed to the ridiculous prices at the apartment building it's in. (That, and the one on Chestnut's a block further out of my way.) Isabel On 9/20/07, Frank [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Except at 34th Chestnut and 34th Walnut. Frankus Sleek. Edgy. Infinitely flexible. On Sep 20, 2007, at 04:15 PM, Isabel Lugo wrote: Why not leave the 43xx Locust location open *and* open another one at 45th and Locust? It could be called Yet Another Green Line. Although that might be a bit silly. Even Starbucks doesn't put locations that close together. Isabel On 9/20/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: A zoning notice has been posted on the Locust Street side of what used to be three stores on the SE corner of 45th Locust. Not much detail. Rumor has it that the Other Green Line, currently located on the 4300 block of Locust, will be moving to this space. I noticed that when they cleaned out the storefront units, they knocked holes in the units' walls so you can walk between them on the inside. If the rumor is true, it looks like the OGL's new space will be a lot bigger than its current location next to the laundromat. I'm not sure why a cafe would need a zoning variance though. Is it so they can prepare food inside? Mark You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] A nugget of West Philly planning history
I don't see what the point of making 30th an arterial would be; there's what, three blocks of it west of the Schuylkill, and it all runs parallel to and a block west of I-76? And 48th seems fine as is, unless there's something I'm missing (i. e. was it different at the time this plan was hatched?). From what I remember hearing once (maybe on this list), the reason that 38th is so wide is to make up for the fact that 36th, 37th, and 39th are pedestrian-only between Walnut and Spruce; it was felt that there needed to be some way for the cars to travel north-south in that area, so 38th was widened, and at least once a week I almost get run over crossing it on foot. Isabel On 8/10/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I ran across this little nugget in writing up a post about the 52nd Street Expressway (http://malcolmxpark.org/?p=313): The West Philadelphia Expressway was also part of a West Philadelphia improvement proposal developed jointly by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to the expressway at 52nd Street, the joint plan called for arterials at 30th Street, 38th Street and 48th Street, and for the closing of non-vital streets in overbuilt residential areas to allow for greenways. - By my reckoning, that would have put Malcolm X Park right on the freeway. Nice. Andrew www.malcolmxpark.org You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: JOIN UC NEIGHBORS FOR CIVILIZED CONVERSATION Re: [UC] Since the real reason for the new list is...
From what I understand, Kyle works in IT at Penn. Isn't it possible that he just set his list up with a @upenn.edu address because it was convenient for him to do so -- and that there are really no Penn vs. the-rest-of-West-Philly overtones to this? (Other than the fact that Kyle is, in fact, affiliated with Penn -- but so are a lot of people in this neighborhood. In the interests of full disclosure, I am a graduate student at Penn.) (this isn't directly aimed at Wilma; it just happens that she made the most recent post in a long string of posts to which I've wanted to say this.) Isabel On 7/30/07, Wilma de Soto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: It's a concern because I always look ahead to the ramifications of present actions. It's a concern because I have been involved with community associations who tried to steer this neighborhood's development and done lot's of hard work to make this community better before you have. My concern is that it would be no longer a committee or oversight AdHoc committee that would be able to check that all are included. Cyber-space is MUCH too large and if UC Neighbors has upenn.edu domain, there is NO way longtime battle-scarred residents could compete against the Penn name, credibility, money etc. True open community discourse pro or con as to the development of this community will be squelched. Today? No. But the door has opened. The, Oh, just let us have a civilized discussion amongst neighbors. is a straw man that will break the camel's back. If you don't agree, fine. Just mark my words. I will not forget what objections I raised and for what reason and when. I know a power play when I see it. THIS time it's something different that cannot be sorted out or discussed by usual means and could much more damaging. Put the listserv on Google, Yahoo MySpace as Dave Axler told me. Post all you will and let people find you. On 7/30/07 1:52 PM, Mike V. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Why is that a concern, Wilma? Why are you invested in people not making an incorrect, easily-correctible assumption? - Mike V. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Wilma de Soto Sent: Monday, July 30, 2007 12:58 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; UnivCity listserv Subject: Re: JOIN UC NEIGHBORS FOR CIVILIZED CONVERSATION Re: [UC] Since the real reason for the new list is... No one faults people starting a new listserv forum, at least I don't. Move away as you will. Lke Dave said they could have used Google, Yahoo, MySpace, whatever. But they didn't. My concern is when people see the upenn.edu domain, they will naturally assume the UC Neighbors Listserv is associated with Penn (since they are using Penn's domain. This would lead people to believe that the new listserv is more legitimate and more credible that the UC Listserv. I also feel it will add to further vilification of participants on this listserv. Your post title certainly indicates to me that has already begun, along with accusations of conspiracy theories etc. Those who deny that is the case especially when handbills are passed to recruit new people, are not being entirely honest with themselves. Also, people who wanted to form the new listserv are not being entirely honest by saying they have only been the victim of vituperation on list and never the perpetrator. On 7/30/07 12:28 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a message dated 7/30/07 11:45:03 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: ..Kyle didn't start the UCNeighbor list because he was being childish or selfish and walking away with his bat and ball. He started it because the communication on this listserv is becoming petty, myopic and insulting. It's also becoming a crowded room (virtually speaking) with some loud voices trying to drown out the once speaking in a normal tone. Some people do act like they own this list and like to think that they can dictate and frame the conversation and debates that occur here. Many people have started doing the serial deleting of [UC]-labelled emails, because it's become less relevant and helpful to the average UC resident. I don't know about you, but this puts people a hair-trigger away from leaving the listserv and the community discussion that occurs here. No one is excluded or protected on Kyle's new listserv either. You can still take the conversation there, if you want to, and your bat and ball. This weekend, the heavy-handed people on the purple list found out that their readers now have the option to move away, and clearly, they don't want that to happen. So - did they offer to moderate their language and help develop a set of guidelines?No, they became even more heavy-handed! Several attacked Bruce Anderson for suggesting guidelines. Some even tried to blame Jon Herrmann, who wrote that he had
Re: [UC] Melani's quote of the day
It wouldn't surprise me to learn that it depends on how you define University City and population. For example, a very small definition of UC that's bounded by, say, 30th, 40th, Market, and Spruce would certainly see population rising because of all the new construction taking place in that area. Also, gentrification actually *lowers* the population in some cases. Jane Jacobs wrote about this -- I think it was in _The Life and Death of Great American Cities_. What happens is that people who are forced to live in a neighborhood because it's cheap are packed in like sardines get forced out by the rising rents, and the people moving in aren't so packed in. For example, I live alone, in a one-bedroom apartment that's maybe 350 square feet; when I was looking for this place, at one point I came across an apartment that's very similar to the one I live in now that was housing a family of four -- mother, father, and two small children. And I suspect that counting the number of households, instead of the number of people, is fraught with problems in this neighborhood because so many people live in non-family arrangements that are prone to breaking up and recombining much more often than traditional families do. And $50 million to build 150 apartments? That's a third of a million each, which as the article states is what a house costs. Finally, you keep hearing things about how Philadelphia is coming back in the national media -- but Philadelphia's population is only 70% of its historic peak (2,071,605 in the 1950 census; 1,448,394 in last year's census bureau estimates) and declining (by about 10,000 a year, according to those same estimates). What does one make of this? Isabel Isabel On 7/28/07, Glenn [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On today's front page of the Inq., there is one of thos stories of a Penn real estate love in. You've read this crap many times, so I won't bore you with details. It was a newsmercial about Penn and campus apartment with 50 million dollar kisses, etc, etc. But then I spotted the news quote of the day from my good friend and UCD spokeswoman, Melani. About the love in, Melani says: The population of University City has never been nearly as high as it is now, said Melani Lamond, an associate broker... Well, never been nearly as high as it is now. Man, I heard it was a drug infested wasteland around here, but what all is going on at these Penn real estate love-ins? Mel, if I start behaving myself can I get into one of these parties and check that stuff out I used to do research about this stuff. Thanks and say hi to the gang at UCD for me, Glenn You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] Penn's rather overpriced view of apartments... did someone here say ...
I read that at their web site (domuspa.com) and caught the most coveted phrase. Now, if they actually get the rents they're asking, they will be the most coveted apartments, at least if you believe the principle that you can measure how much people covet things by how much they're willing to pay for them. The real question is to explain *why* people are willing to pay those prices. Also, it seems to me that a better metric for comparing the rents at Domus to other rents would be price per square foot; I suspect that most one-bedrooms, for example, are smaller than the 800 square feet at Domus, and I once lived in a 3-bedroom apartment that was 1,000 square feet or so. Do the Domus rents look less ridiculous when considered that way? Isabel On 7/28/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a message dated 7/28/2007 9:16:35 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The Inky seems to have printed the high end of the one bedroom range at Domus for effect and ended up distorting everything. (Quick! Someone hit the staff writer with a rolled-up Inky! Bad reporter! Bad!) Anyway, a one bedroom in the luxurious Domus starts at $1,800 and a two bedroom there starts at $2,800. Help... google, c'mere boy. Good boy. Below is what was posted on 7/11/07 on: http://realestate.yahoo.com/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia/Apartments_for_rent/fa166960ff8f80a8859dc91195d76fda Domus is the most coveted residence in Philadelphia's most vibrant and distinctive neighborhood - rising eight stories high in University City, the academic heart of Philadelphia. Located on the University of Pennsylvania campus, its 290 luxury apartments are perched above an eclectic range of restaurants, shops, and internationally known retailers. Sleek. Edgy. Infinitely flexible. Domus offers a variety of residence options, so your home can be as unique as you are. Add to that the building's spaciousness and sweeping views. Its superior finishes of natural stone, hardwood, and slate. Its plush interiors and stainless steel appliances. And its amazing resort style amenities. How best to define such a home? In one word: Domus... Don't you just love the most coveted residence bit? Coveted? Even Donald Trump would blush at this hyperbole. I also got a chuckle out of rising eight stories high in University City. Reminds me of a speech given by JFK somewhere in the Rockies where he pointed to the mountains behind him and said something to the effect We have a mountain near Boston, too. It's called The Great Blue Hill. And it towers 300 feet above the town of Milton. Of course, Kennedy was trying to be funny. For comparison, one floor of a converted rowhouse or twin is about 900 square feet. Probably not as space-efficiently laid-out as those at Doofus where they were starting from scratch rather than an existing building with some structural constraints. Still, 100 square feet difference is 11% bigger. Compare the figures in the table below for Doofus with what's on the Penn Office of Off-Campus Living rental survey for this year: Penn Off-Campus Living Office survey - 1 bedroom -- range: $525 - $1470, average: $ 850 - 2 bedroom -- range: $715 - $2300, average: *$*1248 Prices for Domus No. Floor Plan Bed Bath Sq. Ft. Deposit Availability Rent From 1 Ahttp://www.apartments.com/search/oasis.dll?p=yahoorepartner=yahoorepage=avsummaryHideBackResults=Tproperty=102250.53.0model_name=A 1 1 791 Call Callhttp://www.apartments.com/search/oasis.dll?p=yahoorepartner=yahoorepage=avsummaryHideBackResults=Tproperty=102250.53.0model_name=A $1,849 2 Bhttp://www.apartments.com/search/oasis.dll?p=yahoorepartner=yahoorepage=avsummaryHideBackResults=Tproperty=102250.53.1model_name=B 1 1 797 Call Callhttp://www.apartments.com/search/oasis.dll?p=yahoorepartner=yahoorepage=avsummaryHideBackResults=Tproperty=102250.53.1model_name=B $1,869 3 Ihttp://www.apartments.com/search/oasis.dll?p=yahoorepartner=yahoorepage=avsummaryHideBackResults=Tproperty=102250.53.8model_name=I 2 2 1153 Call Callhttp://www.apartments.com/search/oasis.dll?p=yahoorepartner=yahoorepage=avsummaryHideBackResults=Tproperty=102250.53.8model_name=I $2,819 4 Khttp://www.apartments.com/search/oasis.dll?p=yahoorepartner=yahoorepage=avsummaryHideBackResults=Tproperty=102250.53.10model_name=K 2 2 1309 Call Callhttp://www.apartments.com/search/oasis.dll?p=yahoorepartner=yahoorepage=avsummaryHideBackResults=Tproperty=102250.53.10model_name=K $3,099 5 Rhttp://www.apartments.com/search/oasis.dll?p=yahoorepartner=yahoorepage=avsummaryHideBackResults=Tproperty=102250.53.17model_name=R 3 2 1513 Call Callhttp://www.apartments.com/search/oasis.dll?p=yahoorepartner=yahoorepage=avsummaryHideBackResults=Tproperty=102250.53.17model_name=R $4,259 By the way, I couldn't find any comparable data for The Hub. Still here. Haven't joined the list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Don't plan to. Al Krigman
Re: [UC] Penn's rather overpriced view of apartments... did someone here say Wharton ?
$200 a month isn't negligible, and that sentence to me feels like it's deliberately constructed to hide somehing. And it seems incredibly disingenuous to fold the meal plan into the comparison, unless Stratum is *also* going to be feeding people. Isabel On 7/28/07, UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: the article left out the stratum (formerly the divine tracy hotel). [btw, what's with these latinated names for student housing? the domus. the radian. stratum.] apparently (?) stratum is run by trammel crow. I don't understand at this point how all these out-sourced student-housing models fit in with the university's college house system, which penn spends a lot of time and effort developing and promoting. anyway, according to the dp: Prices at The Stratum run around $150 to $200 more per month than the most expensive housing and meal plan option on-campus Kewish [a senior associate of trammel crow] argued that we're not asking just the rich kids to come move in and pay a lot of money. We're looking to provide all the students with an alternative. http://tinyurl.com/26l9u4 .. UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN [aka laserbeam(r)] - Hide quoted text - [aka ray] SERIAL LIAR. CALL FOR RATES. It is very clear on this listserve who these people are. Ray has admitted being connected to this forger. -- Tony West You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] Dock Street Before party [was: Break My Routine and Smack Me Upside the Head]
On 7/27/07, Wilma de Soto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I do not know WHY anyone would bring children to an establishment that sold beer, wine or spirits. If adults present alcoholic beverages as something that children should never even be in the same room as, then the children will grow up with unhealthy attitudes about alcohol. I suspect such children are actually more likely to grow up to have problems with alcohol abuse, because they think it's something bad and as a result will do stupid things with it when they're in their teenaged rebellious phases that everyone goes through. Isabel You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] tailor for alterations?
I'm pretty sure I've seen a sign on the door of White Seal saying that they're closed for a vacation this week. On 7/22/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: hi. a west philly friend needs a tailor to alter a dress. The archives showed me to posts that were from 2004 and 2005. The suggestion there was White Seal,south side ofBaltimore just west of 49th. Is that still the consensus, or are there other tailors she should approach? Thanks. Naomi [Segal] You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
[UC] shared bikes?
Recently I read an article in the New York Times about Velib, a bike-sharing program in Paris. People can rent bikes for a small fee, and they do not need to be left where they came from but can be left at any of a wide variety of stations throughout the city. Thus you can, for example, get on a bike for one's morning commute, leave it at a station near work, and then use a different bike to go home; you only pay for, say, the half-hour in the morning and the half-hour in the evening. (Actually, trips less than a half-hour are free; I'm not sure whether this is because the program is supported by tax dollars, or if they make enough money on people taking more than half an hour that they can afford this and still expect to make a profit.) This is different from most of the car-sharing companies which require you to bring the car back where you got it. The New York Times article (July 10) isn't accessible unless you have Times Select. The Velib web site (http://www.velib.paris.fr/comment_ca_marche/faq__1) does a decent job of explaining it, I think, although it's (surprise!) in French. (I'm actually a bit surprised there's no English translation, because if I remember correctly the NYT article said that they wanted to market it to tourists as well as locals.) Anyway, what I'm wondering is -- is there some obvious reason this wouldn't work in, say, Philadelphia? I'm always seeing people on bikes here. I'd sign up. I don't have a bike and don't want to deal with the hassle of having to keep it somewhere (small apartment), maintain it, etc., but often I find myself wishing I had one. Isabel You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] shared bikes?
dave, actually I found the article; it's not the one you mentioned, but rather this one from July 16: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/16/world/europe/16paris.html (still available online, because it's only 3 days old). Thanks for finding that one, though; it'll be interesting to see if it works in other US cities. Isabel On 7/19/07, David Toccafondi [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Here's the NY Times Article. -dave On 7/19/07, Isabel Lugo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Recently I read an article in the New York Times about Velib, a bike-sharing program in Paris. People can rent bikes for a small fee, and they do not need to be left where they came from but can be left at any of a wide variety of stations throughout the city. Thus you can, for example, get on a bike for one's morning commute, leave it at a station near work, and then use a different bike to go home; you only pay for, say, the half-hour in the morning and the half-hour in the evening. (Actually, trips less than a half-hour are free; I'm not sure whether this is because the program is supported by tax dollars, or if they make enough money on people taking more than half an hour that they can afford this and still expect to make a profit.) This is different from most of the car-sharing companies which require you to bring the car back where you got it. The New York Times article (July 10) isn't accessible unless you have Times Select. The Velib web site (http://www.velib.paris.fr/comment_ca_marche/faq__1) does a decent job of explaining it, I think, although it's (surprise!) in French. (I'm actually a bit surprised there's no English translation, because if I remember correctly the NYT article said that they wanted to market it to tourists as well as locals.) Anyway, what I'm wondering is -- is there some obvious reason this wouldn't work in, say, Philadelphia? I'm always seeing people on bikes here. I'd sign up. I don't have a bike and don't want to deal with the hassle of having to keep it somewhere (small apartment), maintain it, etc., but often I find myself wishing I had one. HEADLINE: In This Case, It's O.K. to Take a Bike That's Not Yours BYLINE: By DALTON WALKER BODY: Daniel Su and Adrian Garcia usually spend their lunch break going for a walk, then grabbing a bite to eat. But yesterday they tried something different, made possible because they went for a ride using someone else's bicycles. The two men took advantage of an experimental bicycle-sharing program meant to show New Yorkers that biking can be a viable transportation alternative to expand their lunch horizon. Mr. Su and Mr. Garcia had read about the bicycle project online. And since both work a few blocks from Storefront for Art and Architecture, a nonprofit SoHo gallery that is the experimental project's host, they decided to give it a try, and headed to Union Square for lunch. The five-day project is sponsored by the Forum for Urban Design, a group of architects, designers and planners, and by the gallery, near Kenmare Street and Cleveland Place. Twenty bicycles are available free, for up to 30 minutes, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until tomorrow. Bicycles can be returned to the gallery or dropped off at other nearby sites like Washington Square Park and Tompkins Square Park. Displays at the gallery describe eight European cities, including Barcelona, Spain, and Lyon, France, where bicycle-share programs have thrived. The project is designed to gather data on the viability of such a program in New York. David Haskell, executive director of the Forum for Urban Design, said, ''This is our attempt to imagine bike sharing in New York City.'' ''A ride-share program would reduce the dependency on automobiles. It would be a great alternative to subways and bus services -- and a lot cheaper for the city,'' he said. ''The bikes are definitely a better alternative than subways or buses,'' Mr. Garcia, the lunchtime rider, said. ''I know I would take advantage of the bike program if it existed.'' Mr. Haskell was in Paris on vacation in April and saw how such a program was shaping up there. Once the Paris program gets under way, in a few days, there will be more than 10,000 bikes available at 750 stations around the city. New York City officials, who are aware of Mr. Haskell's goals, are trying to determine if a ride-share program would work. ''We are studying it with interest,'' said Molly Gordy, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Transportation. ''The big questions for us are how to combat theft and vandalism, which are two problems prevalent in New York.'' Borrowers in the test program have to leave credit card information. Ms. Gordy has been closely following the progress of a bike-share program in San Francisco. Similar programs are being considered in Portland, Ore., Chicago and Washington, where it may begin as early as September. Caroline Samponaro, a bicycle- campaign coordinator at Transportation Alternatives
Re: [UC] shared bikes?
Half-joking here: perhaps make them undesirable by painting them in some hideous color, like rental shoes at a bowling alley? (Although with bikes, there is always the problem that parts are valuable; it might stop people from stealing the frame but it wouldn't stop them from taking, say, the wheels.) Isabel On 7/19/07, Anthony West [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think this is a dream worth dreaming for University City, at least. Experiments with free public bikes go back 40 years, to Amsterdam. The challenge is to make sure the public bikes are cheap enough, sturdy enough, plentiful enough -- but not desirable enough to be worth stealing. The end solution may be very culture-specific; what works in Slovakia may not work in Spruce Hill. But this is a biking neighborhood, to be sure. If I could walk down to the corner and pick up a lousy public bike, ride it to 40th Walnut to see a movie or buy something, then ride back, I'd do it! In fact, the worse the bike, the harder I'd have to work, so the better it'd be for my health. -- Tony West You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] Public safety alert from Penn police
Liz, you may be right, but the Penn patrol zone only goes as far west as 43rd. Isabel On 7/16/07, Elizabeth F Campion [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm always telling Buyers and Renters that it is safer WEST of 44th. Thanks for making my point. :-) Liz On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 10:34:34 -0400 Kyle Cassidy [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Dated last Friday -- just hit my desk this morning. Stay safe neighbors. Relevant excerpt: There has been an increase in groups (3-8 members) of young male juveniles, ranging from 9 - 13 years of age, who are walking through the University City area, and are harassing, assaulting and/or robbing both male and female residents and/or Penn students and staff. There have been six incidents, since July 3rd in the Penn patrol zone, occurring from 4:30pm - 12:30am in the following locations: Area of 33rd and Chestnut 3700 block Locust Walk 4000 block Locust Street 4200 block Locust Street Additionally, there has been one similar incident in the vicinity of Drexel University, at 35th and Spring Garden Streets. Several young males have been arrested in conjunction with one incident occurring in the 4200 block of Locust Street. The University of Pennsylvania Police Department, working in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police Department, as well as Penn Security Officers and University City District Safety Ambassadors, have increased police and security patrols in University City. Both covert and overt police patrols are being used. Additionally, the Division of Public Safety is utilizing virtual video patrols in the targeted areas. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. Elizabeth Campion Cell Phone: 215-880-2930 215-546-0550 Main, -546-9871 fax, Desk + VM: 215-790-5653 PRUDENTIAL, FOX ROACH REALTORS, LLC Please read Consumer Notice enjoy HOME PILOT tools at www.PruFoxRoach.com You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] Re: Make a difference - Take Back the Tap!
I'm reading this in gmail. As you may know, gmail is supported by advertising. I am currently seeing a link to fijiwater.com. I won't go there, because I went there this morning while writing a post in my blog in which I lamented this exact same thing. I understand why people buy bottled water, for convenience. Basically, you're paying for the bottle. But I can't see why it makes sense to buy water that comes from eight thousand miles away! Water's the same everywhere. On 7/16/07, Anthony West [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Philadelphia tap water regularly wins championship marks among municipal water systems for the purity and safety of its water. It derives its water from the local groundwater of Eastern Pennsylvania, which I find delicious. It's delicious when it comes out of a spring and bottled by Wissahickon, and it's also delicious when it flows downstream and comes out of a Philadelphia citizen's tap. The only thing you're ever likely to run into with Philly tapwater is an occasional chlorine smell, if the system was concerned about an attractive condition for bacterial contamination. (If the Perrier Co. experiences a similar potential-contamination condition, it a won't tell you, b won't do anything and c will charge you more for its water, without additives, than Coke will for its water with additives. More money for marketing hype!) If you are disturbed by a temporary chlorine smell, chill your tapwater. Heating water brings out the chlorine odor dramatically; chilling it makes the odor go away. Chlorine is not a contaminant; it is a treatment agent harmless at low doses. I am increasingly disturbed by the shameless marketing of the earth's most basic resource, water. I find in local stores water that has been shipped in fossil-fuel-based containers from 8,000 miles from Fiji, burning fossil fuels all the way. And the end result is a Philadelphian drinks water from Fiji instead of water from Philadelphia. What damaging, earth-hating baloney! Let us all resolve to drink local water, starting today. Forget all the silly marketing hype about bottled water, wherein private capitalists rely on you to believe them without checking a word of their facts, ever, when they disparage municipal water. -- Tony West Vivianne T. Nachmias wrote: bottled water is usually transported of course using gasoline! to faraway, e.g. Maine water to us or the south, Appalachian water to the north, etc. as probably it seems purer if from some far off country place... (one guy up north, started a toxic waste dump, and just put it on his meadow, hence it went into the ground water in that bit of country..) actually PHILA water is very careflly monitored and only might be dangerous right after a heavy storm, when the sewer system gets overloaded... but it tastes better MUCH after boiling, we find. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] An Act of War: Battle lines are drawn in University City
Their breakdown is weird in other places too. I always heard that South Philadelphia was everything south of either South Street or Washington Avenue and east of the Schuylkill. But the Committee of Seventy doesn't agree with me -- they say South Phila. is just wards 1, 2, 26, and 39, which is everything below South Street and east of Broad, as well as everything south of Passyunk Avenue. Wards 30, 36, 48 -- west of Broad, east of the Schuylkill, south of South, north of Passyunk -- are lumped in with 40 (basically, the extreme Southwest) as Southwest, Grays Ferry, Point Breeze. I realize that neighborhood boundaries in Philadelphia are always a bit hard to define, but to me grouping anything east of the Schuylkill with anything west of the Schuylkill seems suspicious. My instinct is that their definition of West Philadelphia (which excludes the 27th -- home to a lot of this list's readers -- as well as the 34th and 52nd -- roughly Overbrook and Wynnefield) is chosen deliberately so as to make their West Philadelphia poorer and blacker than West Philadelphia as a whole. In general their definitions of sections of the city that I'm familiar with (basically Center City, South Philly, and West Philly) seem wrong; how do people feel about the way they've broken up other parts of the city (say, the Northeast, which I have no mental map of whatsoever)? Also, if you look at the map the 27th, 46th, 51st, and 60th wards (collectively Market to somewhere south of Woodland that's hard to make out on the map, the Schuylkill to 57th/58th/59th) are quite oddly shaped. I wonder if there's any reason for this. On 7/12/07, Elizabeth F Campion [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: One of my favorite sources of election info is the Committee of 70 site. http://www.seventy.org The Mayoral results are at: http://www.seventy.org/electioninfo/results/2007/demmayor.pdf Something I never noticed before is that the 27th Ward (Spruce Hill, etc.) is lumped with Center City, Fairmount, University City (whether by income,class or ideology is not clear) and not with more geographically appropriate Southwest, Grays Ferry, Point Breeze or West Philadelphia. I believe perception, even self delusion, have an awful lot to do with interpretations of any results, and that individuals who believe themselves aligned with PENN sometimes find themselves the next group slated for constructive eviction. While I recognize PENN as an 800# Gorilla, many of their faculty, staff and students are not voting in Philadelphia (under age, not Citizens, still registered in another state, too busy or bored to do their civic duty, etc.). So, when it comes to reelecting the Councilwoman, PENN's power is limited to whose votes can be influenced and how that influence is perceived. Beating up on our local girl, overtly or even via 3rd party press releases does not play well with us natives. These self selecting computer lists may influence some, but miss the vast majority of the voters. When I look at the results for my Ward (the 46th) it appears those with an anti Knox agenda held little sway. Knox pulled 15.9% of the vote in the 46th, which was little different than his 16.5% average across all of West Philadelphia. The big difference is in the Nutter statistics. Nutter pulled 51.1% of the vote in the 46th, which was very different than his 38.4% average across all of West Philadelphia. But the losses came from Brady (average almost halved) and Fattah (down by about a third). Jannie ran uncontested. She is here for another term (and maybe as long as she cares to serve). Now, what is in the best interest of our neighborhood? Do we stand behind Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, work toward a diplomatic and productive solution to any difficulties that remain between her and Nutter and / or Penn or do we let the Broad from South Philly lead Council, possibly to the detriment of our West Philly neighborhoods (including the land owned by Penn)? Where does Penn's protection and largess stop? Is it determined geographically, or in line with Penn's self interests and agendas? Are we undermined by arguing among ourselves when we could be helping each other to exponential improvement through a more synergistic approach and ergometric support of wheels already in motion? I am Pro-NUTTER and Pro-BLACKWELL and I do not see any insurmountable conflict. Maybe these two politicians are two similar to forgive each other's flaws. And maybe we Voters should help them recognize their common purpose, to achieve the highest and best return of services for our citizens by using our tax dollars, saving and spending wisely, while preserving the land, physical structures and well functioning programs that exist. Best! Liz You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named
