Was last here in Penn’s Landing in 1999, when USS Clark (FFG-11) visited Philly as part of the Great Lakes Cruise. What took me so long to return?
Back then we had thousands of visitors board the ship. Today, there wasn’t a soul in the landing. It was eerily quiet on the Delaware River. What’s even more strange is there’s a curfew going on right now. In this distance I can hear gunshots and police sirens. Would I be safe sleeping in the cab of my truck?
USS Clark was docked here next to the cruiser Olympia and submarine USS Becuna. That was before the four-masted tall ship, Moshulu started serving diners and private parties on its wooden deck, getting a taste of history while sipping on pricey wine.
Philadelphia has done an amazing job revitalizing Penn’s Landing. In the past, the area was dilapidated and under utilized. Now, (prior to COVID), this area offers festivals, concerts, beer gardens, roller and ice-skating.
Last month, I had the pleasure to visit USS Alabama in Mobile Bay. In the 1980’s when the Navy recommissioned the four Iowa Class battleships, parts of the Alabama were cannibalized to restore the New Jersey to service.
The Columbus Monument was completed in 1992 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the voyage of Christopher Columbus. The reimagined obelisk is topped by a weather vane that represents the colors of Italy and Spain–Italy being the country from which Columbus hailed, and Spain the country he sailed for.
Some say the monument is touching, others find it distasteful. It honors Columbus for been an intrepid navigator with a sense of the sea. He was also a mass murderer and a father of the slave trade.
Now that the Frank Rizzo (opponent of desegregation and public housing) statute has been removed, what’s the future of Columbus. In other cities such as Boston and Baltimore, their statues have been beheaded and thrown into the river.
And there’s parking here. It’s meter parking from 9am – Midnight. But I stayed till past noon, and didn’t see any enforcement – maybe because of Covid.
After this, I visited my favorite spot in Chinatown: Lau Kee. I first came here right after New Year’s and it was busy. Returned in March, and I was the only patron there, but at least I could dine-in. Now I come back two months later, and they won’t even let me enter the dining room. Had to order out with a mask of course. Wow, hopefully next time I return, things will be back to normal.
