Scene on the Road

July 3, 2008: Front Street

July 2, 2008: Independence Mall

My summer road tripping has gotten off to a slow start. A scroll through the images as my Daily Photos hits the midway point of the year - 183 photos and counting as of yesterday - finds most of them shot within a few miles of Center City. I have been on an early morning philly.com schedule for most of the year, which means I've covered a lot of press conferences and other scheduled events.

The latest was the unveiling of an exhibit entitled "Philadelphia's Music Legends: Selected Artists on the Walk of Fame." Those are Philadelphia International Airport employees watching the ceremonies before the curtain behind them was opened.

I'm about to begin an evening work schedule for the next three months, so look for a higher percentage of night images showing up as Daily Photos in upcoming Days 187 through 270.

That doesn't mean I won't still be venturing out beyond the suburban streets (this curbside castoff was in Cherry Hill last week).

I'm still looking for your suggestions. So please email me your ideas.

Like from Rosemary in New Jersey, who commented that one thing that always interests her is “the amazing variety of places that you can see the Philadelphia skyline from.” She mentioned driving past a small farm stand in Cinnaminson and seeing "the tops of Liberty 1 and 2 and the Comcast tower peeking over the adjacent corn field. “ She described it as "a totally rural scene with an unexpected urban view,” and wondered what other interesting locations also are within sight of the city skyline."

Photographer R. Bradley Maule who is MISTER Skyline in Philadelphia has made a few photos over the years just like the one she describes. This is my favorite, which Brad says he shot about 2 inches above the Delaware River at Neshaminy State Park, about 14 miles away “as the crow flies.”

Anyone else have any photos of our new skyline from interesting and/or unexpected vantage points?

Here are links to a few more of Brad’s distant, but still-within-sight-photos, along with his descriptions:

From a fire tower in the Pine Barrens (32 miles away).

Above the Northeast Extension in between Lansdale and Quakertown (also about 32 miles).

From on top of the Tidewater Grain Elevator only 5 miles south in South Philly (shot with wide angle lens) three days before it was imploded.

One of my first Road Trip suggestions this summer comes from Cindy White, who lives in Newtown Square. She has three kids and they go to the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown a lot, where right next door, she emailed me, “is a bocce court full of old timers who religiously play every day. It's like a little European village has come alive.”

According to their website, the Norristown Bocce League was formed in the mid-90’s after some friends saw bocce courts at the Jersey Shore. So my first Road Trip of the summer will be to see what goes on in, and around the courts – before and after the “pallino” gets tossed. Stay tuned.

Here's a look at the weekly newspaper version of the Scene Through the Lens, which now runs on page B-2 of the local section of the Inquirer every Wednesday. Blog readers might recognize some of the photos from Daily Photo postings, but in the paper they'll have longer captions and comments.

July 1, 2008: Unveiling - Philadelphia Airport's Music Legends Walk of Fame

June 30, 2008: Sweetwater Casino Fire