SEPTA Ain't So Bad

Sure SEPTA's subways, trains, buses may not always be the cleanest nor on time, but this story is proof that they are not as lousy as some may think.

Newlyweds Beth and Scott Wimsley of Huntingdon Valley have SEPTA to thank for getting them to their wedding last weekend. No, they did not stand at a bus stop with 20 of their family and friends.

They were in a limo bus en route to the ceremony when it broke down and an array of men and women dressed to the nine's in tux's and gowns could be seen on the side of the Roosevelt Blvd. It seemed like there was no way to get everyone in the group to the wedding in time for the Wimsley's to tie the knot.

That was until, yes! SEPTA driver Jay Sowel showed up in his bus which looked more like a magic carpet  that day. He saw the unusual crowd of people standing along the Boulevard and stopped to see what was up. The wedding boarded the bus and as Sowel played wheel man for the grateful bunch, they broke out in a rendition of "Tiny Dancer."

At least for one day SEPTA wasn't just a transportation service, but a savior. Maybe the next time your train or bus is late, just think of his happy story.

Two Wheels Are Better Than Four

One of my excuses for the hiatus away from GNP is I recently moved to the Queen Village section of South Philly. So keep checking back for new posts sooner than every two months or so. Anyway, one of the first things I have noticed is the number of bikers in the city; especially in my neighborhood. By bikers I mean bicycles, those ones with the pedals. Of course now is the best time to bike around the city, but Philadelphia is the number one city for bike riding anytime of the year. One of the reasons is the numerous streets with designated bike lanes which take the annoyance away of having to dodge pedestrians on sidewalks. Whether it is commuting to work on bike or just cruising around, Philly is a bicycle riding city. 

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If you didn't know (like me until I started researching this), Philadelphia has its very own coalition for biking. It is called the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Their main objective is to make Philadelphia even more bike friendly and get more people hoping on bicycles while ditching their cars. They basically deal with anything to do with biking in Philadelphia.

Here is a list of the top 5 places to bike around Philly and don't forget about the 5 worst locations to pedal around. If you would like to make your own route, here is a bicycle map of the city.