So Emily and I headed out to the burbs the other night for our second Thanksgiving, and while we had her Nanny and Papa in the car, we decided to get a couple of gridpoints.

The points themselves were unspectacular, but it was only when we got back that I realized that they were points 99 and 100!

Woot!

Dave

For nearly a year now, our point for the Ben Franklin has been represented by some hastily taken pictures from a moving vehicle. No longer. Last night, while headed on our bikes to the waterfront for Steve’s birthday, Emily and I decided to check out the famed bike/footpath across. I know, it’s shameful that we’ve never done this before, but please don’t judge. It is so freakin’ awesome up there! One of the best views you can get of the city.

You should go there, both in person, and online.

Dave

No. The subject line isn’t what you think, but it is exciting nevertheless. Emily and I got three gridpoints yesterday, including 2 (6228 Webster, and 6328 Market), which completed all of the points in a row across the city, from edge to river. And I have to tell you, though there are some low points in West Philly, the very edge seems pretty awesome. I’m very tempted to take my bike out there for a ride through Cobb’s Creek park before the weather cools down.

Also, these were our first post GoogleStreets points. So, for a bit of fun, here’s their shot of the webster street point:

and one of ours:

Enjoy!

Dave

Well, googlemap streetview has finally come to Philadelphia. It is, as expected, totally awesome. If you know where to look, you can even find our piece o’crap car. Still, they don’t have Manayunk, so that’s one point for us.

Also, Emily has finished her comps! And besides the obvious reasons, the other reason for celebration is that we get to return to Photophilly-ness. Go us.

Dave

Those of you paying careful attention are probably well aware that Emily is diligently preparing for her Comprehensive Exams, and while the upside is that she’s going to kick some butt, the downside is that we’ve had very little free time for Photophilly. However, on Monday we start the new term at Drexel, so Ernie and Gina held a BBQ for the astro group:

Emily got the opportunity to flex her maternal instincts:

But we also got the chance to take a few photophilly points! 4 new ones, all around the Great Northeast. Very residential for the most part, but we also got a little unlucky, landing in a stripmall and an overpass. But still, it was great to make some progress:

Check it out!

Dave

Fall is finally here, and with it, the September Young Adults potluck for Emily’s church, the Unitarian Society of Germantown. We hosted, and, in honor of the tribe, decided to set up a small shout-out to Rosh Hashanah:

A good time was had by all. But besides spiritual enlightenment, Carolyn told us about Chilladelphia.org, a guided tour of some of the finest ice cream spots in town.

.

It’s BYOB (bring your own bowl), but if possible, you should check it out!

Dave

So yesterday Keith, his dad, and I rode in bikephilly, along with about 2500 other folks including the mayor (who apparently bikes 3000-4000 miles a year!), and the mayor-elect (who I actually saw). While I don’t yet have a helmet-cam, I did get a shot of people setting up:

We rode the 35 mile course, but our GPS and odometers told a different tale. Only 30 miles! So we decided to ride up and back to the East Falls bridge again. If you are really bored, you can check out the output from my GPS here.

Dave

It’s been a very long time since I’ve put an entry in here, and a few weeks since we’ve taken any photophilly points, and for that, I apologize. We have some good excuses, though. For one, we went on vacation in Cape Cod (Emily got 2 weeks, the lucky duck!), and therefore not in Philadelphia. We did, however, get to send some very important post cards:

Secondly, Emily is now preparing for her comps. She’ll take them October 8. From now until then, it’s all studying, all the time.

However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t comment on a few goings on around town:

1) I was in Reading Terminal yesterday, and Rick’s steaks seems to still be going strong.

2) The bicycle coalition is organizing Bike Philly next weekend, a car-free bicycle tour of Philadelphia. $60 to participate, but you also get a t-shirt! Bike Philly is on Sunday, but if you want to get warmed up, apparently the Bike Club of Philadelphia is sponsoring a century ride (that’s 100 miles to you and me) on Saturday. Details at phillybikeclub.org.

3) The Fringe Festival is going on until September 15. I haven’t seen any of the shows yet this year, but I hope to.

4) Also, Restaurant Week is going on from September 23-28, just in time for the returning Drexel students. $30+tax/tip/wine for a 3-4 course meal at some of the best restaurants in the city! I heard a rumor from Patty that some of the uber-fancy restaurants that aren’t listed on the website are actually participating in restaurant week even though they aren’t listed on the website. She and Mark scored a reservation to Le Bec-Fin.

5) This coming friday is first friday. If the weather holds, between the fringe and FF, should be a fun time in old city.

That is all for now.

Dave