John Fischer's Philadelphia
Vol 1 - Number 1 - 05/24/99
Welcome to the first edition of our new feature column. This will run three times a week. We'll be looking at current events, life in the Philadelphia area, politics, sports, the weather and a lot of other things. A key to the success of this column will be you, the readership. We want to hear your response to what you read here, so speak up!
What a wild weekend this was! The weather Saturday was just wonderful, blue skies and temperatures in the mid '80s, so I decided to take a trip down to Penn's Landing to see what Marine Day '99 was all about. Much to my surprise, it was a lot of fun. There were lots of ships to see and tour, exhibits and demonstrations to see, and some great entertainment, including the Philadelphia Boy's Choir, which has just returned from a trip to Cuba. It's not often that you can see the choir perform for free, so this was a real treat. I have prepared a feature on Marine Day which has lots of photos that you might enjoy.
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Like everywhere else, this was Star Wars weekend here in Philadelphia. Probably like many of you, I went to see The Phantom Menace. I went to a 9:00 am show, so I did not expect a sell-out but I was surprised by the small crowd. I guess all of the hype and fear of huge crowds kept many folks away. Anyway, the film was great! In fact, I think it was better that any of the original trilogy - or should I say, second trilogy! It does get confusing. I really can't understand all of the folks that say that there was no character development in the film. I really enjoyed the characters of Padmé/Amidala, Senator Palpatine, and Annakin Skywalker. If you'd like to read my review I've posted it our Star Wars Forum, here at About.com.
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Sunday was a big sports day. What can I say about those 76ers? They may have lost the game and the series, but they sure have won the hearts of Philly sports fans. They have come so far, so quickly, and we are all very proud of them. At least one team in the city has management that seems to have some clue. Speaking of having a clue, what's up with Terry Francona? Curt Schilling takes a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the 9th against the New York Mets, in what is an early season key game for the Phillies. It's clear that Schilling has nothing left, yet Francona let Schilling stay out there to the bitter end - and bitter it was. A 5-4 loss was a lousy way to end this road trip.
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Next weekend marks the first big holiday weekend of the summer. What are your plans? Do you have any suggestions for a special place to see or thing to do over the holiday weekend? I'd love to hear from you. Drop me a note at philadelphia.guide@about.com. Stop by again on Wednesday for our next column.