The 2012 Mummers Parade

It was a beauty of a day on Broad Street where we watched the 2012 Mummers Parade. The sun was out and it was a balmy 50-something degrees. It was also a great day for people watching – everyone was in 'fine form' due to weather and the fact that mostly everyone had off the next day.We stuck around until around 5pm. Finding a place to eat near Broad was next to impossible and as it got dark, the crowd started to change to a more drunken/aggressive variety.

Parade Watcher Pro-Tip: If you're watching the parade on Broad anywhere near Spruce, head to the Kimmel Center – they open their doors to the public and have live performances and plenty to eat. And lots of clean bathrooms, which are hard to find on parade day. You can also go upstairs and check out the parade from the second and third floors (great if the weather is bad or if you've got a kid or three in tow).

Camera: iPhone 4s | Processed with Snapseed App (top photo only)  and iPhoto (remaining photos)

A Bowl of Pho on a Cold Day

There's nothing better than a giant bowl of Pho on a cold day. This is from Pho Palace in Northeast Philadelphia. The Far Northeast is not known for its diverse food scene and up until recently there was no place to go in this area for food like this. Pho Palace and a few others that have just opened are thankfully filling that gap.

Camera: iPhone 4s / Post processing: Snapseed App

Local Giant Supermarket Revises Philly Sports History

This morning I stopped by the brand new Giant supermarket located at Grant Ave. and Roosevelt Blvd. in Northeast Philadelphia. The store is clean, gorgeous and well-stocked. On the perimeter of the store (where space allows, like near the customer service desk and cafe) they have historical photos of Philly mounted on the wall. being a Philadelphia history buff, I took special notice of these signs, but one in particular caught my eye. It was an aerial shot of the sports stadiums in South Philly. Once you see one of the photos, you can pretty much tell right away what era the photo was taken. This particular shot had the Vet, The Spectrum and JFK Stadium still standing, which means the photo was taken anywhere between 1970 and 1992.

Except the photo caption mounted on the frame said, "Tri-Stadium Sports Complex, 1966". I've never heard anyone refer to that area as the "Tri-stadium Sports Complex", but that's not the most glaring thing wrong about it. The Spectrum wasn't in operation until the Fall of 1967, and Veteran's Stadium wasn't open until April, 1971.

My guess is the photo reproductions were produced by an out-of-town firm and no one took a close look, or even worse, they were made by a clueless local and approved by an equally clueless manager. Still, it's a nice photo capturing a lost era of Philly sports history. From the 70's.