To: pittsburgh-railways@dementia.org Subject: RE: [PRCo] Re: Off to see the Wizzard Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Speaking of Watts and South L.A. (don't worry Fred - I'll give you a Pittsburgh connection) I heard some very interesting numbers last week at TRB. LA has a 'green line', what has been described as 'light rail' to nowhere. It is a suburban line in the middle of the Century Freeway. It does not go to center city. It does not reach the airport in the west. And it ends in a wall at east end several miles short major north-south links. And it's stops in the median of Century Freeway are like Chicago's Eisenhower expressway - not pedestrian friendly. If Pittsburgh light rail is attracting around 24,968 per weekday (as of March 2006), how many daily riders would you suspect a "light rail to nowhere" would carry?? Try 37,000 per day. This light rail line doesn't go anywhere, but it gets there fast. (:>) Within a tenth of a mile of speed of Red Line subway. And people are using it as a connector - to get to Long Beach LRT line (around 80,000 per day) and bus lines on Vermont and Crenshaw, which each carry around 60,000 passengers per day. Apparently there are a lot of jobs in south L.A. along Vermont and Crenshaw. So what is a bus line like that carries 60,000 passengers per day?? That's PAT's East Liberty garage. L.A. is up to about a quarter million riders per day on rail, not including commuter rail. That's the entire PAT system. >From: Fred Schneider >Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways@dementia.org >To: pittsburgh-railways@dementia.org >Subject: [PRCo] Re: Off to see the Wizzard >Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2007 11:08:54 -0500 > >There are some places on the planet that I need to agree are less >than stunning in beauty. Chester has gone down hill. It is sort >of the eastern equivalent of Watts or South L. A. You've got me John. > >But they [those cities] will be back. Here comes the gospel >according to Fred ... As the Chinese and the Indians bid up the >price of fossil fuels, those of us who can afford $10, then 15, then >20 a gallon gasoline and heating oil will travel and be warm. >There will be a premium on compact homes, apartments, condominiums. >The cities will come back, perhaps not in our lifetimes but I suspect >in the lifetimes of our grandchildren ... and they will see huge >suburban homes as a something that will be very difficult to sell. >I can imagine heating homes by some other means (electric heat from >hydro generation for example) but I cannot imagine people going great >distances in automobiles. > >On Jan 30, 2007, at 10:42 AM, John Swindler wrote: > > > > > > > I vaguely recall we also ended up in beautiful downtown Chester > > (:>), trying > > to identify some photo locations. I'm guessing the Broad and Erie > > stop was > > also to verify a photo location. There was a time when it probably > > was a > > safe/nice neighborhood. Wasn't it also a Saturday morning - before > > the > > locals would be out in force?? > > > > John > > > > > >> From: "Bob Dietrich" > >> Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways@dementia.org > >> To: > >> CC: "'Richard Allman MD'" > >> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Off to see the Wizzard > >> Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2007 09:55:14 -0500 > >> > >> Yea, but Allman thinks that is such a nice area he goes there > >> every day!!! > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce@lists.dementia.org > >> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce@lists.dementia.org] On Behalf > >> Of John > >> Swindler > >> Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 7:43 PM > >> To: pittsburgh-railways@dementia.org > >> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Off to see the Wizzard > >> > >> > >> I was visualizing of our extremely brief visit to Broad and Erie > >> with Rich > >> Allman. > >> > >> > >>> From: Fred Schneider > >>> Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways@dementia.org > >>> To: pittsburgh-railways@dementia.org > >>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Off to see the Wizzard > >>> Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007 18:37:05 -0500 > >>> > >>> But there are parts of North Philly ... Chestnut Hill in > >>> particular ... that are just crowded with houses built before we > >>> separated from England and became a nation in our own right. They > >>> are truly worth the time for a "look see" as my father used to say. > >>> > >>> But let's bring it back on track. Isn't it a beautiful sight, > >>> driving in Freeport Road or Route 28 and watching downtown > >>> Pittsburgh > >>> unfold ahead of you at night. Or even more dramatic, burst out of > >>> the Fort Pitt Tunnel at night and suddenly there is Pittsburgh. It > >>> has the same impact as perhaps the Empire State Building or the > >>> Golden Gate. > >>> > >>> On Jan 29, 2007, at 3:33 PM, John Swindler wrote: > >>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> Fred once made the comment that it is impossible to take a bad > >>>> (meaning not > >>>> scenic) picture in Switzerland. Never been there, but it is easy > >>>> to agree > >>>> with that assessment. North Philly, on the other hand... (:>) > >>>> > >>>> In between, yes, there is a lot to see - and to paraphase Lake > >>>> Woebegone, > >>>> most of it is above average. (I think we are saying the same > >>>> thing, Fred) > >>>> The older I get, the more I appreciate the journey. And yes, the > >>>> ride on > >>>> BritRail north from Stirling was more enjoyable then Inverness. > >>>> > >>>> Still haven't figured out how to capture western scenery on film. > >>>> Perhaps > >>>> impossible to do it justice. > >>>> > >>>> John > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> From: Fred Schneider > >>>>> Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways@dementia.org > >>>>> To: pittsburgh-railways@dementia.org > >>>>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Off to see the Wizzard > >>>>> Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:20:13 -0500 > >>>>> > >>>>> Of course all our opinions about what is or is not beautiful are > >>>>> personal opinions. If someone were to ask me what was the nicest > >>>>> place I've ever been, I would probably say EVERYWHERE. Just open > >>>>> your eyes. The whole world is pretty if you simply approach > >>>>> it with > >>>>> an open mind. > >>>>> > >>>>> I once thought Texas was ugly but that was probably because I > >>>>> was 19 > >>>>> years old and missed the green landscape of home. I probably > >>>>> also > >>>>> missed my family and disliked the Army. Time has a way of > >>>>> changing > >>>>> one's perspective. The stark landscape of the Guadlupe peaks in > >>>>> West Texas are absolutely stunning. The pine forests of > >>>>> southeastern Texas are equally pretty in their own way. The > >>>>> thousand miles of corn and wheat fields of the heartland of > >>>>> America > >>>>> need to be seen to be appreciated ... perhaps over and over by > >>>>> car ... journey after journey ... until the beauty sinks in. > >>>>> I've > >>>>> last count how many times I've driven across the Great Plains > >>>>> and I'm > >>>>> looking forward to doing it again this summer. We should all > >>>>> drive > >>>>> the Pacific Coast from Canada to Mexico before we die ... the > >>>>> Redwoods ... the old homes in places like Eureka ... the bottle > >>>>> brush > >>>>> cactus blooming along the California coast ... Hearst Castle at > >>>>> San > >>>>> Simeon ... it's all breathtaking. The wilds of the Scottish > >>>>> Highlands are also beautiful (and John Swindler , I know would > >>>>> agree). And who could argue against including the Bernese > >>>>> Oberland > >>>>> in Switzerland. And maybe I'll even get to see an elephant in > >>>>> Tibet > >>>>> someday. > >>>>> > >>>>> And yes, Ed, a dozen alligators sunning themselves in the > >>>>> Everglades > >>>>> are worth a picture too. > >>>>> > >>>>> On Jan 28, 2007, at 7:29 PM, Edward H. Lybarger wrote: > >>>>> > >>>>>> It isn't obligatory do any of the things Fred mentioned while > >>>>>> cruising. We > >>>>>> don't. And you can see the same things he'd like to see for a > >>>>>> lot > >>>>>> less than > >>>>>> land tour prices. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> P.S. Alaska's not nearly as beautiful as Yosemite National Park! > >>>>>> But we > >>>>>> wouldn't have learned that unless we had gone. > >>>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> > >>>> _________________________________________________________________ > >>>> Invite your Hotmail contacts to join your friends list with Windows > >>>> Live > >>>> Spaces > >>>> http://clk.atdmt.com/MSN/go/msnnkwsp0070000001msn/direct/01/? > >>>> href=http://spaces.live.com/spacesapi.aspx? > >>>> wx_action=create&wx_url=/ > >>>> friends.aspx&mkt=en-us > >>>> > >>>> > >>> > >>> > >> > >> _________________________________________________________________ > >> Laugh, share and connect with Windows Live Messenger > >> http://clk.atdmt.com/MSN/go/msnnkwme0020000001msn/direct/01/? > >> href=http://ima > >> gine-msn.com/messenger/launch80/default.aspx?locale=en- > >> us&source=hmtagline > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > Get in the mood for Valentine's Day. 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