I know the historic D-Day (you know, the one with all the heroism, medals and movies about it) was June 6, 1944. But in my own exceedingly self-centered world (Susanville, if you will) the new D-day is December 8, 2008.
Why? Because that’s when the South Street Bridge closes.
As a member of the Penn softball-playing race, let me say that the South Street Bridge can only be described as the sole, life-giving artery that connects civilization (my humble abode on 41st street) with distant savage lands (Warren Field).
While I knew that the bridge closing was looming in the future, my heart still sank when I got the e-mail and read about the “24-month project.” Nice try, Philadelphia: I know that really means two years, and by two years I mean three to five.
The Chinese did the Great Wall in, like, a few centuries; can’t we knock out this bridge project in a summer?
My real gripe here is that my now 25-minute walk from home to practice (which, starting February 1st will happen eight times a week) is going to be, uh, longer.
Rumor has it there’s supposed to be some kind of “weave” bridge leading down from behind Franklin Field, but during a recent trip down South Street I took a peek, and it (or at least what I think it is) looks like something out of Indiana Jones. I fully expected to look down to see some kind of craggy canyon hundreds of feet below. Alternately, I can cut back down around all the hospital facilities past the baseball field and then up an access road but this doesn’t really seem all that much faster.
I visited the “South Street Bridge website” listed in the e-mail, and while it offers lots of alternate route options for the car-driving and SEPTA-riding among us, for the hundreds (thousands?) of people who commute to Penn on foot, there seem to be slim pickins. (Read: none).
I’m either going to make best friends with 898-RIDE or start walking now. Don’t want to be late for practice in February.
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