The Travelin' Grampa
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The Travelin’ Grampa Touring the U.S.A. without an automobile Focus on safe, fast, convenient, comfortable, cheap travel, via public transit. Vol. 12, No. 7, July 2019 Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was declared on July 4, 1776, holds a six-day Welcome America Festival June 29 - July 4, sponsored by Wawa Dairy Farms convenience stores, including a Salute to America parade, a daylong outdoor celebration on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and evening concert and fireworks event. Donald Trump tries to rebrand Independence Day In a failed attempt to militarize and “trumpize” Independence Day, President Donald Trump’s promised July 4 Salute to America * “show of a lifetime” failed to outshine traditional Independence Day celebrations in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston and myriad other communities across our nation. His July 2 tweet promising “incredible flyovers and biggest ever fireworks” didn’t upstage New York City’s fabulous Macy’s July 4th fireworks show nor the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, which opens with a traditional Air National Guard F-15 flyover and U.S. Air Force honor guard flag ceremony. Meanwhile, DC held its three traditional mostly civilian July 4th parades before Trump read a mostly nicely written speech five hours later, amidst a few army tanks, as military aircraft flew overhead. * Salute to America is – and has been – the name of Philadelphia’s annual July 4th parade. Illustration credits: Wawa Dairy Farms; Macy’s; Boston Symphony Orchestra; Fox News photoshopped AP photo. Popular Independence Day celebrations include Macy’s big 43rd annual fireworks show from the Brooklyn Bridge and nearby barges, and a Boston Pops fireworks concert. At right, President Trump and an armored army tank on display near the Lincoln Memorial. The Republican National Committee gave out tickets for his July 4 speech there. 1 . INDEPENDENCE DAY EVENTS . Macy’s Brooklyn Bridge fireworks draws most spectators Long touted as the USA’s largest Independence Day event, the 43rd annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks display illuminated the New York City skyline. Millions of spectators on site, plus many millions more via TV, saw more than 70,000 illuminating devices (i.e., fireworks) ignite from, or on, the famous Brooklyn Bridge and four barges anchored off East River Pier 17. American Cinema was the theme of this year’s pyrotechnics extravaganza. Its stores hold a Macy’s Salutes Those Who Serve charitable campaign in July to support and empower veterans and military families, during which shoppers are invited to donate their less-than-$1 change. Fireworks were choreographed this year to a musical score incorporating fan favorites such as Star Wars and Superman. Over the Rainbow was sung by Oscar & Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson to celebrate The Wizard of Oz movie turning 80 this year. You can see Macy’s 2019 fireworks show at: https://youtu.be/kEb2mtSyyZQ “Best spot to watch these fireworks is from the East River,” says Erin Edwards of NBC News. “If taking it all in is more your style, go to FDR Drive at Houston Street or at East River Park.” Grampa, who worked for a daily newspaper on NYC’s 42nd Street for several years, finds the Market & Cherry streets intersection a nice wheel-chair accessible location. Many, if not most, good viewing spots are reachable via NY MTA subway or bus, he says. Boston Pops fireworks concert follows all-star 4th of July show Called “one of this country’s largest and oldest public 4th of July events and biggest annual outdoor concerts anywhere in the world,” the Boston Pops fireworks spectacular opens with an F-15 Air National Guard flyover, followed by a flag presentation by a U.S. Air Force Honor Guard from Washington, D.C. Among performers: the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters Chorus, singing patriotic classics and new favorites, Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Queen Latifah, and storyteller and singer Arlo Guthrie celebrating the 50th anniversary of Woodstock. As usual, the event concluded with fireworks, accompanying a concert by the Boston Pops, this year featuring popular songs past and present. MBTA subways were on Sunday schedule July 4th until 2 pm and rush-hour service afterward. Fares were waived after 9:30 pm that evening. Closest MBTA stations to Charles River Esplanade from Boston are Charles-MGH on the Red Line and Arlington Street on the Green Line. From Cambridge, closest to the event MBTA stations are Kendall and Central Square on the Red Line. Philly, where Independence Day began, celebrates it six days Though it began Saturday June 29, as expected, Thursday July 4th was the Philly celebration’s most popular day this year, with a morning Salute to America * parade, all-day entertainment on the Ben Franklin Parkway, plus evening concert and fireworks at the temple-atop-the-hill Philadelphia Museum of Art. To expedite getting to/from events, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority increased service at peak times, especially for those attending the concert and fireworks. “We encourage people to take the Market-Frankford and Broad Street subway lines, because everything is kind of within walking distance to them,” says SEPTA’s Carla Showell-Lee. “If you’ve taken that mode you want to get back to that before service ends at 12:30 am.” SEPTA Regional Rail was on a Sunday schedule July 4th, adding or holding trains for passengers leaving Center City after the fireworks and concert conclusion. SEPTA bus detours from 5 am Thursday to 1 am Friday included routes: 7, 9, 17, 21, 32, 33, 38, 42, 43, 44 and 48. Due to road closures, CCT paratransit had two special pickup/drop-off points not far from Ben Franklin Parkway activities. * President Trump tweets named his militaristic July 4th show Salute to America. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser told National Public Radio she didn’t mind “a president celebrating the military” but that she did have “serious concerns” about him “glorifying military might.” “That scares me the most,” she said. 2 NOTABLE ANNIVERSARIES THIS MONTH . Memorable anniversaries abound during July 2019, many fondly recalled by Grampa on this page and pages following, including the 50th anniversary of the first men walking on The Moon on July 20, 1969. Why Grampa recalls July 20 Moon landing so vividly July 20 marks the 50th anniversary of landing the first men on the Moon. Grampa recalls the event vividly. Aside from him choosing an Apollo 8 Moon mission photo to illustrate the cover of a publication he edited around that time, on July 20. 1969, the day Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their first steps on the Moon’s surface, Grampa’s son John, then age 8½, and daughter Therese, age 10, were in Philadelphia at a memorable Franklin Institute Fels Planetarium sleep-over event especially arranged for science-minded kids to observe the landing. A local TV station airing network coverage of the event had a camera crew and reporters at the planetarium, interviewing astronomers and other space experts there. The kids, sitting on blankets and sleeping bags, were watching a big TV screen’s fuzzy pictures of the Apollo 11 LEM (lunar exploration module). At home, Grampa also watched that station’s fuzzy telecast. “I’m ready to step off the LEM now,” he heard astronaut Neil Armstrong say. After a brief pause, Grampa heard Armstrong add: “That’s one small step for man, one giant step for mankind.” After some network commentary, the TV pictured the sleep-over kids, clapping and cheering. “Seems one young man is not too impressed by all this excitement,” said a TV reporter, as the TV screen showed 8-year-old John in his sleeping bag – sound asleep. For more: https://youtu.be/HCt1BwWE2gA Picture credits: Wikipedia photo by girl’s father Jack Weir; The Franklin Institute; National Aeronautics & Space Administration. Left: Girl reads The Washington Post headline The Eagle Has Landed. Two Men Walk on the Moon. Center: Youth peers thru telescope at Franklin Institute. See story on page 4. Right: Apollo 11 astronaut bootprint on Moon soil. 3 NOTABLE ANNIVERSARIES THIS MONTH . Ride public transit to Moon landing exhibition nearest you If you have grandkids, take them on public transit to one or more institutions featuring this month the 50th anniversary of the first landing on humans upon Earth’s moon. They include: ● Franklin Institute, Philadelphia (see story below), ● Exploratorium, San Francisco, ● Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago, ● Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, Denver, ● Bell Museum, St. Paul, Minn., ● Houghton Library, Cambridge, Mass., ● Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, N.Y., ● Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and Metropolitan Museum of Art, both in New York City. Franklin Institute very convenient to public transportation Founded in 1824, the Franklin Institute is a world-class science museum, named for Benjamin Franklin, noted Philadelphia scientist and hero. This month it is honoring Apollo 11’s 50th Anniversary with a Summer of the Moon program, including many moon-related events, including: ● rooftop lunar telescope observing, ● 1960s-style Night Skies in the Observatory dance party, ● exclusive IMAX and other movies, ● interesting expert speakers, ● lunar lander tours, ● rocket demos, ● live TV science shows, ● a real meteorite you can touch and ● museum-wide anniversary celebration July 20. On display is a “moon rock” picked up by astronaut Dave Scott during the Apollo 15 mission. The museum’s Fels Planetarium has eight screens displaying live news from NASA. At a Space Command exhibit, grandkids can build a Mars rover and see it travel over rocky moon-like terrain. Franklin Institute is a few blocks walk or cab ride from SEPTA Regional Rail Suburban Station and Market-Frankford subway stations, and routes 10, 11, 13, 15, 34 & 36 subway-surface streetcars.