(rshsdepot) 30th Street Station (Philadelphia, PA)

[I95BERNIEW_@_aol.com]

From the Philadelphia Weekly Press.
 
Bernie Wagenblast
 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
Pardon me, boy, is this the 30th Street Station?


By  Georgina Gozum
Special to the Press/Review
 
Train stations have always conjured up something romantic in us: brief  
encounters, strangers on a train, smoke, tearful good-byes and the odd song or  two 
about a shoeshine boy and Track 29, so it is with little wonder that the  
30th Street Station, a stately landmark on the National Register of Historic  
Places, built in 1934, and the largest existing railway station in America, is  
also a likely venue for charity balls, special events and weddings!:
 
"It is one of the most unique spaces in Philadelphia architecturally and  
historically. When an event is held at 30th Street Station, people don’t forget  
it, they mention it the following year when searching for another event  space
…’Remember when we had that event at the Station?’ or ‘I attended a great  
event there several years ago.’ I hear this all the time. This 8,400 square foot 
 space is flexible for setting up a cocktail area and a seated dinner space. 
It’s  one of the few event spaces that will seat 500 guests for dinner as well 
as  accommodate any caterer," says Sheryl Haynes, Marketing and Events 
Manager for  the 30th Street Station. 
 
Dramatic, set on two blocks with the Schuylkill River providing a bit of  
Paris-by-the-Seine glinting by day or moonlight, with interior features such as  
the newly-restored "Spirit of Transportation" bas-relief created by Karl 
Bitter,  originally installed in the Broad Street Station and later moved to its 
present  home in the North Waiting Room, which flanks the Main Concourse on one 
side,  Walter Hancock’s bronze Pennsylvania War Memorial, "The Angel of 
Resurrection"  cast in bronze, dominating the eastern end of the Main Concourse ‘
honoring the  Pennsylvania Railroad employees who gave their lives while serving 
their country  during WWII’, offering visitors something to stop and look at, 
to colonnaded  porticoes, a beautifully decorated, coffered ceiling rising 95 
feet above a  Tennessee marble floor and on the South Arcade, a vista of a 
tree-lined avenue,  with exteriors faced with Alabama limestone, it is rather 
romantic. 
 
When it’s not in use for such glamorous and life-altering events, it is  also 
the 2nd most active railway station in the country, where one can choose to  
switch destinations on a whim via the high-speed Acela train or a choice of 
ice  cream flavors to scoop on from say, Ben & Jerry’s.
 
"Besides the opportunity to grab breakfast, lunch, dinner or just a drink  
from our diverse food court, a commuter will experience helpful Amtrak ticket  
ushers and police officers to ensure the commuter doesn’t miss their train. If  
they have an extended wait, the dramatic marble main course is flanked by  
comfortable antique benches from the 1930s and the pleasant food court setting.  
While at 30th Street Station, you can feast your eyes on the many delicacies  
that our food court has to offer -- with 17 restaurants to choose from -- all 
 trans-fat free. There are 6 retail shops as well as 4 rental car companies," 
 adds Haynes.
 
And a feast it is for sight and senses. While at Bridgewater’s Pub, the  
friendly watering hole for tired travelers, I am surprised to report, it is,  
surprisingly a gastronomic pub as well. Chris Dalbey, its affable bartender let  
me know right off what’s featured in their menu: ‘Gator Bites,’ a culinary  
delight of bite-sized portions of alligator meat with coconut marinade and a  
roulade salad, (No, it does not taste like chicken!) and Amish Chicken livers  
with onion chutney (yes, it does taste like chicken…only better!) The pub 
caters  to commuters and counts among its regulars: "students, adjunct professors 
of  Drexel, some type of alumni," says Dalbey, as well as daytrippers who are 
there  to take in a tipple or two, and the news on one of their many state of 
the art  flat screen tvs.
 
When you’re done feasting on what could have been your Auntie Babe’s (as in  
Paley) shoes or luggage, stop and smell the roses at Fleuradelphia, where you 
 can get a bouquet of tulips from Holland, Easter lilies in pots or roses 
from  South America for about $10, or take a few more bites at Saladworks’ new 
panini  sandwiches of "Turkey Reuben, or Chicken Mozzarella with Capri sauce and 
 vegetables", recommendations from their jolly sandwich-salad guy William  
Catallena. For surprising soul food, Philadelphia’s standby Delilah’s has been  
the last word in delicious jerk chicken, jambalayas and sweet potatoes, which 
 opened its branch in the Station as an interesting counterpoint to the 
original  one on the Reading Terminal, itself an old railroad station.
 
For the kids or the kid in us, there is always Boardwalk Fries, for a touch  
of the Shore in the middle of a wintry Spring, pretzels dipped in cheese at  
Auntie Anne’s or groovy drinks and smoothies at Surf City Squeeze.
 
If new looks straight off the runways of Milan or Paris are your thing, or  
if you’d like to know more about obscure cartoons online without leaving the  
station, I would head off to Fabre Coe, the well-stocked newsstand/bookseller  
for their stacks of magazines, cool books and even a last-minute present of an 
 artsy tie or adorable trinket for any It Girl or Cousin It on your list.
 
A few steps away right on the Main Concourse is 30th Street Greetings "It’s  
a very pleasant atmosphere," concedes Charlie Hefron, owner of the card store. 
 Most of the clientele are obviously in transit but the high-ticket 
items--fancy  greeting cards, gifts and writing accessories--get snapped up by 
travelers from  Washington and New York. 
 
"Philadelphians are a little bit more conservative in their spending  
habits," remarks Hefron. With the Post Office right in the Station, there’s no  
excuse for e-card abuse even for perennial procrastinators like myself. 
 
The beauty of modern life is one needn’t wait interminably, as in waiting  
terminals of yore. Indeed, the Station does boast of providing direct assistance 
 to travelers through Travelers Aid, a social service agency via booths  
conveniently located in the center of the west side of the Station’s Main  
Concourse. From helping visitors find a nearby hotel, to solving any travel  dilemma 
such as a lost wallet, ticket to those temporarily marooned or in  serious 
need of aid, to some, Travelers Aid is something of a lifesaver: "Our  mission is 
to assist individuals and families who are in transition or crisis  and are 
disconnected from their support. Travelers Aid offer shelter,  transitional and 
permanent housing, to children and youth services to homeless  families and 
individuals, stranded travelers and newcomers to Philadelphia"  reads their 
Mission Statement. 
 
"While we hope everyone can avoid mishaps while traveling, we want  travelers 
to know that they can come to us whether their problem is big or  small. Our 
unique service puts travelers in contact with people, not a computer  or 
automated telephone service. This transportation hub, 30th Street Station,  hosts 
an average of 25,000 commuters per day, and we’re pleased to be able to  offer 
a personal touch through our dedicated volunteers," Ted Weerts, Travelers  Aid’
s executive director explains.
 
Historically, this seems apt, as the Pennsylvania Railroad built it’s  
station at 30th and Market Streets ‘in response to an ever-increasing demand for  
service and efficiency.’ Designed in a radically different approach from that of 
 the Broad Street Station, it had its tracks passing under the station, made  
possible by the advent of the electric locomotive permitting the routing of  
trains in a through pattern without the need to reconfigure the engine and 
cars.  However, when the commuter section of the station opened in 1933, 
passengers had  to walk through a wooden tunnel past the construction to get to the 
commuter  facilities! 
 
The 30th Street Station has come a long way since its early days, but the  
romance of train travel remains, and it’s the perfect place to fall in love in  
or with, or to meet a perfect stranger. Now if only it had a bridal or tuxedo  
shop, because ya never know. 
 



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