It's not unusual that a Slice of America begins with the phrase "my car was in the shop". As a matter of fact, this whole website kicked off on July 29th, 2000 when my Jeep Cherokee went in for repairs (see A Boy and His Bike #1) . That was a serious matter consisting of a new transmission and several other very expensive parts - plus labor. This visit to Pacifico Ford, in West Philadelphia, was because of a recall. Turns out my battery cables and wheel bearings were faulty. Just for kicks, they replaced my fuel pump (all covered under the warranty!).

Map supplied by "Yahoo! Maps". Trip begins at "1" and follows the purple line.

4.2 miles between my apartment and Pacifico Ford - that's according to "Yahoo! Maps". I could have taken the bus. I could have called a cab. I could have even bummed a ride from a friend. None of that sounded very appealing. For some reason, possibly in direct defiance of what had become THE LONGEST WINTER EVER, I walked the 4.2 miles in the 29° morning tundra. (that according to a bank on Broad St.)

I left the apartment at 7:45 AM. The sun was already causing traffic problems, but believe me - it was cold. I went East for one block to catch Broad St. From there I traveled South for about a mile. The streets were pretty busy. Kids were on there way to school. People were utilizing the city's public transportation on their way to work. Every newspaper stand had the same headline, "Elizabeth Smart Found!" I must have passed 10 giant murals in 30 minutes walking along Broad St. These were my favorite - Mario Lanza and Frank Sinatra (see below).

My next turn was a right onto Passyunk Ave. - a street that runs diagonally through a city that would otherwise be a perfect grid (mostly). Every intersection on Passyunk creates an odd split in the road, not your typical right angle - more like 40°, so you have to constantly check the street signs. "Am I still on Passyunk?"... that kind of thing. I hate to sum up a place in passing, but I will anyway. This end of Passyunk was mostly residential, convenient stores, places to get nails done, and failed convenient stores and places to get nails done. I passed an AMACO station. The price for gas today: $1.68 - $1.78 - $1.86. A bank told me that it was 8:30 and 27°. The sun was coming up, but somehow it was getting colder out.

Passyunk can be pronounced three ways. First is (passy-unk), with the "passy" as in "classy". The second way is (pass-yunk), as though you would have passed it, "I went pass yunk." The locals must have come together a long time ago and decided that these pronunciations were too obvious, because anyone who knows anything pronounces this street (pa-shunk), "pa" using the short vowel pronunciation and "shunk" like "skunk" but with a "shhhh". The stress is on the second syllable. For added effect, throw in a subtle "y" sound after the "shhhh" sound. Let's recap:

The manicurists and quick-stops dwindled as I got closer to I-76. As I climbed the overpass that crossed the interstate and Schuylkill River (see map above), I was suddenly surrounded by industrial fields. To my right, the Philadelphia Gas Works - to my left Sun Oil and Gulf Oil. Both shots below are of the Philadelphia Gas Works. Notice in the second shot, you can see the city skyline in the background. That large building is Liberty Place - about a 10 minute walk from my apartment. You can also see the Schuylkill River - which runs right into the much wider Delaware River about 3 miles South of here.

Finally, I reach the bottom of the overpass. A large sign points out the exit to 61st St., which means that I had just hiked approximately 46 city blocks. It takes me 15 minutes to walk 8 blocks to work. You can do the math.

Also at the bottom of the overpass is a small cluster of "late night" places: Ballbuster's Pool Hall, The Purple Orchid, and Charlie's Dream Erotica. The sign at Charlie's read: SHOW BAR - NUDE GOGO - BOOKSTORE - PRIVATE VIDEO BOOTHS - PRIVATE THEATRE SHOWS - BYOB - BACHELOR PARTIES - VIDEO SPECIALS (3 FOR $14.95) - OPEN 24 HRS. It wasn't 10 AM, but business was booming. I saw a middle-aged couple leaving Charlie's. They looked happy, but seemed surprised at how bright it was outside... as if they had been in there for the duration of a movie "or something".

Just on the other side of the overpass, Passyunk becomes a strip of body shops, gas stations, and junkyards. The sidewalk, or what once was a sidewalk, is littered with car parts. It's impossible to walk in a straight line without stepping over some broken car part: fender, headlights, lots of tires, an entire engine, mufflers, and a lot of shattered glass.

I stepped into one of the junkyards, looking for a little help with directions. (trying to get to Essington Dr.) The junkyard office was made of a small trailer home, the kind that people pull behind their trucks up to America's big vacation parks. I was certain that this was the office because the word "OFFICE" was spray-painted right there on the wall in red. The door was propped open, so I peeked in.

Finally, at 9:15 AM, I see the Ford sign in the horizon. The entire trip took 1 hour and 30 minutes. This was definitely my least painful experience with a dealership. I never actually saw a mechanic. When I got there I paid my deductible, and that was it - in and out in five minutes. Thanks Pacifico Ford!