Papa Tom

So, Ferdinand, does an MTA Bike Pass work on NJ Transit and/or SEPTA?

Ferdinand NYC

Unlike the LIRR, neither NJ Transit nor SEPTA requires a pass.

Papa Tom

Cool. Maybe I will change my plan for this weekend and head that way instead...

Ferdinand NYC

I dug Philly so much that I made a second trip down there, and stayed three more days. And I did see a bit of what you described on Pine Street and Spruce Street, with cars stopped in the bike lane. However, I saw the worst of that down on Oregon Ave. Even still, it wasn't as bad as what I see in New York.

On this trip, I didn't use SEPTA; I just took NJ Transit to Trenton and rode to and from Philadelphia from there. So I paid only $20.50 going down (I had to buy the ticket on the train, due to my not arriving earlier) and $15.50 coming back. By contrast, at one point I had to take a cab in Philly on account of a flat; and a 6-mile ride cost me $30 including the (rather generous) tip.


And now for a correction:

That should be Cecil B. Moore Avenue. It's important to keep those suffixes straight, lest one confuse Oxford Street with Oxford Avenue, or Comly Street with Comly Road.

Anyway, by the end of the third day of my second spell down there, I had really internalised a great deal. I was navigating from memory, with decreasing need to look at the map. And I got to almost all corners of town, with the exception perhaps of the southwest. I stayed in Northeast Philly, bordering on Bustleton; and I enjoyed riding through Mayfair, Tacony, and Frankford, down through Port Richmond and Fishtown, into South Philly and the ballpark area, through Olney and much-maligned North Philly; and even way up to Roxborough. I even made a brief jaunt over to Camden.

I had a great time using the bike lanes on Torresdale Ave. (each night going back to the hotel), Bustleton Ave., Aramingo Ave., Rising Sun Ave., Spring Garden St., and others. And I learned to avoid certain bike-laned roads such as Verree Road (because of the hills) and Kensington Ave. (because of the elevated train). I also loved riding on plenty of streets that don't have bike lanes, such as Frankford Ave. and the wonderfully vibrant Broad St.

Of course, there is still plenty more to see in a city of that size and diversity. I hope to get back there again, in order to do some more exploring and to further improve my mental map.

indyfabz

You have to go back there and see Rocky's apartment. 1818 E. Tusculum St., just off Kensington Ave. below Somerset. The address numbers on the side of the building look exactly like they did in the film. Unfortunately, the pet shop where Adrianne worked, which was on Kensington near Somerset is long gone. Also under the El, not that far away at 2147 N. Front St., is the building that was supposed to be the gym where Rocky trained. Only the outside of the building was used in the film. The gym scenes were shot in L.A.

BTW...Many of the streets in that area are named for PA counties. Allegheny, Somerset, Columbia, Lehigh, Cambria, Cumberland, York, Huntingdon, etc.

AngeloDolce

What routes did you take between Trenton and Philadelphia? When did you make the trip (morning or evening? weekend or week day?)

I suspect my trips are a bit longer than yours if you're going to NE Philadelphia (I normally go to Center City [30 miles] or Claymont DE [50-60 miles]). Even so it might be a useful option to have some idea of useful routes to/from Trenton (especially if Amtrak has engine problems, like yesterday).

AngeloDolce

In case it's useful to others, you can currently roll on /roll off Amtrak with a folding bicycle. They are quite strict about the rules that the bicycle be folded, even on a 5:40 am train that was 80% empty (and 2 empty baggage areas in the car.) You can roll it on, and unfold it on the train at your destination so you can roll it off.

They are publicizing reduced limits for baggage starting in Oct. Depending on enforcement, the new limits might restrict what folding bike are allowed.

I generally find NJ Transit/SEPTA more flexible and much cheaper, but Amtrak can be faster, and go further North or South.

Ferdinand NYC

The hotel was in Northeast Philadelphia; but when I rode in from Trenton, it was early in the day. So I went all the way to Center City, noodled around for a while, and then came back to Northeast to check into the hotel in the late afternoon. I think I did about 60 or 65 miles total that day.

The route coming to Philly was:

* the Calhoun Street Bridge
* Trenton Ave. / Trenton Rd., with the small detour at Woolston Dr., to avoid that section of Trenton Ave. where it crosses Rt. 1 and itself becomes highway-like
* stay on this street as it passes through Hulmeville and becomes Hulmeville Road
* right on Byberry Road in Bensalem
* make the next left, which is Knights Road
* Knights Road enters the city once it crosses over Poquessing Creek; soon after, it hits Academy Road
* right at Academy Road.

If I had been going to the hotel, I would have turned right at Grant Ave. But, because it was too early for that, I continued on Academy.

And, if I had wanted the most direct route to Center City, I would have taken Academy to Frankford Ave., turned right, and just stayed on Frankford all the way downtown. But my goal was to see the city; so I took a slightly more circuitous route.

* right off Academy Road at Holme Ave., which becomes Solly Ave. once it crosses Roosevelt Blvd.
* left at Castor Ave.
* right at Wyoming Ave.
* left at Rising Sun Ave.
* left at 2nd St.; then I took that all the way down to the Center City area

Going back to Trenton, I started from the hotel in Northeast Philly. I followed the same route in reverse for most of the way. But, because I wanted to try the Bridge Street Bridge (also called the Midtown Bridge), I turned right off of Trenton Ave. at Pennsylvania Ave., and turned left at Bridge St.

It was just under 20 miles from Trenton to Northeast Philly, and about 35 miles from Trenton all the way to the Center City area.

Ferdinand NYC

Ah, I forgot to add that the trip from Trenton to Philly began at about 10:00 the morning on a weekday; and the trip back began at about 11am on a Saturday.

AngeloDolce

Ferdinand,

Thanks for the information. This might be useful on occasion (e.g. if SEPTA suspends service all the way to Trenton for the Pope's visit).

Ferdinand NYC

I have just learnt that there are two Amtrak trains that operate from New York to points south on which you can take a bike unboxed: the Palmetto and the Carolinian.

According to the schedule information at this page at the Amtrak site, the Palmetto no. 89 leaves New York daily at 6:02am. It gets to Philadelphia at 7:36, and to Washington at 9:30.

The Carolinian no. 79 leaves New York at 7:05am. It gets to Philadelphia at 8:30, and to Washington at 10:25.

In the other direction, the Palmetto no. 90 leaves Washington at 8:30pm, gets to Philadelphia at 10:24, and to New York at 11:56.

For some reason, the northbound Carolinian doesn't appear in the results when you put in Washington, Philadelphia, and New York. [UPDATE: It appears that the northbound Carolinian no. 80 skips right over Washington and Philadelphia.]

I will also note that these times conflict with the times given on the Atlantic Coast Service schedule. I wonder if anyone can figure out this discrepancy. [UPDATE: that link no longer works.]

Anyway, on these trains you can take your bicycle for $20 extra.