In A Compassionate Way

Lately I have been carrying with me my GoPro Hero action camera during my photo walks, trying to experiment with the different camera settings.

A couple of days ago, I was waiting for the bus in the corner of Kensington and Allegheny Avenue when I took this picture. 

Learned recently that this area was the location for the Philadelphia Nativist Riots in the 19th century. According to Wikipedia: 

"The Philadelphia nativist riots also known as the Philadelphia Prayer Riots, the Bible Riots and the Native American Riots were a series of riots that took place on May 6–8 and July 6–7, 1844. The riots were a result of rising anti-Catholic sentiment at the growing population of Irish Catholic immigrants. The government brought in over a thousand militia, they confronted the nativist mobs and killed and wounded hundreds".

This was also the birthplace of the K&A Gang, (an Irish American organized crime association known for their distribution of methamphetamine) currently known as the Northeast Philly Irish Mob.

Unfortunately, Kensington and Allegheny is now famous for being the epicenter of the opioid epidemic. Even the pandemic has not slowed down the drug supply around this area where drug is used openly on the streets. 

I don't feel comfortable taking pictures of drug users, but if you are interested to see more, search for "Jeffrey Stockbridge, Opioid Crisis: Photographing Addicts in a Compassionate Way"

It Only Takes One Fart, And We All Stink

They say that everyone farts between 10 and 20 times a day. Sometimes it may be loud and odorless, or smelly. Sometimes it's really smelly, sometimes it's silent but deadly.

One of the great inconveniences of riding public transportation is that you are at the mercy of people. Sometimes you take the bus or the train and its so crowded that it feels like a pack of sardines.

I'm not always late for work, but in this particular day last week, I was running late for a meeting at another health center. I hopped on the crowded Market Frankford Line, politely made my way toward the middle of the train and grabbed the overhead grab rail to keep myself from bumping into people. There was no room to move.

And then it hit me. A well dressed elegant woman standing in front of me farted, the foul smell was so intense that the stench burned my nostrils. I looked the other way to try to get away from her, to prevent myself from fainting. Remember, the train was so packed with commuters that there was no room to move anywhere. I thought her silent deadly fart was peeling the paint off the walls. Interestingly, people around us totally ignored the rotten smell and no one seemed to notice. It was the longest most uncomfortable train ride of my life.

For some reason, that smelly episode reminded me of the Lynyrd Skynyrd song titled - That Smell. "Oooh that smell. Can't you smell that smell? Oooh that smell. The smell of death surrounds you."

Yet another adventure riding the infamous Philadelphia Market Frankford Line.

Behind The Scenes Photography

It's getting warmer in Philadelphia, but we're getting drenched every weekend. So there is no motivation to ride my motorcycle, at least not yet.

Last night I visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Afterwards, I decided to walk a few blocks and try to shoot one of the locations I always have a hard time photographing, the Philadelphia Boathouse Row. Even if my life depended on it, I can't get a decent photograph of this place.

It didn't help that the cloudy overcast makes the sky look dull and gray. But hey, I've got nothing to lose so I might as well take a couple of pictures. Who knows, I might just get lucky.

It seemed as if it was going to rain again, so I hurried setting up my camera underneath the Fairmount Water Works gazebo used for wedding ceremonies.

I was so put off by the lousy weather, that only took 5 or 6 pictures of Boathouse Row, including a couple of behind the scene images. The timing couldn't be more perfect. By the time I packed my camera gear, it started to drizzle and the SEPTA bus arrived.

Another photo shoot, another lousy Boathouse Row picture.