1.
2016 Democratic National Convention
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The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 through to July 28,2016. Her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia, was chosen by delegates as the nominee for vice president by acclamation. Delegates at the convention adopted a party platform, through a voice vote, to take to the 2016 elections. The progressive shift was often credited to Sanders and the influence of members appointed by him. The platform featured a focus on issues, such as Wall Street reform, stronger financial regulation. Senator Elizabeth Warren delivered the address of the convention, with First Lady Michelle Obama. Former President Bill Clinton served as headlining speaker on the second day, while Vice President Joe Biden. Clintons speech was generally well-received, and she would go on to have a 7% convention bounce in national polling, various performers also appeared during the convention, including Demi Lovato, Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz and Katy Perry. The live announcer for the four day event was Sylvia Villagran, the convention was not without controversy, as it was subject to various conflicts between supporters of the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders and the Democratic Party. Schultz subsequently resigned as chair of the Committee, and thus as chair of the Democratic National Convention, in 2016, the Republican and Democratic conventions were held in late July before the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, instead of after the Olympics as in 2008 and 2012. One reason why the Republican Party scheduled its convention in July was to avoid a longer. The Democrats then followed suit, scheduling their convention the week after the Republicans convention, Philadelphia was selected as the host city on February 12,2015. The primary venue was the Wells Fargo Center, the Pennsylvania Convention Center was also used, the last convention held in Philadelphia was the 2000 Republican National Convention, the last time the city hosted the Democratic Convention was in 1948. Philadelphia was selected over finalists Columbus, New York City, Birmingham, Cleveland, edward G. Rendell, the former mayor of Philadelphia and governor of Pennsylvania, played a crucial role in securing Philadelphia as the host city. The Host Committee is composed of 10 prominent Philadelphia business executives, civic, the Reverend Leah Daughtry is the CEO. A cache of more than 19,000 e-mails was leaked on July 22,2016 and this caused Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz to resign. Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, timed the release of the e-mails to occur shortly before the Democratic convention in hopes of maximizing its impact, by May 19,2016, five organized groups of Sanders supporters had applied for demonstration permits from the Philadelphia police department. However, on July 22, the union and American Airlines reached an agreement, the city of Philadelphia expected 35,000 to 50,000 protesters throughout the convention
2.
Market Street (Philadelphia)
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Market Street, originally known as High Street, is a major east–west street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is signed as Pennsylvania Route 3 between the 38th Street and 15th Street, the High Street was the familiar name of the principal street in nearly every English town at the time Philadelphia was founded. But if Philadelphia was indebted to England for the name of High Street, nearly every American town is, in turn, indebted to Philadelphia for its Market Street. Long before the city was out or settled, Philadelphias founder. The citys first market stalls were situated in the center of the thoroughfare starting at Front Street, the stalls soon became covered and were not taken down as planned. Later, additional covered sheds appeared west of Center Square as the city expanded westward, the street began to be called Market Street around 1800. The roads new name was official by an ordinance of 1858, ironically. Market Street has been called the most historic highway in the United States because of the historic sites along its eastern section. Many of Benjamin Franklins activities were centered along Market Street and his house was located near the intersection of Fourth Street, and he may have performed his famous kite-flying experiment near Third and Market Streets. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in a house once located at the Seventh Street intersection. The mansion of Robert Morris, financier of the American Revolution, was located near Sixth and this house, known as the Presidents House, was used by George Washington and John Adams as their residence during their terms as President. Around 1795 Theophilus Cazenove lived at Market Street, several important finance and publishing firsts also occurred along Market Street between Second and Fourth Streets during the 18th century. Market Street is still one of the locations of business. Market Street runs from Millbourne to Front Street in Center City, at Front Street, a bridge over Interstate 95 brings traffic from Penns Landing, on the western bank of the Delaware River, onto westbound Market Street. Market Street runs one way, eastbound, between 20th Street and 15th Street, with traffic diverted onto JFK Boulevard. Market Street is interrupted between 15th Street and Juniper Street by Philadelphia City Hall, and technical does not intersect with Broad Street as a result, a pedestrian-only path continues Market Street across the City Hall block. Between 12th Street and roughly 20th Street, Market Street is heavily commercial, the street continues westward, crossing over the Schuylkill River via the Market Street Bridge, into and through University City and West Philadelphia. SEPTAs Market-Frankford Line runs along Market Street, as a subway east of 44th Street and as a line above Market Street
3.
Pennsylvania Route 3
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Pennsylvania Route 3 is a 24. 3-mile state highway located in the southeastern portion of Pennsylvania. The route connects U. S. Route 322 Business in West Chester with PA611 in Philadelphia, the route begins in downtown West Chester and heads east out of town as a one-way pair of streets. Between West Chester and Upper Darby Township, PA3 follows a divided highway known as West Chester Pike through suburban areas. Along this stretch, the passes through Edgmont, Newtown Square, Broomall. The route has an interchange with Interstate 476 between Broomall and Havertown, upon reaching Upper Darby, PA3 heads into Philadelphia along Market Street. Kennedy Boulevard and ending at Philadelphia City Hall, Philadelphia and West Chester were linked by a dirt road dating back to 1793. The Philadelphia and West Chester Turnpike Company was created to build a road between the two places in 1848. The turnpike was built as a road between Philadelphia and Newtown Square in the 1850s before becoming a stone road in the 1880s. A horse-drawn rail line was built part of the turnpike in the 1850s. The state took over the West Chester Pike in 1918, in 1927, the route was designated as part of PA5. PA3 replaced the PA5 designation between West Chester and Philadelphia in 1937, Trolley service was replaced by buses in the 1950s to allow for the widening of PA3 between West Chester and Philadelphia to four lanes. By 1960, PA3 was shifted to end at US13 in Southwest Philadelphia, the routing was shifted to US13 west of University City by 1970 before the route was extended east to Philadelphia City Hall during the 1970s. PA3 begins at an intersection with US322 Bus. in the area of the borough of West Chester in Chester County near the historic Chester County Courthouse. From here, the route heads northeast on the pair of East Market Street eastbound. The one-way streets carry two lanes in each direction as they pass downtown businesses, at the intersection with Matlack Street, the westbound direction of PA3 shifts from East Chestnut Street to East Gay Street. PA3 leaves West Chester for West Goshen Township and comes to an eastbound exit, at this point, both directions of the route come together and head east along four-lane divided West Chester Pike, passing through residential areas. PA3 comes to an interchange with the US 202/US322 freeway and runs past businesses, the road curves east-southeast at the Strasburg Road intersection and crosses into East Goshen Township, where it continues past suburban neighborhoods and commercial establishments. PA3 enters Westtown Township and reaches an intersection with PA352, the road heads east through wooded areas with residential subdivisions as it continues into Willistown Township
4.
Philadelphia
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In 1682, William Penn, an English Quaker, founded the city to serve as capital of the Pennsylvania Colony. Philadelphia was one of the capitals in the Revolutionary War. In the 19th century, Philadelphia became an industrial center. It became a destination for African-Americans in the Great Migration. The areas many universities and colleges make Philadelphia a top international study destination, as the city has evolved into an educational, with a gross domestic product of $388 billion, Philadelphia ranks ninth among world cities and fourth in the nation. Philadelphia is the center of activity in Pennsylvania and is home to seven Fortune 1000 companies. The Philadelphia skyline is growing, with a market of almost 81,900 commercial properties in 2016 including several prominent skyscrapers. The city is known for its arts, culture, and rich history, Philadelphia has more outdoor sculptures and murals than any other American city. Fairmount Park, when combined with the adjacent Wissahickon Valley Park in the watershed, is one of the largest contiguous urban park areas in the United States. The 67 National Historic Landmarks in the city helped account for the $10 billion generated by tourism, Philadelphia is the only World Heritage City in the United States. Before Europeans arrived, the Philadelphia area was home to the Lenape Indians in the village of Shackamaxon, the Lenape are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government. They are also called Delaware Indians and their territory was along the Delaware River watershed, western Long Island. Most Lenape were pushed out of their Delaware homeland during the 18th century by expanding European colonies, Lenape communities were weakened by newly introduced diseases, mainly smallpox, and violent conflict with Europeans. Iroquois people occasionally fought the Lenape, surviving Lenape moved west into the upper Ohio River basin. The American Revolutionary War and United States independence pushed them further west, in the 1860s, the United States government sent most Lenape remaining in the eastern United States to the Indian Territory under the Indian removal policy. In the 21st century, most Lenape now reside in the US state of Oklahoma, with communities living also in Wisconsin, Ontario. The Dutch considered the entire Delaware River valley to be part of their New Netherland colony, in 1638, Swedish settlers led by renegade Dutch established the colony of New Sweden at Fort Christina and quickly spread out in the valley. In 1644, New Sweden supported the Susquehannocks in their defeat of the English colony of Maryland
5.
Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania /ˌpɛnsᵻlˈveɪnjə/, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state located in the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The Appalachian Mountains run through its middle, Pennsylvania is the 33rd largest, the 5th most populous, and the 9th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The states five most populous cities are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, the state capital, and its ninth-largest city, is Harrisburg. Pennsylvania has 140 miles of shoreline along Lake Erie and the Delaware Estuary. The state is one of the 13 original founding states of the United States, it came into being in 1681 as a result of a land grant to William Penn. Part of Pennsylvania, together with the present State of Delaware, had earlier been organized as the Colony of New Sweden and it was the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, on December 12,1787. Independence Hall, where the United States Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were drafted, is located in the states largest city of Philadelphia, during the American Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, was fought in the south central region of the state. Valley Forge near Philadelphia was General Washingtons headquarters during the winter of 1777–78. Pennsylvania is 170 miles north to south and 283 miles east to west, of a total 46,055 square miles,44,817 square miles are land,490 square miles are inland waters, and 749 square miles are waters in Lake Erie. It is the 33rd largest state in the United States, Pennsylvania has 51 miles of coastline along Lake Erie and 57 miles of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary. Cities include Philadelphia, Reading, Lebanon and Lancaster in the southeast, Pittsburgh in the southwest, the tri-cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, the northeast includes the former anthracite coal mining communities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston City, and Hazleton. Erie is located in the northwest, the state has 5 regions, namely the Allegheny Plateau, Ridge and Valley, Atlantic Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and the Erie Plain. Straddling two major zones, the majority of the state, with the exception of the corner, has a humid continental climate. The largest city, Philadelphia, has characteristics of the humid subtropical climate that covers much of Delaware. Moving toward the interior of the state, the winter climate becomes colder, the number of cloudy days increase. Western areas of the state, particularly locations near Lake Erie, can receive over 100 inches of snowfall annually, the state may be subject to severe weather from spring through summer into fall. Tornadoes occur annually in the state, sometimes in large numbers, the Tuscarora Nation took up temporary residence in the central portion of Pennsylvania ca. Both the Dutch and the English claimed both sides of the Delaware River as part of their lands in America
6.
Amtrak
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Founded in 1971 to take over most of the remaining U. S. passenger rail services, it is partially government funded yet operated and managed as a for-profit corporation. Amtrak serves more than 500 destinations in 46 states and three Canadian provinces, operating more than 300 trains each day over 21,300 miles of track, some track sections allow trains to run as fast as 150 mph. In fiscal year 2015, Amtrak served 30.8 million passengers and had $2.185 billion in revenue, nearly two-thirds of passengers come from the 10 largest metropolitan areas, 83% of passengers travel on routes shorter than 400 miles. Its headquarters is at Union Station in Washington, D. C, the name Amtrak is a portmanteau of the words America and trak, the latter itself a sensational spelling of track. From the mid-19th century until about 1920, nearly all intercity travelers in the United States moved by rail, historically, U. S. passenger trains were owned and operated by the same privately owned companies that operated freight trains. About 65,000 railroad passenger cars operated in 1929, from 1920 into the later 20th century, passenger rails popularity diminished and there was a series of pullbacks and tentative recoveries. Rail passenger revenues declined dramatically between 1920 and 1934 because of the rise of the automobile, in the same period, many travelers were lost to interstate bus companies such as Greyhound Lines. However, in the mid-1930s, railroads reignited popular imagination with service improvements and new, diesel-powered streamliners, such as the gleaming silver Pioneer Zephyr and Flying Yankee. Even with the improvements, on a basis, traffic continued to decline. World War II broke the malaise, passenger traffic soared sixfold thanks to troop movements, in 1946, there remained 45 percent fewer passenger trains than in 1929, and the decline quickened despite railroad optimism. Passengers disappeared and so did trains, few trains generated profits, most produced losses. Broad-based passenger rail deficits appeared as early as 1948, and by the mid-1950s, by 1965, only 10,000 rail passenger cars were in operation,85 percent fewer than in 1929. Passenger service was provided on only 75,000 miles of track, the 1960s also saw the end of railway post office revenues, which had helped some of the remaining trains break even. The causes of the decline of rail in the United States were complex. Until 1920, rail was the practical form of intercity transport. By 1930, the companies had constructed, with private funding. In 1916, the amount of track in the United States peaked at 254,251 miles, some rail routes had been built primarily to facilitate the sale of stock in the railroad companies, they were redundant from the beginning. These were the first to be abandoned as the financial positions deteriorated
7.
Island platform
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An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on twin-track routes due to pragmatic and cost-effective reasons, an alternative arrangement is to position side platforms on either side of the tracks. The historical use of island platforms depends greatly upon the location, the island platform layout is a popular, cost-effective and practical solution in modern railway systems. Island platforms allow facilities such as escalators, elevators, shops, toilets and this is essential for wheelchair accessible stations. An island platform makes it easier for users and the infirm to change services between tracks. Additionally, an island platform layout eliminates the need to construct a crossover or subway between two platforms, however, island platforms may become overcrowded, especially at busy stations, and this can lead to safety issues such as Clapham Common and Angel on the London Underground. However, for the tracks to diverge around the platform, extra width is required along the right-of-way on each approach to the station. Track centers vary for rail systems throughout the world but are normally 3 to 5 meters, if the island platform is 6 meters wide, the tracks have to slew out by the same distance. While this is not a problem on a new line that is being constructed, in addition, a single island platform makes it quite difficult to have through tracks, which are usually between the local tracks. A common configuration in busy locations on high speed lines is a pair of island platforms, high-speed trains can therefore pass straight through the station, while slow trains pass around the platforms. This arrangement also allows the station to serve as a point where trains can be passed by faster trains. The purpose of this design was to reduce unnecessary passenger congestion at a station with a high volume of passengers. Many of the stations on the Great Central Railway were constructed in this form and this was because the line was planned to connect to a Channel Tunnel. Island platforms are a normal sight on Indian railway stations. Almost all railway stations in India consist of island platforms, in Toronto,29 subway stations use island platforms. A slight disadvantage is that crossovers have to be rather long, in southern New Jersey and Philadelphia, PATCO uses island platforms in all of its 13 stations, to facilitate one-person train operation. Most elevated stations in Singapores Mass Rapid Transit system use island platforms, the exception is Dover MRT Station, which uses side platforms as it is built on an existing rail line. The planned Canberra MRT Station will also use side platforms, as it also be built on an existing rail line
8.
Megabus (North America)
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On April 10,2006, Stagecoach introduced a no-frills service through its Coach USA subsidiary, using the Megabus brand that it had established in the United Kingdom. Louis, Ann Arbor, Columbus, Louisville, Toledo, Detroit, Kansas City, Minneapolis, on August 8,2007, Megabus introduced service to the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Tempe, Arizona, using Coach America as a contractor. In its first foray into California, ridership was sluggish and Megabus started to discontinue services from the Los Angeles hub in early 2008, Service to the Phoenix area was discontinued in January 2008, followed by services in San Diego and San Ysidro in March 2008. In May 2008, Megabus made the decision to shut down its Los Angeles hub and discontinue all related services, stating that n this case, the final day for services from Los Angeles was June 22,2008. Megabus re-entered the market in 2012 after reacquiring some of the assets of Coach America, further expansions included service to Syracuse, Rochester, Hartford, and Niagara Falls, Ontario. Later in 2009, the Megabus concept was expanded to Toronto and Montreal, Megabus expanded deeper into Pennsylvania and the Southeast in 2009 and 2010. Megabus returned to the West Coast on December 12,2012 initially serving San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, Reno, Riverside, on its west coast routes, Megabus operates almost exclusively from either commuter rail stations or transfer stations for local transit buses. A fraction of tickets are priced at 1.00 USD or CAD, Megabus follows the yield management model, typically used by airlines, where the lowest fares are offered to those who book early, so the less popular schedules tend to be less expensive. In order to keep costs down, Megabus has no waiting rooms and no bus terminals and picks up at curbside on public streets, stops may be outside railroad stations or transportation centers in major cities, or on college campuses or at shopping centers in other cities. Tickets must be purchased in advance via the website or by telephone, upon purchase, passengers are given a reservation number which they show the bus operator when they board. In the United States, tickets are not available from the bus operator, in Canada, owing to franchise regulations, tickets are sold at stops at a fixed price. The Megabus fleet can be identified by the megabus. com name on the front and sides in yellow against a base. The DATTCO fleet used for Megabus service is also decaled with Megabus logos, buses on the M25 Megabus route operate with regular Academy Bus livery. In 2007, Coach USA updated its Chicago-based Megabus fleet with new MCI J4500 single-deck and this expansion came as Megabus exited from the West Coast market. The fleet transferred to Eastern Shuttle was eventually returned to mainline Coach USA duty following divestiture a few months later, all Megabus coaches branded as such in the United States are equipped with Wi-Fi and electrical outlets. In accordance with ADA regulations, wheelchair-accessible service is available on all lines and this can now be done online or by phone. The Canadian Megabus fleet consists of 152009 TD925 buses and are operated by Trentway-Wagar, all of the Canada fleet is equipped with electrical outlets and Wi-Fi. The Canadian buses are pooled with the US fleet for NYC-Toronto or Philadelphia-Toronto runs, note that on these runs the buses will typically only have WiFi service available in the home country for the bus being used, i. e
9.
BoltBus
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BoltBus is an intercity bus common carrier that operates low cost, non-stop and limited-stop, premium level routes in the northeast and western United States and British Columbia, Canada. In the northeast, BoltBus provides service from New York City, BoltBus is owned by Greyhound Lines and routes in the northeast are operated in partnership with Peter Pan Bus Lines. On the west coast, BoltBus service is offered in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, routes on the West Coast are owned and operated by Greyhound without a partner. While BoltBus is owned by Greyhound Lines and uses the operating authority. BoltBus competes with other low cost carriers such as Megabus and Chinatown bus carriers, the BoltBus network in the northeast radiates from New York City. Buses depart from three street stops in Manhattan and there are different departure points for different lines, service is currently available between New York City and Bostons South Station Bus Terminal, Washington, D. C. On March 24,2011, BoltBus expanded its service into Newark and it began providing service from Newarks Penn Station to Baltimore, and Washington, D. C. s Union Station. Schedules on this route originate and terminate in Boston and Philadelphia with a stop in Newark. On May 17,2012, BoltBus expanded to the Pacific Northwest, service expanded to Vancouver, British Columbia and Bellingham on May 31,2012 and again on October 3,2013 with limited service to Albany and Eugene. BoltBus expanded into California on October 31,2013 offering service between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, the service originally operated between Los Angeles Union Station, San Joses Diridon Station and the West Oakland BART Station. A stop at San Franciscos Transbay Terminal was added to the route on December 12,2013, a second route between Los Angeless Union Station and San Diego was added on November 14,2013, but was discontinued in January 2014 due to low ridership. BoltBus service was expanded outside of California on December 12,2013 with a route between Los Angeles Union Station and Las Vegas with a stop in Barstow, unlike parent Greyhound, all tickets sold on BoltBus are for reserved seating and buses are not oversold. On each trip, at least one ticket is sold for $1, with most pre-booked tickets priced in the $10–$20 range, BoltBus sells the $1 tickets at random within the first few seats sold. The $1 fare is the basis for its slogan “Bolt for a Buck”, when ticketed, passengers are assigned to a boarding group. Passengers who purchased their tickets earlier get a better boarding group assignment, allowing them to board the bus, passengers who are members of the Bolt Rewards program are always assigned to the A boarding group. Passengers who have special needs are assigned to the S boarding group and are allowed to pre-board before other passengers, BoltBus routes use Prevost X3-45 and MCI D4505 coaches. All motorcoaches are equipped with internet access and leather seats that have armrests, footrests, seat belts, cup holders. The motorcoaches used on BoltBus have 5 fewer seats than the standard, giving passengers additional legroom
10.
30th Street Station
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It is also a major stop on Amtraks Northeast and Keystone Corridors. The stations address is 2955 Market Street and it sits across from the former United States Post Office-Main Branch. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Amtraks code for the station is PHL. Its IATA Airport Code is ZFV on United because Amtraks service to Newark Liberty International Airport is codeshared with United Airlines and this allowed the company to build both Suburban Station and the 30th Street Station, which replaced Broad Street Station as the latter was too small. Broad St. Station also handled a large operation, which the new underground Suburban Station was built to handle. Its design was influenced by the Northeast Corridor electrification that allowed trains to pass beneath the station without exposing passengers to soot as steam engines of earlier times had, construction began in 1927 and the station opened in 1933, starting with two platform tracks. The vast waiting room is faced with travertine and the ceiling is painted gold, red. The buildings exterior has columned porte-cocheres on the west and east facade, the cost of replacing signs at the station was estimated at $3 million. In January, Philadelphia Mayor John Street threw his support behind the name change, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, a former mayor of Philadelphia, was lukewarm, while Amtrak officials worried that a Ben station could be confused with its other three Penn stations. On January 25,2006, Pew abandoned the campaign, giving no reason, in August 2014, a federal law was passed that will change the name of the station to the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station in honor of the late congressman. At the time, the change was scheduled to occur in the few months. The building is owned by Amtrak and houses many Amtrak corporate offices, although Amtrak is officially headquartered at Union Station in Washington, the 562,000 ft² facility features a cavernous main passenger concourse with ornate Art Deco decor. Prominently displayed is the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial, which honors Pennsylvania Railroad employees killed in World War II. It consists of a statue of the archangel Michael lifting the body of a dead soldier out of the flames of war. On the four sides of the base of that sculpture are the 1,307 names of employees in alphabetical order. The building was restored in 1991 by Dan Peter Kopple & Associates, when the station was renovated, updated retail amenities were added. They include several shops, a food court, car rental facilities, Saxbys Coffee, Dunkin Donuts. The Amtrak 30th Street Parking Garage was designed by BLT Architects and this nine-level, double helix garage provides 2,100 parking spaces and glass-enclosed stair tower and elevator to offer views of Philadelphia
1.9% (Amtrak)
