Maytag Repairman, Meet The Apple Security Guard

On Saturday night I was returning to my hotel room after the Camac St. block party, part of my softball weekend. I was staying at the Sheraton at 17th and Race. Walking along Walnut St. towards 17th, I passed by the Apple store that opened up a few months ago. I couldn't help but notice it was rather bright inside the store. For a moment I thought it was open. Then I saw that it wasn't, obviously, and I noticed the one person who was inside -- the security guard. Playing around with an iPad. Now that's a job for me...if you can guarantee no one would ever try to break in and shoot me in a robbery attempt, that is.

It was a pretty fun weekend, although our team lost 4 out of 5 games -- we went 1-2 in the round-robin portion on Saturday, then lost twice more (once Saturday, once Sunday morning).

A few more odd pictures. Well, the first two pictures aren't odd, but the reason I took them is.

This is, as you can see, Suburban Station. All SEPTA Regional Rail trains pass through here (the train platforms themselves are actually underground). So you'd think it's quite a busy place.

Busy enough, in fact, that you'd think the doors would be open for anyone trying to catch a train.

You'd be wrong. At least on Sunday.
I was trying to get to the Dunkin Donuts on the concourse before I caught my bus to the field. These doors, as well as two other sets of doors I tried, were all locked. There was a couple, verging on elderly if not already there, also trying to get in, each of them pulling a wheeled suitcase. They were in a hurry to catch a train. We finally had to go across the street and down the steps to the concourse level. This was just before 8 a.m. and there were certainly trains running at that time. (And then there was too much of a line at the Dunkin Donuts and I couldn't wait because I would have missed my bus and the game.) Later that afternoon I happened to pass by again, and the doors were still locked.

Meanwhile, this morning I ran out to get some cash from a nearby ATM before checking out of the hotel. As I was headed up 17th back to the side entrance to the hotel, I saw what looked like soap bubbles fly out of a small vent and onto the street.

It was a rather weird sight. Is it possible that this was coming from the hotel's laundry? If not, what else would explain it?

These last two pictures aren't odd at all. I was standing on a concrete divider on the Ben Franklin Parkway at its starting point, at the intersection of 16th and Arch. There are fountains in each direction. The closer one is in LOVE Park (with City Hall in the background), while the other one is the fountain at Logan Square (with the Art Museum way off in the distance.)

P.S. If you don't understand the Maytag repairman reference, click here.