The hotel in Philly was 4 miles from the venue so my friend C and I knew we'd be using public transit (or cab) to get to the venue. So I started perusing the PJ fanboards to find out what was the best option. And promptly came across a post about SEPTA getting ready for a walkout ...Zoinks!


Add to that Game 3 of the World Series was in Philly the same night as the last PJ show at the Spectrum (right across the street from the baseball stadium) and all signs pointed to transportation being a clusterf*ck. (Driving to venue from hotel could been done with my AWESOME navigation system... which made this road trip way better than the 2000 jaunt to Jones Beach, NY... I don't ever want to hear about a POW/MIA highway ever again! - but this was a way way way last resort option).


Before leaving Friday I checked online and the general consensus was a walkout wouldn't happen until Saturday.....so I setup a Google Alert and headed out!


Friday evening arrived in Philly checked into the hotel, changed and headed for the SEPTA station. The SEPTA system is much more like NYCs Subway system (none of this farecard/exit fare crap), you use tokens.

Point SEPTA.

The machines to buy fares only took $1, $5, $10, and $20.... and you couldn't adjust the value you wanted to buy if you inserted a large bill.

Point WMATA.

(Luckily I just bought $20 worth of fare for me and C and hoped the strike didn't happen!) Other people were trying to get change from the SEPTA station manager.... no dice! And don't even get me started on the morons that didn't buy roundtrip fare... the line to buy it after the show each night was worse than Gallery Place after a show at the Verizon Center) Some time on Saturday afternoon I got a Google alert that SEPTA would not strike while the World Series was in town... YAY!


SEPTA stations smell like piss... and each station I was in had a fare share of homeless people sleeping in them.

Point WMATA.

The actual ride on SEPTA was fine..... and I don't recall any jerking to a stop. Bonus... on Saturday after the show... the train headed uptown...EXPRESSED!!!!!!!!

Two Points SEPTA!

Also on Saturday.... there were Balloon arches at the SEPTA exits and a SEPTA Employee directing people up the steps with a big foam finger :D (obviously the Nats are no where near being in a world series... but i just can't see WMATA decorating like this... so.....

Point SEPTA.

Looks like SEPTA wins :)


*has WMATA ever gone on strike? (the week long - we will be following all rules craziness that happened about a week ago does not count :P)