Positively 4th Street

mannequins
Originally uploaded by michael j nolan.

4th Street in South Philadelphia has been "fabric row" for more than 100 years (I'm told.) It's two blocks away from us and represents one of the things I like best about big cities: whole districts devoted to particular commodities.

Last week I was in Orlando for a conference. No sooner had I arrived in my hotel room than I turned on television to hear that Hurricane Frances was bearing down on us. I made plans for an early escape on Friday and changed my flight. Lucky I did so because my flight left just about an hour before the Orlando airport closed for the duration.

Orlando. Funny place. Sterile hotels where the windows don't open so you can't hear the wind blowing through the palms. Sweeping boulevards of malls and hotels and condo complexes, impossibly long distances to walk. Everything painted cheerfully in Florida colors. No sign of the ocean.