And in another triumph of technological innovation for Philadelphia’s “newspaper of record,” I am unable to find a link to Avery’s column. However, Inky staff writer Julie Stoiber wrote in a similar vein here.
(I mean, I have to look extra hard for good posting material from the Inky, especially since it seems that they’ve ended the “Carnal Knowledge” column by writer Faye Flam. As I said, at least she was trying to do something interesting, but I think the most recent one about hermaphroditic worms may have been the last straw for Bruce Toll and Brian Tierney of Philadelphia Media Holdings, L.L.C.).
Avery recounted a recent carriage ride he took around the historic Olde City section closer to the Delaware River in which the tour guide spouted some truly amazing nonsense, such as the location where George Washington and Abraham Lincoln once ate dinner together, and the “fact” that our first president is buried in Washington Square. And this was uttered by the guide with the approval of this person’s supervisor, who appeared to be as misinformed as her pupil.
Well, as a public service announcement, I’d like to clear up the following misconceptions about the city so tour guides don’t communicate further incorrect information to tourists:
- Ben Franklin never met Betsy Ross at “the clothespin” at 15th and Market streets for a late-night session of French kissing.I hope this information helps in some small way.
- Thomas Holme, a surveyor hired by William Penn to design the city’s well-known grid pattern, never saw Beru Revue in concert at The Ripley on South Street in the 1980s.
- Upon the death of former Philadelphia mob boss Angelo Bruno from a shotgun blast to the head, he was not succeeded by Bobby Rydell.
- Former mayor Bill Green, Inquirer columnist Steve Lopez and Flyers legend Bobby Clarke were never seen panhandling in front of Zipperhead on South Street (at least, not as far as we know).
- King Kong never hung from the top of One Liberty Place while swatting at Wright Model B airplanes and averting Fay Wray from machine gun fire.
- Dulary (pictured), the elephant at The Philadelphia Zoo who was destined for transfer to Maryland before he had to be returned here at the last minute (but now it looks like he’ll end up in Tennessee – and it sounds like Smerky is wrong here also), never ran up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
1 comment:
I know you don't have a link to said op-ed piece, but you might want to reread it... The guide in question did NOT say George Washington & Lincoln dined together (Mr. Avery stuck that in at the end--that's an infamous utterance that was uttered 10 or 15 years ago, and not this past spring.) But Mr. Avery's intent was to make you think that stuff is actually still being said. It was a slanted way of writing.
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