Hurried off as Daniel Tiger ended. There was a lot I wanted to do today, starting with a quick run to WaWa for money and a Propel. Headed down Atlantic to the Collingswood PATCO station. They're still working on the sidewalk outside and the escalator inside, so I parked my bike on the other side of the station. I got upstairs less than two minutes before the train to Philadelphia arrived.
I had less luck once I got off the train at the Fashion District. I thought SEPTA bus 48 went to Fishtown, but it would seem that it didn't. I walked around for an hour and a half in and around the mall, trying to figure out how I was going to get to Frankford Street. Finally ended up hopping on the train at the Fashion District and getting off at Giraud Avenue.
Even after I got off, I still got turned around. Fishtown is an odd mix of old brownstones and brand-new apartment buildings that all look alike. It took me 20 more minutes to find the Philadelphia Record Exchange, but it was worth it when I finally got there. They had a lot of records packed into a long, relatively narrow space. I hit the bonanza on cast albums and soundtracks, all but one of which was a dollar. Found some Who I'd been looking for here, too:
The original Broadway cast albums for Walking Happy, Darling of the Day, and Wish You Were Here, and a double cast album for Arms and the Girl and Look Ma, I'm Dancin'!
The soundtracks for the TV musical The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood and the movie version of The Band Wagon
The Who - The Who Sell Out
At least it was a gorgeous day for all the running around I did. Warmer than it has been, but still nothing like the past few weeks, sunny and slightly humid but nothing outrageous. It wasn't even windy, and there were only a few fleecy clouds in the sky.
Started down Frankford Avenue to find somewhere for lunch, stopping briefly at a small community rose garden to check Google Maps. I'd just passed a bar when I turned around, tripped over a raised part of the sidewalk, and went sprawling. The worst that happened to the records was the cover for Walking Happy got a little bent, but I didn't get that lucky. My left knee was badly scraped and bloody. My left knuckle was also a little scraped, though nothing like the knee. My shoulder and wrist were a little sore, but I could move them fine and carried my bag to the Bottle East Bar with no trouble.
I stumbled past coolers filled with every kind of beer and liquor and stumbled over to the tables to take care of my knee and knuckle. The bartender and the waiter were really sweet. They offered me a band-aid and help cleaning up. I had wipes and a bandage in my backpack, but I appreciated the thought. The bartender even complimented my Pokemon backpack. I enjoyed my decent burger and perfectly crispy fries while half-listening to them organize the beer coolers.
After all that, I figured it was time to move on. I headed back to Giraud Avenue and picked up the train there. In fact, I got on the wrong train. Thankfully, I caught it at the Berks station and got on the right one to Spring Garden.
I got turned around when I got off in Northern Liberties, too, but I caught on quicker this time and was at Creep Records within 10 minutes. Creep Records was a much smaller, younger-skewering collection of mainly hip-hop and hard and punk rock records, though they did carry CDs, DVDs, and t-shirts, too. Their prices weren't as good as Philadelphia Record Exchange, either. I didn't do nearly as well here. Walked out with three records:
The soundtrack from the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only
Blood, Sweat, and Tears - Greatest Hits
WDAS-FM Black Rock, a collection of R&B and rock hits by black artists put out by local R&B and soul station WDAS in the 70's. (Research reveals WDAS is still around, and in fact remains an R&B and soul station to this day.)
After my close encounter with the pavement in Fishtown, I wasn't taking chances. I walked a block to the outdoor seating at The 700 restaurant and called Uber to get me crosstown to Samson Street. The quiet Asian gentleman picked me up in less than two minutes. He managed to dodge some traffic in and around Chinatown and got me there within 20 minutes.
This time, I started at Circa Gallery, that awesome thrift shop in the middle of Sansom Street. That's why I stopped at the WaWa in Collingswood. The sweet older owner doesn't take credit cards, and he had some terrific soundtrack records I really wanted. Didn't see any books this time, but I did walk out with:
The soundtracks from The Fleet's In, Hello Frisco Hello, The Dolly Sisters, and Tin Pan Alley, and a double soundtrack for Springtime In the Rockies and Sweet Rosie O'Grady
I only dug up two CDs this time, but they were the soundtrack for Deep In My Heart and the original Broadway revival cast album for A Connecticut Yankee with Eddie Albert and Vivienne Segal
Headed across the street next to Long In the Tooth Records. Unlike when I visited last month, they were open. They may have been the best record store I've visited in Philly yet. Much larger than most of the others, with a terrific selection. Like Creep, they also carried DVDs and CDs. They had an equally wonderful soundtrack and movie collection, though a little higher-priced than Philadelphia Record Exchange, and the owner was a sweetheart, too. I finally walked out with:
The soundtrack for the 1957 TV musical version of Ruggles of Red Gap with Michael Redgrave and Jane Powell
The original Broadway cast albums for House of Flowers and On the Twentieth Century
Ben Bagley's Leonard Bernstein Revisited, a collection of songs cut from Bernstein shows, from flops, and from his ballets.
The Beatles - Beatles for Sale (This was far pricier than the others, but it was also nearly new.)
The Who - The Who By the Numbers
By this time, it was 4:30. I was tired and sore, and not up to the hike back to 8th Street I did last month. I took the PATCO from the closer 16th and Locust instead. The train was right on time, and I was back in Collingswood by quarter of 5.
As soon as I got home, I put on Hair while I got organized. I go into further details on the film versions of the "American Tribal Love Rock Musical" at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Switched to Match Game Syndicated while eating leftovers for dinner. Lee Merriweather, Bill Daily, and Betty White join in to hear Charles and the audience insult one of Brett's less-amusing answers. The others join to help with "Still __" in the Audience Match.
Finished the night with tributes to original Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall, who passed away today. Marshall started out on Broadway and did a musical with Julie Harris and Charles Nelson Reilly in 1965. In Skyscraper, Harris plays the daydreaming owner of an antique store who is in danger of losing her brownstone home to a contractor. She fantasizes about her fussy manager (Reilly), but ends up with the contractor (Marshall). Truth be told, this isn't that great of a musical, though Marshall does get the best song, "Everybody Has a Right To Be Wrong."
The owner of the Match Game Productions site put together a short marathon of two classic Hollywood Squares episodes later in the evening. The older one from 1968 has Buddy Hackett in the center square, along with Abby Dalton, Wally Cox, Paul Lynde, and Charley Weaver. Cox stuck around for a mid-70's nighttime show and Lynde moved to his permanent position in the center square. Other wisecrackers in this episode included Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Rose-Marie, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Vincent Price. (And I really dig the catchy theme music used during the beginning and end of the marathon!)
You're never fully dressed without a smile when you join Marshall and his tic-tac-toe merrymakers in this hilarious marathon!
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