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Post by DeadCanDanceR on Aug 20, 2022 9:21:55 GMT -5
The Rockville Bridge is the longest stone masonry arch railroad viaduct ever built, with forty-eight 70-foot spans and a total length of 3,820 feet (1,160 m). The bridge crosses the Susquehanna River about 5 miles north of Harrisburg. The eastern end is in Rockville and the western end is just south of Marysville.It was built by the PRR (of course).
You've probably all seen the PA State Capitol.Because of the dramatic architecture (vast expanses of granite and marble, and the dome) as it has been in quite a few movies, TV shows and commercials.
It's one of those "F*ck me! Really?" buildings. Here it is seen from the West Shore (my neighborhood).
The interior makes the national Capitol look like a booger.
Very nice! Your post made me start humming Rocky’s theme!
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Post by Rat on Nov 26, 2022 12:41:43 GMT -5
I live here... ... and here
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Post by JSB33 on Nov 27, 2022 7:31:30 GMT -5
Beautiful Tom. Do you live in the downtown area?
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Post by Rat on Nov 27, 2022 8:31:33 GMT -5
Beautiful Tom. Do you live in the downtown area? Thanks Jeff. The first pic is downtown Calgary where we live in the 'burbs. The other 2 pics are from Decin, Czech Republic, where we live in the city center. The Elbe River crosses into Germany 6 miles downstream and then it flows into the North Sea near Hamburg. The nearest major city is Dresden 40 miles away.
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Post by ozmac on Nov 27, 2022 14:53:37 GMT -5
First up, the tourist version of where I live, on the East Coast of Australia, in a place called Sydney. You might have heard of it. No, I cannot see the Sydney Harbour Bridge or the Opera House from where I live. They're both about 30 minutes away by public transport. And no, I am not within a stone's throw of Sydney's coastline comprised of dozens of sandy surf beaches. Even the shitty houses in these suburbs cost millions. Here's a map of my humble city. There's actually 5 million people living here, and this map probably covers about one third, maybe a quarter, of the area. I have circled my multicultural, trendy "inner west" suburb of Marrickville, which, as mentioned earlier, is about half an hour from the CBD, and 8250 stone throws from the coast and its sandy beaches. This is my home town, or at least one of the main drags which runs through it. On the left is my favourite Vietnamese butcher shop, run by very nice people. Further down on the left, obscured by trees in this Google Street View grab, are five more Vietnamese supermarkets, another butcher shop, a Japanese restaurant. On the other side of the road you can eat any cuisine you like, as long as it's Thai, Vietnamese or Japanese. And there's a shop called Bucket Boys that sells craft beer too. This is one of our local pubs, with arty-trendy metal sculptures atop the footpath awning. I don't go to pubs much, actually, but I can be found here sometimes at my local Greek-run cafe, Danas. Established in 1962 by Jim and Agatha as a delicatessen, it is now run by their daughters Tina and Olga, who have turned the deli into a cafe and deli. As well as the nice coffee, you can order all the cafe favourite meals plus all sorts of Greek classics made by Agatha, such as Moussaka, Pastitsio and Spanakopita, plus some great soups. When we moved into Marrickville back in 1991, it was a strongly Greek and Vietnamese place, but over the years the white middle class trendies have moved in and have brought with them lots more cafes, micro-breweries, live music venues, and an enormous increase in house prices. Our house, bought in 1991 for $173,000 is probably worth north of $1,500,000, but we ain't selling or moving any time soon. We're rusted on to Marrickville. We love it.
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Post by alex on Nov 27, 2022 20:04:04 GMT -5
Sell the house, move to Pennsylvania, live like a king.
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Post by WallOfCars on Nov 27, 2022 21:19:34 GMT -5
Sell the house, move to Pennsylvania, live like a king.
That hits close to my heart Alex. I'm a Florida native and feel like I'm being priced out of the state. I was a longtime homeowner and still an landowner, but so much has changed post-covid with real estate, construction prices etc I wonder where this is going to land? Still NOT a buyer's market for anything and the patience is being very tested for plans I started to make years ago...
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Post by ozmac on Nov 27, 2022 22:43:13 GMT -5
Sell the house, move to Pennsylvania, live like a king. Thanks for the kind suggestion, Alex, as Pennsylvania sure does look like a nice spot to visit at the right time of year, but I like it all-year-round right here in warm, sunny Sydney.
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Post by Alfaholic on Nov 28, 2022 0:58:57 GMT -5
We visited the Big Smoke yesterday and spent some time in your fair suburb Jamie - had dinner at "Madre" on Victoria Rd after a few beers at Hawkes Brewing! I am happy to endorse your comments, it is a great part of Sydney (we are ex-Inner Westies ourselves, but from Forest Lodge).
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Post by DeadCanDanceR on Nov 28, 2022 3:05:25 GMT -5
Tom and Jamie, you guys are making me feel very envious!
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Post by Rat on Nov 28, 2022 14:23:23 GMT -5
... in a place called Sydney. You might have heard of it. I might have heard of it... or seen it. Had a great time the week we were there.
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Post by oldirish33 on Nov 28, 2022 16:11:50 GMT -5
I live in the state of Oregon in the USA, which is on the left coast sandwiched between California and Washington State to the south and north, the Pacific Ocean to the West and Idaho to our east. Oregon is roughly the size of France and despite what many think, two thirds high elevation desert. The population is concentrated on the green western side of the state in a large valley carved by glaciers at the end of the last ice age. Portland (the largest metro area in the state) anchors the northern most part of the valley and we live in the southern most part (we can see the end from our house) about two and a half hours away from Portland by freeway. The Willamette Valley we live in is formed between two mountain ranges. The short Coast range to the west and the Cascades to the east. The Cascades are the second tallest range in the continental US behind the Rockies and stretch from British Columbia Canada in the North to Northern California in the south. It is indeed possible for us to surf in the morning and be skiing in the afternoon, with a little fishing in between. We live outside the little town of Cottage Grove, Oregon. This is a shot looking down Main Street and the next shot is looking back the other way. Much as it was in the 1950's, except the hardware store now houses a brew pub and the drug store a pizzeria. Our end of the valley is largely rural and our house and property are in the foothills of the Coast Range at an elevation of 1,200 ft. (366 meters) above sea level. We are a short distance from the closest little town of Cottage Grove, which has a population of 12,000. The Valley floor is at (400 feet 122 meters), so there is a nice curvy run up to our place from the highway below. We are almost centrally located between San Francisco and Vancouver British Columbia. From our property, there is about 50 miles (81 Km) of forest to the west and to the east, north and south we look out on the forested hills and foothills of the Cascades. Directly across from us is a small mountain of 3,671 feet (1,119 meters) which is our barometer of knowing if we will be getting snow at our elevation. Contrary to popular belief, it doesnt rain most of the time here. In fact, our summer from June through October are dry. Lately too dry. Bear Mountain as seen from our property. The town of Cottage Grove is much like most small towns in America. It has a history rooted in the past and with that past went much of its prosperity as the timber and mining industries which sustained it faded. Being less than thirty minutes from the second largest metro area in the state (Eugene/Springfield), it is far enough away to hold onto its own identity, but not thrive and grow at the same level as the larger metro area has. That is starting to change, as housing affordability is drawing more residents to our area and with them more amenities. The downside is more traffic and bigger city problems come with them. We also have a number of Northern Californians moving here that were either displaced or are escaping the threat of wildfires there. They do seem to bring with them a strong sense of community and that bodes well for the town to hang onto its unique identity and quality of life as it continues to grow and expand. This mural at the entrance to Main St. off the highway that separates the town celebrates Buster Keaton and his movie made here, The General. Keaton and company stayed here at that hotel while filming in 1925. Before the freeway (which also bisects the town), the main road to California and north to Portland was on a narrow two-lane highway (Highway 99) which ran through this and many other towns. Traffic diverted, so was much of the revenue that used to flow through small towns like this. Fortunately, a gas station and old motel with its bright neon are still preserved along the old highway, as well as the old downtown area. Our town is most famous for movies and covered bridges and increasingly, wine. We have been at the tail end of the burgeoning wine industry in Oregon, but as property in the northern and middle sector of the valley has gotten more and more expensive, some large wineries have sprung up in the fertile hills around us. Our mild climate makes a perfect growing environment for pinot grapes and with those wineries have come more tourists. Besides wine, they can ply the backroads of the covered bridge capital of the west. While most of the bridges are now retired and preserved for pedestrians, there is a 30-mile loop that is bike friendly which takes in six of the most scenic bridges. One now sees more vehicles with full bike racks at area motels. Hollywood found this area attractive for use in a number of movie including Stand by Me and Emperor of the North. However, the real claim to fame came from the Buster Keaton silent classic The General and its epic train wreck scene. In more modern times, we are known for where the parade scene in Animal House was filmed. Main Street today looks pretty much like it did in the early 70’s and as it would in the late 1950’s early 1960’s. One of local covered bridges still in use. This bridge was used by the railroad to access the saw mill on the other side of the river into the 1950's. It was rescued and preserved and is now the gateway to a nice park that highlights the history of the area. You can see the train tracks in the picture, preserved on the bridge deck. Its about two miles from my house and a great place to take a walk. Where we live may not have old world charm, or elegant centuries old buildings and cathedrals, skyscrapers or famous landmarks. We do however have the Deathmobile from Animal House. It's brought out on special occasions by the Chamber of Commerce that own it and are trying to build an Animal House museum. While they have never had another parade down Main St. quite like it, Cottage Grove was host to the world's largest toga party a few years back on the movies 50th anniversary. We unfortunately were out of town. I bet you were wondering if I would get some car content in here.
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Post by JSB33 on Nov 29, 2022 3:42:38 GMT -5
It's a great little town. Jerry. I quite enjoyed the tour.
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Post by WallOfCars on Nov 29, 2022 10:25:52 GMT -5
What a nice overview of your neck of the woods Jerry! Jeff told me a little bit about his stop by and it certainly looks worthy of visit. Being one that likes privacy yet convenience, your proximity to Eugene sounds about perfect. What you're showing seems almost the antithesis of this madhouse of a town that I'm currently residing, but I trust better plans are ahead. Now for the Deathmobile, if there were not licensing issues with the studios, I'd bet Autocult could do it justice
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Post by alex on Nov 29, 2022 11:39:31 GMT -5
Nice tour Jerry!
I may have to have a go at building a Deathmobile.
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