tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020751.post115682362062952859..comments2023-10-08T11:10:46.457-04:00Comments on Countersignature: Scenes of Eternal Depressioncshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14117846384130187926noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020751.post-90053162762063732802008-10-13T18:21:00.000-04:002008-10-13T18:21:00.000-04:00Jes: where indeed. This town sits too far north of...Jes: where indeed. This town sits too far north of the turnpike, too far south of I-80, and the problem with I-99 is that so far it doesn't really connect anything but I-80 and the turnpike.cshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14117846384130187926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020751.post-20845386976804041852008-10-13T16:05:00.000-04:002008-10-13T16:05:00.000-04:00Since I'm from S. Jersey, I'm familiar with a lot ...Since I'm from S. Jersey, I'm familiar with a lot of the eastern side of PA. We had distant cousins in the Lancaster area, which takes me inland a little bit further. And my ex-wife had family in Pittsburgh, so I know that area a little too. But Altoona is a mystery to me. So I appreciate your spending some time on it.<BR/><BR/>On the map it looks like it's about 40-50 miles north of the Turnpike, which means it's out of range of even the limited commerce which a couple of interchanges would afford it. With a lot of these old towns (including the one I grew up in), thanks in large part to the automobile, they've become -- if they're lucky -- places which people pass through, but seldom go TO anymore. <BR/><BR/>(Takes a tip from the culture at large, in which destinations are everything and routes, nothing. If people could use transporter beams for vacation they'd never see anyplace but resorts.)<BR/><BR/>A childhood friend who still lives in the area sometimes sends me news clippings about buildings (especially factories) being torn down or converted to condos. When we're back in Jersey for family visits it takes me a few days to get my bearings, 'cause so many landmarks are gone or unrecognizable. <BR/><BR/><I>Ou sont les neiges</I>, eh?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com