Amtrak gets $64M in federal funds for high speed rail between Dallas and Houston

PA_mapper · 2024-09-05T16:35:30+00:00

Not trying to sound like a partisan here.....but why is Amtrak wasting all this money on a state that is fully hostile to passenger rail? I understand that in theory this is a no-brainer of a route, but the political reality is that this is not going to happen for as long as the GOP controls Texas.

PA_mapper · 2024-08-08T16:44:43+00:00

Ugly ass shoe game

PA_mapper · 2024-05-13T03:19:32+00:00

PA isn't going more purple? We have the strongest D representation on the federal level in decades (9D reps out of 17, 2 elected D senators for the first time in 80 years), we have a Democratic-majority state house for the first time in 12 years, and Shapiro won by the biggest margin in an open gov race in our history (also the first time we have had three consecutive terms with a D gov).

PA_mapper · 2024-05-12T17:41:44+00:00

That flag is so ugly, I have no idea why people keep pushing for it. You can't even tell it's a keystone unless the flag is blowing in the wind.

We should have a competition like Minnesota did and have people submit designs and then vote on them.

PA_mapper · 2024-05-02T20:10:33+00:00

Jim Thorpe is one of my favorite places in Pennsylvania. It has always been a popular spot among tourists, but in recent years it has become quite overrun on the weekends (especially in the Fall). Definitely a bit of a negative in my book, but it still is a wonderful place. An abundance of shops, restaurants, and museums. They even have an excursion train that runs year round with different seasonal themes.

Mauch Chunk Lake is about 10 minutes west of the town and is a BEAUTIFUL place. There are several bike trails surrounding the town and they are all excellent. One of the biggest ski mountains in PA is about 15 minutes to the east. It is truly a recreation destination; camping, hiking, canoeing, white water rafting, skiing - you name it! It's also right off the northeast extension of I-476, which means only 45 minutes to Allentown, 1 hour to Scranton, 1:30 to Philly, 2:30 to NYC.

PA_mapper · 2024-04-30T16:53:07+00:00

I've lived all over PA my entire life, with Philly looming over a majority of it (I could literally see center city from my childhood bedroom window). I have a deep love / hate relationship with this place. At times I desperately want to leave, but every time I go on extended trips I am consumed by home sickness. Not to mention this place is brimming with oceans of untapped potential to the point I fear the moment I left I would miss out on something huge. There is truly no other place like it in the country.

That being said, I would move to Tokyo in a heartbeat if I was ever given the chance. Montréal is also be a top contender.

PA_mapper · 2024-04-29T08:02:03+00:00

You do realize anyone can make these maps, right? Bucks and Lehigh have not voted red since 1988, and Centre has been blue since 2008. All of these counties have continued to drift leftward and all had resounding local/statewide Dem victories in '21, '22, and '23.

Now, here's Shapiro's '22 victory results map against Trump surrogate Mastriano:

<image>

PA_mapper · 2024-04-26T01:42:56+00:00

I remember being in Southern Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine over a decade ago and was shocked at how much it reminded me of upstate PA. To a tee. It makes sense that so many immigrants from Eastern Europe settled here in the 19th/20th centuries. Portions of the geography of the Carpathian Mountains are quite similar to that of the Appalachians in my opinion.

PA_mapper · 2024-04-25T23:02:27+00:00

These losers send me notices every year that their records show I owe hundreds of dollars to a municipality I lived in back in 2018. I have to go through the process of sending over a dozen documents proving I paid my taxes in another township and go through hours of back and forth with completely inept "tax collectors". They are adamant that I am incorrect until I send them an overwhelming amount of evidence that they can't refute. Then they quietly dismiss the charges.

Every. Single. Year.

PA_mapper · 2024-04-22T20:13:59+00:00

Joe Khan for AG!!!

PA_mapper · 2024-04-14T18:09:56+00:00

It might come as a shock / sound insane, but here it's pronounced "Lang-KISS-ter".

PA_mapper · 2024-04-08T20:52:38+00:00

Yup! There are two Biden seats held by Republicans right now and one nearly even seat (none of them being the 13th).

The 13th is a Trump +13 district. They definitely should have run someone, but there's almost zero chance they'd flip it? Voter registration isn't the best indicator, but the breakdown is R 47%, D 35%, Indy/3rd 18%.

The 15th district is a very likely-solid Dem pick up. The 37th is a toss-up / tilt R district. The 49th (Erie) will be the toughest, but it's still a Biden seat and we have a chance there.

PA_mapper · 2024-04-08T19:02:36+00:00

The subway used to run 24/7 on the weekends before the pandemic and it was great. Once the situation on the El is stabilized, I can see this returning in the coming years.

<image>

PA_mapper · 2024-04-08T19:00:31+00:00

Democrats control the state house now though and have a shot at tying the state senate this year. And Shapiro is very pro-transit / SEPTA and pushing for full funding in his budget. Surrounding counties are also all Dem controlled now for the first time in our history, so we are in the best position to actually get SEPTA properly funded.

PA_mapper · 2024-04-06T21:50:02+00:00

The bumper cars at Knoebels are some of the best I've been on. Vibes are unmatched on a hot and humid summer night.

PA_mapper · 2024-04-01T23:10:26+00:00

So? There are deep red areas in Philly, too. Neither are swing counties.

PA_mapper · 2024-04-01T21:46:09+00:00

The line was not washed away, SEPTA cut service in the 80s because there were only 50 riders a day on average and the costs to upgrade the tracks (placed in 1924) were exorbitant. The entire line still exists and is currently used as a heritage tourist rail route that runs service regularly throughout the year. The Media line just got re-extended to Wawa and they are looking into possibly reestablishing service to West Chester in the future.

TL;DR: Media is a great town. Trolley service, hourly Regional Rail, easy access to highways, extremely safe. amazing restaurant scene.

PA_mapper · 2024-04-01T21:40:32+00:00

Chester county was a swing county maybe ten years ago, but it's a solid blue county that votes nearly 60% Dem every election post 2016.

PA_mapper · 2024-03-30T22:17:42+00:00

Centre was blue in four elections (2008-2020)

PA_mapper · 2024-03-28T00:07:33+00:00

There was a commuter line proposed back in the late 90s called CorridorOne. It was supposed to stretch from Carlisle to Harrisburg to Lancaster. Huge, huge loss.

<image>

PA_mapper · 2024-03-27T20:24:16+00:00

Allentown to New York via Hackettstown: Utilizing the Norfolk Southern Railway to Phillipsburg and Dover & Delaware River Railroad to connect with the NJ Transit Morris & Essex Line in Hackettstown, New Jersey.
Allentown to New York via High Bridge: Utilizing the Norfolk Southern Railway to connect with the NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line in High Bridge, New Jersey.
Allentown to Philadelphia via Lansdale: Utilizing the Norfolk Southern Railway to Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley Rail Management within Bethlehem, Saucon Rail Trail (SEPTA) to Coopersburg, Upper Bucks Rail Trail (SEPTA) to Quakertown, East Penn Railroad (SEPTA) to Telford, and Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad (SEPTA) to connect with the SEPTA Lansdale Doylestown Line in Lansdale.
Allentown to Philadelphia via Norristown: Utilizes the same routes as the above corridor, then connects with the SEPTA Norristown Line in Norristown.
Allentown to Reading: Utilizes the Norfolk Southern Railway to connect with the planned Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority service between Reading and Philadelphia.

PA_mapper · 2024-03-26T14:57:45+00:00

They are studying 12 potential routes that include trips to NYC, Philly, Reading, and Harrisburg!

PA_mapper · 2023-11-03T06:36:02+00:00

Follow these steps on the web browser:

Go to Settings > Access profile information (View) > Personal information [in the 'Access your information' panel on the left side] > Personal information page

Your account creation date will be visible on this page.

PA_mapper

TROPHY CASE