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Philadelphia International Autoshow...EPIC FAIL!!!

It's just a few short days till pitchers and Chooch's, Bunters! Pretty soon it will be back to normal, 24/7 Phillies. Diamond Girl will be checking in with her perspective as a Phillies fan who lives in Sh!tsburgh. CJ Hood will be back with his rapid fire comedy stylings. Kornhole will be open for business once again. And our fearless leader, Jay Wrizight will be dropping his considerable baseball knowledge on everyone smart enough to read this blog. All is right with the world. So, before life is right again I would like to rant about a non baseball topic: The Philadelphia International Autoshow.

During the off-season, it's tough to find things to do with the family. I have 2 teenage boys who enjoy going to the Autoshow every year. Even though I'm in the automobile business, (Mt. Ephraim Chrysler Dodge is where I call home, sorry for the shameless plug), I enjoy the Autoshow more than most. Most of my fellow employees would not be caught dead at the Autoshow. They live it everyday, so their time off is time away from cars. My kids and I like to see the new stuff. It is usually a nice day out. Not this year. My first complaint is it cost me $23 to park. I don't mind dropping $20 to park in the Halladay Inn every Sunday to see the Fightin' Phils. It cost $5 more then the Phillies lots but you can tailgate there. Plus, were we park there is tree cover, shade is clutch in July when it's 95 degrees at 10am. And, you have access to a clean bathroom in the lobby. So, $23 just to park in a lot for 2 hours? They also jammed 300 cars in a lot that should only hold 150. Isn't there something the city can do about this?
 

Ok, so we parked, got in the show for free with employee passes, so all is well, right? Wrong, this year all exhibits were consolidated to one floor. In years past they were spread out over 3 levels. Previously you could get close to any car you wanted. You might have to wait a minute to get close to something new or sporty, like a Challenger SRT8 or the Acura NSX. No big deal. This year the line to get close to anything was 5 or 6 deep. Really? I need to wait 15 minutes to get a close look at a Ford Focus? No thanks. I now know what it's like to ride the Tokyo subway.

Whoever came up with the layout must have been drunk, high or both. Classic cars were next to the 'Shamwow!' booth, which was next to the Scion display, and so on.  A total mess. In previous years the main level had all the normal brands, Ford, Toyota, Chevy, Chrysler, etc. High end and Exotics were upstairs. Everything else was downstairs. You could actually walk. This year it was so crowded it was hard to breath. Who is to blame? I have no idea. Is it the City? The Convention Center? Maybe the car manufacturers trying to save some money in a down economy? Who knows? I know it needs to be fixed because right now it is broken.

That is behind us for another year. Let's move on to a more positive topic. Who will be the Chris Coste/Greg Dobbs surprise this Spring Training? Let's Play Ball!

Keep It Classy Philly!

DB29



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