30th Street Station
30th Street Station is one of my favorite Philadelphia landmarks. So it’s no surprise that I pay homage to 30th Street in my new crime novel The Dead Stripper ─ which will become available on March 1st.
My Friend (the sidekick) drops off Steve Piasecki (the main character) at 30th Street Station to begin Chapter 20 – “Overlooking Central Park.” Steve’s on his way to New York City and the first page provides a lot of information about 30th Street.
The chapter begins “THE NEXT MORNING.”
“Make a left on Forty-second,” I tell My Friend. We’re on Chestnut Street in his white Kia Sorrento. It’s ten minutes before five, still dark out and not much traffic. I talked him into driving me to 30th Street Station and we’re less than ten minutes away.
“The GPS says straight,” he says.
“Chestnut’s fucked up with construction. Trust me, make the left and then a right on Market.”
“I know where we are,” My Friend says with an edge.
Fifteen seconds later he makes a left onto Forty-second Street. Market Street’s just a block away and it only takes thirty seconds for him to get there and make the turn.
We’re just twelve blocks from the train station.
“Go all the way to Schuylkill.”
“Why?” he asks.
“I love the front of the station.”
I learn a lot by driving for Uber. People from out of town are always asking me questions about this and that. So I go online when I get home and do some research. Take 30th Street Station for instance.
Construction began right after the Great Depression and produced a masterpiece of architectural design. It’s a touch over a hundred feet tall and neoclassical in style, with some Art Deco touches thrown in. Eight massive Corinthian columns are positioned in front of the building, each made from Alabama limestone and seventy-one feet tall.
COMING MARCH 1ST
I’m America’s Best Crime Writer – Barry Bowe – & I approve this message.
My first book – BORN TO BE WILD – Published in 1992 – Still selling on Amazon & Kindle. A true story about certain members of the Warlocks motorcycle gang.
The story took 21 years to play out – many twists & turns – an amalgam of SONS OF ANARCHY & BREAKING BAD – but these outlaw bikers make the SONS look like Cub Scouts.
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