December 28, 2005

All about the Benjamin

An editorial in the Inquirer notes today that there's a possibility that 30th Street Station will be renamed Ben Station.

Look, I like Ben Franklin and all: He founded the college I went to, he did something with a kite and key, he invented about a million different things and he wasn't a player -- he just crushed a lot. But do we really need to name every single thing in the city after him just because he was born 300 years ago? Franklin Field, Franklin Square, the Ben Franklin Parkway, the Franklin Institute, the Franklin Building and that stupid statue near Pine Street aren't enough?

A guy on Livejournal notes that Amtrak doesn't like the idea, especially due to its similarness to Penn Station -- and there are already two of those, in Newark and Manhattan. (Another guy on LJ says "I think it is great. It reminds me of Ben Franklin, famous intellectual and world-class pimp," which is the most compelling argument in favor of the renaming I've heard yet.)

Anyway, even if they renamed the station in favor of Ben Franklin, everyone would just call it 30th Street Station anyway. (See: West River Drive, Delaware Avenue, etc.) And that's the way it should be. The Inky editorial board is all nice about it, and that's all well and good, but let's say it like it is: This is the stupidest idea since, well, putting a Planet Hollywood at Penn's Landing.

Uh oh.

Editorial | Name of the game is leave it the same [Inky]
Ben Station? [Livejournal Philadelphia Community]

Posted by D-Mac on December 28, 2005 03:19 PM
Posted to 30th Street Station , Amtrak , Ben Franklin , Ben Station , Pew Charitable Trusts , Stupid Ideas

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