I have a friend who has invited me to join their group to see the Pope. In Havana Cuba! I need to decide by tomorrow night if I will join the group. FYI- 4 night stay in Havana, special viewing area, tours and most meals. $3,000.00. That includes airfare from Miami. I am tempted....but, can't imagine the crowds.

my daughter lives in philly and she is contemplating renting out her apartment........ very tempting because people are really offering $$$,

Thinking of Palimpsest and hoping he survives the Papal visit and all the hoopla leading up to it.

Dedtired - how far are you from St Charles Seminary?

All 3 of my adult kids have apartments within the Papal Zone.

All 3 of my adult kids plus 1 DIL and 1 boyfriend and 4 dogs are leaving the city and staying with me. I'm only 10 miles from Center City but on the South Jersey side of the Delaware. Both sons can work from home, DIL runs an animal rescue and they're closing shop. The dogs will go to foster homes for the weekend.

My DD is still waiting to hear if her theater will shut down. While they won't have any performances that weekend her boss may decide that it would be a good opportunity to do other projects while the theater is dark. She was joking that they could rent cots and house visitors there. They even have a restaurant inside the theater.

However my 42 year old niece is coming from Pittsburgh for the Papal Mass. She's not even staying with me because there's no way I could get her into the city. I could drop her off in Camden at the Ben Franklin Bridge and she could walk across the bridge and on to the Art Museum but she's bringing her husband and their 4 kids. I think they're estimating that it's about a 4 mile walk. They'll be coming on a chartered bus and leave after the Mass.

I hope the bus companies have made arrangements for drop off, parking and pick up. My son told his cousin that he'd mail her a key to his apartment in case they missed their bus and needed a place to sleep. He has a 3 BR apt so he could accommodate them - he just won't be there.

#2 daughter wants to go to Poland for World Youth Day..all the crowds..makes it all sound like a nightmare to me. We moved out of the big city for a reason..then add all the visitors...well we will watch on EWTN and be happier for it.

I would love to see Pope Francis. Just not in a crowd with 2 million.

My work is closed Friday. One of the places I work Monday might be closed. (Monday is going to be a mess with visitors trying to leave).

I live inside the "no car" zone. My niece lives almost at ground zero. My neighbors are trying to rent out their basement for some ridiculous sum.

A diner that we eat breakfast at regularly that hasn't been closed since it was hit by a truck about 15 years ago is thinking about closing that weekend or having an extremely limited menu.

We are going to stock up on a lot of things. Some workplaces (especially restaurants) are sleeping their staff onsite.

I would love to, my mom lives near the Bridge St. exit of I-95, but no way I'm coming in that weekend.

I live about 4 miles from St Charles Seminary. I don't expect a big impact on my life, I just don't plan to go to any restaurants or, obviously, into the city. People who live right by the seminary are complaining big time because they will be practically under lock down.

I'd consider renting my two empty bedrooms, but after reading all the precautions for people thinking about it, I'm not going there. I think I would also have to offer to drive any guests to a train station, probably Radnor. There's no other way to get in town from here. Too much nuisance for me plus I don't feel like cleaning and clearing out stuff to have renters here.

Maire, sounds like your family is really feeling the squeeze! Your son could make some big bucks by renting our his place, but as I said, it would be a huge nuisance. If we still worked for the FLP we could spend the night there and watch it all from the Skyline Room at Central. Of course, we'd have to stay the entire weekend. At least there would be plenty of reading material.

Pal, sounds like you will be in the midst of it all. Good luck.

Here's some of the security measures posted so far. They are actually building a fence around a large part of center city. Papal Visit Security

I must be living on another planet. I didn't even know Pope Francis was visiting.

Linelle, either on another planet or not around Philadelphia. I wonder if it is getting as much coverage elsewhere as around here.

Maddielee, what did you decide? I am dying to see Cuba, but not in the company of throngs of the faithful. I wonder if that island is prepared for such a crush after having been closed off to much of the world for so long.

Maddielee, what did you decide

Even though it would have checked off 2 items on our bucket list my husband and I decided not to go. We hope to visit Cuba soon, but doing so the same time that the Pope is there just doesn't seem like the best decision for us.

Now, to figure out how to meet Pope Francis in a small, intimate setting....

ML

It seems like this is even more security than when a president comes to town?

Dedtired - now wouldn't that be an experience! Much better than the night I spent in a sleeping bag on the marble floor at the Franklin Institute with a pack of cub scouts. Just when you thought they were finally drifting off to sleep one of them would fart and send them off on another round of giggles.

None of my 3 were interested in renting out their apartments. One of my sons is an attorney and he told the other two that it violated their lease agreements and that the liability just wasn't worth it. They always complain about Jay Z's 4th of July concerts on the Parkway and the scenic row of Porta Potties lining the route. At least those who are coming for the Papal Visit should be a little quieter. I reminded my niece to bring hand sanitizer and wipes, sun block, hats, comfortable shoes, water, snacks and extra tissues for the toilets. She was hoping they could use DS's apartment to freshen up but with all the security it night not be feasible.

DD's apartment is near the Art Museum area and she bikes to her theater on Columbus Blvd. Originally the city said bikes would be permitted in the No Car zone but every time the Mayor has a news conference it seems that security gets tighter and access to transportation more difficult.

The local news interviewed cab drivers who are angry that they won't be able to operate inside the no car zone thereby losing several days of lucrative fares.

Pregnant women who will be close to their due dates are concerned about how they'll get to the delivery room in time. Hospitals and physicians are contacting their patients to let them know what to do if they go into labor. Obviously ambulances will still be permitted but visitors to the hospitals might be out of luck.

Thank GOD I'm not Catholic!!!! Just a "laid-back Lutheran" here! Or, like we Scande-hoovians 'round here say..."Uffda...those darn Loot-erns". ;-)

Never understood all the "ceremony & fuss" associated with that religion (Catholic).

(I'm NOT trying to offend here!!!)

Faron

dedtired, honestly, this thread is the first I've heard of it. Maybe because I'm on the West Coast? Also, not a Catholic, but one step away (Episcopalian). :) I pay reasonable attention to the news and also religious-ish matters, so it surprises me to be so out of the loop.

I'm out of the loop too. First I had heard of it. Of course I'm not Catholic either and have been on vacation without TV most of the time.

I live in central NJ and I've been hearing about it for months. Even in my area, about an hour away from Philly, people are renting rooms on AirBNB. Philadelphia is basically shutting down the city for the visit -- closed streets, special train tickets and they are also closing the Ben Franklin Bridge. The Pope is also stopping in NYC and it seems that it's not going to affect that city nearly as much.

I haven't heard of this either - but I'm in the South. But, no, I won't be going LOL.

I would love to see Pope Francis, but there is no way I would want to navigate those crowds! Like Maddielee, a small, intimate gathering to meet him would be a BIG check off on my bucket list.

I also feel bad for anyone who has planned a wedding that weekend. I know someone who is having one at the NJ shore and even they are running into problems. We had scheduled our 50th HS reunion that weekend but thank goodness the hotel let us change the date. They hiked up the cost of rooms so they will make more money without us. We had reserved 20 rooms at a discount.

i am a not religious ProtestNt but I find Francis to be compelling. I will listen to his remarks from the comfort of home.

best place to meet him intimately is Heaven.

a friend's daughter was getting married in Philadelphia that weekend but had to move it when the Pope announced he was coming -- it would have been impossible to have a wedding there then.

We saw Pope John Paul II on his visit to Boston in 1979, and saw him twice on subsequent visits to Rome. My husband is Polish, which added to the desire to see him. At this point in time, we have no desire to travel to see Pope Francis, but would make the effort if we lived nearby.

Not visiting Phila but we will be driving through that weekend on our way to southern NJ by chance. What do you locals think the traffic will be like on the Blue Route-CB bridge on Saturday? Extra crazy? Near impossible?

I admire Pope Francis, but would never want to be in a crowd like that.

Roses, not sure what the CB bridge is. Most of the craziness will be near center cit. what direction are you coming from?

Commodore Barry, ded.

Roses, I suspect that will be fine. Better than trying one of the city bridges! That is how my cousins always went to the shore.

Of course. Thanks, Cyn. I think that route should work. Skirt around the city as much as possible.

The Pope will have to manage his visit without me, I'm afraid.....this Episcopalian is staying home :-)

i too admire the pope, mainly for daring to venture opinions that obviously are not part of the standard Vatican script even though they fit into the wider Catholic theology. The crowds don't appeal to me in the least!

Arcy, I have heard secondhand from a mom whose daughter attended a world youth day and the experience really did enrich her faith......Just seeing that many religious youth when you live in a secular society has got to be heartening and empowering.

I cannot imagine. Someone here was trying to lead a grout to get the Pope to also visit here while he's in the U.S. Uhm, no, traffic on a day-to-day basis is bad enough.

When my sister and I went to the Rolling Stones SARS benefit concert in Toronto, it was held at this old Canadian Air Force base that had previously hosted Pope John Paul II. It held around 750,000 people!