Mobility in Philly

Philadelphia is Pennsylvania’s largest city, and sports a population of over 1.55 million. Thus it needs the services of refrigerated trucks like the Isuzu model in the background to deliver fresh foodstuffs every day; trucks with short wheelbases so they can navigate tight turns and cramped alleyways. In the foreground is one of the many memorials to Andrew Thaddeus Bonaventure Kościuszko, a Polish–Lithuanian military engineer who fought as a colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He also designed the fortifications at West Point, home to the U.S. Military Academy.

The Franklin Institute is a science museum dedicated to the legacy of noted founding father Benjamin Franklin, who started out as a newspaper printer in Philadelphia. The museum is host to hordes of school children every day. And how do you transport school kids to a museum? Via a school bus of course.

The Franklin Institute also incorporates a large playground at the rar of the building that includes this monster Goodyear earthmoving equipment tire; a subtle hint to school children that a big city needs big wheels to keep functioning.

The Franklin Institute also houses an IMAX movie theater. And as with any modern-day convenience, movie theaters operate on electricity - and keeping the lights on its what PECO Energy does for Philadelphia, with the help of over 1,500 vehicles such as this service truck seen here.

Sometimes the speedy-as-possible delivery of goods is important and that's right in the wheelhouse of operators such as FedEx Custom Critical. This particular trucks is waiting by the uniquely-shaped Barnes Foundation building to deliver its cargo; a noted educational art and horticultural institution.

Removing broken down vehicles and illegally parked cars is the job for tow trucks, for keeping the streets clear is vital to preventing as much traffic congestion as possible. This particular tow truck is parked in front of the Rodin Museum, which contains the largest collection of sculptor Auguste Rodin's works outside Paris. Opened in 1929, the museum is administered by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Tour buses are a necessary mobility tool for transportation tourists from one historical or noteworthy site to another in any major city. This tour bus is parked out in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, whose front steps were immortalized by Sylvester Stallone’s triumphant training run in the film "Rocky."

One of the oldest established fire departments in the U.S., the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD) traces its origins back to early volunteer companies, specifically the Union Fire Company, established on December 7, 1736. There are two divisions in the department; division 1 consists of 5 battalions and 27 fire stations while division 2 has 6 battalions and 34 fire stations. There are also 50 medic units spread across the stations.

Though he's a Boston native, founding father Samuel Adams is well-known throughout the U.S. due The Boston Beer Company's use of his name and likeness for their beer.  Adams, though, started out as a beer maker as he inherited his father's brewery on King Street in Boston.