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This is a photograph taken in Philadelphia, at my request, by photographer/artist Jenny Lynn, a longtime friend. The picture was taken on Thursday, early evening, from inside the IKEA store, located on Philadelphia's Columbus Boulevard.
In the distance is the S.S. United States, the legendary passenger liner, which has been out of service since 1969, and has been docked on the Philadelphia waterfront since 1996. The ship is, in person, a startling and remarkable sight. At 990+ feet in length, it is more than 100 feet longer than the Titanic.
In 2011, the ship was purchased by the S.S. United States Conservancy, a group devoted to the ocean liner's preservation, and history. The Conservancy bought the ship from Norwegian Cruise Line, which had acquired it in 2003; the company had had plans--ultimately not realized--to make the ship seaworthy again.
The purchase of the ship, by the Conservancy, was made possible by a substantial donation to the group, from the noted Philadelphia philanthropist Gerry Lenfest. Mr. Lenfest died in 2018, at age 88.
Here is the link to the Conservancy's website: http://www.ssusc.org/
As noted previously in this space, the S.S. United States is written about in my book about early television. The last telecast of NBC's Your Hit Parade, for the 1951-1952 season--which was, it turned out, my mother's last appearance on the program--took place on the ship. Five days later, on July 3rd of 1952, the ship began its maiden voyage.
(Photograph © Jenny Lynn)
