I Got Gas. And a Twenty-Five Cent Word.

Thursday, January 14

I didn’t get gas until later in the day.  But we’ll talk about it.  And the twenty-five cent word is coming up.

So we will start with e-Bay.  Definitely not shopping in the borough.  But it’s about the borough.  I have a huge collection of Lansdale memorabilia.  Lots of cool stuff from decades, and sometimes centuries ago.  And this stuff has traveled all over the country.  And I buy it back on e-Bay and bring it home.

Like a pig trough in my dining room.  Manufactured in the 1800s by Heebner’s right here in Lansdale, PA.

What used to be at Broad and Main.  Now a gas station.

My purchase today was not farm implements, but a post card.  I have a large collection of old Lansdale post cards.  This one is of the Eitherton Hotel.  I used to sit on the corner of Main and Broad where the Lukoil gas station now sits.  Built as the home of David Heebner, owner of the agricultural works that made my pig trough, the home turned into a boarding house in later years named the Eitherton Hotel.  Read about the history of the building in Dick Shearer’s interesting Facebook post (click here).

Lansdale Shopping Score:  Zero (I would have if I could have, but it’s something not available in the borough)

The fact that our borough lost this glorious building, and so many others, is a sin.  The fact that we lost it to a gas station makes it even more wrong.  We have got to stop tearing down our history!

Because gas is fungible.  There’s your twenty-five  cent word of the day. 

From Merriam-Webster:  Being of such a nature that one part or quantity may be replaced by another equal part or quantity in the satisfaction of an obligation <oil, wheat, and lumber are fungible commodities>.

In simpler terms – you can buy gas anywhere.  It doesn’t matter where.  It’s not even convenient to get in and out of that station.

There are higher and better uses for that property.

You’ll note I did not get gas yet.  That comes later in the day.

Next, I had to drop off a rent check at the Lansdale Business Center on North Cannon.  The center occupies over four acres of Lansdale Borough, and serves over forty companies that call Lansdale their home.

People who need office space, shop space, flex space, or just telephone answering and mail service  – the Lansdale Business Center has it all – and more.

And it has Ellen Foulke.  A powerhouse of Lansdale boosterism.  One of the driving forces behind the Lansdale Mural Arts Program, too.  And one of the nicest people you will ever meet.

Now in their 26^th year, the center is a winner of Lansdale’s Business of the Month award.  And a great asset for our town.

Lansdale Shopping Score:  1

It is now late afternoon and I have not eaten all day.  If I don’t get something in me soon, I’m going to be grumpy.  No one likes a grumpy Realtor.

So I look to the other side of the Lansdale Business Center parking lot.  Where Uncle Greg’s  Smokin’ BBQ trailer sits.  Seen it a million times.  Never tried it.  So I march over and meet Uncle Greg.  What a great guy!  And he knows his BBQ.  I had the best pulled pork sandwich of my life.  The best.  Amazing sauce, perfect roll. And moist, flavorful meat.

The BBQ at Uncle Greg’s is so fantastic, it caused me to use the most hated word I have in the English language.  Moist.  It’s that good.

If you haven’t met Uncle Greg yet – stop by and say hello.  And try some of the best BBQ you are going to get anywhere.

And no, I did not get gas here.  Stop thinking like that!

Lansdale Shopping Score:  2

After that, I had appointments at the office.  Then some appointments in Collegeville.  As I leave for Collegeville, my fuel warning light comes on.  And tells me I have 30 miles to go.  No worries!  After the first stop, I get back in the car and it tells me I have 20 miles to go before empty.  Hmmm.  That’s odd.

One more stop.  One more message.  I have 10 miles to go to empty.  What?  Is my car driving around the block while I’m at my appointments?

So I’m on my way back to Lansdale.  And the miles are dropping faster than the stock market.  But I go past gas stations because I am on a mission.  Get gas in Lansdale.

Three, Two, One.  I have no idea what is going on.  The gas meter is going faster than the odometer is.

I bypass the Gulf station at Valley Forge and Sumneytown.  The gas gauge now tells me I have zero miles to go.  I am sweating a bit.

I decide to go by the Gulf station at Allentown and Valley Forge.  Not in the borough!  And make it into the Sunoco Station at Whites Road and Valley Forge.  On zero.

And I got gas.  Whew.  Never has relief from a gas issue been more satisfying.  Never.

Interesting fact.  The land that the Sunoco station sits on is split.  About one third is in Lansdale Borough, the other two thirds in Towamencin Twp.  But I’m going to count this one:

Lansdale Shopping Score:  3

It’s then off to a late dinner.  At the Lansdale Tavern on Main Street.  The tavern has grown and changed since it replaced Huey’s.  And has turned into a great place.  Great beer selection, really good burgers and sandwich specials.  And friendly staff.  Definitely one of our go-to places.

And who do we run into?  Lansdale’s Director of Community & Economic Development John Ernst.  No, wait.  Lansdale’s new Assistant Borough Manager!  Congratulations, John!  Well deserved.  John is smart, creative, and one of the reasons the good things in our borough are happening.  I wish him all the best in his new position.

John was there with his lovely wife, and a good friend and neighbor.  One reason I really like the Lansdale Tavern is that we almost always see someone we know there.  Proving that Lansdale Borough has that great small town feel amidst the sprawl of suburban Philadelphia.

Lansdale Shopping Score:  4

So, today’s score:

FOUR opportunities to shop/eat in Lansdale met.

ONE needs not fulfilled by a Lansdale establishment.

Let’s see what today brings!