SS Königin Luise

The ocean liner SS Königin Luise was built in 1896 for the North German Lloyd line and named after Queen Louise of Prussia. The ship sailed on North Atlantic, Australian, and Far East routes.  As luck would have it, the ship was in port when World War I broke out, and there she sat. However, at the end of the war the British took possession of her as war reparations.

Now, thank goodness for Janine. I am revising this post based on her comment, because obviously I was asleep on the job. Janine asked if this was the same ship that was featured in the movie, The African Queen. The answer is yes and no. The Königin Luise  is the name of the ship that Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn planned to destroy.  Bogey and Kate's plan is unsuccessful and their boat, the African Queen, sinks, but that doesn't matter because they are in love.

The African Queen is set during WWI, which is when the Koenigin Luise was sailing, however this ship was never used in any war efforts. There was another Koenigin Luise, launched in 1913 by the Hamburg America line. Although it originally served as a passenger ferry,  is was requisitioned during WWI for the German war effort and outfitted with cannons. At the beginning of WWI, the ship was sent out to lay mines, but was chased down by the British and sunk.


I don't recognize the music on the front, do you?

Hotel Plymouth - New York

Just phone Circle 7-8100. A human being will answer the phone and offer you rooms from $2.50 per night and you tell you about visiting the New York World's Fair during your stay. What a dream!
A dream that would be difficult to re-create, especially since the building has been demolished.

A reader generously submitted a comment below with a picture of his or her mother in front of the hotel in 1943. I thought I'd incorporate it into the post so readers can see it without cutting and pasting the link. Mom is lovely, and it's a great photo with the military man walking past and the hotel signs in the background. I'm happy to include more information about Mom if provided.

Streetcar Sunday - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Today's Streetcar Sunday features Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Lancaster had streetcars at the turn of the century, but the last one ran in 1947. This card was sent in 1907.

There is currently an effort underway to reintroduce streetcars to Lancaster with a 2.6-mile streetcar loop. As in many areas, the move to reintroduce streetcars has both strong proponents and opponents. Proponents argue for economic benefits and reduction in traffic congestion, while opponents generally argue against high cost and lack of efficiency.

There is truth to both arguments. Portland, Oregon spent  $56.9 million on the first 2.4 mile section of its streetcar system. While that seems like a lot of money, the Portland Office of Transportation considered the project a huge success. Not only did ridership far exceed the projected numbers, but the streetcar also attracted considerable development and investment ($2.28 billion!) in the area within two blocks of the streetcar alignment.

Here are a few more cards showing streetcars in Lancaster, Pennsylvania: