With their yellow, red and green tour trolley parked around the corner, the mayor and City Council huddled awkwardly in the middle of a North Philadelphia street.
It was Sydenham Street near Indiana Avenue, where only two of the houses are occupied.
City Council President John Street, who arranged the tour, said the city has to bring back blocks such as this. And bring them back in economically efficient ways. It makes more sense to rehabilitate blocks whole rather than piecemeal, he said.
He urged his fellow travelers to digest their surroundings to see why Philadelphians show up angry at town meetings with City Council.
"Some of these people have every right to be angry," said Street. "It's conditions like this that make them angry."
As the crowd moved around the corner, an icy wind tearing at coats and tossing hats and hairdos, three women poked their heads out of one of the houses.
"They've been saying they'll fix up this block for years," said one woman. "But this is the first interest people took to actually come here."
Yesterday's whirlwind tour hit Council districts in North Philadelphia and Kensington. The 14 Council members who showed up with the mayor and other city officials saw littered lots and short-dump sites, neighborhoods in demise and in danger. More tours are planned.
Mayor Rendell said it was a constructive afternoon during which Council members and city department heads listened to each other and shared ideas.
Councilman Joseph Vignola said he felt that the tour helped officials discuss city problems "without watching the clock. Without sitting around in suits and ties."
