UPPER DARBY >> The 69th Street Transportation Center, one of the main transit sites for access to see the pope in Philadelphia, had a scant but steady stream of people before noon on Saturday.
Debora Lewis, 53, of Upper Darby, was decked out in a matching blue outfit to spend a day in the city hoping to see the pope.
“I’m Catholic, and I want to see the pope,” Lewis said. “I got my passes for both days, and I’m excited.”
Lewis planned on spending the entire day into the early morning hours taking part in the party on the Parkway.
“The party doesn’t start till late tonight, so I’m staying until 1 a.m.,” Lewis said.
Kallie Stahl, 24, and Anthony Saraceno, 23, both of Ardmore, arrived at the Transportation Center close to 10 a.m. after paying $35 to park their car.
“I was supposed to volunteer for the Festival of Families, but they didn’t need me,” Saraceno said. “Hopefully we’ll get a glimpse of the pope. We going to stay all day.”
Stahl says plans are to return to Upper Darby before 11 p.m.
“We have to be back by then because the lot we parked the car in closes at 11,” Stahl said.
The couple were traveling light with no bags or backpacks.
“I brought my phone, that’s all,” Stahl said. “I didn’t want to get stopped.”
Volunteer greeters were guiding people walking into the terminal and handing out maps and a photo card of the pope.
“This way to see the pope,” one volunteer said with a smile. “Tell the pope I said, ‘Hi.'”
Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood was joined by Mayor Thomas Micozzie, Chief Administrative Officer Thomas Judge Jr. and county officials in the terminal.
“It’s been slow,” Chitwood said. “We were at the Primos station at 5:30 a.m. and 15 people boarded. None were on the train from Media. The second train out of Primos had maybe 25 people.”
According to Chitwood, Upper Darby police are managing traffic with assistance from the National Guard and police from Springfield, Darby Township and SEPTA.
“There’s more security here than there are people getting on the train,” Chitwood said. “But there have been people coming in from all over including seven people from Portland, Maine,” who recognized their former chief of police, “and a group from Haiti came through.”
