A pregnant pause as city waits for Francis

The city of Philadelphia simultaneously began to empty out and fill up Thursday, as cars vanished from main avenues and pilgrims from across the country arrived to greet Pope Francis.

It was the day before the day before - the popular pontiff due to arrive in less than 48 hours for a visit that has set the city on its ear, and provoked all manner of collaboration and confrontation, affection and annoyance.

Mayor Nutter held a last pre-arrival news conference at which he predicted large, joyful crowds, and defended the logistics and security planning that have turned Center City into a stronghold of steel fences.

The zone known as the Secure Event Perimeter - encircling the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from City Hall to the Art Museum - was to take effect at 10 p.m., limiting access solely to residents, businesses, and certain other authorized people.

Everyone may enter the zone through security checkpoints beginning at 6 a.m. Friday.

On Friday night, closures will limit traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway, I-676, City Avenue, and other routes. The Ben Franklin Bridge will close from 10 p.m. Friday until noon Monday.

Traffic restrictions in the city are expected to lift on Monday, the hour still to be determined.

"It will depend on when the Sunday crowds have left and the streets are safe for vehicles to move freely without encountering large groups of people," said mayoral spokesperson Mark McDonald. "The call will be made at the earliest time possible."

On the streets Thursday, there was an air of anticipation and happiness - among people eager to see the pope, and others eager to make a buck.

"The pope is doing his thing for Philly," exulted Ralph Andrews, 38, who was selling $10 pope T-shirts as fast as he could pull them from a canvas bag. "Everyone is having a good time. Brotherly love!"

Andrews sold unlicensed wares from a spot outside the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul. Police went easy on him and other vendors, like the one selling pope bracelets, telling them to move on instead of confiscating their goods, he said.

Andrews' time ran out at 2:15 p.m. After a final warning, he left the basilica area to head to the Convention Center, seeking new customers.

As he has done multiple times over the past three months, Nutter on Thursday stood before reporters and defended the administration's planning, implored residents to be patient, criticized the press, and championed the city and the enormity of what is about to occur.

The streets may seem quiet, Nutter said, but that's going to change quickly.

"There are going to be a whole lot of people here," he said. "They're going to enjoy themselves, they're going to have a special moment, and they're going to be talking about it to their great-grandchildren for the next 50 years."

On Thursday, traffic was so light that two young men rode skateboards down the middle of Market Street East. Part of the slack was due to the absence of city employees, scheduled off on Thursday and Friday.

Predictions of sold-out hotel rooms and booked-up public transit have not come to pass. Hotels have about 10 percent of their rooms left, and big numbers of rail passes are still available at SEPTA and PATCO, officials said.

"We are the city of block parties, and this Francis Festival is the mother of all block parties," said Meryl Levitz, CEO of Visit Philadelphia.

Jack Ferguson, CEO of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the group stands by its projection that the papal weekend will bring $416 million in revenue to Philadelphia businesses.

That includes $27 million from the World Meeting of Families conference, which has 17,000 registered attendees, and $390 million for the weekend. The estimate does not include money lost to security restrictions.

Airport shuttle and limo drivers got good news: City officials said the vehicles will be allowed in the traffic box until 2 a.m. Saturday, and starting again at 3 a.m. Monday. Originally, only cabs were permitted.

That was a relief to Rick Banocy, a veteran driver at Lady Liberty Airport Shuttle.

On Thursday, he was already driving visitors into the city - among them a group of 12 from Denver whom he dropped off at a church on Chestnut Street.

"They're coming," he said of papal visitors. "They're coming, and they're all pumped up."

The Broad Street Ministry announced plans to stay open to help the homeless, many of whom will be displaced, and to host a special overnight café.

"Pope Francis' pontificate has focused on equality and justice for the least of us," said founding pastor Bill Golderer, "so we believe it is important to open our doors to those who have been impacted by his visit."

The ministry, at 315 S. Broad St., will operate the café from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. Thursday through Sunday.

The Pennsylvania Ballet jumped at a last-minute chance to get its dancers in front of the pope at Saturday's Festival of Families. Artistic director Angel Corella always says he's not a choreographer - except when he must be.

The result is a quickly developed, three-minute piece with five pairs of dancers, who will perform on the main stage at 7 p.m.

The pope's itinerary doesn't include a stop at St. Joseph's University, but holding out hope was Joe DiAngelo, dean of the School of Business. The seminary where Francis will stay is just down City Avenue from the campus.

"Everybody is hoping he makes an appearance," DiAngelo said.

Either way, the school plans to honor the pope with its Marketer of the Year Award, which previously has gone to recipients including the Phillies and restaurateur Stephen Starr.

"He's a rock star right now," DiAngelo said.

And some have come a long way to see him.

The Rev. William Villa, a Spanish-speaking priest from Colombia who serves a parish in Jacksonville, Fla., strolled the Parkway on Thursday, taking in the scene. He was surprised by the city's architecture and its residents.

"Very pretty," he said. "And the people are very friendly."

jgammage@phillynews.com

215-854-4906

@JeffGammage

Contributing to this article were Inquirer staff writers Diane Mastrull, Anthony R. Wood, Maria Panaritis, and David Patrick Stearns.