Category: Neighborhood News

5 Philly Suburbs Perfect for City Slickers

4:00pm June 18, 2013

City dwellers looking for a home in the burbs may like Narberth.

Philly suburbs perfect for urban dwellers As we’ve noted before, more parents are choosing to raise their children in the city. But a move to the suburbs doesn’t mean losing the walkability, accessibility and culture that draws people to downtown Philly. Towns and communities throughout the region have a vibrant night life, great restaurants and [...]

Newly Listed Rental: Carl Greene’s Naval Square Townhouse

9:35am June 18, 2013

For those who follow real estate politics–and Philadelphia politics in general, particularly those of our scofflaws–here’s a fun tidbit: The former head of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, Carl Greene, is offering his Naval Square townhouse as a rental. It’s listed at $3,300 per month.

L&I Spokesperson Maura Kennedy Is One Smart Lady

3:00pm June 14, 2013

Email received today

Building Collapse: L&I Inspector Made Video Before Committing Suicide

12:52pm June 14, 2013

Before he killed himself, L&I inspector Ronald Wagenhoffer made a video for his family on his camera phone, saying, of the building collapse, “It was my fault. I should have looked at those guys working, and I didn’t.”

Building Collapse: Does It Matter Than Sean Benschop Tested Positive for Pot?

2:42pm June 13, 2013

One of the reasons Sean Benschop was arrested and charged was because he was allegedly operating a vehicle while impaired–there was marijuana detected in his blood stream, as well as unidentified painkillers. Thus far, most people, whether anecdotally or in the media, have focused on the question of marijuana rather than painkillers, although there’s a pretty good case to be made that the latter would impair functioning much more than the former.

Twenty years ago, the US Dept. of Transportation released a report saying that pot actually made drivers more cautious. That was a long time ago, but if the methodology is still considered sound, it’s an important factor. There are no prescription pain meds that don’t come with the warning about drowsiness and operating a motor vehicle. Seems we should be asking more questions about those.

Building Collapse: L&I Inspector Dead From Gunshot Wound to Chest [UPDATED]

1:19pm June 13, 2013

Fifty-two-year-old Ronald Wagenhoffer, who worked for the Department of Licenses and Inspections for 16 years, was found dead last night in his car in Roxborough. The cause of death is being labeled a suicide, though only the medical examiner can make the final determination. Looks pretty definite, though, given a text he sent his wife.

Rittenhouse Square Fitness Moves Out. Koresh Dance Co. Moves In

2:06pm June 12, 2013

Dancer: Eric Bean Jr. Photo: Pete Checcia. Via koreshdance.org

Rittenhouse Square Fitness Club (RSFC) is closing its doors on June 15th, and doing so, according to a recent announcement, “with a heavy heart.” The fitness club has been in business for almost 30 years. So, too, has Koresh Dance Company, which will take control of the property at 2002 Rittenhouse Square as of July 1.

Koresh’s artistic director, Roni Koresh, used to rehearse at the Club 25 years ago, so he has some nostalgia about the building–both personally and in a larger context. “I like the history of the building, the fact that it used to be a theater,” he said. He appreciates that by moving his company there, he’ll be turning the building into a creative space once again.

Think U.S. Open Visitors Are Bad? Try the Jersey Shore Shoobies.

12:38pm June 12, 2013

Year-’round residents of the Jersey Shore have it rough when summer comes. Their peaceful lives are disrupted by seasonal tourists who expect whims to be catered to, including the ample production of sweat shorts and T-shirts with stupid slogans. They clog stores and roadways, they drip water onto floors, they track sand around without a care and swerve rental bikes into traffic. They have a name, and it is “Shoobies.” Jen A. Miller explains the etymology of the word:

It came from a time when Philadelphians came down to the Shore via a train to Atlantic City with lunches packed in their shoeboxes—hence shoobie.

These days US Open visitors to the Main Line are being called Shoobies, a word being used to indicate people with outsider status who are driving natives crazy. Miller isn’t buying it.

Mind-Boggling West Philly Container Garden

4:37pm June 11, 2013

Photo: Virginia C. McGuire

Plant lovers in West Philly have probably noticed this house at 47th and Baltimore because it has one of the most exuberant rooftop gardens I’ve ever seen. Gardener Fred Wolfe has been building his plant collection on this corner for more than 40 years. He started gardening at 4703 and 4705 Baltimore Avenue, but in 1983 he moved to his current home at 4701 Baltimore.

Wolfe’s garden is spread over several different areas. What he calls his sidewalk garden is a combination of perennials and annuals planted in containers. This garden has cannas, red-twig dogwood, hardy hibiscus, magnolias and black-eyed susans.

Five Family-Friendly Neighborhoods in Philadelphia

Presented by Prudential Fox & Roach

4:20pm June 11, 2013

The 100 block of Fitzwater in Queen Village, a quiet block perfect for kids.

Family-Friendly Neighborhoods in Philadelphia It used to be that when you had your first kid, you packed up your new family and headed for the suburbs in your recently leased minivan. But if the current stroller traffic on city sidewalks is any indication, more parents are opting to raise their kids in an urban environment. [...]