Strawberry Mansion: Property Developers Strive To Improve Neighborhood
When walking through Strawberry Mansion, you may notice an overabundance of vacant properties and abandoned houses. It was not always like this. Due to redlining, a racist collusion between banks and city government, where people of certain races were prevented from buying homes in certain sections of the city, the historic neighborhood on the edge […]
Fairmount Park: Protecting the Water Supply
One of the largest urban green spaces in the nation sits right here in the City of Brotherly Love. With more than 10,000 acres of parks, trails and trees, Fairmount Park wasn’t originally created to build recreation centers with playgrounds and pools. It was created to protect the city’s water supply. To begin to understand […]
Fairmount Park: Historic Homes Have Stories to Tell
The Charms of Fairmount Park are six historic houses with six different stories to tell. Cedar Grove, Laurel Hill, Lemon Hill, Mount Pleasant, Historic Strawberry Mansion and Woodford are maintained as historic house museums. Some people have visited all of them while others have never heard of them. In recent years, fewer people are visiting the […]
West Philadelphia: A Place to Learn About Japanese Culture
Derek Finn is the associate director of Shofuso Japanese House and Garden. He started at Shofuso in 2010 after earning his bachelor’s degree in East Asian studies from the University of Pennsylvania. His passion for Japanese culture kept him at Shofuso, where he started as a visitor service assistant and worked his way up to […]
Hunting Park: Revitalization Project Helps Increase Public Safety
Walking through Hunting Park today, it’s hard to believe that not so long ago it was a much less desirable place to be. Underfunded, the park was largely in disarray and disuse until the Fairmount Park Conservancy launched the Hunting Park Revitalization Project in 2009. Prior to its renovation, the park was known to be […]
Hunting Park: Community Organizers Aim to Bring Healthy Food to the Park
North Philadelphia and fresh produce don’t always go hand in hand. However, the Fairmount Park Conservancy and Hunting Park United are teaming up to change that. As a part of their Hunting Park Revitalization Project, the groups are renovating an old concession stand in the park so that a local vendor can come in and sell […]
Amateur Sports: John DiSciasio Wants You to Try Disc Golf at Sedgley Woods
John A. DiSciascio is the executive director of The Friends of Sedgley Woods, which runs Sedgley Woods disc golf course in Fairmount Park. He helps maintain the disc golf course, stage tournaments and work with others who use the park, all on a volunteer basis. How did the game of disc golf get its start? […]
Starwberry Mansion: Sedgley Woods and the Sport Few Know About
The day was cold. Even by mid-afternoon, snow littered the ground of Sedgley Woods Disc Golf Course located in East Fairmount Park, near the intersection of 33rd and Oxford streets. That, however, did not stop a group of 30 to 40 disc golf players from assembling to play a round of the sport. This was […]
North Philadelphia: PURP Leads Protest After Ferguson Grand Jury Decision
On the evening of the grand jury’s decision in St. Louis to not bring charges against police officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown in August, protests took place in cities across the United States. In Philadelphia, People Utilizing Real Power, which describes itself as “an all of the above activist organization based […]
Amateur Sports: Five Runs You Need To Know About
There are a lot of fun things to do in Philadelphia, but for the amateur athlete who loves to run, there are many unique ways to get involved. Whether it’s dressing up in your favorite 90’s gear, or helping those in need, these five runs are sure to entertain. Pretty Fly For a 5K Break […]