Any guesses on where this 1914 photograph was taken? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Philadelphia schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman will meet with concerned West Philadelphia parents and others on Monday, January 24 at the Philadelphia Business and Technology Center (5070 Parkside Ave., first floor) at 1 p.m. West Philadelphia Coalition for Neighborhoods and Businesses is organizing the talk and Ackerman is expected to discuss, among other things, the district’s strategic plan – Imagine 2014 – and community involvement in schools.

The meeting organizers want to remind those interested in attending that the entrance is on Columbia, not on Parkside.

We found this breezy little piece on the Philadelphia Magazine website earlier this week that continues to chronicle the growing legend of Fiume, the perfectly quirky little beer and whiskey bar at 45th and Locust. Writer Robert Huber uses the lack of televisions at Fiume to underscore what happens every night at this place  – impromptu, elbow-to-elbow conversations with a wide swath of folks. In Huber’s case on this night, it’s a couple of Greek Ph.D. students and a social worker.

Huber writes:

There are no TVs. I am sorry to harp on a simple point but it is also so dark in here that reading would be a challenge, so there are three possibilities:

Drink.

Listen to Billie Holliday, now singing. It could be Tammy Wynette. Or Tiny Tim.

Or talk.

Not bad choices these days. You can read the entire piece here.

Here are a few things plucked from a full slate of weekend activities on the left bank. If we missed something that you are dying to tell us about, write editor – at – westphillylocal.com.

Friday, January 21

• Taxing Carbon: The Simple Solution to the Climate Crisis • Tabernacle United Church • 3700 Chestnut St. • 7 p.m.

Charles Komanoff, a widely known for his work as an energy-policy analyst, transport economist and environmental activist in New York City will talk.

Saturday, January 22

• Clark Park Farmer’s Market • Don’t forget that it’s open in the winter too • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

African Cultures Day • Penn Museum • 3260 South Street • 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. • Free with museum donation ($10 for adults, $7 for seniors and $6 for kids)

The program highlights include a performance by Penn’s African Rhythms Student Dance Troupe, music by the Women’s Sekere Ensemble, traditional African storytelling by Momma Sandi, neo-African drum and dance from LaSalle, a folkore workshop with Queen Nur, games, crafts, food, etc.

• Sonic Liberation Front meets Bobby Zankel and the Warriors of the Wonderful Sound • The Rotunda • 4014 Walnut St. • 8 p.m. • FREE

Sonic Liberation Front is an afro-futuristic creative music ensemble. Its members are a who’s who of Philly’s finest genre-bending improvisers, composers and folkloric musicians (and sometimes dancers).  Bobby Zankel leads an innovative jazz outfit. The Boston Phoenix wrote that Zankel “deserves any Talent Deserving Wider Recognition Award that the Jazz Press might offer.”

Should we start calling the pocket in West Philly around 45th and Walnut “Little Beirut” or maybe “New Lebanon”? The corner is anchored by the Association of Islamic Charity Projects mosque on the northeast corner, Saad’s Halal Restaurant on the southwest corner and now Manakeesh, a Lebanese bakery and cafe, in the old bank building on the southeast corner.

After much anticipation, Manakeesh, named after its most popular dish, opened this week with a dazzling interior and vast assortment of Lebanese fare. The menu is built on the manakeesh, a Lebanese flatbread sandwich that is made to order in front of you. The standard manakeesh features zaatar, a mixture of thyme and olive oil spread on the bread before it is baked. Other traditional favorites are the cheese manakeesh, which includes an assortment of vegetables, and the lahm bajeen – minced lamb.

These are just three of the nearly 20 different kinds of manakeesh made to order. Some have a distinctly American twist, like manakeesh with pastrami or sausage, egg and cheese. But as vital as the manakeesh is to the menu, this place has a lot more to offer, including several kinds of baklava, cakes, salads and coffee. Oh the coffee. Perhaps the most prominent feature behind the counter at Manakeesh, besides the exceedingly friendly staff and the brick oven shipped over from Lebanon, is the Mac Daddy of espresso machines – the Excelsior. It’s orange and chrome and looks like something that might have come out of a Detroit auto factory in the 1950s.

Yunis Ali works the Excelsior.

The general manager of Manakeesh, Abd Ghazzawi, essentially grew up in the neighborhood. He attended the mosque school across the street from Manakeesh and has invited some of his old friends to work at the cafe. The result is an inviting atmosphere with a lot of chatter. That, he said, is the point. Ghazzawi hopes that Manakeesh becomes more than a cafe and bakery, but a “community centerpiece.” You can hear much more on his thoughts about the neighborhood around Manakeesh and the cafe itself in the interview below.

So stop by and give Abd and the others a hearty mabrouk (congratulations in Arabic). It’s been a long wait, but it was worth it. Here is the full menu.

Interview with Abd Ghazzawi:

Hi. Here is a cogent reminder from reader Lisa Quinn.

She writes:

“I had my car broken into on the morning of Jan. 11. The robber smashed the driver’s side window and stole my I-pod and GPS, which were both stored in the center console. I want to get the word out so that people bring their devices inside instead of leaving them in the car for thieves. My car was parked at Larchwood and 51st. Just giving a heads up! Especially with the weather, you don’t want a broken window and your car exposed to the rain/snow/slush.”