Trolley Car Diner eyes West Philly

Newsworks is reporting that the Mount Airy-based Trolley Car Diner, which also has a location in East Falls, is considering opening a spot in West Philly. Trolley Car’s owner, Ken Weinstein, told Newsworks that the University City District came to him about opening a location in University City. “University City District approached us probably six months ago and asked if we were interested,” Weinstein told Newsworks. “I thought that the University City area would be a good match.” Weinstein said he is considering a spot that would include outdoor seating, but that one has not yet been chosen.

Why I Chose Lea

West Philly resident David Hincher and his family were featured this week in Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Miriam Hill’s “Raising Philadelphia” column. Hincher’s essay details why he plans to send his daughter to the Henry C. Lea School (47th and Locust). He writes:

“The collective hope of all those hundreds of other parents in our area all in the same situation we are in, all working together to find a solution, and improve one school, has soothed that old public school issue panic like a strange balm. For the first time in years, my wife and I are in agreement and will likely apply for a voluntary transfer for our daughter to Lea Elementary when the time comes.”

Play on, Stanford

West Philadelphia resident Stanford Thompson, the man behind the venture Play On, Philly, was profiled this week in the Inquirer. The story reveals his passion of bringing orchestral music to schools in the city. He is currently working at Saint Francis de Sales (4625 Springfield Ave.) and plans to bring the program to the Lea School in January. He hopes to have 10 programs running throughout the city by 2020. He tells Inquirer music critic Peter Dobrin in the piece:

“To be completely honest, I’ve always been obsessed with the – how do I say this? – the lack of engagement of underserved communities. I consider myself to be among the communities I see in West Philadelphia and North Philadelphia and South Philadelphia, and I sit on the trolley and I think: All of those kids could fall in love with the orchestra. I fell in love with it, they can fall in love with it – if we give these kids the opportunity.”