Just in time for your holiday gift shopping, the Winter Express Shoppers’ Trolley (W.E.S.T.) will return Saturday (Dec. 8), 12-5 p.m., to offer free rides along Baltimore and Lancaster Avenues. This is a great opportunity to learn more about local businesses, meet the owners and explore gift shopping and dining opportunities on the avenues.

The trolley will stop at designated shopping and dining destinations, and businesses will welcome riders with specials, promotions and giveaways, like free seasonal beverages and festive baked goods. There will be great gift shopping opportunities, discounts, and more! Get your ticket stamped at listed businesses for a discount at each one (see the full list and map here). Continue Reading

West Philadelphia residents are invited to free health and wellness screenings that will take place in local CVS Pharmacy branches this December. The health assessment screenings include blood pressure, Body Mass Index (BMI), glucose and total cholesterol screenings, which can help detect risk for chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

The screenings are part of Project Health, CVS’s annual series of free wellness screenings in the Greater Philadelphia area. Chronic conditions, which can often be life-threatening, can be treated very effectively when identified early. Participants can have their blood pressure, body mass index, glucose, and total cholesterol screened by a medical technician, and talk with a healthcare provider who will analyze results and refer patients to additional care as necessary. No appointment is necessary.  Continue Reading

The Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) will hold its annual meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m., in the Penn Alexander School gymnasium (enter through cafeteria/blacktop entrance on 43rd street between Locust and Spruce). At its annual meeting, the community group elects new officers and board members and invites guest experts to talk about important community issues. The event is free and all community members are invited to attend, learn more about the organization, and get involved.

This year’s meeting will feature a presentation on a community-influenced, space-based initiative. Julie Bush, Landscape Architect, Principal at Ground Reconsidered, will be the featured speaker on “Penn Alexander School: Re-imagining the Schoolyard.”  Continue Reading

A lot of little (and not-so-little) ghosts, ghouls and goblins paraded up Osage Avenue in the Spruce Hill section of West Philly yesterday for the annual Halloween Tot Parade.

As usual, the parade culminated with a party on Little Osage Avenue. Thanks to the folks on Little Osage for the hospitality. Check out more photos and a video below. Here are some photos from Tot Parades in years past.  Continue Reading

This Saturday, you can enjoy delicious baklava and support a local initiative that delivers books to two public school libraries.

Bindlestiff Books (4530 Baltimore Ave.) will hold a special fundraising event, Baklava Benefit Sale, on Oct. 27 from 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.. The event is organized by A Book A Day, an initiative co-funded by Penn Libraries, which donates newly published children’s books to two K-8 schools in West Philadelphia – Penn Alexander and Henry C. Lea.

Since the launch of the program in 2014 over 300 books have been donated to the school libraries. Eight new, quality hardcover books are delivered to each of the school libraries every month, giving kids access to intriguing books on music, art history, poetry, and street art.  Continue Reading

Photo courtesy of Jezabel’s Studio.

Jezabel’s Studio, the Argentinian cafe and tea house that opened last year in a cozy space on 45th near Walnut, has recently expanded into the space next door (it’s now at 206-208 S. 45th). The new space allowed the cafe to double its seating capacity, and now it will be able to accommodate more customers as well as private parties and special events.

Since its expansion last month, the cafe has also extended its weekend hours – now 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. – and began serving breakfast featuring traditional Argentinian dishes, like medialunas, Mafaldas (ham and cheese medialunas) and tortilla de patatas.  Continue Reading