West Philly community members will have a chance to see legendary female rap and hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa perform at the annual Neighborhood-to-Neighborhood (N2N) Festival. This year’s festival celebrates women in hip-hop and will take place at 50th and Baltimore next Saturday, Sept. 7.

Salt-N-Pepa, who have broken barriers and opened doors that were once closed to women in hip-hop, are set to headline the 2019 N2N Festival, performing their hit songs. MC Lyte, one of hip-hop’s pioneer feminists, and Angie Stone who rose to fame as member of the hip hop trio The Sequence before starting her solo career are also performing. There will also be live performances by local Philadelphia artists.

The free festival will be hosted by legendary radio host Lady B from Classix 107.9 FM, and comedian, Skeet. More than 5,000 people from across the region will enjoy the free festival throughout the day.  Continue Reading

After more than a year of detours and shuttle bus service due to the Woodland Avenue Bridge reconstruction project at 47th and Woodland, SEPTA is set to resume regular service for trolley routes 11 and 36. The project has been completed, and the trolleys will resume regular operation on Woodland Ave. between 49th St. and Chester Ave. on Wednesday, Aug. 28, SEPTA has announced.

Parks on Tap, Philadelphia’s traveling beer garden, is returning this Wednesday to Clark Park at 43rd and Baltimore. The program is a partnership between Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Fairmount Park Conservancy, and FCM Hospitality. It provides beers on tap, wine, non-alcoholic beverages and fresh food at different parks throughout the city all summer long.

Parks on Tap is family-friendly and offers a variety of programming, including free yoga in the park with Roots2Rise. Dogs on leashes are welcome.

Parks on Tap will be in Clark Park from this Wednesday through Monday (Labor Day) during the following hours:  Continue Reading

Last month, a group of concerned residents held a community action meeting to draw attention to a proposed development at 303 S. 51st Street. Developer Callahan Ward is planning to build three luxury apartment buildings with 33 units and three ground-floor commercial spaces on the site of a former mechanic’s shop, located in the backyard of many homes and only accessible by a narrow alley. The lot is zoned CMX2, which allows 33 units by right, but the neighbors are opposing the development due to many concerns, including environmental contamination, overcrowding, fire hazards, and more.  Continue Reading

Brandywine Realty Trust has unveiled the architectural designs of the first two high rises in Schuylkill Yards, the $3.5 billion 14-acre development project near 30th Street Station.

The two towers will be located at 3001 (East Tower) and 3025 (West Tower) John F. Kennedy Blvd. The 512 feet tall East Tower features a unique stacking design, 34 floors of office space, 7,000 square feet of retail, and a dedicated amenity level on the 14th floor.

The mixed-use West Tower will offer 9,000 square feet of retail, 219,000 square feet of residential, 200,000 square feet of office space and covered parking. Both towers will be sitting atop a foundation of fluted pedestals, forming a series of archways (see rendering below). Continue Reading

It has been almost three years since the Parklet at The Bank building asked community members to reimagine the use of a parking lot and take advantage of additional outdoor space in their neighborhood.

This Fall, the People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation (PECCDC) is seeking six professional West Philly-based artists to help them continue to beautify the Parklet. In collaboration with community members, artists will create one in a series of permanent murals on the half-walls surrounding The Bank, the repurposed United Bank building, on Lancaster and Powelton Avenues.

Go here for more information and to register. Registration deadline has been extended until Sunday, Sept. 9, 2019 11:59 p.m. The Artist Pitch – Open Mic Presentation – will take place on Friday, Sept. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Neighborhood Time Exchange (4017 Lancaster Ave.).