Photo by West Philly Local reader Jazmin Idakaar.

It’s scorching in Philadelphia and many residents are looking for ways to cool off. Unfortunately, some ways of cooling off can be costly. An illegally opened fire hydrant caused a water outage on Tuesday, July 16 near 52nd and Locust Streets. The break disrupted water service for some fifty properties in the area for 11 hours (11:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.). and then took hours of clean-up. West Philly Local readers reported lots of water coming out of spots along the street at 52nd & Locust after the break.

“When you open a hydrant illegally, you run the risk of bodily harm, possibly death, property damage and situations like this, where you have a water main break and people on the block with no water,” John DiGiulio of the Philadelphia Water Department told ABC.

Image via Crimereports.com.

There have been reports of multiple robberies and burglaries west of 43rd street, as the annual summer spike in street crime continues. Readers asked us about an increase in late night/early morning robberies and police confirmed that there were six gun point robberies over the past month in the area from 43rd to 48th, Pine Street to Chester Avenue.

There have also been many burglaries in the area in the recent weeks (see map image for robberies and burglaries in the past month). One of the reasons for that is that people leave their windows open in the summer, according to police, so please make sure to close your windows before leaving the house.

As it’s not unusual to see an uptick in crime during summer months it is still of concern, Joe Murray of the Southwest Police Detectives said in an email. We’ll keep a close look on the crime situation in the area and post updates when we have them.

The sign on the front door of Saad’s Halal at 45th and Walnut is a familiar site this time of year.

Ramadan is here so that means a few good eating spots will be closed or have seriously reduced hours for the next few weeks.

Saad’s Halal at 45th and Walnut closed July 8 and will remain closed until August 12. Saad’s also has that special brown paper on its windows that usually means some sort of renovation is going on inside. We’ll see.

Manakeesh, across the street from Saad’s at 45th and Walnut, will be open 7:30 p.m. to midnight until August 9. Sweets to go only will be served from 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Manakeesh staff will begin taking orders for meals at 8:15 and will begin serving food at sunset – around 8:30 p.m. Special meals will be offered on Friday and Saturday.

Kabobeesh, the terrific Pakastani joint at 42nd and Chestnut, appears to be keeping regular hours (Monday though Sunday, noon to 11 p.m.) as it did last year. Last year they offered free iftar (the evening meal during Ramadan) for those fasting during the holiday.

A reader, April, has found an orange and white cat on her porch near 44th and Walnut. He/she seems obviously cared for but lost outside, according to April. The cat has a bell and a pet watch tag that was never registered but it seems that the cat had been adopted from PAWS.

If it is your cat please call 215 510 1798.

Malcolm X Park will be the place to be this Saturday as the first annual Park Jam takes over the green space at 51st and Pine.

Billed as a “community dance party,” Park Jam (Facebook page) will feature dj sets by Danophonic Dan (Facebook page) and Friends and a live set from the West Philly-based band HighKick (Facebook page), which will offer a quirky mix of tunes from good old-fashioned throw downs (think The Allman Brothers or Phish) to a lovely rendition of the Paul McCartney tune “Another Day” (do,do,do,do,do,do) to, perhaps, a short ode to tacos.

Park Jam will also feature the usual assortment of West Philly festival fare like food trucks, a moon bounce, face painting, artisans selling cool stuff and, importantly, a “generous dance floor.”

The fun runs from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Garden Court Community Association is sponsoring this jawn.

UPDATED 7/12/13 at 9:52 A.M. Many readers have contacted us here at West Philly Local wondering about updates on some of their favorite chew spots in the neighborhood. Well, we’ve asked around and got the scoop (plus more) on what’s going on in the hood’s restaurant and booze scene. Here are some highlights:

• Dorinda Hampton of Planet Vegan told West Philly Local Friday morning that she is ready to build out her sit-down vegan juice bar at 310 S. 48th Street as soon as she secures her permits. She is aiming for a late August opening.
• Zagat’s Danya Henninger reported Thursday afternoon that Thai Singha House at 3939 Chestnut Street is closed for the summer, as the Thai spot is moving a block down to a new location at 3900 Chestnut Street. A note on the website says Thai Singha plans to open sometime in around September.
  
• Everyone’s beloved local diner, Cedar Park Café, will open its original location at 4912 Baltimore Avenue come mid-August (if not then, by September 1^st, owner Nicole Lee told West Philly Local). The breakfast and lunch joint, which opened in 2011, relocated to 2035 North 63rd Street in Overbrook (pictured right) after its flagship spot was heavily damaged during the questionable demolition job following the Christmas Eve fire that engulfed—and destroyed—another local favorite, Elena’s Soul, in the adjacent building. But don’t expect the same Cedar Park on the 4900 block of Baltimore—as far as we can tell, the diner is receiving a bit of a facelift, with a new bright red and white awning, dark tiled façade, and a richer neutral-colored interior accented by what looks like faux-brick wainscoting.
• As for Elena’s Soul, West Philly Local got in touch with owner Algernong Allen this week, who told us by email that there is no update on the future of the popular restaurant and bar as he’s still “sorting the situation out with the insurance company in litigation.” We were also unable to contact the owners of Gary’s Nails, so no word on what’s happening there.
• West Philly Local also learned that Taco Angeleno will have to delay its opening. According to owner Vanessa Jerolmack, the anticipated taco truck/outdoor eatery, which we profiled in May, may not open until late summer or possibly next spring, depending, due to bureaucratic red tape. The Los Angeles native has a zoning hearing for Taco Angeleno, located at 5019 Baltimore Avenue, scheduled in early August.
• Speaking of opening delays, Rx The Farmacy—a rebirth of the original Rx restaurant at 4443 Spruce Street—is also pushing back its launch until August 1st from mid-July because of snags in inspection and issues with kitchen equipment among other things, said owners and chefs Ross Scofield and Danielle Coulter.

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