Philadelphia’s first “parklet” was installed in 2011 at 43rd and Baltimore (Archived photo).

Since the weather has gotten consistently warm, temporary seating platforms, aka “parklets”, have been reinstalled at six locations:

• 4040 Locust St. (hosted by Ramen Bar)
• 261 S. 44th St. (hosted by Honest Tom’s Tacos and Lil’ Pop Shop)
• 4239 Baltimore Ave. (hosted by Green Line Cafe)
• 4903 Catharine St (hosted by Little Baby’s Ice Cream)
• 3601 Market Street (between Market and Filbert, hosted by Schmear It, Jimmy John’s, and M.A.T.T.S. Sliders)
• 4725 Pine Street (hosted by the Garden Court Community Association)  Continue Reading

University City District, Cedar Park Neighbors and Hagopian Arts, a Philadelphia-based mural and fine arts company, are teaming up to create a ground mural for the pedestrian plaza at the east end of Cedar Park and they need your help.

There are three nature-inspired designs to choose from (see below) and you can cast your vote here.

Here are some Easter Egg hunts happening in the area this weekend. Please note that some of these events require registration. If you’re holding an Easter egg hunt please post your event in the comments below.

Saturday, April 20

• Easter Egg Hunt in Clark Park, 43rd and Regent (near the toddler playground), 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Renewal Church is holding its annual Easter Egg Hunt for kids ages 0-6. Registration for the egg hunts takes place 10:45-11:15 a.m. Crafts, games, and egg hunts will be presented by age group. Everything is FREE. There will also be a free raffle for gift baskets and gift card donations from the following local businesses: Booker’s Restaurant and Bar, Clarkville, Ice Cave, Lil Pop Shop, Lulu Cafe, Firehouse Bicycles, and The Nesting House!  Continue Reading

Just seven months after opening at 40th and Baltimore, Trolley Car Station restaurant has closed its doors. A new operator is currently being sought for the 125-seat restaurant, according to a report by Philly.com.

The highly anticipated restaurant opened in a new two-story building next to the remodeled 40th Street Trolley Portal in September 2018, but things didn’t go as well as the owner, developer and restaurateur Ken Weinstein, who had reportedly invested $2.5 million in the new restaurant, had expected. The restaurant concept, which included hiring 20 staff members with the neighborhood’s diversity in mind, didn’t turn out to be financially viable, according to Weinstein. “We opened with a concept that I thought would work and it just didn’t resonate,” Weinstein told Philly.com’s Michael Klein.  Continue Reading

Click to enlarge.

A relatively high number of crimes has been reported in the University City District area last month. In March, 33 crimes serious crimes, including gunpoint robberies, residential burglaries, aggravated assaults with a gun, stolen cars and thefts from cars, were committed within the UCD boundaries and reported to the police, according to the latest UCD Crime Update. Twelve arrests were made in connection to those crimes, according to the report.

The UCD Public Safety Division alerts residents to a high number of robberies in March (they say that this trend has continued in April), particularly near the Market-Frankford Line and several trolley stops (see map below).  Continue Reading