Photo by Chris Richman, University City District.

If you’re wondering what this new structure at The Porch near 30th Street Station that looks like a shipping container is, here’s the scoop: It’s a new destination for post-work drinks called The Pub at The Porch. This thing just opened and will be serving beer, wine, and rotating bar fare Wednesday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. while the weather is warm. The pub is operated by the well-known Bridgewater’s Pub, a drinking and dining destination inside 30th Street Station.

The Pub is located near the center of The Porch, where food trucks set up for weekday lunch service. Local firm SHIFTSPACE designed and manufactured the free-standing non-permanent 10×10 cube that houses The Pub. It has a vibrant turquoise color coupled with carved-out architectural features.  Continue Reading

This is a great example of neighbors helping neighbors. Senior residents of the Renaissance Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center located at 4712 Chester Avenue recently raised money to help one of the largest emergency family shelters in the area, Families Forward Philadelphia, get school supplies for their clients.

Renaissance residents and staff created a donation box crafted as a box of “Renaissance” Crayons. Staff, visitors, and family members dropped off items in the lobby, and a traveling store was made available for all residents interested in using bingo winnings to make donations.  Continue Reading

Bernie’s Restaurant and Bar is opening this fall at 3432 Sansom St.

Good news for this University City storefront that has remained vacant since Doc Magrogan’s Oyster House closed in July 2016. Come this fall, Bernie’s Restaurant and Bar, a casual dining restaurant, will open its doors at 3432 Sansom Street. Penn’s Division of Facilities & Real Estate Services, which has signed the lease for the Sansom Street space with the restaurant owners, announced the upcoming opening earlier this week.

This will be the third Pennsylvania location for the restaurant known as a “full-service independent American-style restaurant and bar serving quality food and drinks in a cozy neighborhood setting,” according to the announcement. Bernie’s currently operates two locations in southeastern PA: Glenside and Hatboro, and its owner, Eric Kretschman, is both a Drexel and Penn alum.  Continue Reading

Many homes in Spruce Hill and Cedar Park lost power last night, beginning shortly before 7 p.m. Power at some homes was restored about 40 minutes later, while other buildings were without much longer.

A fire broke out on the top of a utility pole near 47th and Cedar, according to a reader report.

“After the PECO guy was done extinguishing the fire, the fire dept turned their hose on it for a while. They managed to fix the pole and restore the power well before morning, which was nice,” writes Jen, who took the photo above.

No injuries were reported.

The Chestnut Street Transportation Project, which includes a parking protected bicycle lane, officially opened on Tuesday with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The new bike lane and some pedestrian safety features were added between 45th and 34th Streets as part of the project. The buffered bike lane reduced the three lanes meant for motorized vehicles to two, which allows to slow down traffic in one of the busiest stretches of the street.

Mayor Jim Kenney, who helped cut the ribbon, called the project, also referred to as Chestnut Street Safety Corridor, “a major step towards improving safety for Philadelphia’s most vulnerable roadway users.” The 2012 Pedestrian & Bicycle Plan identified the corridor as a high crash corridor in need of improvement. “We are excited to introduce the first of this type of project in the City and we’ll be back in the coming years with more corridors citywide,” he added.  Continue Reading

Police are searching for an armed suspect who they say robbed a store at 49th and Springfield on Sunday. The robbery took place at 4:25 p.m. when an unknown male entered Waldy’s Mini Mart and pulled a handgun on an employee at the counter after purchasing a few items. He then took an unknown amount of money from the cash register and fled. He was last seen walking west on Springfield Avenue towards 52nd Street.  Continue Reading