Reader Lisa has written to us expressing her concern about the increasing number of dogs without leashes in our area. She wrote:

“I’ve been noticing more and more people walking their dogs without leashes. Inside the bowl at Clark Park is an accepted location, but I’m talking about up on the sidewalk, in the north section of the park, and around the neighborhood. I am afraid this is a bad trend, and something bad is going to happen. My dog does not like when other dogs run up to him, even if they are friendly, so we stay out of the bowl. Today I had to leave the park altogether because two large dogs were roaming the sidewalks quite a distance from their apparent owners. How do I know if they are friendly or not, or how close I can get without them trying to meet my dog, or if they will run immediately to their owners if called? There are plenty of children (and adults) who are not fond of dogs either. It is likely that off-leash dogs make them uncomfortable also.

I’m sure the owners think their dogs are perfectly trained, always friendly, and thus special and safe enough to disobey the law. Many may be right, but certainly there are exceptions. Is it really fair to ask me to assume that any off-leash dog must be friendly and safe just because the owner obviously thinks it is? Can a parent be expected to promise their child that the 80 pound dog down the street is not going to run up to her? Everyone has the right to feel safe. That is the point of the leash law. I’m glad owners of social dogs have the bowl to let their animals run, but that should be the only place. What can we do? Post more leash law signs? Ask the police to give out tickets for a while? Or will a few good dog fights or bitten children solve the problem?”

Lisa adds that she does NOT want law enforcement to ticket dogs that are off-leash.  Also, with the number of dogs, it is remarkable how rarely we see missed droppings in the neighborhood.  The community is generally good at that.  However, she does not want “a few overconfident people to mess things up.”

We will know a lot more about which schools will close or consolidate in West Philadelphia after today’s School Reform Commission (SRC) meeting, which for the first time, will be streamed live online.

The SRC is scheduled to release its tentative master plan to address the estimated 70,000 empty seats in the district. The plan includes a list of schools that will be closed, consolidated or have grade changes. The list will be the subject of a series of community meetings over the next several months.

A leaked preliminary report that recommended that the Alexander Wilson School (1300 S. 46th St.) be closed and students transferred to the Henry C. Lea School (4700 Locust St.) fueled speculation that fairly drastic changes were ahead for schools in our area. The District responded that the leaked report was merely a rough draft that was far from the final recommendations. There was even speculation that the much-debated catchment area for the Penn Alexander School (43rd and Locust) would be redrawn, though that seems unlikely. A much more clear picture of those changes should emerge from today’s meeting.

The SRC meeting begins at 3 p.m. today and the announcement on the proposed changes is scheduled for 5 p.m. For the first time the SRC meeting will be streamed live at the District’s website. The meeting will also be broadcast on its cable channel, which is available to Comcast (Channel 52) and FIOS (Channel 20) subscribers.

Judging by the buzz on community listserves, Sabrina’s Cafe‘s new location at 34th and Powelton already has fans in the area. The two older Sabrina’s locations – the Italian Market and Fairmount/Art Museum district – get rapturous word of mouth (and many 4-star reviews by Google users). Except among those who hate waiting for Sunday brunch, Sabrina’s has a reputation for delicious, vivid, and generously portioned meals.

Last Thursday at noon, it appeared that the new Sabrina’s Powelton location had already become a Drexel faculty favorite. Amongst the student/advisor pairs were larger groups of research teams or faculty committees. On the pleasant enclosed wrap-around porch, service was brisk, friendly, and professional.

I ordered the Islander sandwich ($12.99), grilled Ahi tuna on brioche. The generous portion of fresh tuna was perfectly cooked to order (mine: medium rare), and topped with balsamic-spiked caramelized onions and wasabi mayo. The brioche was fresh (breads are by LeBus and Sarcone’s). I substituted polenta fries (additional $1.79) for the usual potato fries, and found they were no crispier than average fried polenta, and more fork- than finger-food. The slaw was strictly for show: colorful but underdressed. My companion’s Southwest Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad (large: $14.89), dominated the table with its spicy buffalo garlic chicken on a mountain of fresh veggies – including hot jalapeno slices – tossed with chipotle blue cheese dressing. After a bite of that exploded on my palate, my wan polenta fries faded into obscurity. The Southwest salad exemplified the Sabrina’s aesthetic: bright colors, intense flavors, and an almost overwhelming volume of food. Expect leftovers (or order the small version for $9.99).

All-day breakfast is another Sabrina’s thing. At one point a waiter swept by with plates of stuffed French toast the size of nine-inch layer cakes. My son and I made a repeat visit the following Saturday to try it. Until a regular brunch crowd coalesces at Powelton, the full brunch menu with the Phillies-themed specials will not be available — expect just the daily breakfast menu, plus two specials. We ordered the thick-cut Challah french toast ($11.95) stuffed with cream cheese, caramel, cinnamon bun pieces, orange preserve, pecans, and butterscotch chips(!), served with peach-honey syrup. It was magnificent. The cinnamon bun pieces were MIA (or maybe mushed up in the filling?) but so much was going on that we hardly missed them. The other special was pumpkin pancakes topped with raspberry pound cake topping and crumbled golden oreos, served with raspberry-cinnamon butter and berry orange syrup ($11.94). I was temped, but I had to dial it back. The small fruit cup ($3.99) of fresh-cut pineapple, cantaloupe, and supermarket strawberries provides a decent place-holder for dieters, sharers, and minimalists.

Overall, the kitchen and waitstaff are attentive and careful, the dining areas are clean and cheerful, and the menu is amped-up diner food with fresh ingredients and a touch of whimsy. It’s comfort food: if you are not worrying about your waistline or fretting about the politics of consumption, you will love your experience at Sabrina’s.

There’s two-hour street parking, but you’d be better off biking or taking the Green Line followed by a short hike through the Drexel campus. Also note that they don’t take reservations but they do provide daily call-ahead seating, which bumps you to the front of the line when you arrive. Also, unlike the other two locations, the Drexel location doesn’t allow BYOB, so leave the bloody mary mix at home. Two minor requests to management: round up the prices (I know it’s a $13 sandwich — skip the 99 cents nonsense) and don’t forget to water the hanging plants!

– Jen

Penn Park, the rejuvenated 24-acre strip of land along the train tracks between Walnut and South streets, officially opens on Thursday.

The park occupies former parking lots and vacant land in a once fairly desolate area that was a parking area for postal trucks. It is now part of the University of Pennsylvania campus.

So what can your typical West Philly resident get out of the new park? Some of its facilities will be open to the public on a regular basis. Those include about two acres of grassy open areas, including a “picnic grove,” with a good view of the Center City skyline in and around newly constructed athletic facilities. The area also includes 548 new trees.

“Penn Park marks the first time that the University has, by design, developed open space for the use of the Penn community and beyond,” said Penn President Amy Gutmann.

Those athletics facilities include a spiffy 12-court tennis center, a 470-seat multi-purpose stadium and two athletic fields with synthetic surfaces. A parking lot for 210 cars sits along Walnut Street near the Class of 1923 Ice Rink. In case you had any notion of getting your Nadal on and playing tennis on those new courts (we did), Penn has said that they will only be open to the public on special occasions.

Still, the park provides a nice place to relax, enjoy the skyline and maybe take in a field hockey game.

The park is accessible by Walnut Street to the north, a walkway near the picnic grove to the west and another entrance near the South Street bridge. Here is a map of the park: Penn Park map

The park cost $46 million, but not a dime of public money went into it, according to Penn officials.

Tomorrow’s ceremony begins at 5 p.m. and will include a ribbon-cutting, recreational activities and a fireworks display at 7:30 p.m.

This will be a stressful weekend for a lot of parents in the neighborhood. Registration for the upcoming school year begins at the Penn Alexander School (4209 Spruce St.) on Monday and many are still unsure if their child will get a spot, even if they live in the school’s well-publicized catchment area.

The school has become so popular that it’s lower level grades have filled up, prompting a grassroots organization, Advocates for Great Elementary Education, to seek answers about how the school will operate in the future. Will parents have to queue through the night to get their child in? Will there be a lottery? Can they make the school bigger? The group has drafted a petition asking for answers, which has reignited a debate about gentrification, class and race that always bubbles just under the surface around here. This brings anxiety to parents who are balancing their desire to get the best for their children with their desire to see everyone’s children get the best.

One parent, Jon Grabelle Herrmann, whose daughter will be eligible to attend Penn Alexander’s kindergarten next year (if she gets a spot), shared the following commentary on the neighborhood e-mail listserv UCNeighbors. He graciously allowed us to republish it here.

 
Folks at West Philly’s Calvary Baptist Church (6122 Haverford Ave.) got a sweet surprise when Grammy Award winning singer John Legend swung by to sing a tune during Sunday’s service.

Legend, who was in town to perform with Sade at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday night, returned to his gospel roots and belted out Aretha Franklin’s “How I Got Over” with the help of the Calvary Baptist choir.

Some in West Philly may remember Legend when he was John Stephens (his given name), an a cappella performing University of Pennsylvania undergrad in the late 90s.

The video of the performance below, which was posted on Legend’s Facebook page yesterday, is fairly polished so this wasn’t a spur of the moment thing. But it’s still very, very cool.