That used to be a brown field junk yard. I wonder if it ever got cleaned up.

Are you implying Paco pees in the soup?

My cousin worked for Bouchard's. They used to use the bouillabaisse for a toilet.

We're looking like D.C.

There’s no such thing as “Olde Kensington”. It’s either Kensington, or it’s not. Stop trying to fancy it up.

Just moved to Philly and need to decorate my place! Any local artists or shops with cool decor I should check out? Would like to support local instead of just ordering online. Thanks for any recommendations!

I agree, but also if you find an old-school enough fishtowner and they will claim the neighborhood ends at Norris while realtors are probably calling areas across the viaduct Fishtown. And in my own internal map of Philly, Fishtown doesn't actually go all the way to Front St. even though thats covered by the FNA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ooh that smell, Can't you smell that smell, Ooh that smell. The smell of that smell.

Shoulda been thrice as tall

I'ma say American Street by Norris Square is going to be a sooner hipster strip.

It is absolutely ATROCIOUS that this place did NOTHING WHATSOEVER to consider the 3.7° line-of-sight that it blocks of the night sky at ascension 02h 31m 49.09s | Declination +89° 15′ 50.82" during the autumnal equinox alignment of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Now every 4.6 years my viewing of that moderately-rare celestial event will be TOTALLY RUINED! Ban all construction in the city forever.

Don’t you understand? Aesthetics, neighborhood character, parking, and the status quo are far more important than making sure people have a place to live!

There are no laws on Girard ave

Only thing we know how to build. Otherwise too expensive or can’t be done.

Craziest thing is at the very least that could be turned into housing.

A warehouse I worked at in NoLibs was converted to luxury condos in no time. Guess it’s harder to do if you’re not charging $3k to live there 🙄

Following, in particular the window frame portion if anyone has reccs.

With your budget and desire for parks and restaurants, i would recommend west philly (spruce hill, cedar park), brewerytown or fairmount (pricier). All are close to 30th street too so you can get to friends in baltimore easily. Depending your situation, i would recommend finding some roommates, would open up more options.

I get a kick out of the NIMBY comments on the Instagram posts related to this. My favorite is: "It's a shame the design makes no consideration for views from lower American." Lol, are they supposed to make it fully transparent or super short just so you can see the church spires on your walk at that particular location?

the thing about the wage tax is that the suburbs aren’t any cheaper to live in than the city. sometimes more expensive. and if you’re a single 20 something who could live anywhere, why not live in a relatively affordable large walkable city?

That area is so interesting cause see homes with the fish signs outside then north of York and I am just like this is not fishtown.

Ray Webb does brilliant brickwork. I don't know about window frames though

Whoops, thanks for catching that.

Thanks all! Appreciate the advice.

Have lived in Brewerytown for 6 years, work in the neighborhood, and am involved in the civic association. I seriously considered buying one of those Otto condos because I like the neighborhood (proximity to Fairmount Park, IMO ease of access to the Parkway and Center City without living there, enough variety of local restaurants and spots to grab a drink, I like my neighbors, etc.), but I ultimately lost out on the unit I wanted.

I agree with others about trying before you buy into the neighborhood here because each block can give you a wildly different experience. That part has changed a lot quickly and it seems like a fine place to live and invest in — there is new dining, a community center type place for new moms, a youth dance studio, and a summer youth sports league at the park right there — but it’s definitely not for everyone (see: late-night summer parties at the park and the nonsense that people have to deal with on the 1400 block of Corlies). You’ll still have to confront some of the stuff that comes with living in a historically redlined part of North Philly that was hit hard by the crack epidemic in the 90s-2000s and recently gained hundreds of “luxury” rental units, but I sort of feel like that’s true of many places just beyond Center City

That’s really cool. I have heard Derek Green on the campaign trail talk about Budd Bio works and it didn’t click until now. Thanks for the link!

I live one street over between Oakford and Federal - though I just got here in December so I don't have a summer under my belt yet. That said, I really like it so far. Everyone I interact with in the neighborhood has been very nice, there are a lot of businesses opening on Washington, and it's a quick walk to plenty of places in Grad Hospital/South Street. Street parking is actually pretty easy, there are a lot of non-permit areas with spaces even late at night. OCF Coffee, Porco's/Small Oven Pastry Shop, and Dock Street Brewery are all a very short walk, and I feel fine walking outside at night.

The cons are that the area is still a little rough around the edges. The corner store at 23rd and Oakford usually has people hanging outside (though they haven't bothered me), I've heard about package theft (again hasn't happened to me), and depending on your block there can be lots of kids playing outside which is just bad from a noise perspective. Parts of Point Breeze are also just pretty drab.

Overall it's a good vibe. Lots of young people and families pushing strollers. If your friend is used to city living and also looking at Bonsall between Federal and Oakford, I think they would be fine. Still - I would actually think this is a better spot to buy due to the changes happening in the next couple years as opposed to renting, where they might want more amenities now. Is budget keeping them from Grad Hospital?

Sorry for the long-winded response!