A few years ago, we found ourselves in Pennsport with a flat tire. Thankfully, the good people at Phil's Battery Service, at 238 Tasker St., were kind enough to patch us up. They didn't even charge for their trouble. We passed by their location yesterday and two different signs indicated

Every few months in Northern Liberties, it seems another former industrial building is being demolished. In place of these former warehouses and factories, new single-family homes, rental units, and sometimes mixed-use projects are arriving.Developers that want to build ten new single-family homes at 600 N. 4th St., where now stands

We were heading to Center City from South Philly today and passed by the fire-damaged remains of Hawthorne's Cafe at 11th & Fitzwater. For the last several years, this place has been a favorite of ours, as it was a wonderful place to grab a unique six-pack, sit down with

When we checked in on 3221 Spring Garden St. last summer, the 24-unit building with 13 parking spots was just starting to get framed out. Passing by last week, plenty of progress is apparent. We're quite confident that the building will be ready to accommodate the wave of new students

After many years at 23rd & Fairmount, a neighborhood grocer is out and Italian is in. A new proposal for a BYOB Italian restaurant at the site of the former Garden Fresh which closed last fall, points to the changing tide in Fairmount, where it's continuing to get more expensive

Last November, we told you about two homes under construction on the 2700 block of Cambridge Street. We visited the block again last week, and saw that there's been some good progress on these homes, which are replacing a vacant lot and a blighted building.Two new homesThe developers working on

Back in 2011, plans emerged for the Franklin Institute to expand for the first time in decades. The most interesting part of the museum's expansion is a kinetic "Shimmer Wall," created by artist Ned Kahn. We passed by yesterday, and shot the video. We recommend visiting to museum and the

On West Girard in Brewerytown, it seems retail is doing well, or at least retailers want to stick around because they believe in the neighborhood.Consider Rybrew, the cafe and bottle shop that opened at 2816 W. Girard Ave. last summer. Or Teaful Bliss, which recently moved from 11th & Spring

After grabbing a delicious sandwich at Breezy's Cafe yesterday, we were heading back into town when we noticed a new and growing hole in the ground at the northeast corner of 20th & Ellsworth. The combination of three vacant lots has held back this corner for quite some time, and

The last few years have been rough ones for the Philadelphia School District, with budget shortfalls, layoffs, and school closings. One would think that the District would be aggressively working to sell shuttered schools in an effort to fill some of the gap in their budget, but that process to