Thursday, July 22, 2021

CCRA Newsletter

  Center City Residents' Association | 1900 Market St, FL 8, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Call Us Today:
215.546.6719
CCRA This Week: July 22, 2021
News And Updates

CCRA Creates Task Force Dedicated to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

In light of the events of the past year or so – the pandemic, George Floyd, rioting – the Board of the Center City Residents’ Association has launched a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force.

We recognize that our Center City West neighborhood is not an island, that the problems that befall our beloved city wash up on our Schuylkill Banks: poverty, crime, panhandling, lack of local affordable housing, people who work full time yet still live in poverty.

It’s all about thinking globally and acting locally to make a great difference. We’ve got some ideas, and would love to know yours. To do so, contact our Operations Manager Travis Oliver with your ideas at centercity@centercityresidents.org.

--Maggie Mund, Past President and Co-Chair
--Barbara Halpern, Vice President, Community Relations and Co-Chair
Useful Links
Our Sponsors:
CCRA Public Zoning Committee Meeting
Tuesday, July 27, 7PM
via Zoom

Click here for the agenda.

Click here to join the meeting or call in: 301-715-8592, Meeting ID - 89311980153#
Office Closure - Summer Break Part 1

CCRA is closed from Monday, July 26 to Friday, July 30. The office will reopen on Monday, August, 2. All messages and emails left will be returned when the office reopens.

Since the office is closed, there will be no CCRA This Week.
Merchant Partner of the Week
Every week we spotlight a member of the CCRA Merchant Partner ‘Deals & Discounts’ Program, which helps local Mom and Pop businesses get back on their post-pandemic feet by providing complimentary valuable advertising and by encouraging support from our highly-engaged membership. This week we feature the Rittenhouse BYOB Branzino.
‘Branzino’ is Italian for… Delicious.
Located in the heart of Rittenhouse on 17th below Locust, CCRA Merchant Partner Branzino offers sumptuous modern Italian cuisine in an expansive Center City townhouse that features a lovely private garden on the outdoor garden patio. The BYOB’s food is flavorful and exquisitely presented by the warm and accommodating staff. And, as a CCRA Merchant Partner, Branzino offers 10% off for both indoor and outdoor garden dining and pickup for orders directly telephoned into the restaurant. (Note: The discount does not apply to third-party delivery services.) 10% off and a BYOB? What are you waiting for?
Clean, Safe, and Green
Help Keep Our Sidewalks Beautiful: Please Donate
Center City is one of the cleanest neighborhoods in the City, and it’s no accident, nor is it free. CCRA has a contract with the Center City District to clean local sidewalks after weekly trash collection. This effort is not covered by your membership, which is where you come in. You are encouraged to donate your fair share to CCRA’s Clean, Safe & Green program, and you can do so here.
Community Info and Events
9th Annual Piano Festival - Online
Ching Yun Hu, Artistic Director of the Philadelphia Young Pianists' Academy, invites you to attend the 9th Annual Piano Festival, Saturday, July 31 to Sunday, August 8. All events will be live-streamed. https://pypa.info/events/ at https://pypa.info/events/2021-festival-pass/
Free Movie Nights at Dilworth Park
Take the kids to see some family-friendly movies at Dilworth Park this summer!

Every Thursday, beginning tonight at 8:30, and for the next six weeks, you can watch free movies such as "Jurassic Park" and "Wonder Woman."
Not Your Father’s (nor Your) Ben Franklin Parkway
For over a decade now, the “More Park, Less Way” initiative has focused on a vision for a more walkable, accessible and inclusive Ben Franklin Parkway. Now, three separate design firms have submitted proposals that, while different, aim to make the space more pedestrian-friendly and diverse. (Think “cosmopolitan canopy”.)  
Everybody Back in the (Car) Pool
Shared rides with Uber and Lyft went the way of the dodo bird during the pandemic, but now they’re making like a phoenix, as Lyft has announced the return of shared rides, starting first here in Philadelphia.

Riders will have three shared ride options, which will be tiered by wait time and have upfront pricing assigned to each. 

Uber, for its part, says it has no immediate plans to reinstate shared rides.
opening_white_car_door.jpg
Bring Your Appreciation of History (And Your Appetite) to the Philly Food Tour
Everybody knows about Philly’s fave sandwiches, and scrapple, and soft pretzels, and so on, but what’s the story behind the story? What’s the history, and how exactly are these delicacies made? And how about the Reading Terminal Market?

For the answers to all this and more you should head for the Philly Food Tour, which departs from the Market info desk at 12th and Market at 10am every Wednesday and Saturday.
Broad Street Run is Back, and Registration is Now Open
Chased away by the pandemic last year, the Broad Street Run is back, with the starter’s gun (and the race) set to start at 8 a.m. the morning of October 10. Runners can’t wait for the race, but they don’t have to wait to register, which can be done here. And don’t forget: Volunteers needed!
CCRA Merchant Partner "Deals and Discounts" Program

Please support our local merchants and save money too. These local merchants will provide a deal or discount to any member who shows a current CCRA membership card and personal identification.

Alimentari Restaurant at Di Bruno Bros., 1730 Chestnut St, 2nd Floor (temporarily closed)
Astral Artists - Use promo code "CCRA" to receive a $10 flat rate on all tickets to their virtual concerts.
Blue Sole Shoes, 1805 Chestnut St, (215-496-9244)
Branzino Italian BYOB, 261 S. 17th St (215-790-0103)
Di Bruno Bros., 1730 Chestnut St. (215-665-9220)
Dom's Shoe Repair, 203 S. 20th St (215-972-0098)
Eye Candy Vision, 218 S. 20th St (215-568-3937)
Good Karma Cafe, 331 S. 22nd St, (215-546-1479)
Koresh Dance Company, 2002 Rittenhouse Sq St. (267-687-1769)
Liberty Pet Vets, 265 S. 20th St (888-458-8587
Mlkmn, - Use code CCRAMlkmn to receive free membership
Nature's Gallery Florist, 2124 Walnut St (215-563-5554)
Photo Lounge, 130 S.17th St. (267-322-6651)
Rittenhouse Hardware, 2001 Pine St. (215-735-6311)
Seafood Unlimited, 270 S. 20th St (215-732-3663)
The Bake Shop on 20th, 269 S. 20th St. (215-644-9714)
Ursula Hobson Fine Art Framing, 1528 Waverly St (215-546-7889)
Veda Modern Indian Bistro, 1920 Chestnut St, (267-519-2001)
1900 Market St, Fl 8
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215.546.6719