This Week: October 20, 2022

Editor – Barbara Halpern

Lead Writer – Richard Vaughn

Design/Layout and Writer – Travis Oliver

Writer/Proofreader – Margie Wiener

Guest Writer – Marian Robinson

RIP 19th & Market Wawa

Comes the news that the Wawa at 19th and Market is closing for good due to increases in in-store criminal activity.

Why is this notable? Because to our knowledge it’s the first such closing within the footprint of CCRA’s catchment area.

This is (was) the go-to convenience store for us and for many residents, workers and visitors. But of late the vibe there has changed. Recently we watched as a young man stuffed a goodly number of ice-cream treats into his backpack and blithely walked out the door, right past the cashier. In broad daylight.

As a friend asked: What can be done?

Hiring multiple full-time security guards would certainly help, but would likely prove cost-prohibitive. Logic and common sense dictate that some highly visible arrests and convictions would send a clear message, but in the current climate we’re not holding our breath.

So for now we’re in the market for a replacement go-to market, as likely are the perpetrators who will soon need a new store to rob.

CCRA News and Events

Update on Philadelphia Orchestra/Kimmel Center Discount Ticketing

As was reported last week, there are known problems with the discount ticketing system at the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Kimmel Center Campus which have been acknowledged by the Kimmel and which they assure us they are endeavoring to rectify.

We will advise ASAP of any change in status. For now, best practice remains buyer beware.

Members' "Meet & Greet” Happy Hour

Please join us for a member ‘Thank You” on Tuesday, November 1, 5:30-7:30 pm at DiBruno’s Alimentari Restaurant.

Come “Meet & Greet” with fellow CCRA members and enjoy complimentary food and wine. This Happy Hour is limited to the first 50 members who respond. See you there! Register here.

Kindly take a rapid COVID test before attending.

Reminder: Public Meeting Re 14-30 S. 21st Street

Monday, October 24, 6-7 pm via Zoom

The Parkway Corporation plans to construct a new 390,000 square-foot residential high-rise at the corner of 21st and Ludlow. It would like to present the project to the CCRA membership. You do not have to be a member to attend; the intent is to gather input from the neighborhood. After the presentation (plans, rederings, etc.,) there will be a Q&A. For more details, go here.

Link to the Zoom meeting here.

CCRA Public Zoning Committee Meeting

Tuesday, October 25, 7pm

Zoom link here.

View agenda here.

CCRA MERCHANT PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

CCRA’s Merchant Partner program is a true Win-Win: It provides local businesses with complimentary advertising and exposure while giving CCRA members generous deals and discounts. This week we spotlight our brandy-new Merchant Partner, the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, at 12th and Market Sts.

Everyone Who Knows Goes… to the Loews

Home to an architectural landmark and Philadelphia Savings Fund Society (PSFS) building, the Four-Diamond Loews Philadelphia Hotel is a true classic and one of the nation’s first modern skyscrapers, all within walking distance of Reading Terminal Market, Independence Hall, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Barnes Foundation.

But it’s more than just drop-dead gorgeous. At Loews Hotels, the community is as much a part of their family as their team members. It’s beyond mere camaraderie – we’re talking friendship, familiarity, goodwill and kindness, one local business helping one another, all of which translates to a wonderful experience for their guests.

And… yes, there’s more: As a CCRA member, you are eligible for up to a 20% discount not only for yourself, but for family as well…pretty sweet! (Discount is subject to availability at time of booking.)

So what are you (and your friends) waiting for? Go here, then GO!

Clean, Safe and Green

Vote For Your Favorite Tree at Schuylkill River Park

This Love Your Park Day (November 12), the Schuylkill River Park is celebrating being awarded Level I Arboretum status by planting a new sensory garden between the playground and the multi-surface court. The sensory garden will feature trees and shrubs that “thrill the senses” (scent, sight, touch, sound, and taste).

Vote here by Tuesday, November 1, to tell them which tree you’d most like to see included in the garden. Shown are stunning autumn Sassafras leaves (scent).

Funding for the Arboretum has been generously provided by Heirloom Market and Center City Residents' Association. Heirloom provided the initial funding, allowing the park trees to be evaluated and mapped. CCRA has provided additional funding for plant material, classroom supplies, signage, and tree care.

Chill Can Kill…Your Plants

Seems like we forget, from year to year, when we’re supposed to bring in our potted plants for the winter. Now would be good. Chill is in the air and when night-time temps fall below 60°, it’s time to bring out your sweaters and bring in your plants. Of course, it depends on the breed and outside conditions, so bundle up and put your shovel in here for the dirt on this one.

Friday Night Fright Ride

To see things that go bump in the night, meet up with fellow cyclists at the “Rocky Steps” this Friday night (10/21) at 8 pm, to ride in the dark to Mount Moriah Cemetery . Where? The dead don’t post on Facebook, so you’ll have to see this abandoned graveyard for yourself. It’s the final resting place for many people of note in the history and culture of the Philadelphia area. And it’s been lovingly upgraded by a “Friends of” group, who can answer your questions about particular graves, and not get spooked. But you might! Dig here for details.

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Volunteer Cooks Needed at Wintershelter

at Trinity Memorial

Wintershelter is a small shelter for homeless men located in the basement of Trinity Memorial Church at 22nd and Spruce where volunteers cook and serve dinner to about 20 men in the Shelter every night from November through April.

Post-pandemic, Wintershelter has lost several cooks for a variety of reasons and is actively seeking replacements. Cooks can be flexible when they make the food, and bring it over, labeled for the night it is to be served. For more info, please contact Terry Hirshorn here. For more about Trinity Memorial and its mission, visit here.

Pride and Prejudice

No–this is not a book talk, or the latest Jane Austen movie. It’s modern-day pride and prejudice that brings this discussion to the fore at the African American Museum at 7th and Arch. Darcy and Elizabeth had it easy compared to being gay AND black/brown in much of America. On Oct. 21st you’re invited to listen, learn and engage in a candid discussion as a distinguished panel explores the intersections and implications of being Black, Brown, and LGBTQ+. Open doors here .

Don’t Cry….buy a Pie!

Thanksgiving is no time to shed a tear for those in need. Fight the greed and feed the need. Here. Now. And Manna makes it easy, safe and simple to help. You buy a pie from them; they use your gift to buy food, cook and deliver Thanksgiving and other meals to people with acute nutritional risk from a critical illness such as cancer, chronic kidney disease, HIV/AIDS and more.

Then….you get to eat the pie, with grace, at your own Thanksgiving dinner. Sumptuous choices- think Apple, Berry, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Pecan, Gluten-Free Blueberry, or their new CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PIE! Delivery is the Tuesday before turkey day, right here at the 23rd Street Armory.

Think it’s Pie in the Sky? Yes! Gobble it up here.

Gone, but not Forgotten

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, blends Mexican beliefs and traditions with Catholic rituals from All Saints’/Souls’ Day. With roots dating back 3,000 years to pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, Día de los Muertos is observed not only across Latin America and in Latinx communities worldwide, but right here in Philly, on Penn’s campus.

Offrendos (offerings to the dead) are at the center of this celebration of life and death, and the hope is for the dead to join in the festivities. They’ll be food, music, dance presentations, and a contest to choose the best handmade alter.

Dead-Heads are all invited to join the living at Penn Museum on Oct. 29th, 10am-4pm. Free with admission. Shiver over to here for info.

Help LeCount Count!

Fitler Square Neighborhood Association has started a GoFundMe campaign to honor Caroline LeCount, Philadelphia’s “Rosa Parks” by placing a headstone on her unmarked grave. This further supports their efforts to change Taney Street’s name to LeCount Street, to memorialize her role as an educator and activist. For details about this effort, or to contribute, go here.

Join CCRA Now

Community News and Events

Dangle at the Triangle

TONIGHT….at the Gray’s Ferry Triangle listen to the sounds of Avi Wisnia, an award-winning singer/songwriter, who’s inspired by 1950’s west-coast jazz, acoustic American folk, Brazilian bossa nova and contemporary piano pop.

This is the last of the Triangle’s outdoor season. The music series is sponsored by Grace Tavern, The Igloo & South of South Neighborhood Association. For details in how to Dangle at the Triangle, saunter over to here.

Lights, Camera…. Popcorn! The Philly Film Fest is Here!

The 31st Philadelphia Film Festival has rolled into town! Opening last night and running through Oct. 30, this year’s iteration includes the world premieres of two films, North American premieres of two films and the United States premieres of five films.

Screenings will be held at all PFS venues (Philadelphia Film Center, PFS Bourse Theater, and the newly acquired PFS East).

Settle in here for details.

Got Questions About Mail Ballots, Drop Boxes, etc.?

The mid-term elections are fast approaching, and if you plan to vote by mail you’ll need to know what’s what about mail ballots, drop boxes et al.

Well, here is all that.

Free Jazz at the Library Bar with

Aaron Parnell Brown Jazz Duo

There’s ‘free jazz’ in the sense of absence of chords or time, and there’s ‘free jazz’ in the sense of absence of a cover charge, the latter of which is the case every third Friday with the Aaron Parnell Brown Jazz Duo at the Library Bar at the Rittenhouse Hotel.

Swing here for details.

Get Ready for Winter at Dilworth Park

Fall may be here, but Old Man Winter isn’t far behind, which means the happy return of all of Dilworth Park’s popular winter attractions come November.

The Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink will again offer skating seven days per week, the Greenfield Lawn will host reindeer topiaries in the Wintergarden, and the West facade of historic City Hall will once again be illuminated by the Deck the Hall Light Show presented by Independence Blue Cross with support from 6abc. The Rothman Orthopaedics Cabin and the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market will round out the park’s seasonal transformation. For more information, visit here.

Hot Off the Press

Now that we’ve all recovered from Oktoberfest, it’s time to switch to that lovely fall alternative…..apple cider. Follow the apple’s journey from orchard to bottle; then the tastings begins. On Sunday 10/30, hit up Bells Vista and enjoy the open-air cideries lined up along 7th Street between Bainbridge and South for the “Carnival of Thirsty Souls.” Naturally, it will be a Philly-style event, replete with food trucks, music, and a catwalk costume contest. If you want to party from 12-6pm, drink it in here.

Snuggle up to Modigliani

From October 16 through January 29 The Barnes Museum is hosting a special exhibition, Modigliani Up Close . This is an opportunity for viewers to not only see his paintings, sculptures and drawings, but to learn, through the lens of cutting edge scientific research how this celebrated and famous artist of the 20th Century composed and produced his iconic art.

The show, with nearly 50 works, was organized by a team of curators and conservators with input from colleagues around the world, and affords a unique approach to how Modigliani developed the striking characteristics of his style. It’s fitting, on the 100th Anniversary of Barnes, to welcome this exhibition, for Dr. Barnes played a vital role in Modigliani’s success. Dr. Barnes's collection at the museum, includes 12 paintings, a sculpture and three works on paper, which is considered to be one of the most significant Modigliani collections in the world.

Useful links

Merchant Partners "Deals and Discounts" Program

Would you 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.

Frameworks Studio and Gallery, 2103 Walnut St (215-567-6800)

Good Karma Cafe, 331 S. 22nd St (215-546-1479)

Kimmel Cultural Campus, 300 S. Broad St (215-893-1900)

Liberty Pet Vets, 265 S. 20th St (888-458-8587)

Nature's Gallery Florist, 2124 Walnut St (215-563-5554)

PhotoLounge, 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)

The Philadelphia Orchestra, One S. Broad St (215-893-1955)

The River Boat Tours, Schuylkill River & Walnut St (215-309-5523)

The Rounds, internet only

Ursula Hobson Fine Art Framing, 1528 Waverly St (215-546-7889)

Veda Modern Indian Bistro, 1920 Chestnut St (267-519-2001)

William Schwartz Jewelry, 1831 Chestnut St (215-665-8115)

Alimentari Restaurant at Di Bruno Bros., 1730 Chestnut St, 2nd Floor

Astral Artists, 1500 Walnut St. (215-735-6999)

12th Street Catering, 3312 Spring Garden St (215-386-8595)

Blue Sole Shoes, 1805 Chestnut St (215-496-9244)

Branzino Italian BYOB, 261 S. 17th St (215-790-0103)

City Fitness, 2101 South St & 1819 JFK Blvd (609-254-9048)

Di Bruno Bros., 1730 Chestnut St (215-665-9220)

Dom's Shoe Repair, 203 S. 20th St (215-972-0098)

Excursions from the Square, (215-732-8487, 215-738-4500)

Eye Candy Vision, 218 S. 20th St (215-568-3937)

CCRA assumes no responsibility, and makes no representations or warranties, regarding any product and/or services sold by any Merchant Partner.

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

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Thursday, October 20, 2022