One Fine Philly

Hello. I'm Beth and this is my first One Fine Philly post. I'll be writing under the moniker Tallgirl and when/if you meet me, you'll see it's pretty fitting.

My husband and I just celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary last weekend, and at the end of July we'll celebrate our third year here in Philly. We've spent those three years living in West Philadelphia, but we're about to change all that. South Philly here we come! While I've loved living in West Philly (at least most of the time), we're getting priced out of the area where we live. In order to get more bang for our buck--which in our world translates to a space larger than one bedroom--we decided to make the move and change neighborhoods. So, for $100 and the cost of heat more a month (our current place has heat included), we're moving from a small one-bedroom to a three-bedroom South Philly rowhouse. Movin' on up...

Still, every time I walk the dog or hear the tree leaves rustle outside my window, I think of all I will miss out here in West Philly. Here's my top ten:

1. Clark Park - We've had the good fortune to live within a block of Clark Park in both of the West Philly apartments we've rented. The flea markets, concerts, Shakespeare in the Park, the kids battling with foam swords in the uber-intensive games of capture the flag, the snow sledding, the farmer's market--it will all be missed.

2. Clark Park Farmer's Market - It deserves it's own point. I will miss it that much.

3. Chester Avenue Dog Park - Our membership isn't up until October, so we'll still make the trek at least until then. But, we'll miss having access just two blocks away. I'll also miss Millie and Mable and Mona, Lou, Silo and Toaster. These are the dogs. I'll miss some of the owners too, but I don't know most of their names.

4. Green Line Cafe - Mmmm...coffee shop writing.

5. Vietnam Cafe - A fairly new addition to the neighborhood, I'm going to miss having their house special vermicilli just two blocks away.

6. Pattaya Restaurant - Take out from Pattaya makes me happy. Is there Thai in South Philly?

7. Dock Street Brewery - I love my Fig Jam pizza.

8. Parking - Be able to always find a spot in front, or next to, my apartment without driving around.

9. Trees/grass/greenery - Where we're going, there are no trees.

10. Ben and Adrienne - My brother-in-law and his fiance live just a 10 minute walk away. They could walk over and pick up our pooch when we were away for the afternoon. They could swing by for a movie or a beer. They can still visit us in South Philly, but it was nice having them so close.

I'm sure there will be many things I'll come to love about South Philly, and I look forward to discovering them. Still, I'm open to any suggestions. I should be packing this afternoon--my shelves of books are calling my name. Instead I think I'm going to head over the Flea Market at Clark Park. While it's still just a block away.

Photo: Philadelphia Orchestra at Clark Park with aforementioned Ben and Adrienne in the foreground.