The streets are silent, but the kids are busy

The streets in my Far Northeast neighborhood are quiet… too quiet. Now that I spend my days working from the comfort of my own computer, I am more aware of what happens on our block. The papers are delivered at 6:30 a.m. During the school year, the various buses arrive promptly at their designated times. The letter carrier arrives at our doorstep at 11 a.m.   continue reading »

The yellow bus arrives at 8:30 a.m. I am not ashamed to admit that I am glad to welcome its arrival. My children greet the bus with very different reactions. My daughter is always happy when it pulls up to the curb, while my son looks upon the vehicle as a convict must when the dingy prison bus arrives, carrying him to his incarceration. continue reading »

Tom Swift and the Race to the Moon was a book given to me by my parents, back when kids received such low-tech presents for Christmas. Even back then I was a voracious reader, and the mission of Tom and his spaceship was bunched along with my yearly quota of Hardy Boys books. I thought about Tom’s adventure on June 20, 1969 as I watched a real man – an American – walk across the moon. continue reading »

It was July 4th and the street was quiet – too quiet. It’s been four years since we left our little home in Lawncrest, and we are still not used to the serenity of the Far Northeast, after living just a couple of blocks away from Independence Day central for Northeast Philadelphia. continue reading »

It is now two weeks past my 16th Father’s Day, and despite positive comments by many people (including my mother), I often wonder how good of a father I really have become. My parenting skills were certainly put to the test when school ended, in the two weeks before the beginning of camp. continue reading »

It is a simple brown box, the kind that anyone can pick up at a store. I don’t know what was stored in it before it came into my life, but in the past day it has taken on a whole new meaning.

The box was filled in increments over the years. A high school diploma was joined by a college mortarboard. That was covered by transcripts and short stories from my youth. Crude videos which I thought were works of art at the time are stored within its cardboard walls. Photos of nieces and nephews are in the same plastic sheathing with my Social Security card. continue reading »

I can’t help it – I like Garfield.

Faithful viewers of the A&E cable television series Parking Wars know of whom I speak. Garfield is one of the many interesting and loveable – yes, I said lovable – characters whose day-to-day lives working for the Philadelphia Parking Authority are put on display for the viewing public. Garfield and his partner Sherry travel the streets of Philadelphia, booting vehicles owned by motorists who owe a lot of money for parking and other violations. Needless to say, they encounter their fair share of angry citizens along the way.

It is the televised altercations that are captured on video while booting, towing and waiting in line at the impound lot that has brought the Parking Authority and Parking Wars under fire in recent weeks. The show was blamed Sunday in a Philadelphia Inquirer editorial for potentially hurting the city’s tourism industry. One angry reader called the Parking Authority a “disgrace,” and demanded that it be overhauled.

I understand being mad at the Parking Authority. I’ve been there. continue reading »

By Shannon McDonald

Here’s a summary of the week’s Northeast news we didn’t cover. See others here.

• This week’s City Block section in the Metro featured the 2200-block of Lott Avenue, just off Roosevelt Boulevar between Grant and Conwell avenues. Residents talked about what it’s like to live so close to a major road and the relatively new Whitman Plaza. Though one neighbor cited suspicious people on his street in the early morning hours, the general concensus is that Lott Avenue is quite and well-kept.
• Business, hospital and first response professionals from the area gathered in the Northeast this week for a seminar held by the Philadelphia Fire Department. The three-day conference, which runs through today, is designed to bring everyone up to code on the latest safety practices and standards.
• A 57-year-old resident of the Delaware Valley Veterans Home has been acquitted of charges associated with fatally pushing another resident. William Houston was accused of involuntary manslaughter after pushing 83-year-old Walter Kelly following an argument in the cafeteria line of the home at Roosevelt Boulevard and Southampton Road.

Our best-read story this week – What do you like best about living in The NEast?

Our most-commented story this week – The Parent Trap: Countdown to Summer

What was your favorite story of the week? What do you think about these other stories? What is your opinion of Lott Avenue? Which story did you like best this week?

Every Friday morning, we make sure you didn’t miss any Northeast Philadelphia news with NEast Links.

Monday began with games, to be followed by laser tag and bowling. There will be trips to Pennypack Park, trips to the movie theater and trips to just about anywhere else but inside a classroom. Welcome to the last week of school.

With finals completed and plans for the next school year in full swing, what else is there to do except have fun? Well, there’s work. I was informed that a couple of neighborhood kids are spending their final week of school in the classroom – cleaning. Obviously, their school has a different philosophy than the one where my daughter attends. continue reading »

Like most parents, it would make me happy if my children liked what I like. I had dreams of going to the park and having a catch with my son, or getting my kids interested in literature or classic films. But those plans fall by the wayside when your children find interests of their own.

Keep reading to learn about Pat’s son’s real interests, and how Pat has incorporated them into his life. Photos from their SEPTA tour are below, as well. continue reading »