suburban living: Philadelphia Metropolis

This Old House

By Rachel Levy Lesser» I grew up in a house built my grandparents. The new construction was complete in 1967, and it was distinctively theirs. The 6-foot bathtub and extra high counter tops were designed by and for my 6-foot-4 grandfather. The art studio complete with a science-like lab sink and oversized slots for canvases was what my grandmother, the budding artist, had always wanted. It wasn't their house for as long as they would have hoped. After my grandfather died suddenly, my grandmother wanted nothing more of their dream home in Yardley. She moved to New York City where she could be near the art and culture that she craved. This left my young parents in a precarious position. They had outgrown our small ranch (Comments)

Guess Where I Am

Best of VoxPop» The other day when I was on the SEPTA R5 everyone was on the phone but me. The train car was filled with the cacophony of blather. All my fellow passengers were talking at once, each one-sided conversation more insipid than the last. Some typical remarks: "I'm on the train!" "The second apartment we saw was even smaller, but I loved the kitchen." "I'm on the train!" "You found the document? Great! Now make five copies and give them to Mark." "I just got on the train!" "The podiatrist was out of the office, but when the nurse saw my bunion, she..." "I'm on the train!" Okay. So you're on the train. Now, can you possibly shut up about it for two seconds? (Comments)

Black Exodus: Part One

The number of middle class blacks in Philadelphia has declined significantly in the last 10 years, but the drop cannot be attributed solely to the bad economy. A large number of blacks have lost middle-class status because of layoffs and the turbulent job market. But, thousands of African Americans haven't fallen; they have fled. A new series of stories explores the phenomenon of black flight from the city to the suburbs. Part One provides explains what is up and why. We call the series Black Exodus. (Comments)

Black Exodus: Part Two

By Mike Mallowe» What makes African-Americans move to the suburbs? Reporter Mike Mallowe explores the whys and wherefores in interviews with two emigres from the city: one a black couple who moved to Havertown recently; the second a Baby Boomer whose parents were among the first blacks to move to Lansdowne. Our series Black Exodus continues... (Comments)

The New Flophouses: Part One

It is nighttime under the El in Kensington. Streetlamps cast a sickly orange light, creating a labyrinth of shadows between the steel support columns that line Kensington Avenue. The darkness brings out the desolation of this part of the neighborhood, with a few prostitutes and drug dealers trolling for customers amidst vacant lots and crumbling buildings. In the hostile territory of hardscrabble Kensington, thousands of drug addicted men and women--- some clawing towards recovery, others deep into dependency -- conduct a nightly search for a place to lay their heads. (Comments)