May 13, 2007 -- Afternoon
Knowing that we had a big walk ahead of us, we decided to start with a hearty meal at Mugshot's Cafe. They are very big advocates of local food, and have signs for a \"buying club\" where you can order on Tuesday and pick up on Saturday.
Here are our tour guides, (Emily's) Aunt Jane and Uncle Kevin. They are big-time Mucky-mucks in Manayunk politics; Kevin is even President of the Manayunk Neighborhood Council. While Emily and Dave agree with them wholeheartedly on most issues, please note that officially all views expressed in this tour are officially those of Jane and Kevin (as private citizens, not as representatives of the Council).
Oh, and lest I forget... the grilled barbecue turkey sandwiches are delicious!
Here's where we begin the pro-active, neighborhood-improving part of our tour. Bungalow Seven was a night club, but now an Irish Sports bar featuring live music is moving in. Yes, we all like live music, but there is a big problem (neighborhood-wise), when the bars let out at 2am and hundreds of drunk people pour out into the street. Jane and Kevin believe that this is the worst case scenario for the neighbors who live here, and urge everyone to fight the alcohol and amusement license for this place.
Here's what you might think of when you think of Manayunk. The view is taken from Cotton and Main, facing North.
Lest you think that the whole tour will be a tirade against commercialism and development, let me assuage your fears. According to Jane and Kevin, Le Bus is basically the ideal business for Main Street. We agree! We love the food, and the fresh-baked bread that you get at your table (including cornbread!). The pink balloons are for the Susan Komen Race for the Cure. Please support them!
Wanna hear something sweet? This is where Jane and Kevin had their very first date.
This is the Labov building, and is a holdover to the days when Manayunk was a big industrial town (the \"Manchester of America\" Kevin called it). Now, the zoning board and historical commissions have approved a 5 story modern addition. Jane and Kevin are appealing both decisions!
This is Sole. Apparently they used to be a BYOB, but they are trying to turn it into yet another bar.
This is Richard's Apex, an oil/lubricant plant, and a reminder that Manayunk was built on manufacturing.
Thomas's was among the first upscale restaurants in the area, but now it's going to be \"Callahan's Irish Sports Bar\" for college students. This makes the neighbors sad.
Here's Aunt Jane at the Entrance to the Manayunk Canal. To the left (West) of the canal is Venice Island, about which you will hear more later.
Here we are facing south on the canal bridge toward the Manayunk brewery. Here's a bit of background. From the lock to where the canal bends by lock street, the water company has planned to put a 3 million gallon tank under a parking lot to capture the runoff from storms. As part of it, they're tearing down the rec center (about 10 points into the future) and constructing a new one with a spray water playground (sounds awesome!), a performance arts center, hockey and basketball courts, and parking that is going to be all along the river. There will also be a dock for canoeing. Construction is scheduled to start in Fall 2009 and should take about 2 years. This sounds great!
Here is Uncle Kevin walking out on to the Blackie Bridge, which is a freight line for the Norfolk Southern Railroad. Whoa! I didn't even know we could go here!
This is so cool. Here we are in the middle of the bridge, looking Southeast along the river. The Pencoyd Bridge is ahead, and Montgomery county is to our right.
This is the Northwestern view. Up ahead is the Manayunk Bridge, which was the home of the R6 Cynwyd line until 1985 when it was shortened to end at Cynwyd.
And here's a nice view toward town. See the nice people taking their mothers out for lunch?
This is an example of the Manayunk Stoops project as illustrated by a very nice family who agreed to pose for us. In Manayunk (as in the rest of the city), people hang out on stoops, so apparently there was a movement to make standalone stoops along the canal for use as benches, and decorate them nicely. See these nice folks relaxing on their faux stoop? Ahh... relaxing.
Emily is dutifully taking notes on the stoops behind Richard's Apex (see above).
So if anybody wants to know if business is feasible along the canal, behold Bourbon Blue!
This is the current recreational center. The Manayunk Neighborhood Council meets there. As mentioned above, Kevin is the current President, and Jane was the former president. If Barack Obama isn't your choice (as he is mine), perhaps you like the idea of spouses serving as subsequent presidents. Just some food for thought.
This was the Connelly Container corporation, but it wouldn't work as that now, I think, since it is has unfortunately been demolished. The people who originally bought the land intended to build 270 condos, Two years ago, they said 205 units. Last week, they said 105 apartments (as opposed to condos). Construction is due to start August 1.
This was the pedestrian bridge for the workers of the now defunct paper factory. It's not such a hot bridge, either.
Nice mural! It's water themed!
This is Canal View park.
Emily's talking to Arnold, who is a Main Street institution. You can count on him to sweetly serenade Manayunk with Sinatra hits on the weekends. Arnold told us he's been in all the papers- maybe you should go hear him for yourself!.
This apparently used to be the Empress Theater. They tried to hide it, but you can't hide the truth.
The bottom of Green Lane. This is/was Stella Ling Park, and used to be a wild land with an old stone wall. It went for sale for $20K in 1999 and then as the community was negotiating it was sold under them and the new owners illegally just demolished it. In Jan, 2006, the whole thing flooded. Manayunk Neighborhood Council has a detailed history on their website.
Under the Green Lane Bridge.
This used to be the Arroyo (parking lot and) Grille. Then it became Carmella's, which, in turn, failed. Now it's just waiting for something profitable, like, perhaps, waiting out the condo market slump...
\"Das Yunker.\" What does it mean, and why is it a gravestone?
Venice Loft Rentals. Say, didn't these used to be condos? Hmm... Why aren't they selling? Is it because Venice Island floods?
Main Street and Leverington.
Caring for Cats. This is a very good cat vet!
More Venice Loft Apartments. Blech.
Smurfit Stone. It seems the developers have been hoping for it to close for the last 5 years, and it just recently got bought out. This is extremely unfortunate, because Smurfit Stone is a paper recycling center (important business!), and exactly the kind of business we should be trying to keep around. Come on, people, we can't have a city full of houses and condos and no businesses to work at!
Here we are on the steps of \"Fountain Street\".
Do you see the mysterious wheel?
Union Jacks. Thursday night is wing night! Kevin and Jane and their gang swear by them. We'll just have to check them out...
In their never ending effort to get us to move (back) to Manayunk, Aunt Jane wants us to know that the James Dobson Public school is excellent, and has a student to teacher ratio of 23. Note: we don't actually have any kids, so this is an entirely academic matter.
This construction will be a new space for an ad company whose most famous work is the \"One Dollar\" commercial.
This is the R6 Cynwyd line, but alas, this part of the line isn't active anymore. As recently as 1985, it used to take only 10 minutes to get to West Philly. Oh, how we wish it still operated!
Aunt Jane is just checking up on this tree, seeing as she planted it and all!
Jane and Kevin's friend Lise's garden. Isn't it lovely?
This is the greatest thing ever. Apparently this used to be the William B. Stephens Free Library, and now someone lives there! Built in 1909.
This is the Mount Zion Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas. I think the name speaks for itself.
If you're waiting for the train, you'll be waiting a while. This line does not, how do you say, run anymore.
This is the view from behind the station.
This street was lowered in 1929 because they elevated the railroad, and Green's lane was to pass underneath. Pretty awesome.
I love this dog! He's so Henry-esque.
The first Baptist church of Manayunk, built between 1852-1888.
How many houses do you think you could fit in here? If you answered 7, you are correct. If you further guessed that the first floor would be garages, then you get extra credit. Of course, in this game, we're all losers.
We've climbed up the side of a mountain, and found ourselves at the top of Dupont Street.
241 Dupont. We really like this front porch. It has lovely windows the size of doors so you can open them all up during the summer.
This is a development success story. At present there is an empty beautiful old library, and two stone buildings occupied by a nursing home. Unfortunately, the nursing home was so torn up inside that it wasn't worth saving. The development here will be all residential, but the garages will be in the back courtyard, and not on the street (thank goodness) except for some across the street from the library on Dupont Street. They will preserve the outside of the structure for the library and restore it to its original glory. This is a great success because originally the developer wanted to demolish the library and add a glass addition of a 3rd (or 4th?) story. Whew!
This is the southwest side of the historic library. Apparently Carnegie funded the building of all of the beautiful libraries you have seen on this tour.
This is a giant retaining wall on Green Lane. It is very nice and classy.
To finish up our tour, we find ourselves on Boone Street, leading to Little Carson. Do you like the little spring house? We do.
