apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have this set up now and it's very enjoyable. I'm on the first traditionally residential block off of downtown in a historic (and admittedly re-emerging) neighborhood. Typical Victorian layout: porches, homes close to street with a small front gardens, narrow back yards, 10' (or less) between houses, and wide sidewalks. If only the city were smart enough to put the streetcar back on my street.

The trade-off is that I have to live in Florida. . . which sometimes feels like too steep a price to pay. However, we've lived in similar neighborhoods in several cities and always appreciated it.

Interestingly, the neighborhood's almost all out-of-state transplants because most of the long-time locals find it less desirable than the 'burbs.

I'm currently house hunting in Philly and front yard > no yard, but I'd rather have a double sized back yard :)

Keep the Philly posts coming, AT!

i live on fitzwater and i pass that cute blue house often- definitely jealous of it! i also get 'yard/porch envy' when visiting friends in the mt. airy section of philly.

i have a roofdeck from my 3rd floor apartment that almost makes up for not having a yard...

yay for more philly posts on AT! :)

west philly is the way to go if you want any green space in philadelphia. huge victorian front porches and each victorian has a back yard. west philly is the best philly, the rest is a concrete wasteland.

So glad AT is showing some love to the City of Brotherly Love. I've lived in Philly for 12 years now and love my Fitler Square neighborhood. Best of all, our 4 year old daughter can boast, "Center City Philadelphia, born and raised. On the playground, I spend most of my days."

I don't live anywhere near Philly, but in my area, I love to take walks in the neighborhood to check out the gardens. There are all types of gardens...large and small, containers and windowboxes. I like the idea of not having grass, but planting several plants and ground covers and basically letting it grow into its own. I see that a lot in my area, and it's a lot more interesting than grass...not to mention the maintenance is easier. No mowing. Thanks for the Philly tour...the house in the first photo is adorable!

seriously.. why isn't there a philadelphia section of apartment therapy??? it's time we get one!

i love finding these front yards in philadelphia. they are little charmers! i like my large back yard in south philly because it is nice to have a place that is more private than a front yard. however i wish there was more of a buffer-zone between our houses and our streets. it's always nice to see a sidewalk decked out with lots of potted plants and especially all of the new trees that have been planted all over the city!
thanks fairmount park!!!

i am constantly amazed by the city of neighborhoods and all of its surprising and wonderful little nooks.

I walk past this Fitzwater house frequently, too! And yes, it's gorgeous. There's an even cooler spot a few doors down, hidden behind a strangely triangular-shaped house: There's just a gap big enough for one person to go through, on the street, but you look through and there's a house set back behind, with a great yellow door and a yard. I want to know the story behind the place. Who builds a row house with a triangular footprint on a block of otherwise normal row homes?

@austin Charles Benton: Hear hear! AT really does need a Philly section.
@thepictures: Like all big cities, Philly has lots of neighborhoods that need more trees and greenspace but, um, saying the city is a 'concrete wasteland' outside of West Philly is patently false.

If only the city were smart enough to put the streetcar back on my street.

Amen.

Interestingly, the neighborhood's almost all out-of-state transplants because most of the long-time locals find it less desirable than the 'burbs.

Crazy people. I couldn't imagine living in the 'burbs. Long live the traditional city.