If you were practicing tennis in the tennis court at the Franklin Playground, my old house was up against the fence on Stella Street. My mom planted a climbing rose bush to keep the kids off the fence, we moved out mid 70's my dad lived there on and off between renting it out with my aunt. Arab who owns the warehouse bought it early 90's, her rose bushes were still going last I saw in 1997, last summer my dad lived on Birch Street before moving to Port Richmond. Thanks for the ride.
this looks exactly like the bike ride I used to take every week from my childhood home in Lawndale to visit my grandparents at Sommerset & Amber Sts. I would usually go behind the Sears tower where I'd cross the Blvd., cut through Juniata from the Oakland Cemetery to the "Best" catalog store, hang a right onto Kensington Ave at Caster then at some point turn east to continue south onto Frankford Ave. This way I could pick up a short rack of Philly Soft Pretzels under the El for my grandfather and hit the corner store at Orleans for a gallon of milk for my grandmother (between us - she was always a little crazy about having milk in the house - lol). This was in the late 60s - early 70's. Not a care in the world. In fact - car drivers would often wave me through some stop signs so I wouldn't have to come to a full stop! Buried a cousin about 10 years back and swore I'd never drive there again - until I took the same trip for another cousin two years ago. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that "the cleanup" seems to be making a change - and I'm happy for the folk who are still sweeping the sidewalks in front of their houses. I hope things keep going in this good direction and I hope we can figure out how to help those people kick their addiction. Ride On - Captain! edit - holycows! I once worked a summer at Phil's scrubbing old refrigerators and air conditioners! What a ride!
My Dad had a used appliance store in the late 80s and 90's on Allegheny off of Kensington, next to the produce store. Knew Phil's very well. Also grew up in Olney in the 70s and 80's I know exactly were that bike ride was. My only problem with the clean up(The city should have never let it happen) is that gentrification is starting to happen., which is all well and good, but the poor who own their houses will be displaced. Also, the people moving into Philly aren't from Philly. So the whole culture of the city is changing before my eyes. 😥Philly was a great city to grow up in. I live in Jersey now. And to tell you the truth, I'm glad the Delaware river is there. The city should have never let the crime get out of control, either.
@@joshsnipes4811 That's happening in Chicago now. "Urban renewal" is planned for the United Center neighborhood. Urban renewal means they're going to move all the black people out and build uppity palaces for rich white folks. It's a done deal. I remember when there was nothing in that neighborhood except despair, poverty, crime, and drugs. No respectable person would go there even if their life depended on it. Now they're "cleaning it up" and whitewashing its past (pun intended).
5th n Indy.. highly recommended & top notch vacation spot! Plenty of nice gentlemen on every corner willing to speak to you as you pass. Go there & you’ll never leave 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼
Little younger than you but kinda similar path being born in Kensington and going to Richmond for one year. I remember those late 80s trips to the badlands from the back seat of the car but parents got clean. Wish they could just pull people over. It would easily stop a lot of crime and make the city a bit safer. Gotta think these politicians are just evil at this point.
Holy shmoly!! I have never seen Kensington that clear and cleaned up!!!! Wow they weren't lie about fixing it up. Probably still has a way to go but good job.
Wow they really cleaned Kensington Ave up! Another great vid Cap! Maybe in your future travels you could ride by Stocks bakery I think it is in port Richmond, it is a really good place, their pound cake is excellent!👍
Hello, my Dad and grandparents owned 3267 cottman ave from around 1925 to 1957. I was born there in 1950. The downstairs store front they also owned and first it was a Unity Frankford store till the day after prohibition was lifted. My grand father went down to city hall and got a liquor license and opened the Green Arbor Cafe. Around 1940 my grand father remodeled the outside to look like an English Tudor pub and the colors were cream stucco and brown tudor boards. He then renamed it to Schmidt's Tavern. In 1957 they sold the entire house and bar and we moved to 3251 Guilford st..they owned both the upstair and downstairs units. I now live in south jersey.
My dad and I used to get our appliance parts at Bill’s,nothing like a vacant lot to make one depressed. I recommend a set of Specialized Armadillos for your bike.
It was Phil's Appliances,not Bills. He had 2 buildings across the street from each other right there at Kensington & Somerset. The one where the field is now was used in the movie 12 Monkeys.
Yoah Mah, Cap' ain't obeying nuthin' on that thing. He's like that Billy dude in the Family Circus! He all over the place! Christ Mah, Here he comes up on the sidewalk! Look Out!
I used to live across from McPherson Square in the early 80s, totally different time then, I even saw them film a movie called "Fighting Back" starring Tom Skerritt as a guy trying to clean up his neighborhood kind of like Death Wish.
This is so sad to see as someone that has worked at Danvers state hospital in Massachusetts These people need mental help. People blame it all on drugs, but a lot of these people can’t even take care of themselves.
I know they'd never allow it for security reasons, but I wish someone could show the architecture of those massive philly schools I remember as a kid having marble floors some had marble up the walls some of the old wood doors and archways thats over 100 years old thats still in good shape if nothing else there was some amazing craftmanship
So sad about Phil's my father knew Phil and then his son took it over I believe. We got a few reconditioned appliances from him over the years and they ran better than new.
Ahoy Philly Captain, there seems to be a running theme for today's "B" plot part of the vlog. And it's neither fair or fowl...I mean fair or foul. Hopefully you won't spend a lot "chicken scratch" or maybe even a bag of 'Layena' thinking about it. Some chicken theme music might be called for, just so you don't have to 'hunt and peck' for the "chicken dance song" because it's "Evidently Chickentown". Now 'I have egg on my face', but after all "You Can't Make an Omelette Without Breaking Eggs". I don't want to sound chicken sh__ about the whole thing, but as Foghorn leghorn might say to me: "Boy, I say boy, pay close attention to me, "cause you're a burrito short of a combination plate." Cock a doodle doo!
Furniture delivery in the 90’s out of arsenal hotel furniture liquidators. Seen it all flat front 26 foot lift gate Pitbull in cab king in that territory appreciate you
I remember Kensington used to look like that the day after New Year's.... The subway seats inside and out were full of people just drunk! I remember in the 80s we couldn't go black kids you really have to fight.
I wonder if you would ever try those moonscapes! I don't know if I'm saying the name right is probably not the name of the ones you can buy now I remember reading about the years ago. Let me like shoes that make you walk faster? Maybe like a shoe skate idk.
In the year 2001 i lived in Philly, on rush street, I’d love to see what it’s like now, i actually moved back to Boston on the day the NYC twin towers came down, i had just got back not even a hour before i was told to put the news on, i was born and raised in NYC, but moved to Boston when i was almost 20, so Ive lived in many places, but i remember the lil Spanish village in Philadelphia, and my ex boyfriend had chickens in his micro cement backyard 😅 rent was cheap down there. If you can one day take a stroll to rush st i’d be happy 😅❤
Fyi I have been sober for 15 years now, in Philly crack was only 5 bucks, heroin was 10$, i used to sell drugs to use my profits doing drugs, i loved the block parties and in every corner Spanish people would sell beer and liquor for a dollar, it was a different time.
We seem to forget the purpose of a city park while trying to get rid of the homeless. A park is for anyone to come and hang out, the purpose of a park bench is to sit on?
How dare you take this situation in your country as a joke. You make me sick.These people have had terrible lives and no one is helping them. You are preparing Kensington Ave for your benefit.Eg Cheap property and lots of money for you. You move them on after you have renovated.So glad I don’t live in America.
