Last week, (my personal) über-cityblog Philebrity.com came up with the most brilliant idea ever (albeit borrowed from the blog Londonist) and entreated its readers to submit their very own hand-drawn maps of their neighborhoods. Why, oh why didn’t I think of that? …it’s probably just as well since Philebrity gets a lot more traffic than the PhilaPlace blog anyway. The resulting entries – ranging in style from cheekily “Maira Kalman-esque” to back-of-the-cocktail napkin crude — are, I think, very Philadelphian: often hilarious, totally subjective, probably offensive, painfully forthright, practical, sentimental, contradictory, and self-conscious.
Just check out these maps depicting the many conflicting and overlapping identities of our very storied and often contested neighborhoods north of Center City: two versions of Northern Liberties (so far); West Kensington; “Secret” Fishtown (Shadtown?); and Norris Square/”Olde” Kensington…”dark and gloomy” borders, “poverty,” and “one-stop gentrification”…mini-restaurant reviews, social commentary, and snarky in-jokes… it’s all here in these maps. Be sure to brave the resulting comments, too.
Visit Philebrity to see the rest, including Wash West, Old City, Pennsport, East Passyunk Avenue, Queen Village, and the ever-mysterious Eraserhood, courtesy of bhiladelphia :
Keep ‘em coming, Philebrity readers…Hand-drawn Philadelphia could very well become its own blog if we can continue to map the entire city and argue about it, too.
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Top: View of North Marshall Street, looking north from Poplar Street; Bottom: Pushcarts mural on 900 block of N. Marshall Street, between Poplar and Girard
