On Saturday August 3, 2019 The City of Philadelphia cleaned up the North Broad side of the City, closed the streets to traffic and let the party begin. I went out shortly after 1am and began to photograph the clean up efforts that the city employees were tasked with and was amazed.
Now I will be honest and say it is with mixed emotions that I write this. As a resident of North Philly we’ve made the decision to live in this area of the City. We believed it was important for us as a middle class family to contribute to the neighborhood and community that raised us. I started my business here, give back to the nonprofits in the area, and support the other local business owners here. My thoughts after seeing all of the efforts were why can’t the city do this more often. North Philly is a community that is rich with history, families and businesses but it has been neglected.
Like a child, when you care for it, nurture and give it attention you send it on the path to a brighter future. I’d love to see more attention paid to the North Side and and see it grow. But like a, a quote I once read on Instagram, “The last thing to grow on a fruit tree is the fruit.”
The event was a fun day filled with family activities. Bubbles, music and food. We spend most of our time at The Beach on Broad Street, we played connect four with strangers, relaxed in hammocks and enjoyed great food. My kids had a hard time walking in the streets because they are City folks and we don’t just randomly walk in the streets. This was our first Free Street Event and I will admit it was a lot of fun.
Below are some photos that I took at the event. I hope you enjoy them.
