More amazing neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Cedar Park and Spruce Hill.

If you like a touch of Bohemian atmosphere Cedar Park is the place to be!  Located in West Philadelphia (yeah, we know it sounds like a theme song) it is home to a diversity of cultures that make it quite the melting pot.  Though it runs only about six blocks between 46th and 52nd streets East and West and Larchwood St. and Kingsessing Avenue on the north and south, Cedar Park is actually named for a small plot of green located on 50th and Baltimore.  The rest is a lovely mix of residential areas with amazing art, music and great restaurants.  Here are just a few on the list:

• Aksum Mediterranean faire
• Dahlak Restaurant – Ehthiopian food
• Vientiane Café – the flavor from Laos
• Baltimore Crab and Seafood
• Lee’s Deli
• Lucky’s Chinese Takeout
• Cedar Park Café – great breakfast and brunch
• Penn Fried Chicken
• Raw Sushi & Sake Lounge
• Zahav Israeli
• Dock Street Brewing Company – Pizza

Cedar Park is truly a unique place filled with activities and a sense of real community.  Independent businesses and initiatives among the neighborhood groups are reasons why this area remains a very desirable section to visit and to live.  It was founded as part of Center City – called a “streetcar suburb” in the mid-19th century so the history here is rich.

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The list of attractive cultural and artistic experiences are as plentiful as those to delight the palate.  Nearby hotels in Center City or University City make it an easy jaunt to get to the heart of the Cedar Park activities and dining.

If you’re an art lover, not far from Cedar Park you can easily get to:

• The Philadelphia Museum of Art,
• The Institute of Contemporary Art,
• The Philadelphia Art Alliance and
• University of the Arts

Spruce Hill is accessible via the Market-Frankford subway line or enjoy a trolley above ground that runs the main strips within the neighborhood.  Baltimore Avenue cuts into Spruce Hill at the south, and is the connection between it and Cedar Park, with the main shops, restaurants and cultural delights on Spruce, Walnut, 40th and 44th Streets.

As with Cedar Park most visitors to the area stay at hotels in University City and walk to Spruce Hill.  The quaint and charming neighborhood is filled with historical residencies and beautiful tree canopies that give it a cozy atmosphere.  If you’re looking for a mecca of athletics, art, musicians and the uniqueness of that “West Philly” feel, Clark Park – the green space of Spruce Hill is the place to be.

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Spruce Hill has a thriving Community Association.  Their goals are simple but powerful – to maintain a thriving neighborhood and support those who live there. They do this by networking with existing groups that serve neighborhoods, being a point of contact for businesses, landlords and developers and basically keeping their ears to the Spruce Hill ground, so to speak.

A unique Humane Society backyard is the Spruce Hill Bird Sanctuary where volunteers have created a botanical “wonderland” to attract native birds and basically design and preserve a habitat previously destroyed by development.

You’ll find another great array of restaurants in or near Spruce Hill:

• Saad’s Halal Middle Eastern restaurant
• New Delhi Indian food
• Distrito Mexican
• Marigold Kitchen – American and
• Pattaya Thai Cuisine.

Once again this list is not complete, but then Philadelphia itself is home to so many restaurants we couldn’t possible list them all.

We hope this brief overview of Cedar Park and Spring Hill will entice you to have a visit (or two or three).  Until next week, happy Philly exploration!