Drinking Liberally is a weekly social gathering where progressives talk politics and get to know one another. In Center City Philadelphia, we meet on Tuesday nights at José Pistola's upstairs bar, where there are drink specials from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. And the more we tip the bartender, the more frequently he hands out free dishes of chips and dips. I hope to see you there!
José Pistola's is at 263 South 15th Street (15th and Spruce) in Center City, near the Kimmel Center and the Academy of Music. There's a parking garage across the street, but as filthy liberal hippies naturally we suggest public transit; both SEPTA and PATCO will get you there in two shakes of a lamb's tail.
This week's topic: BP's oil gush into the Gulf of Mexico is now officially the biggest unintentional oil spill ever in the history of the world. USA! USA! USA!
"Come for the beer, stay for the check"
Showing posts with label green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green. Show all posts
03 August 2010
17 September 2008
LEED-platinum loft home for the low, low price of $250,000
A couple of weekends ago I got myself onto an e-mail list run by an organization that builds super-green housing in Philadelphia. Today I got a notice about a home they're selling in the greater "Port Fishington" area of town -- call it Port Richmond if you want people to think you're a thug, call it Fishtown if you want people to think you live in a hip neighborhood, or call it Kensington if you want people to think you're an urban pioneer.
Quarter of a million dollars for a 2-bedroom, 1-bath, 1300-square-foot loft.
Granted, it's almost literally around the corner from the Philadelphia Brewing Company. However, an intense google search reveals that there's no supermarket within walking distance, though there are plenty of convenience stores and a handful of specialty grocers. Not that there isn't an actual thriving economy in the neighborhood. The last time I walked from the brewery to the nearest El station I saw plenty of evidence that at least some group of people makes money there. I can see it now, though. "Watch your step, honey," I'll be telling my daughter on our way to the El every morning before school; "don't slip on that crack baggie near your left foot and land on that old syringe near your right!"
On the other hand, the $250,000 home incorporates just about all the sustainable and low-environmental-impact features that you can think of: solar panels and hot water, rainwater collection, green walls, low-VOC finishes, and enough compact fluorescents to run a modest grow op with. To take your own house or apartment or a building shell and install these upgrades yourself would cost quite a bit of money, not to mention the disruption while you live there (or delay until you can move in). There's certainly something to be said for an out-of-the-box solution.
But $250,000 for a small loft in Kensington? The builders should be ashamed of themselves for calling it "affordable."
Quarter of a million dollars for a 2-bedroom, 1-bath, 1300-square-foot loft.
Granted, it's almost literally around the corner from the Philadelphia Brewing Company. However, an intense google search reveals that there's no supermarket within walking distance, though there are plenty of convenience stores and a handful of specialty grocers. Not that there isn't an actual thriving economy in the neighborhood. The last time I walked from the brewery to the nearest El station I saw plenty of evidence that at least some group of people makes money there. I can see it now, though. "Watch your step, honey," I'll be telling my daughter on our way to the El every morning before school; "don't slip on that crack baggie near your left foot and land on that old syringe near your right!"
On the other hand, the $250,000 home incorporates just about all the sustainable and low-environmental-impact features that you can think of: solar panels and hot water, rainwater collection, green walls, low-VOC finishes, and enough compact fluorescents to run a modest grow op with. To take your own house or apartment or a building shell and install these upgrades yourself would cost quite a bit of money, not to mention the disruption while you live there (or delay until you can move in). There's certainly something to be said for an out-of-the-box solution.
But $250,000 for a small loft in Kensington? The builders should be ashamed of themselves for calling it "affordable."
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