Oh Say Can UC

I've written many times about how I love my neighborhood that you'd think there'd be nothing more to say.  And yet I am continuously and pleasantly surprised by the freshness and vibrancy of my surroundings.  Walking around this past weekend, I marveled at it all: lots of people of all walks of life buzzing around, signs of residents investing in the physical appearance of their homes, and new storefronts popping up everywhere.  (Even the closures are a positive sign: the big porn shop that anchors the shopping plaza three blocks from my house is going out of business.) 

You can credit the big institutions - University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, University City District, Councilwoman Blackwell's office, Spruce Hill Community Association, The Enterprise Center - and you wouldn't be wrong, because all have done good things to make this area what it is.  But what's been fun about the evolution of University City has been how it's primarily about the individual homeowners and shopkeepers, each making their unique contribution to the beauty and liveliness, together resulting in a great place to live, work, play, worship, eat, shop, and socialize. 

Who could've known in 1991, when this nerdy kid from suburban San Jose flew out here to go to school, that so much more would be waiting for him 20+ years later?