Thanks @phillymag.com. I have to say that the @centercityphila.org team agrees. #bestofphilly

This piece is great www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/is-...

Some love for our barriers from @jongeeting.bsky.social in @thephilacitizen.bsky.social thephiladelphiacitizen.org/open-streets...

On my morning run today, I was too early to check out the amazing new Christian to Crescent bike and pedestrian connector, which opens today. Thanks Schuylkill River Development Corp for this dazzling contribution to Center City’s livability.

“The third space is the street.” - Trevor Noah podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...

We loved Open Streets so much that we made a short film. youtu.be/N7Mjp758YyU

Open Streets is expanding into Midtown Village! Mark your calendars to join us for four Sundays from June 8 to June 29, where you can shop, dine, and stroll through one of Center City's vibrant neighborhoods. Details➡️ bit.ly/4jYmyxq

Deep reading is an absolute joy—good for mind and spirit. Also, a competitive advantage for knowledge workers. -Hardcopy book -No digital devices nearby -Pen for underlining, jotting down thoughts -Notebook to collect ideas that pop into mind -At least 30 min Like a muscle.

Unpopular opinion: I know it's cool to wear your earbuds and carry a book while pasting a disinterested, don't-talk-to-me expression on your face, but I like to talk to the person sitting beside me on airplanes. I liked it when we were willing to be inconvenienced by strangers.

Get ready for the April finale of Open Streets: West Walnut this Sunday! Seven blocks of car-free bliss await you in #CenterCity. Shop, dine, and enjoy family-friendly activities along the way. Who's joining us?

🚲 Did you know that there's an estimated 18,500 bicycle trips per day to and through Center City? This Earth Day, check out our new StoryMap, "Cycling in Center City," that highlights the impact that cycling has in facilitating a functional, viable, safe and attractive Center City. bit.ly/3Y8ciKC

I plan to go to church* today. *open streets

Remember, Paris wasn’t “always this way.” Not that many years ago, Paris was choking in car traffic. And it wasn’t a safe place to ride a bike for transportation, so not many people tried. This is new. This is a result of deliberate vision, and bold leadership. Cities are a result of choices.

“All the rules are made up. We can actually approach envisioning and creating the future however we want.” — Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (@ayanaeliza.bsky.social)

What an endorsement of Open Streets by @inquirer.com So grateful for this, but more than anything, grateful for the sparkling @centercityphila.org team. www.inquirer.com/opinion/edit...

Our compact, walkable downtown can only exist because transit allows visitors, residents, and employees to be concentrated in a small geographic footprint that would be physically impossible to serve with private vehicles alone. www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...

In my view, the most powerful scene. Reflecting on friendship.

Teenager daughter approval unlocked.

Two colleagues.

Being a dancing animal and seeing some great looking babies is good for the soul, the body and the high street! “Happy Cities” @charlesincities.bsky.social is a great read.

Fascinating article. wapo.st/3Dq3x7K

LFG

“History Doesn't Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes” – Mark Twain. #sixthborough www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/r...

This is a great read. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Shopping at the brand new Aritzia (open today!) on Walnut Street like it’s my job.

Unsurprising nypost.com/2025/02/14/r...

While yesterday’s celebration focused on our @philadelphiaeagles.bsky.social in kelly green, today we want to honor our team in teal. Thank you to our dedicated cleaning team, who since 5:30 a.m. this morning have been tidying up Center City after yesterday’s celebration.

Feeling seen by @nosayslion.bsky.social

Yesterday, for the parade, my kids and I took a SEPTA bus from our house to Broad & Erie, and then the BSL to Walnut-Locust. We made the same trip home. Just a phenomenal job by @septaphilly.bsky.social yesterday, especially by the kind ambassadors. Thank you! www.inquirer.com/transportati...

Open Streets sponsored by the letters E-A-G-L-E-S 🦅

Fly Eagles Fly.

Eagles fans! Win or lose, please do not burn my Center City district to the ground.

Grateful for many ways of getting to work in Center City - even from Mount Airy - on icy days like today. Thanks SEPTA!

Streets are for the Birds. 🦅🦅🦅

It was nice of them to write about me, but this headline is… fascinating.

On this day, 60 years ago, my dad arrived to the USA as an engineering student. At the time, only 100 Indians were allowed to emigrate to the United States annually, though that changed soon thereafter. I’m so grateful for his decision. Our lives would not be possible anywhere else. 🇺🇸

Love this! Also conveys a valuable life lesson - Mother Nature > best laid plans.

I used to quote Betty Draper to my kids: “only boring people are bored,” but henceforth shall quote @chrislhayes.bsky.social: “boredom is a constitutive experience of modernity.” Great piece, can’t wait to read the book. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/03/o...

Someone pls tell 1996 suburban Connecticut mallrat Prema that she will grow up to be quoted in a newspaper article about Abercrombie & Fitch.

I went on a pilgrimage to the birthplace of the open streets movement. Here's what I learned: slate.com/business/202...

Open Streets aren’t just for the vibes. We saw a 36% increase in pedestrians across four Sundays in September and the broader Rittenhouse Row area saw a 24% increase. Retailers saw an 68% sales increase - with a range of 25-275%. But the vibes are immaculate (according to my teen).

A single sentence, that if embraced by urbanists, mayors, city councillors & the dude who works in finance but is convinced he intuitively knows how to design a street, would greatly improve cities. This sentence would also make community engagement sessions far more productive.

Such an interesting question to ponder -

True luxury is found in the simplest moments.

Reader Sean McDonnell emailed me these photos of the statues at Fitler Square Park who received fancy custom-knit sweaters (he writes: "Note that the bear's sweater has a goat, tortoise, and bear pattern!"). Does anyone know who the mystery Fitler Square knitter may be?

Because it wasn’t fair to limit me to just four of Matt Stanley’s brilliant pictures from last Sunday’s installment of Open Streets: West Walnut.

Streets are for Santa! Come out for one more installment of Open Streets: West Walnut this Sunday from 11am-6pm.

I have an op-ed in the NYT today about how to reduce crime. The key idea, based on decades of strong research evidence: focus on increasing the probability of getting caught, not the punishment. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/07/o...

These graphics are truly delightful. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

I fell asleep halfway through looking at this color.