Checking out the 'Hood

We are now within three days (!!!) of settling on our house and we couldn't be more excited about it. On this beautiful fall day we took a little motorcycle ride into the city to check up on the house and walk around our new neighborhood. 

The first stop on our Graduate Hospital tour was Carpenter Square, which is just a block away from the new house. It is amazing how much progress they have made in the three weeks since I was in the neighborhood! The new houses are a really nice addition to the area and next to the houses is an empty lot for sale for "restaurant space." It would be so great if a new restaurant accompanied these beautiful houses! 

Loving the grey brick

My favorite part about these houses is that they all have two car garages in the back, which means parking in the neighborhood should not be affected!

Cannot wait to see the finished product! 

I am also hopeful that the abandoned restaurant across the street from Carpenter Square, on the corner of 17th and Carpenter, will be reinvigorated. I would love if it became a dive bar for us! 

Caddy corner to the Carpenter Square houses is an empty lot which the South of South Neighborhood Association (SOSNA) is petitioning to rebuild into a meaningful green space. This is part of a bigger initiative to make the Southwest Center City area the greenest in the city. So great!

The lot is currently overgrown and full of trash, so I will be keeping my eye on it in case there are any opportunities to volunteer to clean up the space! Wouldn't it be great if this old lot was turned into a beautiful garden!?
  

This summer I helped with Friends of Eastern State Penitentiary (FESPP), as they rebuilt an old dog park along the penitentiary wall into a public garden space. It was so rewarding to give back to our little Fairmount community and meet some of my neighbors! I am hoping I have a similar opportunity to help with Carpenter Green!

The biggest discovery of the afternoon was a Benjamin Moore shop only a five minute walk away! I love Benjamin Moore paint (when did I turn into such an adult??) so I couldn't be more excited about the convenience of the store. My goal for this week after settlement is going to be to paint our living room "London Fog" grey before we put in our Hickory wood floors! Expect more pictures and blogging to come!

The front of our house looks so sad and neglected, so I decided that it needs to be a priority this week, in addition to the painting. 

My 26th birthday present from my mom was a beautiful Allen & Roth black iron, outdoor wall light. It is going to be quite an improvement over the rinky dink light that is hanging outside now. I also cannot wait to get rid of that ghetto rod iron door and paint the front door! So many projects!