A couple of North Philadelphia artists are proving that you can make something out of nothing. This inspiring Philadelphia Inquirer story tells the tale of Pedro Ospina and his partner Betsy Casanas who built the “Children’s Garden” in North Philadelphia in May 2009. Their organization, the Semilla Arts Initiative, has a mission to revitalize communites

If you love lavender, then you’ll love this Inquirer article on Patti and George Lyon’s local lavender farm. Located outside of Doylestown, the Peace Valley Lavender Farm entices 10,000 visitors a year—and that number continues to grow as organic farming (and lavender) become more popular all over the country. Most appealing about the story is the Lyons’ approach to life. They

Happy Fourth of July! In honor of the holiday, check out Marisa McClellan’s excellent summer BBQ recipes from this month’s Grid. Hitting the Jersey Shore? Read about Avalon’s The Diving Horse. (They’re hosting a special “Dune Burger” event on Sunday.) Staying local? Check out these urban hikes from Billy Brown.

This week, The New York Times‘ travel blog shines a light on Pennsylvania wines: Though less known for its wine than heavyweights like Napa Valley, Pennsylvania has arrived.  In the last five years, the number of wineries in Pennsylvania has grown to more than 130, and the number of visitors has doubled, to one million last

Congrats to Michael Dolich and the whole Four Worlds Bakery team on the arrival of their brand new signage at the Woodland Avenue storefront. Dolich tweeted the picture along with this update: “New storefront sign went up; planning soft storefront opening for mid or late July.” For more on Four Worlds Bakery (and their tremendous

Team director Simon Hauger at the wheel of the team’s Ford FocusUnfortunately, the dream has come to an end.  The West Philly Hybrid X Team (profiled in July’s Grid) has been eliminated from the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize Competition. Both the team’s cars failed to reach the mileage standards in the “knock out” round

The GM salmon grows at a faster rateTwo recent stories on technology, food and animals have caught my eye: First, from the New York Times, an article on genetically modified salmon—and whether or not they will be labeled as such if they make it to market. And, from The Atlantic, James McWilliams talks ethical perspectives

The first tomatoes at Bouvier Community Garden are starting to turn red. (Unfortunately, they’re not mine, but I’ve already talked about my tomato envy.) Seeing the first warm colors in a sea of green is arresting. It reminded me of this.

Bike parking in AmsterdamShould we be building specialized roadways for cyclists? Slate asks the question in the latest entry in its “Nimble Cities” series. But the key, one could argue, is infrastructure. While the school of so-called “vehicular cycling” argues that cycles should be treated as cars and share the roads, this philosophy seems to

No. 4 on the listIn preparation for the holiday weekend, The New York Times tasted pale ales. Not surprisingly, a bunch of Philadelphia area brews made the cut, including Sly Fox, Stoudts and Dogfish Head. (I will say I was saddened not to see Yards’ Philly Pale Ale on the list; it’s excellent, but perhaps