[quote=UCGal][quote=CA renter][quote=bearishgurl][quote=UCGal]My house in PA had the garage at the back of the lot – driveway to the front. It’s one of the reasons I could confidently say this was not a *new* trend. That house and community was developed around 1900. I don’t think any of the houses in that area had garages in the front.
The area of your former PA house is very beautiful, UCGal! It reminds me of areas in Denver, CO, and, to a lesser extent (less so much foilage), a couple of streets here in Chula Vista.[/quote]
Wow, that’s gorgeous, UCGal! Do you have any regrets about moving back here? I know you grew up here, so that’s certainly a factor, but barring the history/friends/family factor, where would you prefer to live?[/quote]
I loved that house. I loved loved loved the neighborhood. Very walkable – a small grocery store 2 blocks away, a couple of nice restaurants and bars – all less than 3 blocks away. An old vaudeville theater that showed musical acts a block and a half away. Small town mainstreet feel, right around the corner.
but only about a mile from the Philly city border. 3-4 blocks to the Septa train that would get you into the city and/or the airport. (It is LIBERATING to be able to roll a suitcase to the trainstation – with my car in the garage at home. The garage in the back, lol.)
But…. Philly is hot and sweaty in the summer. Miserable. I like moderate. I really loved the spring/fall there. And the winters were ok. I *hated* the summers there…[/quote]
UCGal, Denver, CO has a dry summer but can still be hot on occasion. And very cold and windy in the winter, not to mention prone to getting buried in several feet of snow up until June :=] But houses and neighborhoods similar to your PA neighborhood prevail, now very exclusive and rather pricey! Very well built of brick and stone with lath/plaster walls, most have full basements. For a small sampling of hundreds available (out of thousands), see:
I can’t believe what’s happened to the Gaylord Street corridor in my old stomping grounds of 36-40 years ago! Upscale shopping and walking distance to “light rail” train stops!! The park and pedestrian/jogging trails around the lake are bar none. Even the photos of the various ducks loaded on it in the spring look interesting on the web 🙂
[img_assist|nid=14757|title=Washington Park Lake|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=270|height=180]
These homes and ‘hoods beat the pants off any “rear-entry PUD” one can find in SD County, IMHO. This is one of the most prestigious zip codes in the city. Shoulda/coulda/woulda bought a cosmetic fixer for $60K when the getting was good (no shopping corridor or train then) but was young and too fixated on moving back to Cali, lol :={
