Impressions of Dilworth Park (Liberty, Rome: houses, theater, taxi driver)

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Pine to Vine

I was pretty disappointed. From all I read about the redesign, I thought it was going to be a space where people would want to linger. Like Becca said on the previous page, somewhere I had also gotten the impression that it was going to be softened with lots of grass and greenery. Based on what I saw on Thursday, it struck me as a park I would simply pass through rather than a place I would want to hang out in. I also have a concern about the fountains. Yes, it was great to see the children playing and having fun, but so many times it seems water features are not maintained and simply break. And they do comprise a fairly large component of the park. Hopefully, however, I'm being unnecessarily pessimistic about their reliability.

All this said, it is a considerable improvement over the old space. I think it's going to be a particularly appealing when they set up the ice skating around the holidays. And I think they did a great job with the SEPTA entrances. Finally, I realize I'm judging an incomplete picture. There's a major part of the park, perhaps one third, that is yet to be completed. My gut tells me that when the whole space is finished, it's going to be a much more cohesive and inviting park than what we have available to us right now.

The spray park/water features at Roberto Clemente and Sister Cities Parks(two parks I'm around almost daily) survived the harsh winter. So hopefully the same care will be provided at Dilworth P.

Additionally I wondered why the chairs, tables and umbrellas were so few. The University City District did a much better job of utilizing them at The Porch at 30th St Station.

[kidphilly]

Originally Posted by Pine to Vine

I was pretty disappointed. From all I read about the redesign, I thought it was going to be a space where people would want to linger. Like Becca said on the previous page, somewhere I had also gotten the impression that it was going to be softened with lots of grass and greenery. Based on what I saw on Thursday, it struck me as a park I would simply pass through rather than a place I would want to hang out in. I also have a concern about the fountains. Yes, it was great to see the children playing and having fun, but so many times it seems water features are not maintained and simply break. And they do comprise a fairly large component of the park. Hopefully, however, I'm being unnecessarily pessimistic about their reliability.

All this said, it is a considerable improvement over the old space. I think it's going to be a particularly appealing when they set up the ice skating around the holidays. And I think they did a great job with the SEPTA entrances. Finally, I realize I'm judging an incomplete picture. There's a major part of the park, perhaps one third, that is yet to be completed. My gut tells me that when the whole space is finished, it's going to be a much more cohesive and inviting park than what we have available to us right now.

walked through for the first time last evening and agree on all account

Also I was disappointed with the size of the cafe (1/3rd of the structure).

Using Union Sq in SF as a comparator is much softer, a larger cafe and bar space. Hope this gets better and am curious to see the skating aspect and whether I can get an irish coffee while watching skaters

[Becca8377]

Don't know how that movie night tonight will work with no grass...


A Guide To Upcoming Programming At Dilworth Park: Movie Nights, Oktoberfest, Pop-Up Shops, Concerts And More | Uwishunu - Philadelphia Blog About Things to Do, Events, Restaurants, Food, Nightlife and More

[Becca8377]

Is this LOVE?

[mancat100]

Originally Posted by Becca8377

Is this LOVE?

Don't forget to read the comments that follow. Most of those people are negative to the point of being toxic. They are Old Philly (in a bad way) and this city will be better when they all die off.

[FBJ]

It looks very nice but 15th and Market has never been one of my favorite areas of center city due to the congestion but the Plaza is nice to look at in passing. I am interested in seeing how the ice skating rink will look once the winter season starts.

[FBJ]

Originally Posted by mancat100

It's a big improvement over what it was before. Not enough trees, though. I have a HUGE concern about how it will be maintained and whether it will become a sleeping/toilet facility for the homeless. The city has a tendency to be less than vigilant with maintenance.

Is it just me or does the front of city hall kind of kill the newness of the Dilworth Plaza?

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by FBJ

It looks very nice but 15th and Market has never been one of my favorite areas of center city due to the congestion but the Plaza is nice to look at in passing. I am interested in seeing how the ice skating rink will look once the winter season starts.

I hope that the city puts some effort into the Christmas Tree this year. If the ice rink looks like the renders accompanied by a smaller version of the Rockefeller Tree that would be a huge improvement over the usual tree the city gets. The Rittenhouse Square Association has always had a much larger and better decorated tree in the past.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by mancat100

Don't forget to read the comments that follow. Most of those people are negative to the point of being toxic. They are Old Philly (in a bad way) and this city will be better when they all die off.

There was one pretty persistent troll commenting with a bunch of runaway negativity. You simply never know if they are just trying to bait people. My reaction to most of it was he/she/it wasn't around in the 70s when Center City really was dirty.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

I hope that the city puts some effort into the Christmas Tree this year. If the ice rink looks like the renders accompanied by a smaller version of the Rockefeller Tree that would be a huge improvement over the usual tree the city gets. The Rittenhouse Square Association has always had a much larger and better decorated tree in the past.

Dunno if this is still true but the City Hall tree has, traditionally, been donated by a city resident. That is it was growing on their property.