I would suggest that the hookers (whether male or transexual) are by-and-large serving closeted "heterosexual" men from out of the neighborhood (especially the burbs and New Jersey) rather than the patrons of the gay dance clubs. Watch for the license plates as they circle the block around 12th and Spruce (one block from where I live) for instance.

Now ecstacy may be a different subject, though I would think that gay male drug users that go to dance clubs are probably buying it in the clubs rather than on the street. But never having tried to buy it, I could be wrong.

Either way, it's not the guys in the booby bar.

Not terribly familiar with the history of the area, but I am familiar with the area now. And in all honesty, I like it- enough with the NIMBY attitudes. It's beyond property values, moral outrage, which business here or there makes everything bad. Do we need to get rid of the illegal activity, yeah sure why not. I'm more concerned if the area is safe or not. I believe the area is safe for the average/common citizen to move around freely, not so much worried with the quality of life crimes, they're bound to happen anywhere- State College, Upper Darby, Center City.

Cheers,
RuggerAl doesn't want NIMBYs in his back yard

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Your favorite silly game is "I love pretzle." right?

Rugger: Places like this in Center City might be compeltely gone (Adelphia House used to be like this, now the Parker is the only such critter left).

I've visited the 17th floor of the Adelphia, which is caddycorner from me. There's a lot of evidence of what life was like in that building on that unfinished floor, which used to be the hotel's laundromat [the roof garden level was added to the building later on, this used to be the highest floor, and reserved only for maintenance activities].

There are similar low-rent high rises that can be found tucked away behind City Ave across from Bala-Cynwyd. I actually looked at such an apartment building. The corner penthouse 1br I was looking at was in the middle of being demo'd, and the landlord promised it to me for $700 including garage if I would sign right then [I was SO tempted to]. Absolutely gorgeous views, except the building was hideously ugly.

It was on the 16th floor though--and overlooked all the manor houses running behind City Ave. It is an absolutely gorgeous drive to/from that apt building through those estate homes. The rents were a lot lower on the lower floors, and it was also within walking distance of the R6, a short bus trip to the trolley, and to several other bus lines.

Directly behind the building itself was the northernmost stretches of outer Mantua--and you could feel the neighborhood change rapidly just within a 2 block walk once you got close to the rowhomes. 2 blocks in front of the building and you were surrounded by BMWs and single-families with big manicured front yards. The apt tower was somewhat acting as a buffer between the two neighborhoods.

I wish the Parker was a low-rent apartment building instead of what it is now. Rental is somewhat scarce in Center City unlike condos which there are plenty of. It would be nice to see banks push developers into looking at rental again, like they were doing to developers prior to the building boom of today.

There's nothing wrong with going month-to-month, but of course you need deposits, which possibly most of the Parker residents can't afford to do.

It does fill a small void in the low-income housing segment, to the shagrin of all of its neighbors. However tame the Spruce may be on the inside, no one can really counter that it isn't the nucleus of vice activity along 13th Street--and that it is a stigma I don't think will ever leave it.

It's the same stigma we give to those dumpy side-of-the-road night-stay motels we see on the sides of the roads, except this is in a high rise form.

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Buh-bye.

Don't worry. When all the investors who bought up the condos figure out they can no longer flip them for a profit, or when the adjustable ARMS used to buy them start raising their rates, you'll see plenty of new rentals on the market

Agreed.

Police activity/presence in the "B3" neighborhood is actually quite high. I get the feeling from bartenders here that it's always been that way since Daniel Faulkner's death on 13th and Locust, in front of where Signatures used to be.

Cops who work this area don't have snooze on the job and sit in the car eating doughnuts and listening to the Big Talker. There is a lot of activity that keeps the PPD busy here, although never anything as serious as a homicide. It's mostly vice, street altercations (from drunks), people caught buying and distributing drugs and underage drinkers.

There's been a few times walking around my building coming home that I have had to walk around a bust in the middle of an intersection, but the last one was a year ago (dude was caught smoking weed by El Vez, was clicked and arrested in front of Sansom Cinema with the cop cars blocking off 13th).

Again, nothing extremely serious. Not anywhere as serious as hearing gunfire and worrying about bullets flying. There are dealers here every night, but little in the way of gang activity.

Gangstas don't get street cred by hanging out in the gayborhood.

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Buh-bye.

There has been big articles about the gigantic drop in home prices (biggest drop since 1970 nationwide), but with condos that comes down to what individual investors are doing.

Investors who are reluctant to sell and who aren't living in the investment properties will put them up on the rental market to keep income coming in for those ARM resets, but the days of $700K for a unit that could easily be a sub-$2K/mo apartment are over--that was crazy!

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Buh-bye.

bingo. i don't get why arrogant peopel from the wash west civic are allowed to shut down legitimate business for theirbaseless theories. there was an article a few years ago about those apartments and how the hookers use the courtyard in the rear for their services. the police record certainly indicates they are the problem, not signature's or the parker. I've stayed at the parker. the mirrors were a bi tover the tp. the place was dumpy but decent.

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"You down wit OPM?"
Fumo: "Yeah, you know me!"

Ugh how did you manage to "enjoy" an evening at one of Philadelphia's most (in)famous hotels?

And how was your stay there? Love to hear it. The goings-on near the Parker almost read like a supermarket tabloid.

BTW, Joan Collins was in the hood last night. Yes, JOAN... not a male impersonator. The lady who first brought you the bitchslap on primetime television (in Dynasty).

She was hanging out in front of the Bike Stop. Too bad she didn't go inside, it was underwear night.

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Buh-bye.

As long as she didn't go downstairs, she would have been fine. LOL