The 1800 block of Webster Street lies seven blocks due south of Rittenhouse Square and three blocks due south of the (now former) Graduate Hospital. The block sits between Catharine Street on the north; Christian, on the south; 19th, on the west; and 18th, on the east:

LEGEND ME - where i live BA - birthplace of Marian Anderson BC - birthplace of all cars   Read the opinions of myself and others about driving and parking on this block		<- Catharine Street <- _______________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ^ v | | | | [ME] [BA] | 19th Street | [BC] ---------------------------| 18th Street | -> Webster Street -> | | | | ^ v | | | | | | | | | | | | | |________________________________________| <-> Christian Street <->
Open a new page with an aerial view by TerraServer (image courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey)

Public transportation by SEPTA (links download PDFs)

• The #7 Bus stops at Catharine and 23rd (southbound, from the Art Museum neighborhood) or 22nd Streets (northbound), five (or four) blocks west
• The #40 Bus stops at 18th and South (eastbound) or Lombard (westbound) Streets, six (or seven) blocks north
• The #2 Bus stops at Catharine and 17th (southbound) or 16th (northbound) Streets, two (or three) blocks east
• The #17 Bus stops at Catharine and 19th (southbound) or 20th (northbound) Streets, two (or three) blocks west
• The #64 Bus stop at 17th and Washington Streets, four blocks away
• The Broad Street Line subway stops at Lombard and Broad Streets, eight blocks east

Driving directions ...

• ... from Swarthmore and points south
• ... from Pittsburgh and points west
• ... from New York and points north

Parking

There's a public parking garage at 1740 South Street.

Rumor has it that street parking exists on Washington Avenue. This rumor brought to you by the Philadelphia Parking Authority.

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This block also goes by the name of Marian Anderson Place, in honor of her residence four doors down early in the 1900s. The recreation center in her name lies one block to the northeast.

To learn more about Anderson, contact The Marian Anderson Historical Society or visit The University of Pennsylvania's online exhibition, which features audio clips of performances and interviews.

Realtor Nate Naness and mortgage lender Kevin Berju of Prudential Fox & Roach helped me buy this, my first home, from Matthew Weekes White.

Four months after i bought 1841 Webster Street, the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a Michael Roberts article about the neighborhood, its history, and the many names for it that never stuck.

A year and a half after buying, a staff writer on my College alma mater's newspaper e-mailed alumni living in Center City about why we chose to live there. Check out my quote not about beer in the article "Alumni-tastic!"

A month later, the City Paper ran its annual "choice awards," in which they found evidence why the Grad-Ho hype is real.

Another year later, The New York Times discussed Philadelphia's attractiveness and causes: Philadelphia Story: The Next Borough and Tax Breaks Drive a Philadelphia Boom.

In between that newsprint coverage, a writer for National Geographic dubbed Philadelphia the "next great city"; this, about seven years after a less narrative review.

Three and a half years after my purchase, a transplanted Manhattanite writing for The Weekly Press set off on a walking tour of the neighborhood: The South Street West Side Story.

Just over four years on, Philadelphia Weekly summarized the state of the pursuit of a name for the neighborhood in an article entitled, G-Ho to Go-Go-?

Almost six years after i moved in, The Philadelphia Inquirer described Southwest Center City as "... an enclave of hip rowhouses and trendy cafes, with a construction boom thrown in" in the 18 December, 2008, article "In Philly, Southwest Center City is the place to buy"

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Take a virtual tour of my home:

> on to the first page: exterior and kitchen
>> skip to the second page: steps and second floor bathroom
>>> skip to the third page: bedrooms and deck
>>>> skip to the fourth page: details from the second floor
>>>>> skip to the fifth page: details from the first floor and basement

See images from the housewarming party, Sunday, 9 March, 2003:

> on to the first page
>> skip to the second page
>>> skip to the third page
>>>> skip to the fourth page
>>>>> skip to the fifth page
>>>>>> skip to the sixth page
>>>>>>> skip to the seventh page
>>>>>>>> skip to the eighth page

See the neighborhood through the eyes of other modern-day local residents, and back in 1953, when the world lacked digital photography and colors.