Barking at the wrong tree

Ways to piss off your Philadelphian neighbors:

1. Park in the spot they cleared of snow.


2. Allow over a hundred cats to live in your house.


3. Throw your garbage in their backyard.


4. Demand that he please put a shirt on when the local news camera crew comes around to cover the latest fire.

Add to that list, "Plant a tree."

Aside from being an interesting story about the attitudes of longtime South Philly, West Philly and Fairmount residents towards street trees, it also serves as a symbol of all of the things that divide longtime neighborhood residents from the new people who are moving in as both the cause and result of the hot housing market. New residents bring cars, kids, pets, friends, demands for services, increasing property values and therefore taxes, all of which can rub some of the old timers the wrong way.

I bring this up because we need to remember that in spite of the high profile stream of new people who are moving into condos in Center City and rehabbed rowhomes in Fairmount, South Philly, Spruce Hill, Northern Liberties, Fishtown, Kensington, etc. the vast majority of people who actually vote for mayor are the ones who think trees are bad. Candidates for mayor in this city are uniquely challenged to communicate both with new people who always seem to want to go 'achangin' things and the old timers who like things just the way they are.

Anyway, the other reason I brought it up is because I wanted to know if anyone else immediately pictured this guy when they read about the angry neighbor in the story "who wears his gray hair slicked straight back and parks his white car in front of a fire hydrant."

So, click here and learn how you too can piss off the neighbors.