Articles Written by Julie Hancher

Remember all of that insane rain and flooding on Wednesday? That 7th worst in Philly history that competed with Superstorm Sandy? Yeah, that one. For those Philly bike commuters, things got a little more complicated on Wednesday and Thursday morning: Check out more photos from the storm for our Photo Friday!

Mayor Michael Nutter signed an executive order yesterday to ban smoking in Philly's parks. According to the City of Philadelphia's official wordpress account (speaking of which, can't City of Phila afford a URL that doesn't include .wordpress?),

Biking sure has its perks: Save cash, get in a little exercise and liberation from SEPTA's inconsistent schedules. How can you look cute while biking: wear dresses, manage accessories and keep your hair from looking like you went through an urban jungle? Here's the lady's guide to look cute while biking.

Litter is causing an uproar on the Philly internets. We addressed the causes, frustrations and potential solutions for Philadelphia's litter in our blog post last week, Why is Philly so Dirty? The Litter Epidemic. Insightful reader comments sparked conversation about citizen attitude, neighborhoods with paid personnel  and plastic pollution. On April 24th, Jared Shelly, Digital Producer of Philadelphia Business Journal shared a Twitter explosion after he asked Mayor Nutter about the city's plan for litter on the streets. Mayor Michael Nutter originially responded

Happy Arbor Day! This annual day (typically the last Friday in April) celebrates planting, caring for and loving trees. Although we love trees every day, we still honor our plants on this holiday.  Plus, there ain't a better place to celebrate everything trees than in Philadelphia, where any day is an excuse to drink locally and hang out with friends. Here's 7 Ways to Celebrate Arbor Day in Philly:

Let’s face it: our city has a notorious reputation for being dirty. Don’t believe me? Walk the streets of London for a few hours or ride the metro in DC. Return to Philly and compare. But when people talk about Philly being dirty, they’re often referring to our litter problem. Yet litter is such a large, debated topic. How do we combat litter? Do we concentrate efforts on educating people or cleanup efforts after the fact? Neighborhoods with litter tend to have higher crime rates, lower property values and less pride in the neighborhood. In order to get a more insight on Philly’s litter, I asked the City of Philadelphia, a few friends and associates about their experiences with trash in the city. Find out more about our city's litter epidemic, after the jump.

Feel guilty that you didn't have a chance to help out on Philly Spring Cleanup Day? You can clear your conscious by cleaning up West Philly's Clark Park this Saturday, April 19th. The best part? You can get free food & beer after your clean up, so you're receiving a little bonus on top of the feel-good volunteering. Check the details, after the jump!

The Philly Farm & Food Fest returned to the Philadelphia Convention Center on Sunday, April 13th. The collaboration between PASA & Fair Food expanded from the expo hall into the Atrium to showcase more vendors that ever before. Since this was my third time I've attended this annual affair, I decided to peruse the newest, local vendors. Find out about some of the newest vendors, after the jump!

We recently hosted a bookclub with Nic Esposito to discuss his first book, Seeds of Discent. A beautiful evening last week, we appropriately gathered at Head & the Hand Press headquarters over wine, with friends in a conversation that covered sustainability, urban farming and how it all began. Head & the Hand Press Beginnings Nic Esposito had a passion and noticed a problem. Authors with book deals aren't always necessarily better than those who didn't have big publishing companies behind them. Some of the best writers in Philly didn't have published works to their names. Local writers simply didn't have the accessibility of New York to make those essential connections to get their books published.   Yet Philadelphia is a city of sharers, entrepreneurs and people who support their community. Find out more about Seeds of Discent, Head & the Hand and our discussion on urban sustainability, after the jump!