Jennifer LeBow

Manayunk Arts Festival

May 13, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Philadelphia area relocation events and festivals — This event is a wonderful annual craft show with creative artists and reasonable prices.

One of my favorite local Main Line Philadelphia events is the annual Manayunk Arts Festival. It’s literally across the bridge in Manayunk, so no driving downtown and dealing with parking. There’s a bus that runs continuously from a parking lot in Bala Cynwyd where there’s plenty of free parking. This festival closes of almost the entire length of Main Street and includes around 300 craft booths. This is a juried show and, in my opinion, a good balance of artisan offerings and more affordable, “fun” craft items. (No flea market “I found this in my basement” stuff; don’t worry.) There are photographers, potters, people who work in glass, metal and wood, painters, lots of jewelers and always several artists who are creating with new materials or just bringing fresh ideas to their work. It’s always at the end of June and I often buy a small gift, but, even when I don’t, I always enjoy the day. My recommendation: go in the morning as it’s less hot and less crowded (and the vendors are usually a little less tired and friendlier!).

If you are relocating to the Philadelphia/Main Line area, please go to my blog page and search for posts using the relocation tag. Contact me to discuss your Philadelphia area relocation! jen@jenniferlebow.com/610 308-5973

Sun-Dried Tomato-Feta Spread

May 9, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

This is great on crackers or bread, but also stands up to chicken and other foods. Versatile and far from ordinary!

Jen LeBow’s Sun-Dried Tomato-Feta Spread

I have used this as a spread on crostini but also as a sauce on roasted chicken. Be creative!

Heat on low flame in 1 quart pot:

1 ½ T EVOO

¼ cup pine nuts

2 cloves garlic

Remove from heat once pine nuts start to brown.

Add 1/3 cup crumbled feta and stir, so that it softens.

Set aside.

Combine in food processor:

1 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes

¾ cup fresh basil

1 T balsamic vinegar (best quality you have—thicker, reduced is best)

Add contents of pot and combine well.

I’ll Just Add a Garage

May 7, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Philadelphia area relocation — Some buyers mistakenly assume that they will be able to build a garage. Be sure to check municipal regulations before you buy!

One of the questions I hear from my buyers who are relocating to the Philadelphia/Main Line area is, “If I find a house without a garage, I can just add one, right?” My answer is usually, “You’d have to check with the township.” Even though we have few communities with HOA regulations, our townships can be very strict when considering impervious surface amounts (how much of your property is covered by ashphalt, structures, swimming pools, etc. that do not allow for water drainage) as well as set backs. Set backs are designated linear distances from property lines and, sometimes, other structures on the lot. So, in the event that having a garage is important to you, if you do consider properties without them, but sure to check with the appropriate township regarding the allowability of a garage.

Another thing they are very strict about is how that garage is used. I had a client who wanted to add a “garage”, but use it as an art studio. “Living space” is defined as anywhere that someone could comfortably sleep. Certain townships address whether there has to be bathroom access, but heating/cooling may be enough to categorize a space as “living space” and most townships won’t allow garages to be used that way without a variance. So, the takeaway is: do your research carefully before committing to buying a house if you plan to build an additional structure on the property.

The Best Ceasar Salad Dressing

May 6, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

It’s finally getting warm, but you still have to eat. So….one of my “go-to” summer meals is chicken Caesar salad. I grill chicken outside so the oven isn’t on. Then I cut it up and throw it into Caesar salad. But what makes a Caesar great, next to one that’s just “eh”? The dressing, of course (there’s nothing else in the salad, other than romaine, croutons and parmesan cheese)! I make a creamy one that is always very well received.

Jen LeBow’s Ceasar Salad Dressing

Shake together well:

1/2 cup EVOO

3 T mayonnaise

¾ t Dijon mustard

½ t Worcestershire sauce

½ anchovy paste

1 garlic clove, partially smashed (with a toothpick in it so you can flavor the dressing, but remove the garlic later)—or you can mince the garlic and just add it to the rest of the ingredients.

Philadelphia Outdoor Activities with Kids

May 3, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Philadelphia relocation with kids — Whether you live in the Philadelphia/Main Line area or are visiting, you may need some suggestions for kid-friendly outdoor activities. Voila!

Visiting Philadelphia and looking for some outdoor activities with kids? (If you need a list of fun things to do indoors, click here.) While there are tons of things to do, here are my top 20 picks if you want to be outside:

Parks/arboreta/gardens/playgrounds

Fairmount Park–Philadelphia’s huge city park system of over 2,000 acres, with buildings like Memorial Hall, horse trails, skateboard park, historic houses and hidden gems
Valley Forge National Historic Park–where Washington camped with his troops during the Revolutionary War with miles of trails, open space, historic reenactments and replicas of the fort buildings
Morris Arboretum, Jenkins Arboretum and Tyler Arboretum–Philadelphia is lucky to have so many wonderful natural sites. Don’t miss the tree house or model railway at Morris.
Bartram’s Gardens–America’s first and oldest botanical garden, located right along the Schuylkill River
Longwood Gardens–Internationally famous, with special events year-round (don’t miss the fountains and lights at Christmas), the greenhouses alone would make the trip worthwhile.
Chanticleer–lovely garden located in Wayne, a great destination outside of the city limits
Smith Memorial Playground–unparalleled playground with a 3-storey building with “inside” play areas and an intersting history

General Fun

Philadelphia Zoo–as the country’s first zoo, a visit here is both fun and manageable in size.
Linvilla Orchards–a long-time favorite of kids and families, this u-pick orchard has a huge variety of fruit to pick and is a top destination at harvest/Halloween time.
Dilworth Park/Spruce Harbor Park–these city run parks offer ice skating in winter and fountains, hammocks and other warm weather fun in summer
Franklin Square–a city kid top pick, complete with fountain, mini-golf and carousel
Mural Arts Tour–the best place to see murals is in the city famous for them! Go on a walking tour and see some of the most iconic murals
Magic Gardens/South St.–this mosaiced grotto (it’s hard to explain; see the link!) and the surrounding funky retail area are not to be missed!
Rocky Steps, Boathouse Row–not connected, but within walking distance and right near the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Historically Significant Destinations

Foodworthy Sites

This list is by no means exhaustive! It’s just a starting point, but I think it has some great options.

How Do School District Boundaries Work on the Main Line?

April 29, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Philadelphia relocation school district boundaries — It’s important, if you’re considering purchasing a home here, to understand how school district boundaries work here on Philadelphia’s Main Line. It’s probably very different from what you’d expect.

Many of my most popular blog posts are the result of questions my relocation buyers ask me and the ensuing conversations. One question I often get is, “Is there a lottery?” and “Do you have a choice of which public school your child attends?” I can fairly quickly answer these questions–no, no lotteries here on the Main Line, though there are some in certain catchments in Philadelphia, like Penn Alexander and generally, with a few exceptions (mostly in Lower Merion regarding the IB program and the “walk zone”), there isn’t a choice of where your child will attend public school. However, any questions about schools inevitably lead to my standard “school spiel” if I haven’t already given it. In a nutshell, our school district boundaries do not follow common conventions that people from other areas expect. In most places, if you live in a certain town, you attend the schools that serve that town and they are all part of the same district. However, even in very small geographical areas (like Haverford, for example), we often find towns that straddle two or more counties, which translates to different townships, which, in turn, dictates school district.

Wayne is a great example–I can’t count how many times someone who is moving here for a job has said to me somethin along the lines of: “A colleague at my new job lives in Wayne and loves it and says the schools are the very best! I can’t afford most of the houses I see there, from my on-line search, but I found one yesterday that looks great!” Then I patiently explain that a large section of Wayne is in Chester County and is served by Tredyffrin-Easttown (T-E) schools, another section is in Delaware County’s Radnor Township (Radnor School District) and that the upper portion is in Montgomery County and Upper Merion School District. Here’s the deal: T-E and Radnor rate among the top 10 districts in the entire state. While Upper Merion schools are generally well-liked by the parents who send their kids there, their ranking is nowhere near as high. (Please also keep in mind that the ranking criteria are not as scientific as one might hope; read the ranking website’s explanation of how they rate the different districts.) Our area’s property values are driven by many factors, but I’d venture to say school district is the most important one.

So, now that you know how key a role school district plays in property values (and possibly in your own personal criteria for a home), you may want to refine your search criteria if you have your own saved searches on line. Many public-use sites don’t allow you to search by school district, but our MLS does, so your agent should certainly be able to screen out (or for) certain school districts, if desired.

A side note: taxes vary by township as well, so that’s another reason to pay close attention to the township (maybe more than the town). Finally, to confuse things even more, some of the most highly rated school districts have among the lowest taxes and vice versa, so don’t make the rookie mistake of assuming higher property taxes indicates a higher-ranked school district. At least here, on the Main Line, there’s no correlation. Still confused? Shoot me an email (jen@jenniferlebow.com)!

For more on choosing school district boundaries, click here. To better understand how to choose a school district, click here, here and here. For an interactive Main Line school district boundary map, click here.

Jennifer LeBow’s Super Crunchy Granola Recipe

April 29, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Would you like a recipe for the best granola you’ve ever had? I thought so!

Jen LeBow’s Super Crunchy Granola

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, mix and then set aside:

4 ½ cups rolled oats

½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut flakes

1 ½ cups almonds (broken up a little, but not into tiny pieces)

1 ½ cups pecans (broken up a little, but not into tiny pieces)

¼ cup sugar

1 ½ T cocoa powder

¾ T ground cinnamon

¼ t salt

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine:

3/8 cup coconut oil

¾ cup (a bit heavy) maple syrup

1 ½ t vanilla extract

Add melted liquid to dry ingredients in bowl and mix well.

Spread mixture into a single layer over 2 large cookie sheets (or 3 medium).

Bake 20 minutes.

Reduce heat to 325 degrees and add 1/3 cup craisins and stir them in amongst the rest of the granola.

Cook granola 5 more minutes or until very golden brown—if it’s undercooked, it won’t crisp up.

Let it sit for an hour or so before transferring it to an airtight container as any residual heat will reduce the crunchiness.

NY Street Artist Paints to Entertain

April 20, 2018 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

This guy is taking NY by storm! With some paint and a terrific visual imagination, he transforms ugly city views into entertaining scenes.

There are all different kinds of art and I am always amazed by the creativity it takes to create something (whether it’s sculpture, a painting, blown glass, etc.) out of nothing. To choose materials and work with them to produce something where before was nothing takes imagination as well as skill with the media in question that I marvel at.

Then there’s art that “upcycles” or, in some way, begins with something that’s already there, but reinterprets or adds to it so that it is transformed. This kind of art is the subject of this month’s “Random Cool Thing” post. An artist is taking existing pieces of New York City’s gritty landscape and, with some paint, changing what we see when we look at it. I love the idea of taking =ugly cityscapes and turning them into smile-producing mini-vistas. This artist is both skilled enough with his paintbrush to convey his vision AND possessed of a playful enough imagination to be able to see how the disparate elements he incorporates can be completely changed with some paint and a new perspective. Check out these before and after pictures of his work.

Jennifer LeBow

Let’s Connect

Looking for our Main Line Neighborhood Guide?