Curbed Cup 1st Round: (2) Fishtown and (15) Grays Ferry

Fishtown

Like its neighboring Northern Liberties, some might argue that Fishtown’s 15 minutes of fame is long gone. Not so. While new and old establishments like Johnny Brenda’s, Frankford Hall, and La Colombe have kept this neighborhood humming, there is a long list of projects planned for this hipster haven. There’s a new boutique hotel in the works next to Frankford Hall, as well as several rooms above the trendy Wm. Mulherin's Sons restaurant. Retail, residential, and restaurants are poised to transform Frankford Avenue under the El station, and a massive rock-climbing gym will be an anchor tenant in the Ed Corner building adaptive reuse project. No wonder folks are flocking to this hipster haven. Says one resident: “There’s a good mix of renters and homeowners, newbies and lifers. [...] I love being so close to so many small business, artists, musicians, and makers.”

Courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania

Grays Ferry

This Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood earned its name during the mid-18th century, when a floating bridge run by George Gray served as a main thoroughfare into Philadelphia over the Schuylkill River. Today, Grays Ferry has experienced its fair share of ups and downs, but this past year it’s seen a tremendous amount of growth, especially with the opening of the innovation hub Pennovation and the nearly-finished Bartram’s Mile. While it currently boasts the most affordable properties in the city, and is considered a top zip code for fixer-upper potential, all signs say that won’t last very long. feeling that won’t last very long.