Curbed Cup 1st Round: (1) Fishtown vs. (16) Parkside

The Curbed Cup, our annual award for the neighborhood of the year, is kicking off with 16 neighborhoods vying for the prestigious (fake) trophy. Let the eliminations commence!

Fishtown (1)

After winning the 2016 Curbed Cup as Best Neighborhood of the Year, Fishtown showed no signs of slowing down in 2017. The foodies have stuck around thanks to the plethora of restaurant openings, like the Lebanese Market Suraya, while distillery-turned-eatery Wm. Mulherin’s Sons opened its picture-perfect boutique hotel to rave reviews. Seemingly everyone wants to put down roots in this River Wards neighborhood, even as home prices creep up and up. It’s no wonder Conde Nast Traveler named it Philly’s hottest neighborhood.

Photo by Melissa Romero

Parkside (16)

This historic West Philly neighborhood dates back to 1890, when a group of builders decided to capitalize on the success of the Centennial Exposition in Fairmount Park. Says one Parkside resident, “From an historical perspective and architectural perspective, the significant assets in the neighborhood have defined this city's trajectory.” But while the neighborhood has suffered from years of neglect and blight, Parkside’s future is looking bright thanks to work by residents and community organizations like Centennial Parkside: This year it broke ground on the $11 million Centennial Commons, a vision to transform and reactivate Fairmount Park with new play spaces and amenities, and more housing is on the way, too.

So, what neighborhood will it be? Hot Fishtown or historic Parkside? Voting is open for exactly 24 hours, so let’s take it to the polls, pronto!