Posted  from Today’s Home Spun Wisdom ©2011 the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

I know we have cheated Mr. Winter up to now, but you know it will be pay back very soon.  Below find  10 things you can do right now to cut down on your heating and power costs when winter does return. And you won’t break the bank or much of a sweat.

1. Lock the windows. Even when a window is closed, a little space remains between the sashes where air can leak in. Simply locking the window pulls the sashes tightly together.

2. Unplug. Many appliances, electronics and other electrical devices — even cell phone chargers—draw power even when they’re turned off. Unplugging them when they’re not in use eliminates this vampire power drain. Granted, that’s not always easy or even possible to do. But where it’s practical, you can plug more than one device—say, your TV and DVD player —into an accessible power strip. With the flip of just the strip’s power switch, you cut the power to everything plugged into it.

3. Wash in cold. If you’re used to washing with warm water, you can probably switch to cold without noticing a difference. And no matter what temperature you wash your clothes in, you can always rinse in cold. You’ll save on the energy that would have gone into heating the water. There’s a bonus: Cold water saves wear on your clothes, so they’ll last longer. Or at least they’ll be in better shape to donate to charity when you just have to replace them when this season’s new fashions. I wouldn’t suggest abandoning hot-water washes altogether, though. I’d still use hot for towels, bedding, underwear and laundry with oily stains. Want to save even more? Skip the dryer and hang the clothes to dry.

4. Dim the lights. A dimmer works by reducing the power flowing to a lamp or light fixture. If you don’t need full brightness, turn the lights down a little. Maybe I should do that with the lights over my bathroom mirror. One note: Not all compact fluorescent bulbs work with dimmers. If you use CFLs, check the package to make sure you’re buying the dimmable kind. Oh, and take Dad’s advice: Turn off any lights you don’t need.

5. Turn off the computer.
When you’re done surfing the Net and updating your Facebook status for the day, shut down your computer. Better still, activate its system standby or hibernating feature to save power when the computer is on during the day. Of course, you don’t want to turn off the computer if you’ve scheduled automatic maintenance checks that happen at night.

6. Rearrange the furniture.
A forced-air system works best when air can flow freely from registers and into cold-air returns. Make sure your furniture isn’t blocking these vents. The same thing applies to radiators. If you block them with furniture, you block their heat.

Thanks for reading,

Claire

www.clairerichardsrealtor.com

The Wyeths – A Chester County Treasure

These icons belong together.  The one is a small majestic stream well know to those who kayak, canoe, fish and picnic in the Brandywine Valley.  The other is a family of artists, giants in the art world, known for their exacting style and organic winter views of Chester County.

Thomas Doughty ,The Brandywine with Gilpin’s Mill, circa 1825-1830

The legacy includes Howard Pyle’s paintings and those of his most famous student, N. C. Wyeth, best known for his illustrations and paintings that covered “Treasure Island” and the “Last of the Mohicans”.  N. C. s off-springs include Andrew, Carolyn, and Henrietta.  Andrew’s son, Jamie, had his first major show by his 20th birthday and he firmly established the third generation of this American family of painters.

The art of illustration is well represented in the galleries. Significant works by F.O.C. Darley, the first major American illustrator, as well as Gibson, Stephens, Parrish and others demonstrate the imagination and skill of this overlooked art form.

This little iconic museum is a perfect outing for some lazy winter weekend
afternoon when the idea of watching anymore TV drives you crazy.  So get out into the crisp winter air, get some exercise and fill your head with some
memorable images.  You will love it!

The Brandywine River Museum is located on Route 1 in Chadds Ford, PA.There is an admission fee and additional tours to the Kuerner Farm and the N. C. Wyeth House and Studio.  A Museum shop and restaurant are also available to the public.  However, when I go to museum, I stop at Hank’s Place (across Route 1) at the light.  This little Mom & Pop restaurant/diner offers the best variety and quality of plain good food. Don’t forget to order a slice of their daily fresh strawberry pie!

Thanks for Reading,

Claire

http://www.ClaireRichardsRealtor.com

It’s times like this when I am reminded of the definition of wisdom … “the more you know, the more you know you don’t know.”  Earlier this year, I was quite sure the prices and house prices couldn’t get any lower.  I have been surprised more than once as we crept along during this housing recovery. In fact, I had often preached that this was the “perfect storm” for the Buyer – high inventory, desperate sellers, and low interest rates. I still think this condition is accurate but as to when the bottom will come, well, I will remain speechless.  In my opinion, we are in for a bumpy ride to recovery.  The reality is that the US is no longer a singular market.  If there is a hiccup in Europe, we will feel it, and conversely.

The foreclosure mess is still an issue and will be for years to come.  Those who hold the paper are attempting to sell the depressed homes by gently easing them on to the existing home sale inventory.  Until this backlog is eased, we shall not return to a robust market.  As Frank Nothaft, chief economist at Freddie Mac said: “Stabilization should come on the heels of the true bottom. The unrivaled number of foreclosures and shadow inventory homes, however, has simply thrown even the most accurate prognosticators off their mark. For example, I expected the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage to trend up to 5.25 percent by the end of 2011 and for home sales to rise 5 percent.  National home price indices are close to a bottom and prices are likely to bottom sometime this year.”

 Another respected guru in the industry is Dave Liniger, co-founder of REMAX, the largest real estate company in the US: “Interest rates will remain at or near historic lows and home prices will stabilize and start to rise by the end of the year,” says Liniger “There’s no question, the housing recovery will be slow and steady, but for many cities the turn-around is already happening.”With interest rates lower than most people have ever seen, and prices lower than they’ve been in years, the current marketplace has created a unique environment that may not be repeated for decades. Informed and savvy consumers and investors recognize there’s great opportunity in this market and they are leading the way to recovery.”

Claire’s Clarity: The bottom is probably still ahead of us ~ interest rates to stay low, inventory high ~ some evidence in turnaround has started ~ BEST opportunity for purchasing homes in decades.

Thanks for Reading,

 Claire

http://www.ClaireRichardsRealtor.com

Upscale Dining in a warm and cozy country inn.

Listen up my faithful readers, one of my very favorite bastions of cozy dining is the Kimberton Inn.  I don’t know about you, but on festive occasions like New Years Eve, I look for a setting where one can just relax with candlelight, crisp linens, a warm fire, fine wine, creative presentation, great offerings and a experienced wait-staff.  Impossible you say, oh contraire!

Located in the little hamlet of Kimberton, PA, sits an inn founded in 1796.  Originally a Chester County tavern and a place where wayfarers stayed the night, this Inn has grown into a fine restaurant with a strong patronage, and no wonder.

A massive brick exterior staircase beckons you into the warm vestibule. A well groomed staff takes your coat, and proceeds to seat you in one of many dining rooms.  The four fireplaces are always well attended and the scent of burning hardwoods is but perfume in the air of these aged inns.

Our waitress immediately presented herself in a beautiful black dress, was soft spoken, educated and very courteous. Several of us had a glass of fine wine to toast the years, old and new.

On this particular occasion, there was a four course prix fixe dinner selection.  The appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts were not from limited choices.  Each course has a generous selection from which to choose. Between each course, our flatware was exchanged for newer more appropriate utensils.

Among the many appetizers offered my dinner partners chose thinly sliced salmon, coconut shrimp and lobster bisque.  Although there were many salads offered, we all chose the “Probably The Best Salad You Have Ever Had” salad (great but exaggerated).

Of course the entrees followed and the clear winner was the poached lobsters dish served in a yummy butter sauce with seasoned ripe petite tomatoes.  Of course the Filet Mignon was superb and well as the delicious Prime Rib (getting more difficult to find these days).

No room for dessert? Well that’s what we all said until we listened to the choices of freshly baked puff pastry, chocolate truffle tart, warmed and just baked pecan pie, and crème brule.  Now I ask you, is that fair to tempt our party after three other fantastic courses?!

After dinner drinks anyone?  If you love a old tavern bar this will delight you! Cozy, dark woods, aged liquors/wines and casual conversations.

Afterwards we all relaxed and discussed our experience at the Kimberton Inn.  All of us agreed that this was a fabulous choice for any occasion. It had just the right blend of elegant décor, fine food and superb service.   Zagat 2011 Rated at 25 for food, service and décor.

http://www.kimbertoninn.com/

Thanks for following me my faithful readers and have a great 2012!

Claire

http://www.ClaireRichardsRealtor.com

The Orchard Restaurant, Kennett Square, PA

Fine dining is alive and well in Kennett Square, PA, and you thought Kennett was all about mushrooms?!  This little find is just off Route 1, a mere stones-throw from Longwood Gardens on a tiny street you just about miss.

The fine ambiance is obvious as you enter.  A well groomed staff is eager to greet you.  The white crisp décor, starched linens and cushion bench type pillow seating is so inviting.  The focal point this evening, beyond the necessary Holiday display, was a handsome display of two dozen roses, spot light in the center of the dining room.

The wait staff was impressive as they took our drink order and poured our wine in tow.  Yes, this is a BYOB which makes the bill for fine cuisine dining affordable.

Some unusual offerings graced the menu in every category.  And if you are especially eager, there are multiple course selections that have been bundled for your consideration.

Chef Trevisani’s menu features new American – International cuisine that is best summed up as “well dressed” comfort food reflecting his formal training in the French style, now evolved into an eclectic fusion of continental cuisine. His attention to detail and the architecture of each plate proves his theory that food should be nothing less than a gift presented at the table.

I selected the duck, prepared thusly:

MOULARD DUCK
Breast of Duck Slowly Sautéed served
with Braise Red Cabbage, Watercress and
Fennel Puree and Blood Orange glaze

To be sure, The Orchard is expensive.  The portions are small but excellent and presented in an extraordinary manner.  Bring both your appetite and your wallet to “The Orchard” … both will get a workout.

Thanks for reading,

Claire

http://www.ClaireRichardsRealtor.com

**** Claire’s Pick   http://www.theorchardbyob.com/about.html

Eagleview in Exton PA – Utopia Realized

There is a place, only ¼ mile from the PA TWP, where business and housing mix to form a utopian plan.  Large, tree-lined meandering streets, cute retail shops, restaurants, condominiums, apartments, single and town homes and all the ancillary activities like pool, tennis, hiking exist.  Now surround this oasis with a buffer of soft industry gorgeous mirrored buildings.  Sound too good to be true?

Check it out on Route 100 at the Turnpike.  It’s called Eagleview and it professes to have everything a person would need even its own YMCA.  Built by the Hankin Group, it continues to grow in an organic way.  The Town Center is always adding new venues including favorites like Nudy’s Café and the Brickside Café.

In driving through the community one may be tempted to rename it “Yuppyville” or “Preppyville”.  Hey that’s OK for me, I was born a prep and I’m proud of it.  If there was to be anything held in common here it’s the look of the American dream.  Who wouldn’t want an adorable single home with manicured lawns and a white picket fence?

For sure it’s not cheap to live here but it is affordable.  The residents are slow to move out so if there is a barometer, that alone should lend credence to the quality of living.  If you want to know more about this community, call or email me for the inside scoop.  After all I am a REALTOR among other things.

Eagleview in Exton.  A great alternative to ho-hum housing for the uptown professional.

Thanks for reading,

Claire

http://www.ClaireRichardsRealtor.com

Have an appetite for some authentic British pub food? Take a drive some beautiful lazy afternoon down the winding pastoral roads of Chester County. You will pass through West Chester, Downingtown and East Fallowfield.  Plan as your destination, “The Whip” in East Marborough..  You will recognize it by its charm, a white cottage adorned with generously flowered window boxes and a red door.  All it needs to be a perfect English cottage is a thatch roof. Don’t look for any other businesses in the area, the whip is a stand-alone next to a cornfield, a stream and in the middle of horse farms.

Step inside and you can inhale the ambiance.  Oh it’s not perfect …but what English pubs is.  I can vouch for its authenticity. There is no maîtredee  but rather a manager who takes your name from behind the walnut stained oak bar. When he calls your name it reminds one of barristers dialoguing at Parliament.

All four of us, Claire, Polly, Joanne and Marianne, started with Welsh Rarebit, a warm blend of English cheddar and Stilton cheeses, swirled with Smithwick’s Irish Ale and served with crostini for dipping. The recipe is from 18th century Great Britain. OMG, it was heaven.

Now what would you order as an entree I ask you?  Check out the offerings: Steak with Mushroom Pie, Bison Cottage Pie, Beef Wellington, Bangers and Mash, Scotch Eggs, Bubble & Squeak, Fish & Chips, Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding, and award winning Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert. These are just a few of the delectable offerings that have earned rave reviews and a loyal following among British expatriates and English-fare converts. Thirsty?  Grab a seat mate and grab a pint of your favorite Brit delicacy from among 30 or more select Porters, Stouts, Cider or Ales.

So now what did we order?  Three of us enjoyed the braised short ribs, dusted with One Village organic coffee and cooked until fork tender. Served with a blackcurrant demi-glace and mashed cauliflower and seasonal vegetables.. Oh and remember the image is not showing mashed potatoes, no no no, they are mashed cauliflower.  YUM!

Now Joanne was a little more adventurous with her Pork Delmonico, a10oz. Lancaster County pork steak with a saute of local mushrooms, tomatoes and fresh herbs, served with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Couple this comfort food of the highest tradition with excellent brews and a friendly waitstaff for the best British Tavern meal this side of the Pond.

Claire’s Choice **

http://www.thewhiptavern.com/

Thanks for reading,

Claire

http://www.ClaireRichardsRealtor.com

Courtesy of Philadelphia Magazine // Photography by Ryan Donnell

If you are forgoing city for ‘burbs, as a parent you want two things: safe streets and good schools. But after that, the choices vary: A touch of urbanity? Wide-open spaces? A charming downtown? We crunched the numbers, analyzed the data and forayed out into the field. No matter your preference, we found a locale worth moving to.

Narberth

Population: 4,282
School district: Lower Merion
Average SAT scores: 574 math / 589 reading / 576 writing
Crime rate: 1.49 violent crimes per 1,000; 13.86 nonviolent per 1,000
Median home price: $382,000

Flanked by bustling Montgomery and Wynnewood avenues, Narberth—a half-square-mile borough nestled in the middle of Lower Merion Township—is easy to miss. Which is just fine by self-professed “Narbs”; after all, that’s what makes the town a magnet for kid-raising, even if there’s no place to park. The über-private and clannish should keep moving, but if you’re looking for over-the-fence chitchat and a plethora of playdates, this is the burg for you: Everyone here knows everyone else. Despite its postage-stamp size, the town boasts its own government and police force. Kids can walk to the old-school movie house, and the town offers diversions both active (a sprawling park that hosts countless sports leagues) and creative (the Handwork Studio organizes workshops to teach knitting and other crafty skills). Parents come for the vaunted Lower Merion schools but stay for the family-friendly vibe, reflected in a calendar of events whose highlight is a legendary annual Dickens fete that transforms downtown into 1840s London.

Huntingdon Valley

Population: 12,982*
School district: Lower Moreland
SAT scores: 537 math / 566 reading / 550 writing
Crime rate: .48 violent crimes per 1,000; 19.11 nonviolent per 1,000
Median home price: $365,000
Leafy and green, Huntingdon Valley doesn’t have a lot of shopping or decent restaurants, but it does have that rarest of modern commodities: silence. Sit out during the summer, and you can actually hear the crickets—and, blissfully, not much else. What the town lacks in Main Street amenities it makes up for in “a real sense of community,” says mother-of-three Linda Kline—“a sense that people are looking out for each other.” Parents are expected to be involved in the schools, and they are: Lower Moreland sends a staggering 97 percent of its students on to college, a long-standing tradition in one of the most well-educated and successful areas in the state. And while there may be little “there there,” fewer diversions mean more focus on actual family and neighbor connections. Says Kline, “You always have the feeling you’re raising your kids in a positive environment.” Sometimes, it takes a Valley …

Wayne

Population: 31,531*
School district: Radnor Township
Average SAT scores: 567 math / 606 reading / 568 writing
Crime rate: .64 violent crimes per 1,000 residents; 10.66 nonviolent per 1,000 Median home price: $456,500**
The perennial worry of city-dwellers has been that moving to suburbia risks landing in a place that isn’t really a place—no middle, no center, no soul. Out in Wayne, yes, the schools are great. We know it’s safe. “But for a while, Wayne had a stigma as older and upper-class,” says Pattie Lamantia, owner of the Wedding Shoppe. “It’s gotten much younger now.” And when Beau Moffitt of Out There Outfitters describes what he calls “Walk to Wayne” as if it’s an official event, you understand why: Once you’re about 11 years old, Moffitt says, you can make the trek downtown from, say, half a tree-lined mile away. And you do, often, to hang out with other kids at Gumdrops & Sprinkles or the old Anthony Wayne Theater or maybe the art center. Or you stroll down with your parents: They’ll have a latte at Gryphon, you’ll hang at Bravo Pizza, everyone rendezvousing at Christopher’s for a proper family dinner. Downtown Wayne beckons. It’s friendly and easy and warm, and sometimes dramatically old-time Americana: The lighting of the town Christmas tree. The soap-box derby. Only one problem: not enough parking. So … walk. Into smart suburbia with a soul. *Population of Radnor Township; includes Wayne and other neighborhoods.

Upper Providence

Population: 21,219
School district: Rose Tree Media
Average SAT scores: 527 math / 543 reading / 526 writing
Crime rate: .27 violent crimes per 1,000; 2.17 nonviolent per 1,000
Median home price: $293,000
For modern parents who want it all—domesticity and woodsy open space, great schools and great restaurants—we say: You can’t have everything. But in unassuming Upper Providence, you can come really close. And you’ll be in good company—of the almost 3,000 families in the last census, nearly a third had children under age 18. That families are flocking here is no surprise: With 2,600 acres of woodland next door at Ridley Creek State Park and the Delaware County seat of Media nestled in its bosom, Upper Providence offers a heady mix of both nature and culture. “My only complaint is the deer,” jokes Patricia Giardinelli, a librarian at the Media-Upper Providence Library and mother of two. She goes on to praise the Rose Tree school district—a Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award nominee (“So diverse”)—and the quiet safety of the streets. Still, “There’s so much going on in the borough,” she says. “We moved here because of Media.” We moved here because of Media? Uh, yes. Where else do the perks range from free Reiki sessions to an annual Christmas lights display worthy of Bedford Falls? Here, it’s a wonderful life.

Warwick

Population: 14,437
School district: Central Bucks
Average SAT scores: 550 math / 571 reading / 557 writing
Crime rate: .34 violent crimes per 1,000; 7.34 nonviolent per 1,000
Median home price: $390,000

When the city is too congested and the suburbs are too, well, suburb-y, Warwick’s unique brand of farm-fresh suburbia, in a pastoral swath of Bucks County, offers an atmosphere that’s tight-knit without being suffocatingly cul-de-sac. Years ago, Warwick’s families kept to themselves in rural neighborhoods, but the recent establishment of a Little League and a heavy community-events schedule (Colonial reenactments!) have the township pulling together a bit more tightly. “Warwick Day” comes complete with Pollyanna-esque pie-baking competitions, and parents swap war stories at local pub the Jamison Pour House while the kids hang out in the gaming room. The township’s most singular feature may be its proximity to Ross Hill Farm, perhaps the most notable pig farm in the region and the host of an annual “Piggypalooza.” (What kid doesn’t love a good pig?) The only real downside: the distance from Philly (23 miles, but an hour’s drive). But Helene Gold, a former local PTA president who commutes to the city daily, says it’s manageable: “That’s the trade-off. I drive far to work so my kids can have the childhood I wanted to give them.”

Upper Makefield

Population: 8,190
School district: Council Rock
SAT scores: 535 math / 563 reading / 546 writing
Crime rate: .59 violent crimes per 1,000; 9.28 nonviolent per 1,000
Median home price: $585,000
Residents here respect the town’s lush green scenery; the township’s aggressive reforestation and restoration of stream banks has preserved more than a full third of its open space. Kids raised here grow up near the site of George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware, anticipating the annual Christmas Day reenactment of the event (thanks to cheery help from the local fire department); families pop in at McConkey’s Ferry Inn Museum, where Washington had dinner before launching. The renowned Council Rock School District has a culture of high expectations and levels of parental involvement: If you’re coming here to raise kids, you’re likely to be helping to paint the school mascot’s costume or fund-raising for playground equipment. While organized sports are a constant (including a passionate lacrosse base), locals take equal pride in school music programs—perfect for the budding Beethoven in your brood.

Wynnewood

Population: 13,299
School District: Lower Merion
Average SAT scores: 574 math / 589 reading / 576 writing
Crime rate: .58 violent crimes per 1,000; 15.29 nonviolent per 1,000*
Median home price: $415,000
For young couples looking to set up shop—and not move that shop for a good handful of years—Wynnewood serves as a perfect gateway address to the Main Line. It’s of the first-ring variety of suburbia, technically just a postal district nestled in Lower Merion. A mere eight driven miles or four train stops outside Center City, Wynnewood is especially appealing for new suburbanites not quite ready to rip off the city-life Band-Aid. And while it’s chock-full of the stately Chestnut Hill-esque stone manses one still thinks of as old Main Line—established, mature developments, as opposed to new construction—there’s also an abundance of lovely homes to be had beginning in the $200,000s and low $300,000s, a real estate diversity not shared by its more western neighbors. The Wynnewood Shopping Center serves as the de facto town hub, while a sojourn to nearby Narberth quenches the need for cutesy. And kids attend those powerhouse Lower Merion schools, promising the path to a Successful Life. It might not be where you retire. But it’s hard to find a better place to start.

Swarthmore

Population: 6,194
School district: Wallingford-Swarthmore
Average SAT scores: 559 math / 575 reading / 558 writing
Crime rate: 1.15 violent crimes per 1,000; 13.83 nonviolent per 1,000
Median home price: $405,000
Maybe it’s the choo-choo train in downtown Swarthmore’s stroller-packed Tot Lot. Or the kid-friendly yoga classes at the Creative Living Room rec center. Or our personal fave, the local Santa Claus hot line, which dispatches St. Nick himself for in-home Christmas Eve visits. Something about this college town, packed with shady streets of (affordable!) colonials and Victorians, incites even the most jaded to want to hop on a tricycle and pedal back to childhood. But while kids in Swarthmore reap the benefits of award-winning public schools (the elementary school has a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon) and bike rides to the revered Co-Op (whose produce is literally award-winning) and library (which has the largest circulation rate per capita in the county), grown-ups don’t have it bad, either. The town’s august namesake college opens up its concerts, lectures and 300-acre arboretum to the public, meaning kids aren’t the only ones with stimulating extracurriculars—good news, since the whole town is dry. While it can all get a bit crunchy, and taxes are steep (those blue ribbons don’t come cheap), that’s more than offset by easy train access into Philly and the quaintness of a soap-opera town without all of those desperate housewives.

Solebury

Population: 8,692
School district: New Hope-Solebury
SAT scores: 555 math / 564 reading / 548 writing
Crime rate: .91 violent crimes per 1,000; 8.64 nonviolent per 1,000
Median home price: $537,000
Looking to nurture a Tom Sawyer-type adventurer? Parents come here for the wide-open spaces. Land conservation’s big: Residents have voted for higher taxes (it’s still a bargain, claims one parent) to save green space and farmland from development. The township’s quaint villages have historical-marker appeal with none of the shabbiness; moms and dads in these parts may embrace their farm-y aesthetic, but they earn Wall Street and pharma salaries. The high-participation youth sports leagues (football, soccer, baseball and more) and the solid, small New Hope-Solebury School District mean everybody’s acquainted, involved and serving on a committee; you’ll need to show up an hour early to get a good seat at the third-grade recital. Just how rural is Solebury? Among the FAQs addressed on the township’s website: “What should I do about a dead deer in my yard?” But the occasional animal carcass is a small price to pay for parents craving life in the archetypal American pastoral, and a stone’s throw away, New Hope, Doylestown and Peddlers Village provide the artsiness, shopping, nightlife.

Lafayette Hill

Population: 17,349*
School district: Colonial ∆SAT scores: 526 math / 549 reading / 522 writing
Crime rate: .51 violent crimes per 1,000; 12.02 nonviolent per 1,000**
Average home price: $295,000
Location, location, location: It’s the real estate seller’s mantra. And while parents don’t pick a place to raise a family based solely on commuting, if they did, they might pick Lafayette Hill. For those whose jobs and responsibilities take them back and forth between city and ’burbs, the town offers perhaps the region’s best location—an idyllic burg with great schools and community can-do spirit sitting snugly between the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the Blue Route and the Schuylkill Expressway. A cheaper alternative to living on the Main Line, it’s also well framed, surrounded by Morris Arboretum, a state park, and six golf courses (including one rated in the top hundred by Golfweek magazine), as well as Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy, infusing city vibes without city problems. Still, it has “a very small atmosphere,” in the words of Linda Pudles, manager of Down 2 Earth Kids and a mother of two. That translates into an informal network of playdate-making parents who could run a Fortune 500 company with their organizing skills, as manifested in everything from the packed annual Whitemarsh Township Day in April (think The Music Man’s River City sans the 76 trombones) to the summer entertainment series, with free movies and concerts staged in Miles Park. And the library is currently undergoing a $4.4 million renovation, cementing its status as the ersatz town square.

Jenkintown

Population: 4,422
School district: Jenkintown
Average SAT scores: 565 math / 574 reading / 579 writing
Crime rate: .93 violent crimes per 1,000; 3.49 nonviolent per 1,000
Median home price: $160,000
For the car-averse, the organic, the financially squeezed and, most of all, the urban-obsessed, the options for raising a family once that family starts growing can seem troubling: Stay in the funky, gentrifying city ’hood (NoLibs, Bella Vista, Grad Hospital), down the street from the PBR-strewn vacant lot where the hipsters play their weekly games of ironic kickball? Or pull up stakes for the ’burbs, only to try to forget you’re in the ’burbs? What you need is a house—multiple bedrooms with a touch of greenery that you can call a yard, a town with good schools and no crime that still feels like you’re in the city. Enter Jenkintown (factoid: hometown of Bradley Cooper), the inner ’burb with the urban flavor, where the median home is a steal at $160,000 (which can mitigate the higher-than-average tax rate). The housing stock does tend to skew a bit older (character!), so the same $250K you’ll pay for that 800-square-foot cement-fronted one-bedroom “condo” in Queen Village will get you a three-bed, two-bath house with almost three times the space and an actual yard. Yes, you’re going to take a hit when it comes to good restaurants, bars, clubs, nightlife and cultural diversions (the exception being the awesome, member-supported Hiway movie theater, right there on Old York Road), but you’re two roads and 10 miles away from Center City—still close enough to make the occasional kickball game.

East Marlborough

Population: 7,026
School district: Unionville-Chadds Ford
SAT scores: 573 math / 591 reading / 567 writing
Crime rate: Zero violent crimes per 1,000; 2.08 nonviolent per 1,000
Median home price: $390,000
If you’ve ever seen one of those TV commercials where the mom, the dad and the two kids laugh and smile as they zoom around on bicycles or go hiking or just generally emphasize your personal couch-potato-ness by being relentlessly active, you may have wondered: Where are people like that? The answer: East Marlborough, where we’re surprised they don’t make you do drills to obtain a mortgage. As local father-of-three and relentless recreationist Brian Ladd describes it, EM is “a small, quiet rural community that’s also full of activity and life.” With almost a quarter of its population under age 18, the Chester County township caters to its kids, who mostly attend schools in the top-achieving Unionville-Chadds Ford district and fill the area’s teeming rec-sports leagues. But parents don’t just cheer on the sidelines: Families cruise the township’s 4,000 open acres on foot or bike, while the Don and Betty Draper set plays golf and tennis at the sleek Kennett Square Golf and Country Club. While you’ll find typical community-calendar fare (5K’s, art shows, a famed mushroom festival), the hamlet’s proximity to family-fave Longwood Gardens and its historic pedigree (a Revolutionary War battleground, several stops on the Underground Railroad) make it a bucolic-yet-active (and safe, with one of the lowest crime rates anywhere) alternative for child-rearing. And the milkshakes at Landhope Farms entice at any age.

Text and Photography courtesy of Philadelphia Magazine – October 2011

Thanks for reading,

Claire

http://www.ClaireRichardsRealtor.com

Are you in the mood for a little romantic restaurant in a village that few
people know?! A gastronomic delight?! Check out this Mom & Pop in the
little village of Unionville, Chester County. And, where is that, exactly?
It’s at the juncture of routes 82, 162, and 842, close to Kennett Square,
the mushroom capital.

When you pull into this darling hamlet, don’t sneeze, or you will cruise
right through it and pass a number of unique stores including the Small
Animals Association, the Unionville Saddle Shop, Kinlock’s Woodworking and
don’t miss Roundabout Quilting.

The restaurant is in a typical red brick general store with a cute country
front and ample parking behind the store where the main entrance in located.
Outdoor dining is available in the eclectic and gentrified garden. Just
stepping inside makes you aware that this is going to be good, very good.

Charming small tables light by candle, dark enough so that the wait-staff
brings you flashlights to peruse the menu.

We started with potage, their specialty – mushroom and crab. It’s out of
this world with their warmed crusty bread. Actually the soup is more of a
stew, it’s so rich, spicy and substantive.

Next we chose the mixed salad with goat cheese, mushrooms, peppers and
vinaigrette dressing, a nice choice.

I know, it’s boring but we couldn’t resist ordering the same entrée… the
chef’s special plate of red snapper garnished with garlic, peppers,
tomatoes, olive oil and served with fresh green string beans al dente and
risotto (sorry, not my favorite).

After desserts, coffee and some pleasant conversation on a rainy night in
the middle of nowhere, we exited to our car and a trip back on long, windy
country roads along muddy slopes and swollen creeks.

** $$

Thanks for reading,

Claire

http://www.ClaireRichardsRealtor.com

Enjoy fall, leaves, pumpkins and apple pie? Journey out to two legends on
Route 352 during October. But be prepared, if the ghouls and goblins don’t
get you, the ticket price will!

Linvilla Orchards was once the best place to take children. But that was
20 years ago, when the owners did not have dreams of grandeur in making
it a present-day destination park. It started as a remote country market
with an added attraction, a small zoo where children could walk right up to
chickens, roosters, lambs, rabbits; you get the idea – a petting zoo of
sorts.

Unfortunately, this little gem has become a tourist trap, with hundreds of
cars and thousands of people all clamoring to ride one of 10 hay rides,
which are merely big wagons, a little hay, a tractor and a driver who
becomes a huckster behind the wheel.

As you travel through the farm,

everyone aboard learn of the fifty varieties of this or that, perfect for your pie that you can pick up at our store along with your perfect pumpkin.

Ok I admit it. I should have expected some commercialism, but hey, not to
the little country store of my youth? For sure there are lots to do. Hay rides,
pony and train rides, apples projected by slings, a corn maze, and a fresh
variety of fruit and vegetables. And then there are the typical added
attractions like painted faces, funnel cake and the like.

The last straw (pardon the pun) was when I saw the $1 admission to the
playground. What? Soon they will be charging for the air I breathe.
So if you must go there on the weekend, be prepared for crowds, cars, dirt
and bees, check it out, but bring your fat wallet. Everything there has its
price.

www.linvilla.com

Bates Motel. You can recognize it by the grey hearse along Rte 352 and the
endless parade of cars trying to get into the grounds at dusk. This
owner-farmer said phooey to the daily routine of farming and tried his hand
at making the scariest site this side of Transylvania. Warning, it’s not
for the faint of heart! It’s recommended for those over 8 and with strong
hearts. You will be scared!!! So what are you waiting for?

www.thebatesmotel.com

Thanks for reading,

Claire

http://www.ClaireRichardsRealtor.com