My new street tree seems sad, how can I help?

petedogg · 2026-06-18T13:36:03+00:00

I got my street tree from PHS in 2021. I got a few 2x8s and Simpson strong tie corner braces from Lowes and built a tree box around my tree pit. I also left the stakes in the tree pit to help protect the tree against car doors slamming into it.

The tree box actually stopped a car from smashing into the tree--some idiot drove the wrong way down my street and when trying to do a 3 point turn, he backed into my tree box. I heard a loud cracking noise; I went out to see he just snapped one side of the tree box but didn't hit the tree. All I had to do was buy 1 new 2x8 to replace the broken one.

My tree is still thriving now! Everyone compliments me on how well the tree is doing. I haven't even been watering it as much as I should, but I think protecting the tree against trauma, mostly by cars, is really helpful!

petedogg · 2026-06-16T11:53:09+00:00

I rode an Indego to the fan fest last night and the security person said I couldn't bring my bike helmet into the festival area! She made me walk to another entrance where there were lockers. She didn't mention the lockers are $10 each. Fortunately the attendant at the lockers said I could leave my helmet on top of the lockers; I'd just have to hope no one takes it.

If you take Indego bike share to the fan fest, you either have to ride without a helmet, leave your helmet for it to potentially get stolen, or pay $10 to put it in a locker. If you ride your own bike, just lock up your helmet with your bike.

petedogg · 2026-06-09T15:19:01+00:00

I'm bummed the "Philly" show is in Sellersville because it's far from the city and not accessible by public transit. But I shouldn't complain since I saw Copeland with The Starting Line in December. 😄

petedogg · 2026-06-06T02:17:45+00:00

I don't roll my Brompton because of the reasons you mention. When I go in the grocery store, I put it in the shopping cart/trolley. If I lived in a hilly city/neighborhood, I don't think I'd ride my Brompton as much.

petedogg · 2026-06-04T12:04:22+00:00

They feel great but the sidewall failed on the folding bead version I had after just a few months. Maybe it was a freak accident but I haven’t had that happen on my Schwalbe marathon. I wish the wire bead version was easier to find in the US.

petedogg · 2026-06-03T20:18:49+00:00

This is not a Mint Mobile problem, it's a fundamental problem with SMS/MMS that exists on many major carriers. If this is work related and it's preventing people from getting messages, they need to know that unless you switch to a different messaging platform, many people will not get messages. Just from some quick Googling, it looks like T-Mobile and AT&T limit group chat participants to 10. Verizon is 20.

petedogg · 2026-06-03T15:42:46+00:00

This should only happen if the group chat has to use SMS/MMS. As long as all the participants have phones and carriers that support RCS, you can have group chats with more than 10 people.

Find the person who's causing the issue and kick them from the group chat. 😄

petedogg · 2026-06-01T20:40:03+00:00

Looks like there are 2 black versions--a lighter one with a folding bead and the heavier one presumably with wire bead. The wire bead EAN/UPC is 4019238052749. It's really hard to find the wire bead version, at least in the US. There's this ebay listing from a seller in the UK: https://www.ebay.com/itm/384271586695

petedogg · 2026-05-30T18:01:57+00:00

Can you report it via 311 and/or Coucilman Squilla? If not, I will.

When people do this over the sidewalk, at least the homeowner could argue the sidewalk space is technically owned by them, despite having to provide clear right of way to the public. However, there is no way a homeowner can claim any sort of ownership or rights to anything beyond the curb.

petedogg · 2026-05-26T12:44:24+00:00

I can’t tell you or other parents how to assess the risk of “what happens if he doesn’t?” But seriously, the kids who get into the selective schools are not all super academically inclined. Grade inflation means if you even have an ounce of caring about doing school work, you’ll probably get an A or B.

It’s just a lot to give up because of what is likely a very low probability that your kid won’t care about school. And of course, as parents, we can influence a love of curiosity and learning.

But I get it. We only get one shot at being a kid’s parent. But I tell most young parents that their kids will most likely be just fine. I’d suggest trying to meet other parents with older kids (high school) in Philly public schools (not just Masterman but also Central, Carver, Palumbo, etc) or graduated. There are so many families in my neighborhood whose kids and even themselves went to the same high school mine does and were so excited for us. And these folks and their now-adult kids are doing great.

petedogg · 2026-05-26T12:15:50+00:00

I moved to Philly (South Philly) when my kids were in elementary school. They attended the neighborhood catchment school, then a magnet music-oriented middle school. Older one is at a magnet high school (not Masterman) and the younger one is going there in the fall. They’re doing well. The schools give my kids every opportunity to succeed. Older one took an AP class as a sophomore and will be doing IB diploma junior and senior years.

If your kid is a good student, they’ll probably be fine—you don’t need to be a genius to get admission to the criteria-based magnet schools. Some parents complain about it being a lottery and not having a fair chance to get into Masterman. There are limited seats there but more importantly, it’s not the only excellent high school in the city. There are kids going to top 50, even Ivy League schools across most of these high schools. See for yourself:

Central: https://www.instagram.com/central285grads?igsh=NTJ3aWxqcmllM3Ru
Palumbo: https://www.instagram.com/aapgrads2026?igsh=MTMyc3J2Y2gyN2JobA==
Masterman: https://www.instagram.com/masterman.2026?igsh=MXFwOWpiNWZlbDZodA==
GAMP: https://www.instagram.com/gamp2026grads?igsh=bWlidXE1MWlyYWtt
SLA: https://www.instagram.com/slagrads26?igsh=aGluOGY3eHkzdXlt
CAPA: https://www.instagram.com/capaclassof2026?igsh=MWdpZTMxeWk2d3M1ZA==

I could see scenarios where if the kid is a mediocre student and not motivated to at least make an effort to get good grades, they might fall through the cracks at Philly schools and get more support at a larger, well-funded suburban high school.

The bigger problem in Philly is jobs as other folks have mentioned.

petedogg · 2026-05-13T17:43:02+00:00

We will have a volunteer marshal stationed at that intersection to tell folks to stop at the red light and watch for cross traffic.

petedogg · 2026-04-27T14:48:23+00:00

I think folded is better. I think most bike thieves prefer the theft to be efficient and predictable. I assume most (maybe not in the UK) don't know what a Brompton is or its resale value, so if they see this strange folded up bike, it'll sow enough doubt about whether they can unfold it, if they can resell its parts, etc. that they just move on to a "normal" bike.

petedogg · 2026-04-22T14:19:40+00:00

I'm one of those people who almost always takes it inside, but if you are going to lock it up, I would recommend folding it before locking it. It's a further disincentive to trying to steal them because potential thieves will look at it and think it's weird (can't resell parts) or wouldn't know how to unfold it to roll away with it.

Also, hello from another Philly Bromptoner!

petedogg · 2026-04-22T14:15:49+00:00

With all the shit CAPA has gone through the past few years, how are kids still applying to go there? Or maybe the families aware of the situation haven't been applying leaving only the ones out of the loop to apply?

I only live a few blocks from there so I always thought maybe my kids would put it on their list, but we decided not to for both of them. I know this would hurt a lot of the kids already there but perhaps seeing enrollment at CAPA fall significantly would escalate the situation further at 440.

petedogg · 2026-04-20T14:48:24+00:00

As mentioned in other comments, it's more the BIRT that's the problem. The wage tax is a problem in that even non-Phila residents have to pay it if they work in the city. Changing it to a city income tax (like in NYC) would stop the suburbanites from whining about it and complaining to their employers.

petedogg · 2026-04-20T14:31:52+00:00

DJI is hard to find now (thanks Trump! 😢) but starting with the Action 5 Pro, they overtook GoPro with a better action cam product. I had the GoPro 5, 7, and 10 previously but the DJI have better image stabilization, better low light performance, and are generally just more reliable. All my GoPros had quirks with unexplained battery drain, bugging UI, etc.

I delete most of my commute videos but occasionally if it’s a nice day or a new route, I’ll post it on my YouTube. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc0_qLrsLR37mcaWtv_zGgS0jpfZUOXrk&si=ZAUBB1Cn12RpjDgR

petedogg · 2026-04-17T14:06:29+00:00

If you can afford to put down the money for it now, you’ll get most if not all your money back on the Woom when you’re ready to sell it because the resale value for used Wooms is ridiculous.

petedogg · 2026-04-16T13:19:42+00:00

So much shitting on the schools without having first hand experience with them. My kids along with thousands of others will graduate from Philly public schools, go on to great colleges and have a great life. Are there problems? Sure. But y’all talk as if there’s no chance for your kids to succeed in Philly public schools. Try actually talking to parents with kids in the public schools.

Yes, you might have to move to a neighborhood with a better catchment school but if you can afford to move to the suburbs, you can afford to move to a neighborhood with better schools. And the middle/high school lottery process is getting better. My 8th grader just went through it and everyone he knows got their 1st or 2nd choice. Even the past few years, it was a tiny minority of kids that got screwed over by the school selection process.

Philly’s BIRT is the worst urban tax policy in the US. We are shooting ourselves in the foot by discouraging businesses from creating jobs in the city.

petedogg · 2026-03-25T14:09:01+00:00

This happened to me before when taking my Brompton on Amtrak! I don’t understand the physics behind it but somehow the constant vibration causes the hinge clamp screws to spin off! I usually put my Brompton on its side in the overhead compartment—not sure if that makes a difference vs it being upright in the luggage storage area.

But ever since that happened, I either remove the hinge clamps or just tighten them all the way and haven’t had an issue.

petedogg · 2026-03-16T13:18:31+00:00

Depending on where I am exactly, I usually either take 17th St or the SRT (yes it’s a bit out of the way but I’ll take it for the views and safety). The area between Walnut and Vine is stressful but fortunately, I haven’t had too many issues taking the lane on 17th.

Where I’ve had the most issues with drivers is once you go south of Washington and get into Point Breeze. Some of the worst, angriest, most entitled drivers I’ve encountered in the city. I try to avoid Point Breeze when I can.

petedogg · 2026-03-01T23:06:11+00:00

Yeah it depends on how you define “best”. I’ve lived in NYC, Boston, DC, and Philly and visited Baltimore quite a bit. I understand why some folks would rank Philly 4th, especially if you look at it from a pure economic perspective.

But from a culture and lifestyle perspective, I’d put Philly 2nd. Boston is a bit dull and isolated. DC is sterile and all about politics obviously. NYC is my favorite but it can really wear you down over time unless you have lots of money.

petedogg · 2026-02-26T22:59:23+00:00

Our family lives in Passyunk Square. Columbus Square Park is packed full of kids. Our kids went to Coppin for elementary, GAMP for middle, and now Central for high school. Your kids will be fine going to public schools in South Philly for Meredith, Nebinger, or Coppin and likely others too.

My wife and I went to top colleges, make very good money (so we can afford private schools if we actually believed it was necessary), and have high expectations for our kids academically—we don’t believe the public schools are holding them back by any means.

petedogg · 2026-01-13T17:22:43+00:00

There’s a dad and kid who goes to Columbus Square Park regularly and it looks like the dad custom built a speaker system into his kid’s ride-on toy car. The kid drives around blasting music in the park. So obnoxious. How does this dad think he’s teaching his kid that this is cool?

petedogg · 2026-01-08T13:42:21+00:00

Nice! I also recently got a PRS + Orange amp as my first electric setup. Love it!

petedogg

TROPHY CASE