Get to know Matt and Lurena. Their love of Philadelphia and mutual passion for US political history cultivated their lifestyle and inspired their family. When they were deciding what to name the kids, they chose to name their son after our 2 favorite presidents, Lincoln and Kennedy (first and middle name).
A year and a half later, when it was time to name their daughter, they wanted to continue this theme while also paying tribute to our love of the city as the birthplace of freedom. The Liberty Bell was a bit of inspiration, and if you look at the head of a penny, next to Abraham Lincoln’s head, it says “Liberty”. So they named her Liberty Bella to pay homage to the spirit that we think the city embraces and its history. These aspects of location, community and, city are what they will miss the most about leaving their home.
Matt fondly remembers the first day Liberty came home from the hospital and Lincoln immediately realized the intrusion could mean the end of his completely spoiled and privileged life, and so the months of preparation culminated in an epic meltdown that lasted… 5 years.
With the home being fully detached and free-standing, Matt enjoys playing music as loud as he wants but misses hearing all the entertainment, drama, and late night screaming that his previous attached row homes always provided.
For Matt, having the roof deck accessible from our master bed and en-suite bathroom meant serene mornings while getting ready for work, and peaceful scenic evenings before bed. He and Lurena will sorely miss entertaining on July 4th and watch the fireworks with friends and drinks or reading in the hammock in the fall or spring, or lay out and soak up the sun in the summer.
This family is very good at taking advantage of their outdoor space in all seasons. Having a backyard big enough for entertaining was always nice and then converting it to an extension of the living space for the kids as a kind of outdoor playroom provided a lot of memories of both pre-monster times and post-monster times.
Lurena used to joke that Matt was the mayor of their street because he knows everyone. That can be attributed to more than just Matt’s exuberance, their block has a true sense of community.
“We know each one of our neighbors on our block and probably 70% of the neighbors across the street, and down both side streets on Ritter and Taggert. Every time we walk around the corner, we see someone we know, stop and say Hi. I will truly miss seeing those same friendly faces when we move.”
Another great amenity is the fact that we live so close to all of the major highways. This location is so convenient to get to all parts of the city. Lurena never complained about working in Narberth daily because getting there was a breeze.
As for Fishtown itself, they can’t imagine not being able to visit all of their favorite food spots, playgrounds, Coffee House Too for breakfast and coffee, Soup Kitchen, the many restaurants on Girard. Weckerly’s for ice cream, Loco Pez for Mexican food and happy hour are a few more of their favorites before a visit to Penn Treaty for the playground and the park.
