Sunday, December 14, 2008

I Love Glenside

I live in a great town. Glenside, PA is an interesting little place that's full of character.

Glenside is the perfect hybrid of suburb and little town. You can walk nearly everywhere you need to go, but you never feel crowded like you would in a city. Less than five blocks from where I live, you can get a haircut, buy a doughnut and the paper, pick up a six pack, grab a pizza, sit down in a pub to watch a ball game, eat Chinese food.

If you're feeling really adventurous, you can walk about ten minutes and go to the Keswick Theatre, which has been open since 1928. It was designed by the same guy that created the Philadelphia Museum of Art! A lot of great acts came through here, like The Marx Brothers. And they're still coming through--BB King, The Allman Brothers Band, etc. It's considered to have nearly perfect acoustics.

Just across the street from the Keswick sits the smallest (or second smallest, there's some debate) brewery in the United States: GG Brewers. It's a great place to grab a bite to eat and throw back a few pints. Cozy as it is, there's still plenty of room for a game of darts (or "jarts," if you're a player). There's always an XBox or other gaming system hooked up to one of the TVs. Many a game of half-drunken Ms. Pac Man was played there between pints.

And speaking of pubs, there are no shortage in Glenside. We've also got the Glenside Pub, Cork, and the Keswick Tavern. If you're into Greek food, there's Athena.

Newgrounds also makes its home in Glenside. Newgrounds is the original Flash portal on the internet, and the owners/operators receive hundreds of submissions a day from anybody and everybody.

Glenside is also the home of the Won Insitute. I'm not quite sure what goes on there, but one of these days I'll work up the nerve to go inside. The building looks cool. Based on the website, tt appears to be a school offering courses on Eastern thought and its practical applications.

If you're ever in Glenside, shoot me an email and we'll grab a pint. It's a great little town.

4 comments:

Nick Hughes said...

Hey Brian, I remember when Newgrounds was run out of a basement across the street from my apartment. Tom Fulp came to our New Year's party. You were there, remember? Also, I found a video featuring Newgrounds' Glenside office. Check it out:

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/around_town/the_scene/Video_Gaming_Mecca_in_Glenside_Philadelphia.html

Nick Hughes said...

Also, over the weekend I found some pictures of my great uncle, who lived in Glenside for much of his life. He served in the Navy at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and he took public transportation wherever he went. He was one of the nicest guys I've ever met. My great aunt still lives in Glenside, so it's always been a special place for me.

It sounds like I should visit it more often!

Nick Hughes said...

f that link in my comment above looks weird, here it is again, Newgrounds on NBC 10

Brian O'Rourke said...

Dude, you should visit Glenside more often. Pub within walking distance = heaven.

I don't remember meeting Tom Fulp at the New Year's Party. Is that the one where "Morgan Freeman" showed up too?

Why did I not know your Great Aunt lived in Glenside? Or does that fall into the category of "Nick told Brian when Brian was drinking one (or several) nights"?

BTW--I hope the show went well last night. And I hope the show tonight goes well. I should write a post about The Sobriquets, but I should probably see one of your shows first.