<p>It occurs to me that I should have said, positively, that the Penn campus itself and its immediate surrounding area are completely vibrant and exciting. It’s not beautiful everywhere, but it has lots of beautiful nooks and crannies, including some great old and new buildings. There is a pedestrian walkway that goes through the middle of the campus, so students don’t have to be on the streets with the cars all the time. The campus is very sprawly, and, as I said, open to the city, so there are plenty of parts that may feel a little threatening at 2 am if you don’t have a buddy to walk with, or an escort. But that isn’t true about the central part of campus at all.</p>
<p>W/re the “Promise Zone” – it is drawn to include, not just Mantua (which needs it), but also pretty much all of Drexel, and 30th Street Station, and the old 30th Street Post Office that is due for some major redevelopment, and the whole area between them and Penn/Drexel. John Fry, Drexel’s president, is a former Penn vice-president, and is a guy who knows how to get neighborhoods spruced and buildings built, for sure. The Promise Zone looks like it will be an enormous boost for Drexel and for the Cira center development along the river, which in turn will benefit the Penn campus, too.</p>