Welcome to Unexpected Philadelphia – the photo website and blog!

In this blog, we’ll give you the stories behind the fabulous Philadelphia people and places on our new website, unexpectedphila.com. We hope you’ll visit the great photo galleries waiting for you there.

ABOUT US

When we moved to South Philadelphia in 2012, we were looking for adventure. Kate was a found-object artist and feature writer by avocation. Dave photographed rock bands for an Asbury Park, NJ newspaper in his spare time. We’d owned a gallery, and loved hanging out at flea markets and quirky outsider art sites.

Happily adventure found us:

In the form of the Philadelphia Dumpster Divers, with their inspired upcycled art and wildly imaginative homes….

In a fabulous 1960s photo album that sent Kate on a quest to identify hundreds of South Philly celebrities, politicians and ‘just plain folks’….

And in a holiday project that put our neighbors in our windows and found us on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer….

And immediately we knew it would be fun to share our quirky, inspiring, and – yes – unexpected city with fellow adventurers.

ABOUT  THE  PHOTO  WEBSITE  &  BLOG

The photos on the Unexpected Philadelphia website will capture some of the most creative people and spaces in South Philadelphia and the city beyond:  We’ll tour artists’ homes and studios, peek into South Philly’s star-filled past, and explore everything from iconic neon signs to legendary shops….

This blog will provide the stories behind the photos, letting you meet our website stars and alerting you to special events connected with them and the places we visit.

And, yes, we’ll keep adding more great home interiors, more images from South Philly’s past, and brand new photo essays on our website.

We hope you’ll join us, and that you’ll say hello, either by email or on the street.

Thanks for visiting Unexpected Philadelphia!

(Photo by John Claeys)

Kate & Dave