April 3, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

From our readers

Do yourself a favor

In reading the Crime Report, it seems that casual habits are positioning Chestnut Hill as “easy pickings” for the goods: car keys, GPS systems, computers, cameras and more. Knowing that people leave valuables easily accessible makes our neighborhood a Candy Land for criminals.  Most petty crime is opportunistic; make your car, home or self “not worth the effort.”  Especially with warm weather (rain is usually best for crime prevention), unstructured warm days and a challenging economy, day to day diligence is in order.

• Lock your car.  Add The Club as an additional deterrent.

• Leave NOTHING of value in your car.  Open the ash tray and glove compartment to “prove” they’re empty. Same for the trunk. Once they’re inside the car, it’s easy to pop the trunk and take your laptop, camera or whatever else is stored there.

• Lock the doors to your home: front, back and side. Close windows to your home, if possible.

• Do not display expensive or showy items by your windows.

• If confronted by an assailant, give it up — fast. Nothing’s worth it. Heroes are for comic books.

• Have your local police conduct a walk-through of your home to identify problem areas.

These are not official tips, just my own advice based, unfortunately, on experience. And not just for nighttime. You’ll notice that crime is a 24/7 activity.

Yes, this is historic Chestnut Hill. And yes, this is Philadelphia 2008. Take care of yourself and get to know your neighbors.

Pam Thistle
Wyndmoor

Yu Hsiang Garden Article was terrific

Len Lear’s review of Yu Hsiang Garden last week was a terrific piece of journalism because it wove together Len’s great institutional knowledge of Yu Hsiang’s past and its owners in Chestnut Hill, the return of popular Vincent Ly and remodeling of Yu Hsiang and the challenges it faces with the Germantown Avenue closure. And, he topped it off with his customary review of the cuisine. It was a very readable, uplifting piece, and I hope it gets people to support Yu Hsiang and the other businesses struggling with the road disruptions.

Art Howe
Wyndmoor