FOREWORD: Editor’s Letter on Driving to the Delaware River

Living It Up

Living It Up

My wife and I share this fantasy in which we pack up our belongings and head north on 202, then east on I-76 to 676, not stopping until we hit the Delaware River. There we promptly settle into our ninth-story three-bedroom condo at the Residences at Dockside, with its stunning water views on one side and glimpses of the Center City skyline on the other. Naturally, the place is fully furnished, so we put all those heavy, outdated cherry pieces we’ve been lugging around safely into storage. My wife opens an artsy boutique in Northern Liberties, and I revel in the reverse daily commute to the Main Line, slowing down only to point and laugh at the miserable gridlocked masses heading east along the Schuylkill. We only need one car, so that frees up some money for a boat, which we keep at a nearby marina.

Then reality sets in, and we think about our 4-year-old daughter. Which prompts us to modify our hypothetical timeline by about, oh, 20 years. In the interim, we can always ponder a move to one of the many condominium developments sprouting up around the Main Line, which is enjoying its own vertical residential renaissance of late. Chances are we’d opt for one of the second-floor beauties developer Cas Holloway has planned for downtown Wayne. That way, we could enjoy the same sort of pedestrian-friendly shopping, dining and entertainment options we currently take advantage of in West Chester. Our daughter, meanwhile, would have Radnor Township’s great public schools at her disposal and my wife could still open that artsy boutique.

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Ah well, it never hurts to dream. And in this month’s cover story, senior editor Tara Behan anchors those fantasies in the hard facts about the baby-boomer-driven spike in condo development on the Main Line. Perhaps no project illustrates the trend more opulently than developer Brian O’Neill’s 154-unit Corinthian project in Bala Cynwyd. Since its grand opening last June, more than 80 units have sold, including two lavish penthouses. O’Neill is so confident in buyer demand for his hassle-free high-end residences, he’s working on a second project in Gladwyne. “Living should be a luxurious experience,” O’Neill says. “Whether you’re choosing a condo or a manse, that’s what the Main Line should be all about.”

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: With five kids of her own, associate editor Dawn E. Warden knows what it takes to keep young minds and bodies occupied during the summer months—especially as they get older. This year, she tracks down the coolest and most exotic summer camps for youngsters with a thirst for travel, adventure and sundry intellectual and artistic challenges. For all you parents who plan to keep your kids at home this summer, this may just change your mind.

Our Best of the Main Line Elimination Ballot is open through February 22!