But in 1983, the Palladium moved into the handsome Gothic building at 36th and Locust Walk owned by the Christian Association and began serving above-average eclectic fare. And in 1989, Michele Leff and her husband, David Fetkewicz, whose fresh Mexican food in the Reading Terminal Market had earned them a devoted following in Philadelphia, opened a highly successful upscale Mexican restaurant named Zocalo at the corner of 36th Street and Lancaster Avenue. Leff estimates that during the week 30 percent of her clientele comes from Penn and another 15 percent from Drexel University. During the weekend, however, people cross state lines to sample the city's only hand-made corn tortillas, swordfish tacos, glazed duck, Mexican rice pudding, and killer margaritas. Leff, who is hoping to put together an expo of all the area's restaurants next fall, thinks there is a great future for both retail businesses and restaurants in West Philadelphia.
People like to come here.
Penn is aware of the shortcomings of the area, and is doing its best to counteract them. Penn needs to focus on this. Taking the University and shrinking its campus and becoming insular will only create a bigger problem down the road, because the fringe areas are where most of the problems come from. If we create enough energy and positive experiences along the fringes, then Penn and the merchants here will end up having a better environment for everybody. The reopening of LaTerrasse can be seen as a small but important symbol of that better environment.