Revisiting the Sparks of Stars' Origin

One of the top reasons a group of friends or a whole family would visit a city is to tour the top landmarks of the area. Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love, famous for lots of well-known destinations including musuems, parks, and national historic sites. These sites would consisently be on people's to-visit list when they come to Philly.

Philadelphia is also well known as a birthplace of many celebrities, and were all raised right here. Most of today's society know how these stars were born, but few get to witness the birthplace of their spark to their extrodinary careers. These sites were not only the birthplace of the celebrities, but future stars that made a huge impact on the world.

These landmarks end up being neglected, or even forgetten after they move on with their career. I want to take this chance to bring these iconic places back into the radar, to remind the people where these stars began. These places, although not the iconic trademarks of Philadelphia, represent the origin of their story, and where it all started.

When you visit Fairmount Park, trying to find a nice view of the city skyline, be sure to visit the Belmont Mansion on top of the plateau.

The Belmont Mansion was one of the many shots for the hit music video release of "Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (Will Smith) in 1991. This hit single won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. "Summertime" was the starting point for Will Smith becoming one of the most iconic actors in Hollywood.

On January 26th, 2020, the world was shocked when we went on the news and saw the headline about Kobe Bryant's death. I remember it was covered on all news media channels for the entire week worldwide. To this day, people still talk about that tragic day where the helicopter crashed on the hillside off Las Virgenes Road in California.

The world continues to mourn for Kobe Bryant since that day, but no place mourned more than where his legendary career started at Lower Merion High School. On December 2010, the school board decided to rename their stadium after his name, where on February 2020, his memorial took place. Kobe touched many lives, especially to the students at Lower Merion, carrying a moral obligation to live to his name, wearing the Bulldog emblem with honor as he once did. Kobe will always be a part of this school, and a part of everyone whose lives he changed significantly.

The Laff House was the birthplace of Kevin Hart's hard-earned career as a stand-up comedian. One of his first performances happened in this very building back in 2006. This performance was the spark that ignited his career into becoming one of the most influential actors and stand-up comedians of all-time.

Being raised in poverty, Kevin never lost his hope of becoming someone one day. He worked day and night for his shot at the Laff House, and the rest of his sotry was written. Today, he travels all over the world, putting a smile on everyone's face, and continues on making a positive impact, thanks to the city of brotherly love who gave him that chance.

____________________________________________________

I want these locations to be an inspiration to everyone; realizing that the birthplace of their spark, could be right in front of them. But I want people to remember these places when they visit Philadelphia, that they still exist, and should be remembered what they onc were. I want to bring the brotherly love back to these iconic places to once they were