By Paul Rubio

 

Sandwiched between two major metropolises, “The City of Brotherly Love” has long suffered from middle city syndrome, taking a back seat to the “Big Apple’s” larger-than-life personality and D.C.’s historic and political magnetism. Combined with its tarnished reputation as a run-down, crime riddled wasteland, Philadelphia was far off the tourist map for those unwilling to invest in bulletproof vests, crack pipes, or combat boots.

 

But in the last few decades, elected reformists and determined denizens have grabbed Philly by the balls Giuliani style, laboring towards widespread gentrification, revitalization, and some boomtown sophistication. Flash forward to present day, when Philadelphia triumphs as one of America’s hottest and trendiest cities. Restored historical relics, charming gayborhoods, sprawling parks, a burgeoning cultural and arts scene, and a globally renowned restaurant scene is just the beginning. With homeboy Rocky Balboa’s gloves firmly in hand, Philadelphia is now ready for the big-city boxing ring, eager to compete against neighboring New York City and DC and finally show us what’s it made of!

 

Like most urban renewals, the GLBT community rests at the heart and soul of this extreme makeover. Point in case: lesbian power couple, Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran, who have double-handedly revived an entire block along south 13^th street, personally owning and operating a half-dozen eclectic restaurants and boutiques.  More than creating a cozy village atmosphere, these lovely ladies dish out some of the country’s (yes country’s) best food, with restaurants themed after their global travels.  For example, the menu at Barbuzzo (110 South 13^th St., 215.546.9300, barbuzzo.com) was inspired by Marcie and Valerie’s jaunts through Italy, after which Marcie added her modern American flair to classic Italian dishes, resulting in some rather intense food orgasms for her patrons (think: house-made “Pan Seared Gnocchi” with smoked corn, baby tomatoes, wood roasted mushrooms and homemade truffle butter, “Roasted Beet-Goat Cheese Ravioli”, again house-made, with orange zest, balsamic-brown butter and crushed almond amaretti, and “Salted Caramel Budino” with dark chocolate crust, vanilla bean caramel and sea salt).

 

However, it’s not just 13^th street that’s buzzing with frenzied foodies. Exalted Iron Chef, Jose Garces has seven restaurants and counting throughout diverse pockets of the city, each one more popular than the next. His latest, J.G. Domestics (2929 Arch St., 215-222-2363, jgdomestic.com) elevates American cooking to the next level, with farm-to-table ingredients from artisanal producers, resulting in mouth-watering dishes like “Barnegat Light Dayboat Scallops” over cauliflower, black truffle, and kumquat. Restaurant impresario Stephen Starr has also revolutionized the restaurant landscape with seventeen individualistic eateries like the famed, Asian-inspired see and be seen trendsetter, Buddakan (325 Chestnut St., 215-222-2363, buddakan.com). Furthermore, Philly’s wildly popular BYOB craze has enabled the massive student population and the more money-conscious crowd to indulge in the restaurant scene while holding tight to the drinking kitty for some late night libations.

 

Fortunately, locales for after-dinner hedonism are always just around the corner and often stumbling distance from one another.  For the GLBT community this is especially so within Midtown Village gayborhood, bordered by Chestnut and Pine streets, South 11^th and Broad Streets, packed with enough awesome small bars and clubs to land Philadelphia the title “Best U.S. Destination” by LOGO. But regardless of where you begin your pub-crawl in the square, everyone invariably ends up at Woody’s Bar (202 S. 13^th St., 215.545.1893, www.woodysbar.com) a multi-level drink and dance palladium that’s become an institution in gay Philadelphia. There’s just no escaping it!

 

It’s likely that you’ll want to not just drink in the gayborhood but stay there, too. The adorable, 24-room boutique Independent Hotel (1234 Locust St., 215.772.1440, theindependenthotel.com) is an adaptive reuse of a Georgian-Revival building on the National Register of Historic Places. The personality-driven rooms boast varying combinations of exposed brick walls, cathedral ceilings, French windows, and loft-style furnishings, all technologically savvy and equipped with kitchenettes (as well as curtains that kind of look like the dress my sister wore to my Bar-Mitzvah, but I digress…).

 

A few blocks opposite the gayborhood, greater Philadelphia teems with historic landmarks and sites like Independence Hall (Chestnut St., between 5^th & 6^th St), where the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Liberty Bell Center (left - Photo by J. Fusco for GPTMC), and our nation’s first hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital (800 Spruce St., 215.829.3270, pennhealth.com/pahosp). The exquisite and enlightening Philadelphia Museum of Art (26^th St & Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 215.763.8100, philamuseum.org) towers over the city, approached by the iconic stairs made famous by Sylvester Stallone’s pit-drenched victory jog (queue: "Gonna Fly Now").  Close by, the recently expanded Rodin Museum (22^nd St  & Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 215.763.8100, philamuseum.org) houses the largest collection of the artist’s sculptures and drawings outside of Paris. And a bit further afield, the freakishly fascinating Eastern State Penitentiary (22^nd St & Fairmont Ave., 215.236.3300, easternstate.org) reveals our nation’s twisted history of confinement, psychiatry, and punishment. Tours through this mega incarceration experiment, once the most expensive in prison in the world, are spellbinding and downright heart pounding. Around Halloween time, the Penitentiary transforms into a haunted house extravaganza called Terror Behind the Walls, which is by no means for the faint-hearted. Be prepared to scream at the top of your lungs, drown in anxiety, and collapse in fear as the prison walls and ghosts come to life, recalling the terror of the Penitentiary’s 19^th century hey day or an average day on the streets in Philadelphia in the late eighties.

 

For more fun and fabulous Philly 411 go to visitphilly.com.