Brotherly love is just the beginning
By
Matt Mathrani
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Click on the link for a handy PDF version of our May 2008 Philadelphia travel feature!
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Not just quaint colonial cobblestone streets, historical sites, and the delights of ivy-clad architecture compel a visit to the City of Brotherly Love -- so does the thriving gay life
Philadelphia's gay scene is contained within the Center City area, with a concentration of establishments bedecked with rainbow flags within a few blocks of Camac (once the heart of the red-light district). With
few exceptions, you can walk anywhere gay in minutes.
Bars, clubs, and restaurants
Philadelphians like to eat well for less and demand high standards. Comestibles from the Amish, Poles, and Italians at the city's leading food bazaar -- the Reading Terminal -- exemplify the point. In the gay community,
many of the bars have restaurants and vice-versa, and they strive for this same level of quality and value.
At Camac and Locust, a well-mirrored bar called Uncles (1220 Locust) is celebrating 23 years this May. Expect a fun to-do May 2 through 4. Unique to Uncles is a New Orleans-style bar, with doors opened wide to
Locust Street, where you can sit, watch, and be seen by the passers-by. Above the bar is a handy bed-and-breakfast, Uncles Upstairs Inn (see "accommodations," below).
A few doors down, the T.O.C. or Tavern on Camac (243 South Camac) boasts a piano bar on the main level, where there's sing-along seven nights a week. Happy hours are 6 to 8 p.m.
and there's food served here, too. From 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, T.O.C.'s restaurant (downstairs) offers a warm and inviting interior with delicious all-American cuisine and fine wines. From dumplings to
pat�, steaks to seafood, crab cakes to pasta, it's all here. There's Sunday brunch too, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Ascend, the upstairs dance lounge, is packed weekend nights with a lively crowd, and there's a Sunday Tee from
6 p.m. (no cover). Check their website for the menu and the calendar of events.
Woody's (202 South 13th) is a multi-room complex of several bars, a disco, and cafe. Guest DJs and house music dance parties are a staple here. Their cafe offers a cozy escape from the crowd,
and serves lunch, dinner, and late-night fare, and there's an on-site ATM. Visit their website for their weekly roster.
12th Air Command (254 South 12th Street) offers dancing, casual dining, plus entertainment. Their lounge is a classy place to bring a date -- or find one. 12th Air's top-floor Sky lounge and deck has
an open-air bar, and Friday through Sunday they serve Philly cheesesteaks, burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, and fries from their grill.
Bump (1234 Locust), the hybrid bar and restaurant, is a must stopover for not just chic gays but the fashionable set of all stripes. The outdoor garden bar in its rear is an "out of Philly in Philly" experience of
verdant tranquility. Live DJs rock the restaurant that serves dinner 5 through 11 p.m. every night, and the place is mobbed for happy-hour specials Monday through Saturday.
Sister establishment to Bump and Woody's, Pure (1221 St. James) is the after-hours private membership club, comprised of five bars and three dance floors on three levels. DJs of note provide the music. Doors
open around 11 p.m. and close by 3:20 a.m. Though a private membership club, out-of-town guests are quite welcome. Right after it closes, the alley behind becomes the trysting place for those who haven't yet "made
their selection."
Westbury Bar and Restaurant (261 South 13th) is a neighborhood pub with a truly friendly staff, and the place for home cooking with a gourmet touch. Locally known for their draft beer and one of the
best jukeboxes, the bar draws folk throughout the day. Happy hour here is from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and a stellar brunch menu on Sundays is a bonus. Westbury plays host to several different gay groups.
Around the corner, Venture Inn (255 South Camac), an institution on the local scene, stands discreetly. This neighborly tavern and restaurant serves inexpensive continental fare in a comfortable and attractive
setting. Visitors to the bar will encounter a hearty and traditional Philly welcome from the unassuming staff and regulars.
Bike Stop (206 South Quince; Thebikestop.com) has a sports bar, dance floor, basement bar, and main bar. Leather men, drag queens, and sports fans -- most everyone hangs out here. Every night brings a
new adventure, be it a Slutty Sunday or a Shirtless Thursday. A daily happy hour from 5 through 7 p.m. keeps the boys thronging for more. Visit their website for an updated calendar and an "inside look" at this stellar venue.
Key West (207 South Juniper) has a first-floor bar and second level dancing. Karaoke is big here.
Shampoo (417 North 8th) is a warehouse-size dance club with a mixed crowd (gayest on Fridays), circuit parties, and 18-plus nights.
Sisters (1320 Chancellor), usually a women's club, has a Sunday brunch when folk of all sexes and proclivities come by to enjoy the abundant buffet spread.
Knock Restaurant and Bar (225 South 12th Street) is Philly's classic gay hurrah. They're open for lunch Monday through Saturday and for brunch on Sundays. Dinner is served as of 5.30 p.m.,
but cocktails are poured the moment those gorgeous doors unlock at 11 a.m. Their menu is world-inspired but American staples -- such as meat loaf, crab cakes, and pork chops -- are always available. Visit their website for
a virtual tour.
Other area eating establishments include Mixto (1141-43 Pine), a Cuban/Colombian restaurant with zesty Latin fare; and Valanni Restaurant and Lounge (1229 Spruce), serving "Medi-Latin" cuisine.
Getting physical
Located in the heart of the gayborhood, Club Body Center II (1220 Chancellor) has five floors of fun, fantasy, and frolic. Attractions include a second TV/play zone with video games and pool table,
a snack and dining area, and new theme spaces (including lion and bear rooms!). There are over 60 private rooms (some deluxe, with TV), a steamroom, dry sauna, gym, and a locker room. Check their website for updates
on events and services at all three Clubs: Miami, Philadelphia, and Providence -- plus a coupon for a free visit. All the Clubs enforce a zero-tolerance drug policy and encourage safe play.
With a tagline "Where men meet men,"
Sansom Street Gym (2020 Sansom) offers new "steam heat" in Philly. Four types of rooms are available -- standard, VIP, sling, and deluxe -- all
of which include video. Other features include two common-area video rooms, a party room, TV lounge with ottomans, private deck, snack area, and workout area.
Adonis Cinema (2026 Sansom), a video mini-theater, screens favorites and the newest releases in fleshy fantasies. For more private viewing, an array of film booths awaits. The Adonis has a large selection of
videos for rent or for sale, and they stay open 24/7.
Sansom Cinema (120 South 13th Street) is an all-male movie house spread out over two floors. The theater features eight movies weekly. In addition, there are 10 booths (plus four more VIP ones), a stage area,
and a store with toys and more movies. All these goodies are at hand once you walk through the discreet, low-key, glass-door entrance. Amidst a maze of nooks and crannies are corridors marked "Cum Lane" and "Lust Lane"
-- so how could you go wrong?
Danny's (133 South 13th Street) boasts a maze of private booths, a wide selection of adult mags, rubber and leather goodies, plus gay and bisexual videos.
12th Street Gym (204 South 12th Street) is a veritable factory for producing that body beautiful.
Shopping
There's no better place to see the breadth and depth of GLBT culture: since 1973, Giovanni's Room (345 South 12th Street; 215-923-2960) has ranked as one of the world's preeminent
gay bookstores, specializing in queer literature, movies, music, posters, calendars, as well as foreign-language and imported books. The inventory is incomparable. The store hosts about 50 author readings a year, and is
a community meeting point. Housed in a charming brownstone, its staff has (collectively) over 70 years of queer cultural experience.
Spruce Street DVD & Video (252 South 12th Street) has thousands of gay titles in stock for rent and sale.
Accommodations
There are two comfortable hotel options right in the middle of all the area nightlife. Above Uncles Bar, the bed-and-breakfast Uncles Upstairs Inn (1220 Locust; 215-546-6660) offers six comfortable rooms
with attached baths, private phones, plus cable TV. There's free continental breakfast, and faxing facilities are on hand for business travelers. Enter through the bar, or by the rear entrance with your key.
Alexander Inn (304 South 12th; 877-253-9466) has Art Deco flair and all the creature comforts: phones with modem ports, TV with six premium cable channels, and broadband internet. Rooms have private bath.
A welcoming lobby, extended continental breakfast, a fitness center, free email terminals, and affable reception are all part of the treat.
Philly International Gay/Lesbian Film Festival (Phillyfests.com), known as "The sexiest gay film festival," runs July 10 to 21 at venues in the gayborhood. This year they will
screen some 150 GLBT films. Look for program guides with all the details around town as of June 23, which is when tickets go on sale online and at all TLA video stores.
Outfest culminates in a block party in the gayborhood every October -- this year on Sunday, October 12. See Phillypride.org for details on this and the pride parade and festival on Sunday, June 8.
Keep yourself in the loop with the venerable Philadelphia Gay News, now in its 33rd year. William Way Community Center (1315 Spruce) serves the GLBT community, and includes
a library and archives free and open to all.
Fairmount Park -- the nation's largest landscaped city park -- has winding creeks, rustic trails, meadows, and the nation's first zoo. Gay men seeking adventure frequent the notorious Judy Garland Park (at the extreme
end of Spruce, at 25th Street). Recreational pursuits there and behind the railroad tracks nearby are (as always), at your own risk.
Surfing the net in Philadelphia is easy and free in many public areas including Love Park, Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Reading Terminal Market, and the Convention Center.
Many lesbian-and-gay icons -- including Thomas Eakins, Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, and Gertrude Stein -- lived or lingered in Philadelphia. For an informative book on the subject, check out Gay and Lesbian Philadelphia by Thom Nickels -- ask at Giovanni's Room.
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