Florida Agenda

ROBERT ELIAS DEATON

It’s taken a while, but Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, is finally one of the gay friendliest spots in the nation. For over two decades, the city that hugs the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers has been struggling with an identity problem and population loss, which was finally halted with a large influx of gays. In a pattern we’ve seen worked successfully in Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors locally, the homosexual population has moved in, gentrified the area, and boosted real estate prices and the quality of life in the process. Philadelphia, in turn, has stretched out its historical arms and embraced the LGBT movement.

No matter what kind of amusement you ultimately want, there is a little of it somewhere in Philly. Philadelphia has more outdoor sculptures than any city in America, and the largest landscaped urban park in the world—Fairmount Park—that covers 9,200 acres, with its Georgian country mansions and 100 miles of trails, many unchanged since Revolutionary times. It also has the fantastic Philadelphia Museum of Art (26th St. and the Parkway), with its Van Gogh Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, and, yes, the statue of Rocky Balboa (from “Rocky” film fame).

The gay club scene in Philadelphia is nearly as historic as the city itself. Back in the 20s, there was an active established gay population of writers, artists, and performers who quietly went about seducing the young sailors who magically found their way to 243 S Camac St. All these years later, it’s still a gay club, now going under name Tavern on Camac. In addition to being the oldest continuously operating gay bar in town, it has the distinction of having the priciest drinks—$4.50 for a bottle of domestic beer—the best piano bar around PA, and the tiniest dance floor (upstairs) we’ve ever seen.

Leather studs call The Bike Stop (206 S Quince St.) home. Mondays the costume of choice is jocks straps; Wednesdays it’s underwear. Everyday it’s hot. For those more interested in cute young things, hot music and dancing, go nowhere else but Voyeur (1221 Saint James St. between 13th & 12th). There’s a bit of the haught with crystal chandeliers and red velvet in this three story dance palace that stays open to 3 a.m. There is a hefty cover charge that’s worth every penny if house music is your thing late at night.

Food in Philly offers far more than cheesesteaks and soft pretzels. Whether midday or late night, give Knock (225 S 12th St.) a try. This is an LGBT hangout, but even if it weren’t, we’d recommend it for the décor (mahogany paneling and grand piano lend a solid sophistication) and food (creative New American cuisine). Their Seared Salmon Oscar ($25) is worth a visit alone. People watch as you eat fresh salmon fillet, seared and oven roasted, topped with seasoned crab meat and cilantro-lime butter.

You may have to search for the Cucina Zapata roach coach, which travels the streets around 31st and Ludlow by the University of Pennsylvania. The world’s only Captain Crunch Talapia Taco is worthy of a special trip. $8 for three tacos and two bottles of water seems like a heavenly intervention, and it likely is.

Oh, and make an effort to cruise past Lord & Taylor department store at noon, to stand in front of the mighty eagle sculpture and hear a live performance of the one-time Wanamaker Department store pipe organ: It will take you back to a gentle time, of hats and gloves and doors opened with respect, not slammed in one’s face. A special town indeed!

READ PART I HERE:  Philadelphia – Brotherly Love, Steak Sandwiches, and Soft Pretzels

Robert Elias Deaton is a world-traveling epicure who enjoys the finer things in life.

By ROBERT ELIAS DEATON

When Philadelphia was nicknamed the City of Brotherly Love, they were originally speaking of Quakers, not gays. However, all that has changed within the past six years as this town of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the Betsy Ross House has evolved into a rather gay-hip collection of clubs, B&Bs, restaurants, and gyms.

To keep your history straight and your nightlife gay, the first thing you need to know about Philly is that many of the yellow-brick roads here are cobblestone, particularly in the historical district located in the Olde City, a square mile officially bordered by Race, South, Sixth, and Front Streets—or the Delaware River if you’re reading your guide map and walk too far East.

All the historical must-sees can easily be toured during a one-day outing, with locals dressed as town criers and the like to guide you down the appropriate alleys. Do not miss checking out this part of town, for there is something very humbling and essential in discovering the Birthplace of America for yourself. You don’t have to be gay to be proud in this section of town.

For the real fun, travel toward Washington Square West, home to the gayborhood and, as you might expect, the nightlife— ranging from cultured to sleazy and all within easy walking distance. This is particularly true if you lodge the bod in a place called the Independent Hotel (1234 Locust St., 215-772-1440), a 24- room boutique hotel which is not only on the National Register of Historical Places, it’s been given a total fluff-and-fold for comfort and style with rooms starting at $239.

The fitness center of choice is located nearby. More than just a workout gem, the 12th Street Gym (204 S 12th St., 215-985-4092) is 60,000 square feet of cruisy inspiration, with all the expected equipment and more. For tips on form, check in with baby Joe Burke, our recommended personal trainer.

For good local eats and plenty of it, try Lolita (106 S 13th St., 215-546-7100), owned by dolls and partners Valerie Safran and Marcie Turney. The ladies know their business and pack this place right out the front door. It’s a bring-your-own-tequila kinda place. They’ll supply the pitcher of fresh-squeezed margarita mixes (watermelon and wild mint) and you supply the hootch, which is available a block away at Premium Collection Wine & Spirits (1218 Chestnut St., 215-560–4380).

The girls also own Bindi (105 S 13th St., 215- 922-6061), the Indian restaurant across the street, as well as the one-stop-convenience shop Grocery and homewares store Open House next door.

After you roll out with full bellies and a smile on your lips, a wonderful local place to peoplewatch and experience Philly at its most literate is Giovanni’s Room (345 S 12th St., 215-923- 2960), the oldest gay bookstore in the country.

This particular place has the distinction of having been a gay and lesbian refuge during a time when the LGBT community was not so welcome in the Birthplace of America. Even if it didn’t have 7,000 books on its shelves— many of which you’ll find nowhere else—this bookstore is alive with our history. Get kissed by one of the staff—which, quite frankly is not so tough—and you’ll continue a love which began with Walt Whitman and was passed on to Edward Carpenter to E.M. Forster to Allen Ginsberg, then to Bern Boyle, one of the founders of Giovanni’s Room.

Next week, we’ll give you the inside scoop on the real Philly nightlife, and the basement you won’t want to miss.

READ PART 2 HERE: PHILADELPHIA II -Betsy Ross Would Be Pleased

Robert Elias Deaton is a world-traveling epicure who enjoys the finer things in life.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Courage International, a Connecticut-based Roman Catholic ministry dedicated to helping gay men overcome their homosexual urges through chastity and prayer, is hosting its 13th annual sports camp near Philadelphia, through Sunday, to help “men physically compete on the field while enriching their souls through a daily regimen of prayer, confessions, mass, and the Liturgy of the Hours,” according to Courage’s Web site. The site advertises to gay men that by “developing an interior life of chastity, which is the universal call to all Christians, one can move beyond the confines of the homosexual identity to a more complete one in Christ.” The concept has local LGBT advocates like Ed Coffin up in arms. “They think that in offering people with same sex attraction the chance to learn how to play sports, they will learn to be manlier,” said Coffin, who heads the Peace Advocacy Network, a Philadelphia-based organization. “It’s a ludicrous assertion. There are many, many out gay athletes and many gay men who play sports,” he said.

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 13th 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 13th Street, 215.546.9300, www.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 13th 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 Street, 215-222-2363, www.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 11th 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. 13th Street, 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 5th & 6th St.), where the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Liberty Bell Center 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 (26th Street and 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 (22nd 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 (22nd 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 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 19th century heyday or an average day on the streets in Philadelphia in the late eighties.

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

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been working hard to attract the gay tourist dollar and has three major LGBT events scheduled for this year. The announcement of these acclaimed national events proves that the Philadelphia region is a premier destination where people can “get their history straight and their nightlife gay,” the tagline from the popular gay campaign from the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC).

The three major events that will take place later this year in Philadelphia are:

ASANA Softball World Series, August 23-27 – The largest single sporting event for lesbians in the U.S. More than 1,000 lesbians and their friends from across the country will arrive for five days of competition throughout the region.

21st Annual National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association National Convention and 8th Annual LGBT Media Summit, August 25-28 – This event will bring in more than 300 influential representatives of the mainstream and LGBT media for four days of professional development workshops, networking events and panels.

U.S. Mr. Gay Competition, November 4-5 – Contestants from 25 cities. Produced by nightlifegay.com, the two-day competition is the culmination of a year of competitions held across the country, and the winner will advance to the international competition.