Finding Philly

I never post about places before I go, but I’m psyched about how this weekend is shaping up! Continue Reading »

Sabrina’s is an hour wait. Butcher’s is closed. Where can you and your visiting family eat on a weekend morning down in south philly? You’ve got lots of options! Continue Reading »

If you’re in Center City between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve you should make your best effort to stop by the Wanamaker Building and check out the Chrismas Light Show. Not only is this building loaded with great Philly history and the largest working pipe organ in the world, but it’s a great place to do some holiday shopping and watch a cool light show on your lunch break.

More pics and trivia in the extended…

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This is a short and sweet little story that starts with me moving to Philly a few years ago and noticing the sticker art around the city.  It ends with a local artist’s art opening last night at a slick streetwear shop in Chinatown.  Read on for some pics and the full scoop.

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Check out the link below from the City Paper.  The beer distributor mentioned is three blocks from me so this is very exciting.  Coincidentally the article mentions George Hummel, the subject of my last post!

Big move for Bella Vista Beer Distributors :: The Clog :: Blog Archive :: Philadelphia City Paper :: Philadelphia Arts, Restaurants, Music, Movies, Jobs, Classifieds, Blogs.

I just finished bottling my 6th batch of homebrew beer so it’s high time that I wrote about a local institution called Home Sweet Homebrew. It’s helmed by George Hummel and Nancy Rigberg with some help from Jake and Elwood, who keep the rodents away when the humans leave.

If you’ve ever thought about brewing your own beer and you live in Philly read on for the good news… Continue Reading »

I was up in Chinatown a few weeks back getting some grub on a Sunday. While looking for a parking space I passed a shop window so gorgeous I did a doubletake. Sneakers and Peking ducks hanging side-by-side! Just today I rode my bike back to take a look inside and I’m glad I did.The shop opened up six weeks ago and I’m pissed that I missed the opening. These guys are super-nice and obviously know everything there is to know about the streetwear scene. I don’t know jack about anything except Adidas (they informed me that Nike is on the verge of buying Adidas) but these two are all up in it. Ky Cao, the co-founder along with Jackson Fu, showed me a pair of ultra-limited Bodega Pumps that they’re sitting on for the time being. They have a whole bunch. These guys are sick!

Just like Afficial and WTHN it’s mostly Nike and BAPE, but they have clothing and vinyl toys too. My favorite part of the shop is the design sensibility. Take a look at the pics and notice the Donkey-Kong display, the Peking duck display, the restaurant setup for the clothes and the walk-in fridge setup for the changing room. Glad to see a couple of young guys put together something so slick and be doing something they obviously love.

abakus official site
blog (tons of fun photos)
Sneakers in Philly Google Map
Full Slideshow after the break:
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Sneakerheads untie!

I have to say that, for its size, Philly has a varied and well-stocked set of sneaker stores. I’ve rounded up a selection of my favorites, along with a map and some commentary on each. Hit the link below for the goods.

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Mostly Books is a not-so-tiny little shop on Bainbridge between 5th and 6th. It’s the kind of place that you can walk by a million times and never really notice it or think about stopping in. But I did once, and boy was I surprised! It’s incredibly unassuming on the outside but the inside, while a bit dusty, is something else again. It’s not as big as a Border’s or Barnes and Noble but it might have more books than both put together. And none of those fancy “new” books either. Lots of cool old stuff! Records! Photos! Check out my radical video below! Exclamations points!!!

Musical Goodness courtesy of MF Doom’s Special Herbs series. This one’s called Eucalyptus.

There are two and a half comic retailers in Philadelphia. If you read comics in Philly you probably know about Atomic City on South Street and Fat Jack’s on Sansom and 20th. They are both killer shops that have all the weeklies and a nice selection of trades and back issues. But one is northwest of Rittenhouse Square and one is pretty far east on South Street. Where does this leave the comic-starved Center City businessman though? How to escape the dreary drudgery of the Daily Planet and escape to Elseworlds? This comic-lover was pretty psyched to discover a teeny little newstand in Center City delivering the goods!

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