Another spring weekend, another set of block parties in South Philly (that’s three weeks in a row, maybe we should diversify).
Nah, these are worth it.
Saturday
South Philly Tap Room, 1509 Mifflin St., is busting outside for a block party, it’s 8th annual wheat beer festival. More than 30 wheat brews will be flowing for only $3 a piece. Plus expect BBQ from chef Scott Schroeder and live music from West Philadelphia Orchestra, Adam and Dave’s Bloodline, Arrah and the Ferns, and Robotrippers.
This should be interesting: 730 Montrose St. #E costs $1.2 million, but it’s HUGE – the biggest house to be featured on SoPhilly Spotlight.
We don’t care for the Beige! Beige! Beige! everywhere, but it’s certainly luxurious and grand. And if you have that kind of money, we’re sure you will just spend another million to redecorate as you see fit.
The building was once a convent, and you may remember another, smaller part of it from a certain October blog post.
Want to turn your smallish concrete yard patch into a verdant green oasis? Start with the upcoming free pallet gardening workshop at South Philadelphia High, hosted by the ever-growing South Philly Food Co-op.
This workshop – which comes with a free pallet - is a great way to get a jump on your garden, recycle, and hang out with some fellow green thumbs. Plus, photos of robust pallet gardens are all the rage for followers of garden porn.
Ahhh, so that’s what a pallet garden is. Pics provided by the Co-op
Old Swede’s Church is hosting another one of their fantastic flea markets this Saturday, May 18. Past years have seen the grounds of the church, at Christian Street and Delaware Ave., filled with more than 100 vendors selling jewelry or art, old books, candlesticks, trinkets, etc.
Old Swede’s Flea
The flea market, which runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., also will feature several food trucks plus live music.
For more information, check out Old Swede’s website. Wow, we’re giving the Swedes all kinds of coverage lately…
That’s what Zagat says, anyway.
Zagat, which we normally consider a reliable source, reeeaaaaalllly missed the mark on this one. Here are their top three choices for outside eating on Passyunk Avenue: 1) Adobe Cafe, 2) Pat’s 3) Geno’s.
Are you kidding?
Adobe, that paragon of outdoor dining. Pic from TripAdvisor
They round out the “8 Best Restaurants for Sidewalk Dining on East Passyunk” list like so:
Isaiah Zagar, the mosaic artist behind the world-renowned Magic Gardens on South Street, is looking for a wall for a class on May 25 and 26.
Want something kind of like this?
The wall he had lined up fell through (the arrangement, not the structure itself). “I’m running out of walls,” he told us.
The wall for the class has to be big enough to accommodate nine or 10 people, but it can be any exterior wall on your house, in your back yard or in an alley. He told us there is no cost to the homeowner. All you have to do is own the wall.
Hundreds of entrepreneurs and inventors lined up last weekend at NextFab Studio to audition for “Shark Tank,” ABC’s investor reality show, Technically Philly reports.
Pic from Technically Philly
The studio, which we told you about in January, is essentially an industrial co-working space that gives members access to huge, expensive machinery to make prototypes of their ideas.
A few weeks back we wrote about a renovation at 7th and McKean and questioned how many apartments were going to be crammed into the building. Permits for 1939 S. 7th St. say they plan to install six full bathrooms into the building’s 4,200 square feet.
1939 S. 7th St.
We also called the area a civic “no-man’s land” since there was no registered community organization that would speak on behalf of the area’s residents (which some people took offense to on our Facebook page) when former single-family homes are split up into apartments.
Well, it turns out, the 7th Street corridor won’t be civic-less for long.
We noticed recently that a liquor license application asking for outside seating appeared outside 12 Steps Down at 9th and Christian. Before we knew it, those signs were popping up like dandelions in a meadow: Connie’s Ric Rac, Teri’s, Villa Di Roma, Anastasi Seafood…
Connie’s Ric Rac and the telling orange application
No, outside patios aren’t flourishing. Those orange placards were signs that the Italian Market Festival is coming.
This Saturday and Sunday, Philly’s preeminent Italian hotbed is opening its doors to the city. During the two-day event, 9th Street’s shops and restaurants will turn the iconic area into a giant block party, free to everyone looking for a little Mediterranean fun – or, apparently, plenty of booze.
The Bella Vista chocolate shop Golosa is closing May 24 after six years, reports Foobooz.
Pic from Uwishunu
The shop, at 6th and Passyunk right up the block from what would have been Triangle Park, is holding modified hours until the end so you can go get a last taste of their sweets (on sale, no less).
