The street preacher in the minds of many Americans, especially in the diverse northeastern metropolis, is often regarded as a wild-eyed evangelical with either a sign or megaphone, decrying those who defy the Lord who will supposedly receive eternal damnation. On Temple’s campus, visits by such preachers are a regular occurrence. Other merchants of spirituality and wisdom take on less ostentatious forms, distributing books or pamphlets or even simply engaging passersby in conversation.
Valentine’s day is both the best day to own a chocolate shop and the worst day to be single, especially if you’re broke. Anyone who has been single for their fair share of Valentine’s Days is familiar with the sinking realization that your night to be spent watching Netflix, eating some candy and not texting your ex – really, don’t do it.
Visitors to the Paint the Revolution exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art yearn for a fortunate opportunity to see, firsthand, famous pieces by painter-turned-pop-culture-icon Frida Kahlo or one of Diego Rivera’s renowned large-scale works. The front of the museum itself had been temporarily adorned with a self-portrait of Kahlo.
Outfest 2016, Philadelphia’s biggest LGBT event of the year, coincided with National Coming Out Day Oct. 9. 14th Street reporter Cady Elliot attended and documented the event:
Philadelphia refuses to stop having new wonders and hidden gems. Almost anywhere you look you can find something different, something exciting. Most recently I found it in the back of a graffiti-clothed alley off Girard Street called Open Space. Walk in the back door at 1014 N Marshall St. and the venue opens to a stark contrast of the city that surrounds it: aptly named, the venue is white space. Simple. Modern. Clean. It serves as a blank canvas for whichever event it’s hosting; one standout was a concert celebrating Philly’s budding rap scene Sept. 29.
Inspired by car-less streets during the papal visit last year, the City of Philadelphia held Open Streets PHL, or Philly Free Streets Sept. 24. The program welcomed cyclists, walkers, musicians and artists to take advantage of an open South Street. Video is by Conor Humphries.
The Farm Truck was hand-painted by Pennsylvania artist Gabe Felice.
Investing in local food sources and local art, Farm Truck has embraced Philadelphia’s culture.
Not a hot dog cart: Poi Dog features authentic Hawaiian cuisine in food truck version.
Hawaiian food joints are limited in Philadelphia. Poi Dog draws inspiration from various other cuisines, including Filipino and Puerto Rican.
“We do well because nobody serves what we serve,” co-founder Kiki Aranita, above, said. “We have a customer base that looks for anything that reminds them of home, or of a really good time that they had on vacation.”
Donte Fassett of Chef Donte’s Delicious Dishes food truck, where they serve soul food “with a twist.”
Head Chef Daniel Tang of Sugar Philly blowtorches the edges of a macaroon ice cream sandwich.
To Soda City, customer feedback is the most important aspect of their business. Their sodas are made right at the stand.
Soda City’s authentic barrel dispensers. All photos in this gallery are by Linh Than.
A precursor to Restaurant Week, the Fall StrEAT Festival Sept. 18 drew quite a crowd of Philly foodies to Manayunk’s Main Street; those who couldn’t snag a table sat on the curb were with sushi burritos and pizza cones in hand. There were vendors, a farm stand, live music, even street magicians, but it was the lineup of over 50 acclaimed food trucks that stole the show. If you didn’t get a chance to sample some of the best mobile meals that Philly has to offer, look no further: profiled below are five standouts from the festival, parked on a street corner near you.
Hidden behind a muraled exterior on 11th Street in South Philly is an unassuming taqueria, simply called “South Philly Barbacoa.” This restaurant, formerly a food truck, serves only two kinds of tacos. And they are perfection.
If you have ever spent time watching Louis C.K.’s sitcom, Louis, one of the lasting ideas from the show is the legendary “bang-bang.” If you enjoy eating – and eating a lot, I might add – this is also a perfect experience for you. Essentially, it’s when someone eats out at a restaurant and after a full meal is finished, he or she leaves and goes into a completely different kind of restaurant.
Fans congregated to the Mann Center Sept. 9 to watch The Lumineers perform, as well as opening acts Rayland Baxter and Børns. The venue was packed with people. The sold out concert filled the seats, balcony, and lawn with adoring fans. “This is the most crowded I’ve ever seen the Mann,” said concert-goer Mike Innocenti.
