The rainbow crosswalks at 13th and Locust Streets were once a gleaming landmark for the Gayborhood. That was 2015, when Instagram-happy visitors would traipse across the newly painted strip for photo after photo. Now the crosswalks look, well, less than cheerful. Years of construction and use have faded them considerably. But there is a solution:… Read more »
In a room the size of a “broom closet” on the third floor of the Student Center, Ian Morrison said he found his “gay tribe.” The small room was the meeting place for Temple’s Lambda Lions, a former student organization for gay students. Morrison, a 1997 journalism alumnus who was president of the club, said… Read more »
Millennials are seen as hyper-modern trendsetters – but when looking for a city to live in, some of their preferences are surprisingly conservative, new research reveals. New research by rentals portal Abodo reveals that the cliché of Generation Y seemingly doesn’t translate into what they’re looking for when moving to a new city. They asked… Read more »
Home values in a highly competitive Philadelphia Real Estate market – newly reclassified by the real estate search engine Zillow as “very hot” – finished the first quarter of 2016 higher than the peak the Philadelphia Real Estate market reached just before the housing bubble burst in 2007. “[This] implies that all of the losses… Read more »
The City of Philadelphia and Philly Pride Presents worked together to paint the zebra crossings rainbow-coloured in the local ‘Gayborhood.’ By coincidence, the eight walkways- planned since March- were unveiled in Pennsylvania the same day that the US Supreme Court announced its ruling in favour of same-sex marriage. According to the Philadelphia Gay News, Philly… Read more »
There are probably more people out and about at 13th and Locust streets at midnight than at noon. The block feels like a parade route when the temperature rises. Customers grab tables at Knock just to catch a glimpse of the eclectic entourages that glide past on their way to leather night, a dance party… Read more »
A popular Philadelphia neighborhood could soon become a lot more colorful with plans to add rainbow crosswalks at two intersections, according to Philadelphia Gay News. Philly Pride Presents and the City of Philadelphia plan to paint eight rainbow crosswalks at 12th and Locust and 13th and Locusts sts. in the city’s Gayborhood this summer. “We… Read more »
Center City is crisscrossed by tiny alleys that time, developers, and the 21st century largely forgot, so you may not have noticed an orange liquor application on what appears to be an orphaned carriage house on Cypress Street, behind Vetri’s parking lot, the University of the Arts, and the Center City One condo building. It’s… Read more »
We’re counting down the top ten US Gayborhoods, according to Out Traveler. The tenth place finisher is in Philadelphia: 10. Washington Square West (Philadelphia), with 4.35 percent of the vote Philly’s compact and walkable gay village has changed names as often as a drag queen swaps wigs; maybe that’s why it scored so low this… Read more »
Philadelphia’s Westbury bar, which was first advertised in gay guides back in the early 60s, has closed after last month’s fire in the hotel above it. From their Facebook page: With a very broken heart, I have to announce, the Westbury Bar and Restaurant will not be reopening. Our extensive efforts trying get an exception… Read more »
The nation’s oldest gay bookstore will reopen next month in Philadelphia after closing three months ago due to financial problems. Philly AIDS Thrift says it’s taking over the shop called Giovanni’s Room. It had closed in May after 41 years, citing competition from online outlets. Philly AIDS Thrift already operates a secondhand store whose proceeds… Read more »
TEDx Philadelphia is one of the hottest tickets in town for city enthusiasts eager for fresh and creative ideas about how to return our urban home to its past glories. TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading,” and it started as a four-day conference in California nearly 30 years ago. TEDx is… Read more »
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held today to celebrate the opening of the John C. Anderson Apartments, a pioneering LGBT-friendly, low-income senior housing apartment complex. The apartments – named for John C. Anderson, a Philadelphia City Council member from 1979 until his death in 1983, instrumental in the passage of Philadelphia’s civil rights bill for sexual… Read more »
Uhuru, the used-furniture store at Spruce at Camac streets, is moving after nearly two decades in its spot. If you’ve just bought furniture there, you may remember it for how incredibly crammed it is with furniture, which is nearly always stacked up in Jenga towers almost to the ceiling. It’s different from many thrift stores… Read more »
Jerry Zeft was so excited to move into his new apartment that he slept on an air mattress for nearly a week while he waited for his bed and other belongings to catch up with him. No matter that he’s 70 years old. Zeft had landed a coveted spot in a new affordable housing complex… Read more »
When Heshie Zinman moved to Center City in 1979, the gay bars had no windows, and it would be decades before they did. Center City then still functioned like a cheap refuge: It was dirty, not entirely safe, a catchment of the city’s red-light activity and its more frenetic culture, and it caught those who… Read more »
THE NATION’S oldest LGBT bookstore may be facing its final chapter as its longtime owner plans to sell ahead of his retirement this winter. Giovanni’s Room has served the city’s gay community from the corner of 12th and Pine streets since moving there in 1976 from its original location on South Street, where it opened… Read more »
Philadelphia was founded on the principles of freedom and equality, and that is evidenced by the city’s rich gay culture. In fact, Philadelphia was the site of some of the nation’s first gay rights protests in the 1960’s. The city even coined the phrase, “Get your history straight and your nightlife gay” to attract LGBT… Read more »
“We love 13th Street!” proclaim chef Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran on their website. It clearly shows: The pair, partners in business and in life, have branched out from a lone home goods boutique at 107 South 13th Street in 2002 to six thriving businesses at the epicenter of Midtown Village, including the nucleus of… Read more »
And the top three are Palm Springs, San Francisco and Seattle. NerdWallet reports: Happy Pride Month! To celebrate, NerdWallet crunched the numbers to put together a list of the most gay-friendly cities based on municipal laws, community and peer support, and safety and tolerance. The cities listed fulfill the following three requirements: Do the laws… Read more »
With LGBT seniors facing increased risks of poverty and poor health as well as a higher likelihood of living alone, the need for housing designed to their needs is dire. Cities including Los Angeles and Chicago are responding by building developments specifically geared to LGBT seniors, and now Philadelphia is joining the party, reaching out… Read more »
Oh Philadelphia, you strange, wonderful city. You toy with our hearts. For every reason we adore you, there are four more things we despise. We love you even when we don’t love you and always try to see the good in you. Kaitlyn and Lynne grew up with you and learned how to handle your… Read more »