Today is the final extravaganza of the Philadelphia Arts Festival Street Fair.
Fortunately the Missus and I will have the chance to experience it first-hand. So while it may only be of historical value, it will be a fun chance to describe the bits I see of the whole shebang.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
A South Jersey View
Down at the local grocery store, there is usually a nice stack of free magazines. Many are devoted to real estate (rentals and purchases), a few on alternative health, and every now and then one devoted to nightlife.
Tonight I had the chance to peruse The Society Page.
It is a big colorful tabloid, and dishes for the eyes an appealingly pulchritudinous parade of beauties.
The only flaw from my point of view is that it lacks pictures from more Philly spots. And while I have managed to have fun on a number of occasions on the far side of the Ben Franklin Bridge, these days I mostly stay in Philadelphia.
Tonight I had the chance to peruse The Society Page.
It is a big colorful tabloid, and dishes for the eyes an appealingly pulchritudinous parade of beauties.
The only flaw from my point of view is that it lacks pictures from more Philly spots. And while I have managed to have fun on a number of occasions on the far side of the Ben Franklin Bridge, these days I mostly stay in Philadelphia.
Some thoughts
In every sort of entertainment venue, there is a telos. In a successful place, the telos will match both patrons' and sponsors' expectations.
Sometimes, a conflict of expectations will lead one to reject a restaurant.
For example, I like McDonald's hamburgers and fries. I think they are delicious for what they are, quickly prepared, and the facilities are generally quite satisfactory.
Unfortunately, here in Center City Philadelphia, at any time other than the pressing rush of lunch-hour crowds, the vague unease of menace lurks in the atmosphere. Philadelphia is not, to the looks of it, well supplied with facilities to appropriately contain petty criminals, the aged, madmen, and truants. So lured by usable toilets and climate control, they all come to gibber meaninglessly and/or profanely. Further, some will creep upon normal customers and bay for salves to quiet their pitiful addictions.
So, I usually do take out.
Sometimes, a conflict of expectations will lead one to reject a restaurant.
For example, I like McDonald's hamburgers and fries. I think they are delicious for what they are, quickly prepared, and the facilities are generally quite satisfactory.
Unfortunately, here in Center City Philadelphia, at any time other than the pressing rush of lunch-hour crowds, the vague unease of menace lurks in the atmosphere. Philadelphia is not, to the looks of it, well supplied with facilities to appropriately contain petty criminals, the aged, madmen, and truants. So lured by usable toilets and climate control, they all come to gibber meaninglessly and/or profanely. Further, some will creep upon normal customers and bay for salves to quiet their pitiful addictions.
So, I usually do take out.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Next Spot...Whisper
As a placeholder until I can secure the stories of Philadelphia's hungry and talented writers, I am posting notes on various venues.
Whisper is located in the old Denim space. It has the distinction of being open past the usual Philadelphia cut-off of 2:00AM.
For a great review, see this note from PhillyChitChat.com (which I found by searching for Whisper Club Philadelphia.)
On the Yelp for Whisper there's a mix of reviews.
Whisper is located in the old Denim space. It has the distinction of being open past the usual Philadelphia cut-off of 2:00AM.
For a great review, see this note from PhillyChitChat.com (which I found by searching for Whisper Club Philadelphia.)
On the Yelp for Whisper there's a mix of reviews.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Let's Talk About G LOUNGE
Oh, what I could do with unlimited capital!
But in the meantime, I must confess to some excitement at seeing what I can do on the cheap.
In the first post, I mentioned the sorts of stories I want to read about.
My highest priority targets are the nightclubs. I say this not because I always have a great time at them. Instead, I think it's the opposite: so frequently when I've gone, it seemed like this ought to be something that could be exciting, but in practice usually let me down. A nightclub is like a play where the audience is also expected to perform. In that role I've often wished I'd had a more complete script to review ahead of time.
But sitting at the rail, watching the brood mass and thrill to the music, I've often had the sense that if not I, then at least somewhere very close someone is experiencing a beautiful ecstasy. That honest and irrational joy is the thing I want to see, even if by circumstance and temperament I miss Azusa Street by a turn.
Now, as time and resources permit I will be quite happy to add stories from other spots too. For instance, is there someplace where someone reviews the acts playing at the Tritone on a regular basis?
But back to the subject at hand...let me note what I know about G Lounge.
Generally it's open Thursday Friday and Saturday from 9PM to 2AM. It has a dress code. It is located at the same building as the fine dining at Davios, but beneath street level. If you're familiar with Center City and the Rittenhouse Square area it's separated from the Hotel Palomar by Ionic Street, and it's right across 17th Street from the Hotel Sofitel.
That's all I can write tonight. But while researching, I came across a truly great article at getitinwriting.net. It describes the audio setup in beautiful detail.
But in the meantime, I must confess to some excitement at seeing what I can do on the cheap.
In the first post, I mentioned the sorts of stories I want to read about.
My highest priority targets are the nightclubs. I say this not because I always have a great time at them. Instead, I think it's the opposite: so frequently when I've gone, it seemed like this ought to be something that could be exciting, but in practice usually let me down. A nightclub is like a play where the audience is also expected to perform. In that role I've often wished I'd had a more complete script to review ahead of time.
But sitting at the rail, watching the brood mass and thrill to the music, I've often had the sense that if not I, then at least somewhere very close someone is experiencing a beautiful ecstasy. That honest and irrational joy is the thing I want to see, even if by circumstance and temperament I miss Azusa Street by a turn.
Now, as time and resources permit I will be quite happy to add stories from other spots too. For instance, is there someplace where someone reviews the acts playing at the Tritone on a regular basis?
But back to the subject at hand...let me note what I know about G Lounge.
Generally it's open Thursday Friday and Saturday from 9PM to 2AM. It has a dress code. It is located at the same building as the fine dining at Davios, but beneath street level. If you're familiar with Center City and the Rittenhouse Square area it's separated from the Hotel Palomar by Ionic Street, and it's right across 17th Street from the Hotel Sofitel.
That's all I can write tonight. But while researching, I came across a truly great article at getitinwriting.net. It describes the audio setup in beautiful detail.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
An Experiment
It takes stamina to write about Philadelphia's nightlife. First it has to be experienced. Then one must write about it. Then the complaints about the injustice of such a poor description must be endured, and then the complaints about the inadequacies of one's descriptive talent must be painfully ignored. Still, if the Muse is kind, true knowledge may be pulled mewling from the reports, and if I am more fortunate still, a coin may drop into my pocket.
You know Yelp reviews? I think Yelp is wonderful, and it's often my first stop when I'm trying to find someplace to visit. The problem is that Yelp, particularly for nightlife, is of necessity impressionistic. The reviewers are trying to describe the place in general, but that means that they cannot delve too deeply into specifics. The only time that Yelp reviewers truly get into the details I want to know is when they are so mad that they dish tick-tock style.
You might think that this territory is well covered, but in fact it is not. For instance, I am well supplied with advance notice of live music, bar specials, and club nights. But after-the-fact reviews are terribly rare. If Johnny Goodtimes puts together a great night of Quizzo, the report of the event is lost forever if neither he nor the other patrons write about it.
So, I am considering putting my money where my interests are, and seeking to purchase reports from writers willing to record their experiences at various venues. I don't want to spend money on 100 words about how "Place X is too expensive and pretentious." Rather, I want a personal essay grounded in the details of one session. When did you arrive, was the place crowded or not, was it loud or could you hear yourself talking, was the temperature good, was the music good. If Place X has flashing lights and costs $20 for a cocktail, write that. If the patrons look phony, tell me why. Also, why does their phony-ness make you feel unhappy?
For instance, many years ago I got to listen to the DJ Isaac Jordan. He's good. Really, really good. And if I was a better writer, I might have some chance of expressing why he's good, instead of just asserting it. Sure, you could go to his website right now, pull up some of his mixes, and listen. But that's not the same as being in the room, when it's midnight, and you know you've got two hours before the lights turn-up and it's either go to the after-hours place or get breakfast at a diner or is this the kind of night that's going to wind up as a morning in AC?
So I'm going to look into it. Maybe I'll try going to a few places, write up my reports, post them here and see what happens. Or maybe I'll find writers who're interested in trying to convey what's going on after all the decent people have gone to bed and try to throw some compensation their way. Or, maybe I'll sober up and let drop this into the "too-hard" box and hope some more enterprising person figures out a solution.
You know Yelp reviews? I think Yelp is wonderful, and it's often my first stop when I'm trying to find someplace to visit. The problem is that Yelp, particularly for nightlife, is of necessity impressionistic. The reviewers are trying to describe the place in general, but that means that they cannot delve too deeply into specifics. The only time that Yelp reviewers truly get into the details I want to know is when they are so mad that they dish tick-tock style.
You might think that this territory is well covered, but in fact it is not. For instance, I am well supplied with advance notice of live music, bar specials, and club nights. But after-the-fact reviews are terribly rare. If Johnny Goodtimes puts together a great night of Quizzo, the report of the event is lost forever if neither he nor the other patrons write about it.
So, I am considering putting my money where my interests are, and seeking to purchase reports from writers willing to record their experiences at various venues. I don't want to spend money on 100 words about how "Place X is too expensive and pretentious." Rather, I want a personal essay grounded in the details of one session. When did you arrive, was the place crowded or not, was it loud or could you hear yourself talking, was the temperature good, was the music good. If Place X has flashing lights and costs $20 for a cocktail, write that. If the patrons look phony, tell me why. Also, why does their phony-ness make you feel unhappy?
For instance, many years ago I got to listen to the DJ Isaac Jordan. He's good. Really, really good. And if I was a better writer, I might have some chance of expressing why he's good, instead of just asserting it. Sure, you could go to his website right now, pull up some of his mixes, and listen. But that's not the same as being in the room, when it's midnight, and you know you've got two hours before the lights turn-up and it's either go to the after-hours place or get breakfast at a diner or is this the kind of night that's going to wind up as a morning in AC?
So I'm going to look into it. Maybe I'll try going to a few places, write up my reports, post them here and see what happens. Or maybe I'll find writers who're interested in trying to convey what's going on after all the decent people have gone to bed and try to throw some compensation their way. Or, maybe I'll sober up and let drop this into the "too-hard" box and hope some more enterprising person figures out a solution.
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