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Philly Like a Local: Hardcore Splurges
When the Urge to Splurge Hits, Philly’s Where It’s At
Press Release
PHILLY LIKE A LOCAL: HARDCORE SPLURGES
When The Urge To Splurge Hits, Philly’s Where It’s At
PHILADELPHIA, December 1, 2006
Blinged-out Bottle Lounges and Luxe Libations
Want to drop $200 on a bottle of gin? If you’re splurging, why not? Philly’s poshest lounges serve serious partyers bottles of top-shelf liquors—and rent out lockers for storing them. In Old City, Glam, has rosy-hued décor and a cushy VIP-only upstairs, and 32º serves $250 bottles of Pravda in shot glasses made of ice. Uptown at Rittenhouse Square’s Denim Private Club, velvet ropes lead to denim-lined elevators and then to a DJ-ruled lounge (jeans here are the uniform). Newest on the scene is Bamboo, where reserved tables and reworked retro cocktails mixed with limes and garnished with pineapples are the norm.
Morimoto
Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC
Right now, Philly’s fave bevvie is the gently, cleverly fruity sangria at Amada. At this tapas hotspot, the infused Spanish wine goes down all too easily. Then again, Philly barhoppers still lap up dirty martinis and classic sidecars, best poured upon the rooftop deck at the The Continental Mid-town.
Liquid Splurges
Those of us who regard tequila solely as a quick means to a mean hangover (we’ve so been there) can deliciously restore the rep of Mexican firewater at mansion-like Los Catrines Restaurant and Tequila’s Bar. Here, owner David Suro-Piñera stocks the best of the gold and silver labels—and his own, boutique-batch Siembra Azul, made from 100% blue agave. For a truly headache-free, top-shelf buzz, pop over to Morimoto, the Japanese Iron Chef’s original, ultra-modern, eponymous culinary palace, where an extensive selection of crisp, clear sake comes dry or sweet, hot or chilled, plain or martini-ized. For petite kir royals and grand Dom Perignon magnums, head upstairs to Old City’s Swanky Bubbles, the city’s only champagne bar and restaurant. Rittenhouse Square’s oh-so-Euro Tria is a nonstop wine, beer and cheese party. Even plain-old beer edges on chic at rustically gorgeous and Belgian brew-stocked Monk’s Café and Nodding Head Brewery, where hearty meads and better-than-dinner stouts change often.
Shoetastic Shopping
Look out, Sex and the City-ites, Joan Shepp’s shoe boutique (shoetique?) encourages serious heel fetishes by offering pick kicks by Prada and Miu Miu. Around the corner, Head Start Shoes sells reliably chic Via Spigas, plus all manner of Italian designs you’ll see everyone wearing next year.
Aficionados into rare reissues of sneakers can pay homage to Nike’s greatest hits, checkered Vans and other classics at the Ubiq on Rittenhouse Row and in the Gallery. Street style is embodied at Rbk, Reebok’s urban and classic store that’s inspired by the smart style of Sixer Allen Iverson, and Afficial, an in-the-know spot for impossible-to-find sneakers like Japan-made Bapes and Nikes from Europe.
Dressing Fine
Boys first: If you have to ask, you can’t afford the re-created Eagles’ 1970’s-era team jacket at hip-hop fashion mecca Mitchell & Ness (M & N), the world’s foremost dealer in authentic throwback pro sports jerseys and jackets. (P. Diddy and Jay-Z are some of M & N’s devoted clients.) Steven Tyler, Nicole Kidman and other big-name rockers (and pop stars) get custom leather and denim done by the owner of Northern Liberties’ Very Bad Horse. More generally stylish male dudes flock to Sparacino Men’s, a hip, 13th Street haberdashery for custom shirting, locally designed scarves and edgy jackets.
And now for the ladies: Couture-conscious put their platinum cards to work at Joan Shepp, a refined, two-floor repository of Dries Van Noten and Yohji Yamamoto. Those who prefer pencil jeans with their striped tees ought to head to Plage Tahiti, Charlie’s Jeans (where owner Sebastian is known as the city’s denim guru) and Matthew Izzo. For totally now looks, check out Old City’s Vagabond, Sugarcube, Smak Parlour, 13th Street’s super chic bShehu, Washington Square’s hipster mecca Grasshopper and Bella Vista’s stylishly earthy Satya.
If familiar excesses are on your shopping list, you’ll be blown away at the sprawling, high-endness of King of Prussia Mall’s Court and Plaza, a have-it-all repository anchored by Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom, and peppered with Hermès, Louis Vuitton, DKNY, Cartier and Tiffany.
Sweet Spas, Serious Makeup, Major Hair
Getting pampered takes only as long as lunch with “The Flash” mini massage, facial and poolside meal at the award-winning Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia. But pedicures are luxuriously long affairs at glam salon/elegant antiques shop Salon Royale Court. Manayunk’s Beans Beauty stocks its own line of makeup, awesome straightening supplies and ultra tweezers—and employs some seriously fine stylists (who secretly work upstairs). It’s so worth the drive to New Hope to visit A Beautiful Life, one of the country’s coolest beauty boutiques, selling rejuvenating Astara and killer Bond No. 9 fragrances. Still, Philly’s beauties share a best-hidden secret in the second-floor Rescue Rittenhouse Spa Lounge, where Allen Iverson gets his massages—and everyone else gets the highly effective Biolift facial, followed by a full makeover by cutie-pie cosmetologist Nives Riddles. Want the coolest cut ever? Book an appointment at uber-hip Head Area or urbanely outfitted American Mortals.
Steep (and Deep) Adventures
Feeling a little Johnny Knoxville (but not quite Bam Margera)? Get your fun on by being a daredevil—
sorta. For the height fearless, the Hopewell-based United States Hot Air Balloon Team sells spectacular one-hour sunrise and sunset rides over Amish farm country or the lush Brandywine Valley at $179 a pop (pun intended). Right across the Ben Franklin Bridge, Camden’s Adventure Aquarium offers two-hour snorkels in their “Shark Realm.” Daring swimmers meet sand tiger sharks, sandbar sharks, barracuda and nurse sharks before dipping into the “Stingray Lagoon” during snack time ($165 per person). Wanna go really high? Sign up for a tandem dive with Skydive Philadelphia, a Perkasie-based outfit that trains newbies in an hour for their first, 75-second jump (and seven- to 10-minute canopy descent), an earth-shattering experience that’ll set you back about $200 (plus $93 for the video of yourself doing the deed.).
ADDRESS BOOK
Blinged-out Bottle Lounges and Luxe Libations:
Liquid Splurges:
Shoetique Shopping:
Dressing Fine:
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Plage Tahiti, 158 S. 17th Street, (215) 569-9139
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bShehu, 113 S. 13th Street, (215) 574-1300
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Sweet Spas, Serious Makeup, Major Hair:
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Salon Royale Court, 1822 Spruce Street, (215) 893-3800
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Beans Beauty, 4405 Main Street, Manayunk, (215) 487-3333; 201 E. Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, (610) 989-9869, www.beansbeauty.com
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Head Area, 1109 Walnut Street (inside Matthew Izzo), (215) 829-0699, www.headarea.com
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American Mortals, 729 Walnut Street, (215) 574-1234
Steep (and Deep) Adventures:
The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside™ a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit http://www.gophila.com/ or call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676.
Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit our Photo Gallery. On the pressroom, you can also subscribe to RSS feeds to receive updates on topics that are specifically of interest to you: What’s New, Dining, Events, Seasonal Travel, Hotel Packages and Tourism Research.
CONTACT:
Caroline Bean, GPTMC
(215) 599-7433, caroline@gptmc.com
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