Most striking of all, however, is Richard Sandoval’s Latin American Aqimero restaurant in the stunning, domed lobby (which is straight out of The Great Gatsby). 2016 saw the completion of a $25 million redesign project, with neutral and bronze tones that pay homage to currency notes and coins. represents another 1900’s financial institution reborn as hotel.
The expansive lobby and outdoor deck are great for having a drink, plus it’s an easy tenminute walk to the gayborhood.ĭirectly opposite City Hall’s southern face, with a façade meant to evoke the Pantheon, the luxe 301-room Ritz-Carlton (10 Avenue of the Arts. While utterly contemporary and a bargain, especially when contrasted against the swank grande dame hotels surrounding City Hall’s other sides, the Aloft makes playful use of its building’s bank elements-the fitness center is inside a vault, for one. inhabits a former 1925 bank, the Liberty Title & Trust Building, just a block from City Hall and adjacent to the Convention Center (the building remained empty for 20 years prior!). Opened in late summer 2017, the 179-room Aloft Philadelphia Downtown (101 N. The latter will occupy the upper floors of the towering Comcast Center, with a JeanGeorges restaurant and 57th-floor spa. Late 2018 will see the opening of a 295-room W, 460-room Element, and a 222-room Four Seasons (1800 Arch St. Over a dozen hotels are in various stages of construction and completion. Of course, you might want to plan your trip for springtime’s Philadelphia Black Pride ( or the LGBT film festival, qFLIX ( June’s PrideDay ( which celebrates its 30th year in 2018 and October’s OutFest ( the world’s biggest National Coming Out Day block party.įortunately, Philadelphia’s hotel room inventory is growing along with the swelling lineup of old and new events. Wear your gear or be square (or flogged)! is fetish-y fun every second Thursday during its monthly VICE party. is a cozy, colorfully glowing new corner gay bar, while bear and leather fave The Bike Stop (206 S.
Rising from the remains of the Venture Inn, Bar X (255 S. Denise Cohen, former manager of Sisters lesbian bar, presents live music as well as karaoke and DJs, plus food. Posited as a “mixed” venue, the 3,800square-foot Toasted Walnut (1316 Walnut St. Mimi Imfurst stars in Hedwig & the Angry Inch here from June 1-24, 2018. Ruba’s events calendar is rife with drag queen and queer performance. One spot to keep on your radar is the sprawling two-floor nightclub-afterhoursspeakeasy-ballroom-cabaret, Ruba Club (416 Green St.
Towering and fuzzy, Philly drag queen Martha Graham Cracker is another personality to catch: check for comprehensive listings of LGBTQ happenings (the site’s interface desperately need a redesign, but the information is up to date). Philadelphia’s most essential LGBTQ performance troupe, the gender-bending Bearded Ladies ( is a must-see as well, and beloved locally for their annual all-ages Bastille Day appearance, reenacting the legendary event in campy fashion at Eastern State Penitentiary (replete with rain of Tastycakes and yes, you can eat them), and the NOT for all-ages ultra-queer monthly “Get Pegged Cabaret.” The 22nd FringeArts, which encompasses about 1,000 events over 17 days at their five-year-old home venue on Delaware River Waterfront (which includes a 240-seat performance space and La Peg, a brasserie/beer garden), as well as at spaces throughout the city, runs from September 6-22, 2018.ĭense with vibrant, edgy productions from around the world and by homegrown talent alike, keep an eye out for anything by Philadelphia choreographer-performer Gunnar Montana ( His way-gay, episodic “Kink Haus” was a 2017 standout thanks to sensual, edgy, and humorous vignettes featuring agile and attractive men, women, and those who blurred the distinction, plus Cirque du Soleil–level acrobatics. Addressing race, queerness, class disparity, police-citizen relations, and identity, it’s a profound work, presented jointly by Opera Philadelphia’s inaugural Festival O ( and the concurrent Fringe Arts ( Following its phenomenally successful 2017 edition, the second Festival O will take place September 20-30, 2018, and it’s but one of the fresh, delightfully queer developments making this ever-evolving City of Brotherly Love a repeat destination for many travelers.