Category: Philadelphia

Thousands marched in Philadelphia’s St. Patrick’s parade on Sunday, March 11, and thousands more watched from the sidewalk as the emerald array did its best–and largely succeeded–convincing all within earshot that they were Irish, regardless of heritage. Besides the pipers and drummers and dancers, many of the floats had musicians performing Irish-inspired tunes with guitars, accordions, and other instruments. One solo guitarist may have gotten the biggest roar of approval when he launched into the Super Bowl-winning Eagles fight song, possibly the first time the St. Pat’s parade crowd has ever joined in with E-A-G-L-E-S.

This bus route runs into deep South Philadelphia, and the bus’s errant signage will draw a wry chuckle from anyone who knows South Philly’s history as a center of mob activity and the site of a number of mob hits in the 1980s and 1990s.  Within three months of my arrival in Philadelphia in early 1981, two mob murders occurred and were front-page news at the Inquirer, where I was working. One of the victims, Philip “Chicken Man” Testa, was blown up on his front porch, a twist that later showed up in the opening line of Bruce Springsteen’s song “Atlantic City.” 

Philadelphia’s sidewalk dining may be the bane of restaurateurs who fret about the street competition not having the overhead expenses of a brick-and-mortar place, but it’s a distinct part of the city’s culture. It also distinguishes Philly’s street ambience from those less-colorful towns that lack a hefty and diverse supply of street vendors. Then there’s this: the number of vendors whose sidewalk success led to full-fledged restaurants has only grown in recent years. A recent example is South Philly Barbacoa, which started as a cart, moved into a small storefront in South Philly,  then evolved into El Compadre on South Ninth Street about the time it had won national praise from Bon Appétit magazine.