Just Listed: Refreshed Expanded Trinity in Bella Vista

This classic expanded trinity at 726 S. Percy St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 has a twist. Or rather, its stairway lacks one, making moving your stuff in less of a hassle. / Bright MLS images via Realty Mark Associates

In case you haven’t been paying attention, higher interest rates do not appear to have deterred house-hunters shopping in the lower and middle parts of the market. Houses in the suburbs with price tags under $1 million are selling fast, and those in the city are going almost as quickly.

It appears, however, that trinities may be a partial exception to this rule. Most of the trinities you’ve seen here over the past two months remain on the market while pricier (and larger) city homes have sold quickly.

This refreshed Bella Vista expanded trinity house for sale may join them, but I hope it doesn’t. While it has one element that could use a little work, it’s otherwise move-in ready, recently refreshed and conveniently located.

It sits just a few doors down and across the street from this trinity I featured last week. Like it, it has two bedrooms and one full bathroom.

Living room

The main floor contains a living room with an exposed brick accent wall. All the other walls in this house have a fresh coat of paint.

Living room

Note also the straight-line staircase. Getting your mattresses up to the two bedrooms won’t be a struggle here.

Kitchen

The kitchen and bathroom are in the rear ell.

Kitchen

The kitchen has brand-new cabinets and a brand-new range.

Bathroom

And the bathroom off the kitchen has been completely rebuilt.

Bedroom

Because the bathroom sits on the first floor, making it easy on your guests, the two upstairs bedrooms have plenty of space.

Roof deck

A roof deck sits off the one on the second floor.

Roof deck

If you haven’t noticed yet, the owner of this house has a fondness for colorful tile.

Primary bedroom

The top-floor primary bedroom gets natural light all day thanks to windows on its east and west sides. This means you can wake up and go to bed with the sun, particularly in the summer.

Rear patio

The one area that could use some work is the rear patio, which currently consists of crushed stone. This presents a great opportunity for a buyer to turn it into a green oasis.

The unfinished basement contains the laundry.

This refreshed Bella Vista expanded trinity house for sale is just as convenient to so many places as last week’s trinity up the block is. I’ll refer you to that article for a full list of what you can walk to from here.

And since it’s priced lower than its up-the-block neighbor, you will have money left over to spruce up its backyard.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 2

BATHS: 1

SQUARE FEET: 1,020

SALE PRICE: $334,000

726 S. Percy St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 [Tami Dang | Realty Mark Associates]

Here’s What Our Favorite Philadelphians Order at Wawa

Alex Holley showing off one of her favorite Wawa menu items back in 2018 / Photograph provided

Over the years, we’ve asked countless notable Philadelphians what they order at Wawa. Hey, it’s just the kind of thing we do.

So in honor of Wawa’s 60th anniversary today, we thought we’d delve into the archives to find our favorites. Some of their answers weren’t particularly surprising (of course Cecily Tynan opts for wheat), while others, we weren’t really expecting.

Michael Solomonov, restaurateur

“My favorite Wawa menu item is a junior meatball sandwich on wheat with tomatoes, pepperoncinis and pickles, and parmesan cheese and provolone.”

Josh Shapiro, PA Governor

“Egg and cheese on a wheat Shorti with ketchup, apple slices, Wawa coffee, and a soft pretzel.”

Lê, Hop Sing Laundromat owner

“A ham-and-cheese but I tell them not to put too much ham on it. They don’t have a price for a half portion, but I will happily pay full price for a half portion.”

Chuck Peruto, criminal defense attorney

“The large meatball. Always. No cheese. No oregano.”

The Preston & Steve cast and Wawa Welcome America friends.

The Preston & Steve Cast, 93.3 WMMR

Preston Elliot: “Italian Shorti with provolone, tomatoes, hot peppers and mustard. And I usually grab a grapes, cheese & crackers pack.”

Steve Morrison: “Classic hoagie on wheat bread. Turkey. Swiss. Mayo. Onions. Oregano. Bottled water.”

Casey Boy: “Tabasco-flavored Monster Slim Jim, Italian Shorti, toasted with oil, vinegar, pickles and hot peppers. And Spicier Nacho Doritos — a small bag.”

Kathy Romano: “Turkey whole wheat Shorti with American cheese, a little bit of oil and vinegar, oregano. And then the seven things my son throws on the counter, because he thinks it’s a free-for-all!”

Marisa Magnatta: “Late-night grilled cheese: wheat bread, American cheese, Munster cheese, tomatoes, and a little bit of spicy mustard, toasted. Plus some crazy new chip flavor to snack on while I’m waiting. For a daytime or sober run, it’s just a water and two bags of apple slices.”

Nick McIlwain: “Turkey Classic, toasted, with spinach, tomato, Swiss cheese, honey mustard, salt, pepper, oregano and parmesan, a Wawa soft pretzel, a banana, diet orange soda, and a Wawa chocolate chip cookie.”

Jennifer Zavala swears by the Wawa chicken noodle soup.

Jennifer “Fear” Zavala, chef

“One cup of chicken noodle soup, a Shorti Italian wit’ pepper-jack, mayo, lil’ bit of oil and vinegar, onion, lettuce, jalapeños, black pepper, and jalapeño kettle chips. But my favorite items at Wawa are actually the Irish coffee creamer and the chicken noodle soup. Wawa fell off a lil’ — ever since they opened in Florida. Pretty much anything in the ‘baked goods’ case is fire — as in bomb, delish, banging, the heat, the good good.”

Alex Holley, Good Day Philadelphia co-host

“The Italian sub sandwich and a peach smoothie.” [Ed. Note: We didn’t feel it was our place to correct Holley on her use of the word “sub.” She’s not from here.]

Cecily Tynan, 6 ABC meteorologist

“A turkey Shorti on wheat.”

Michael Coard, attorney and activist

“The fresh fruit salad, because I’m vegan.”

Bobbi Booker, journalist

“Jalapeño-stuffed cheese pretzels and a 20-ounce coffee.”

Christine Flowers and her questionable Wawa purchase.

Christine Flowers, conservative firebrand

“The chicken fingers over mashed potatoes and the chicken corn chowder, along with a caramel-chip Frappuccino thingie, which is not called a Frappuccino or a thingie but I don’t pay attention I just drink it. And sometimes the mozzarella sticks.”

Fergus “Fergie” Carey, bar owner

“A tuna Shorti with lettuce, tomato and sweet peppers, with some sort of Arnold Palmer to wash it down.”

Frank Olivieri, Pat’s Steaks owner

“Tuna provolone with lettuce, tomato, onion, hot pepper, and mayo. Usually a Shorti but sometimes I get that really mini one and that just satisfies me.”

Ian Morrison, a.k.a. drag queen Brittany Lynn

“Always a chicken salad Classic, toasted with American cheese, sweet peppers and pickles.”

Kate Marlys, Philly PR Girl owner

“Chicken salad with provolone cheese, lettuce and banana peppers, salt pepper and oregano. You simply can’t go wrong with Wawa‘s chicken salad! This has been my go-to order for years.”

Dwight Evans, Congressman

“My standard Wawa order is the newspaper. It used to be the small turkey hoagie, but I’m trying to cut back.”

Ryan Long, Jeopardy champ

“Those mozzarella sticks that have been sitting under the heater for ten hours.”

Casey Parker, restaurateur

“A sausage, egg and cheese classic with mayonnaise and bacon. Delicious. Usually for a hangover.”

Adam Joseph, 6 ABC meteorologist

“Grilled chicken on wheat with all the veggies you can get on there. And a cup of hot tea. I despise coffee. It’s one of the worst things on the planet.”

Eye-Catching Accessories Inspired by the Barnes Foundation’s Latest Exhibition

Necklace, $85, and earrings, from $62, both by Dconstruct Jewelry at the Barnes Foundation’s gift shop / Photograph by Cory Foote

Any visit to the Barnes Foundation should include a stop at its gift shop, where merchandise manager Tia Bianchini curates collections inspired by the institution’s exhibitions, including “Alexey Brodovitch: Astonish Me.”

On view through May 19th, the exhibition highlights the visual impact the photographer, designer and instructor (who once worked at University of the Arts) had on magazines — particularly­ as art director of Harper’s Bazaar from 1934 to 1958.

At the shop, his surreal and playful layouts are honored in various must-buy pieces for you or anyone in your life who appreciates art — and magazines, of course.

Consider the silk scarf by Jessie Zhao. It features exaggerated urban and natural illustrations. “The scarf’s retro quality nods to both surrealism and high-fashion, and bridges vintage sensibility with contemporary flair,” says Bianchini.

Then there are the custom earrings and necklaces by Dconstruct Jewelry that bear look-at-me motifs (pictured above). Says Bianchini, “We supplied images of Brodovitch’s work in Harper’s Bazaar, targeted a few recurring motifs — namely the lips and eyes — and gave Dconstruct creative license to work them into a bold collection that still feels accessible.”

Among the other goods to snap up are paper vases by Octaevo and a coffee-table book about Harper’s Bazaar and some of the talents who have contributed to its pages over the years.

Go take a peek — at the shop and exhibit — here.

Published as “Creative Vision” in the April 2024 issue of Philadelphia magazine.

The 4/20 Dinner Party in South Jersey You Don’t Want to Miss

Up in smoke s’more / Photograph by Jonathan Hudson

Howdy, buckaroos! And welcome back to the Foobooz food news round-up. Just a few quick things to get to this week, including expansion news from FedNuts, a big week for chef Dionicio Jiménez, and some 4/20 tips for getting high in New Jersey. So let’s get right to it, shall we?

Living The High Life in Collingswood

Collingswood is a dry town. But recreational weed is legal in New Jersey. So what do you do if you want to get a little loose to celebrate 4/20?

You hit up chef Michael DeLone’s Nunzio on Haddon Avenue where, in collaboration with Mercantile 1888 Zero Proof Bar, they’re throwing a boozeless, THC-infused party to mark everyone’s favorite stoner holiday.

Here’s how it’s gonna go: On Saturday, April 20th, at 6 p.m., DeLone will be serving four courses paired with “cannabinoid-infused beverages [to] celebrate the spirit of 4/20 and the wonders of cannabis culture.” And they’re calling it the “No Booze, All Buzz 4/20 Munchie Madness Pairing Dinner” which pretty much tells you all you need to know.

Except, of course, what they’re going to be serving. But have no fear. I’ve got the full menu for you right here:

Hamunchie Crudo: Hamachi Strawberry, Jalapeño, Cucumber & Balsamic
Paired with Lime Cannabis Spritz, 2.5 mg THC made with Cali Sober Ranch Water

Loaded Potato Gnocchi: Cheddar, Guanciale, Sour Cream, Green Onion, Fried Potato Skins
Paired with The Mellow Mike, 10 mg CBD made with Flyers Bklyn Gold

Italian Chicken & Waffles: Fried Chicken, Tomato Waffle, Sun Dried Tomato, Charred Spring Onion & Honey
Paired with Weed Wooder, 1 mg THC made with Mighty Kind Watermelon D9 Cannabis Seltzer

Up in Smoke S’more: Chocolate Brownie, Burnt Marshmallow, Chocolate Custard, Graham Cracker
Paired with Elevated Espresso Martini, 1 mg THC & 5 mg CBD made with Endo Medium Dank Roast Nitro Cold Brew

Okay, for starters? Italian chicken and waffles sounds delicious. I think it’s worth going for that course alone. But for anyone concerned about wigging out and going all Reefer Madness in the middle of a fancy dinner, it should be noted that the total amount of THC that will be consumed is 4.5 mg — below the legal limit for micro-dosing, like taking two hits from a joint of ’90s-style ditch weed — and 15 mg of CBD (equivalent to chewing a couple of gummies). It’s not enough to make you go out of your mind, but just enough for you to feel a little loose.

Tickets to this Italo-hippie waffle party will run you $120. You can make your reservation through Nunzio’s website, or on Tock, right here.

Moving on …

Dionicio’s Really Big Week

Chef Dionicio Jiménez and Mariangeli Alicea Saez. / Photograph by Kerri Sitrin

Chef Dionicio Jiménez from Cantina La Martina (which I just reviewed for this month’s issue) had a very big week last week.

On Instagram, there’s one epic post from consultant Kerri Sitrin talking about all of it, but here are the highlights:

First, there was the review. Yeah, I gave the place four stars. Inasmuch as I think the star system is stupid, broken, classist, pointless, lazy, wrong and essentially just a tl;dr for people who hate words, if I’m still forced to bestow them on restaurants (which I am), then I want them to mean something. Cantina La Martina is one of the best restaurants we have in one of our neighborhoods hardest hit by the opioid epidemic, housing crisis and endemic poverty. Everyone should go there, and everyone should do it with their eyes wide open. End of sermon.

After that, Jiménez and his Cantina partner, Mariangeli Alicea Saez, announced that they were opening a whole second restaurant — this one in Ambler, at 9 North Main Street. Called La Baja, it’ll be a small, BYO, and focus on the flavors of Baja-style Mexican cuisine crossed with Mediterranean and Asian ingredients. It’s something he flirts with a little at Cantina, but here he’ll be able to stretch some of those muscles he got cooking for Vetri back in the day and play around a little with Asian inspirations, and if that means more dishes like the ramen pozole he has on the board at Cantina, I’m all in. No hard date for the opening yet, but it’s looking like kinda soon …

And after all that, Jiménez and Saez went and got married! I know, right? That’s a bonkers kind of week. But still, they found the time. If you’re interested in seeing some wedding pictures, there are some posted here. But this one is my favorite.

And don’t forget, Cantina also has a huge Cinco de Mayo party coming up on Sunday, May 5th. So keep an eye out for more information on that, too.

Federal Donuts Announces Plans for World Domination (Beginning With the Philly Suburbs)

A full spread from Federal Donuts & Chicken / Photograph courtesy of CookNSolo Restaurants

Dionicio and his crew aren’t the only ones who’ve had their eye on the suburbs lately. We’ve now got word that the crew from Federal Donuts & Chicken (their new, grown-up name) have spots picked out in the ‘burbs for their next three expansions. I’ll list these in order of size:

With the smallest footprint, there’s the 1,250-square-foot location at 4021 Welsh Road in Willow Grove. Next, there’s the Radnor store with 1,550 square feet at 200 Radnor Chester Road — which is basically inside that same, weirdly confusing hotel/strip mall/office park as that new Amada location I wrote about not too long ago. And finally, there’s the biggest of the bunch: the new Conshohocken location clocking in at 1,700 square feet, in the Plymouth Square strip mall at 200 Ridge Pike. There are no opening dates yet for any of these locations, which is a little worrying, but I’ll be keeping an eye on all three of them.

Something else to keep in mind: These three new locations are all franchise stores. More importantly, they’re the first franchise stores of what looks like its going to be a major push to put a Federal Donuts and Chicken in every backyard. The announcement of these three new locations came from FedNuts World Headquarters along with a promise that there is going to be a bunch of new openings in the Philly area and franchise opportunities both on the regional and national level.

So yeah, that’s a big jump. But don’t worry, because no matter how big they get, just remember: We loved Federal Donuts before they were cool.

Now who wants some Leftovers?

The Leftovers

Smoothie from Breezy’s Deli & Market / Photograph by Scott Campbell

If you happen to find yourself at Terminal C at the Philadelphia International Airport and hungry for a little brunch, I’ve got some good news for you. Sabrina’s Cafe just announced that they’ve now got their first airport location up and running. The menu will offer the same kind of comfort food that all the other Sabrina’s locations are known for — cannoli French toast, Lucky Charms matcha lattes, teriyaki salmon bowls, the works. Only now you’ll get to eat it while waiting for them to call your flight to SeaTac.

Speaking of comfort food, Breezy’s Deli & Market opened last week at 23rd and Washington. I really like the description of this place that’s being pushed by their PR: “Think of Breezy’s as if a chef opened a Wawa.” And also, there are robots there.

Behind the counter, they’ve got hoagies. On the floor, grab-and-go coffee, snacks, local produce and some basic groceries. And then, handling the smoothies, slushies and mixed drinks, Breezy’s Botrista — the smoothie-making robot. The cynic in me wants to be pissed off by every soul-sucking development like this that erases the humanity of our shared experiences. But the super-nerd in me just yells, “Check it out! Robots!” and then runs gleefully into the arms of our cold, smoothie-scented overlords.

The new Point Breeze shop is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., every day but Monday.

You guys know Stone’s Beer & Beverage Market? It was a neighborhood beer store, open since 1955, that was bought in 2019 by Nick and Jen Wendowski in order to keep the well-known local shop going.

In 2022, the landlord tore down the entire building, forcing a temporary move to Brewerytown. But now, after more than a year of rebuilding, it looks like Stone’s is coming back to its original home at 17th and Fairmount Avenue late this month, with a grand reopening party already scheduled for Saturday, June 8th.

The new digs have been completely revamped and will now include three rotating beers on tap (mostly local breweries and exclusive brands) for customers to try, a huge walk-in, craft kegs, a seating area up front for people to just hang out and have a beer, plus room for a variety of community events. All of that, plus what the Wendowski’s call the “best online beer buying experience in the city,” are all heading back to the old neighborhood later this month. Here’s hoping the new Stone’s lasts another 70 years.

Philadelphia’s Unemployment Rate Drops to Lowest In 30 Years

Philadelphia’s unemployment rate is lower than it’s been in decades.

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Philadelphia Unemployment Rate Drops to Lowest In 30 Years

As we shared with you last week, Philly Mag’s April cover story is “An Optimist’s Guide to Philadelphia.” And it’s exactly what it sounds like: a thoughtful, data-driven, glass-half-full look at a city that’s usually viewed from a more glass-half-empty point of view. My personal contribution to the optimistic (but not unrealistic!) feature was this: “Yes, Philadelphia Is Safer Than They Say On TV”. Because it really is!

And it turns out that we here at Philly Mag aren’t the only ones bearing good news about Philadelphia. The Pew Charitable Trusts just released its annual “State of the City” report on Philadelphia. And it includes plenty of data that should make you happy, or at least hopeful.

Philadelphia’s unemployment rate in 2023? Down to 4.2 percent, on average. That’s the lowest Philadelphia unemployment rate in more than 30 years. Median household income? That went up 19 percent from 2019 to 2022. Good news? Yes. But as Pew rightly points out, our median household income is still significantly below the national average. We’re also becoming a more diverse city, with the percentage of residents born outside the United States at 15.7 percent, the highest percentage since way back in the 1940s. (Of course, depending on your politics, you might think that’s a very bad thing; we don’t.) And 36 percent of our residents have a four-year degree or better, a number that goes up to more than 50 percent for those between the ages of 25 and 34.

The Pew report certainly doesn’t ignore major problems the city still faces, including with public safety (though that’s clearly improving), public transportation, poverty and the opioid crisis.

“In this year of transition,” reads the report, “the challenge is clear for Philadelphia and its new leaders: They must nurture and strengthen the positive trends while making progress on a set of deep-seated problems that can sometimes seem intractable. That mission won’t be easy. But its success is essential for the future of the city and its people.”

You can say that again.

Read the full Pew report on Philadelphia for yourself here.

More Deadlines!

Yesterday brought with it an important deadline: filing your taxes. And today brings with it yet another important deadline: requesting a mail-in ballot in Pennsylvania. You can request one here. You can also just go to your county’s local election office, get a ballot, and hand it in. The biggest race you’ll be voting in is Pennsylvania Attorney General. Here’s what you need to know about all that.

Local Talent

Code Emo is a local musical duo that performs, well, emo tunes, as well as music of other genres. And they got a major assist over the weekend when playing a set at the popular Green Parrot bar and restaurant in Newtown, Bucks County.

As they were rolling through “Whiskey Glasses” by Morgan Wallen, they noticed a big guy at the back of the room singing and dancing along. At some point, Code Emo’s lead singer realizes said big guy is none other than Philadelphia Eagles crooner (and offensive tackle) Jordan Mailata, who lent his stellar pipes to those Eagles Christmas albums.

Knowing that Mailata is a John Legend fan, Code Emo immediately starts playing a John Legend song. And before long, the staff at the Green Parrot is telling Code Emo that Mailata wants to do some songs with them. And he does! It doesn’t get much better than that for a local bar band.

You can check out some of the action on Code Emo’s Instagram page.

By the Numbers

$600,000: Speaking of Bucks County, this is the amount that the former director of medical staffing at Doylestown Hospital just pleaded guilty to stealing from the the hospital’s charitable account. That money was supposed to help the community as well as hospital employees in need. Instead, Norma Galagarza used the funds to pay her taxes, car payments, credit cards, and cell-phone bill. Hey, at least she actually paid her taxes!

50: Stories expected at the really tall Harper Square, an apartment building that’s about to go up in Rittenhouse Square. The project has been under discussion for about four years and is finally moving forward with construction. No word on what the rent is going to be, but keep in mind that you’ll want to budget for regular meals at Goldie and The Dandelion, which are just around the corner.

0: Number of independents who’ll be able to vote in Pennsylvania’s primary, which is a week away. That’s thanks to Pennsylvania’s silly closed primary system. But some people are working to change that.

And From the Unlikely-Hero Sports Desk …

In last night’s Phils game vs. the Rockies, Trea Turner doubled in the third and Bryce Harper singled him home to give starter Aaron Nola a 1-0 lead, but Michael Toglia tied it in the fifth on a solo homer. Nola made it through the seventh, in which he struck out the side, and started the eighth as well before coming out for José Alvarado. Nola had nine strikeouts and only allowed four hits and one walk.

In our half, Kyle Schwarber walked to lead things off and took second on a wild pitch. Trea Turner struck out, Bryce Harper flied out, Cristian Pache came in to run for Schwarbs, and the Rockies made a pitching change, bringing in Jalen Beeks to face J.T. Realmuto, who made the third out with a fly ball. On to the ninth! Jeff Hoffman was masterful through two batters, with a pop fly and a strikeout, before Elías Diaz doubled off the wall. Hoffman’s wild pitch sent Diaz’s pinch runner, Kyle Freeland, to third, Nolan Jones was intentionally walked, and this went down:

Runner is out. Inning over. Game is still tied. pic.twitter.com/hpv4TFOsX7

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) April 16, 2024

Nice body block, Jeff! The Rockies challenged the call to no avail. Last chance for the Phils, but Brandon Marsh, Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott couldn’t do squat. Tenth time, with Seranthony Domínguez on the mound. Harper made a nice play to stop a potential single, the runner on second took third on a long fly, and Brenton Doyle flew out to end that threat. In our half, Whit Merrifield sac-bunted second-base runner Bryson Stott to third; Alec Bohm, pinch-hitting for Rojas, grounded out; and Pache, of all people …

Cristian Pache walks it off! #Jackie42 pic.twitter.com/MYPhj13sAI

— MLB (@MLB) April 16, 2024

The first walk-off winner of his career. Woo! The Rockies are up again at CBP tonight, same 6:40 start.

Got Any NBA News?

As a matter of fact, we do. Joel Embiid is on the USA roster for the Paris Olympics. And there’s this as well:

New all-time attendance records:

🌟 Total attendance (22,536,341)
🌟 Average attendance (18,322)
🌟 Sellouts (872)
🌟 Percentage of capacity (98%)

Thank you to all of our fans for a record-setting season! pic.twitter.com/qZcSbGUAgt

— NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2024

And please enjoy this replay of former Sixer and current Houston Rocket center Boban Marjanovic deliberately missing his second free throw in order to provide free chicken to the masses:

This is funny as heck in a game the Rockets were about to win in LA, The fans were cheering when Boban missed his first free-throw, because if the opposition misses two in a row, the fans get free chicken.

So watch what Boban does. I love Boban! pic.twitter.com/O5eY7TFR6K

— Michael Beckman (@michaelbeck) April 15, 2024

What a guy. The Flyers also play.

All Philly Today sports coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.

How Philly’s Get the Led Out Became the World’s Best Led Zeppelin Tribute Band

Paul Sinclair (left) and Paul Hammond of the Led Zeppelin tribute band Get the Led Out / Photograph by Lisa Schaffer

It was 1970 when Paul Hammond’s father began playing Led Zeppelin on the family’s reel-to-reel in Montco. Then-five-year-old Hammond wasn’t exactly a fan. “I was so scared of that music,” he says. “It was dark. I was much more comfortable listening to the Beatles, who seemed so … happy.”

Decades later, Hammond, who still lives in Montco, stands in for Jimmy Page in the most successful tribute band there is to Led Zeppelin, a group that hasn’t performed since a 2007 one-night reunion. Get the Led Out, in which Hammond plays guitar alongside singer Paul Sinclair and a lineup of four top session musicians from the Philly area (the two Pauls are the only original members), takes a break from a 50-city tour this month to play a three-night run at Collingswood’s 1,050-seat Scottish Rite Auditorium. And then they’re back in the area for shows at the Keswick in June.

“We play 130 shows a year,” says Hammond, now 58. “And not in small rock clubs — in theaters. It’s fair to say I don’t have to do anything else to live. This is it.”

In the early 2000s, Hammond and Sinclair weren’t exactly selling out theaters. They were working recording-studio jobs while playing a classic rock cover band’s monthly bar gig. Then, in 2003, Sinclair got a call from somebody who wanted to launch a Led Zeppelin tribute. The caller didn’t just want the band to sound the part. He wanted the members to look like Led Zeppelin, too. “Paul pretty much put his foot down when they said he should dye his hair blond to look like Robert Plant,” Hammond says of his dark-haired bandmate. They quickly abandoned the look-alike plan.

What would set Get the Led Out apart, the pair decided, was that their tribute band would perform, note for note, the album versions of Led Zeppelin songs, complete with vocal and guitar overdubs (which Led Zeppelin utilized heavily in the studio) and sound effects, such as the wild theremin-punctuated interlude in “Whole Lotta Love.”

We play 130 shows a year. And not in small rock clubs — in theaters. It’s fair to say I don’t have to do anything else to live. This is it.”

Because Led Zeppelin was a four-piece band, and, well, because its members were likely inebriated much of the time, this was something the iconic original group couldn’t do had they wanted to. Hammond acquired and performs on the same guitar and amp models — down to the year — that Page used. Hammond says the value of one guitar is $25,000. The result is like you’re sitting at home listening to the album, except it’s being performed live. Meticulously. And it all seems to have worked.

“We really didn’t have to pay our dues,” says Hammond. “Nobody else was attempting it, and we were all virtuosos. So it just took off.”

Another reason for Get the Led Out’s success: It’s unlikely you’ll see the same show twice in the same town. Hammond promises that all three nights of the Collingswood leg will be different from each other — and even distinct from the last time the band played there. Sinclair keeps a database of each show in every town to ensure just that. The same will be true for Get the Led Out’s 10th performance at massive Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado later this year.

In retrospect, Hammond confesses, he originally wanted nothing to do with a Led Zeppelin tribute — or any tribute, for that matter. “I just wanted to help out Sinclair,” he says. “But I have to admit: This isn’t exactly a bad gig.”

Published as “Whole Lotta Led” in the April 2024 issue of Philadelphia magazine.

Disney World Has a Major Comcast Problem

Mickey Mouse at Disney World, which is just down the road from Comcast’s Universal Studios (Getty Images)

Check phillymag.com each morning Monday through Thursday for the latest edition of Philly Today. And if you have a news tip for our hardworking Philly Mag reporters, please direct it here. You can also use that form to send us reader mail. We love reader mail!

Disney World Has a Comcast Problem Thanks to Universal Studios

Around here, Comcast is mostly known as the company that delivers cable TV and internet services to your house. But let us not forget that Comcast bought NBC Universal more than a decade ago. That means Comcast is very much in the television and movie business — and Comcast did very well at the Oscars last month — as well as the theme-park business, via its Universal Studios parks around the world.

The best-known theme park in the universe is, of course, Disney World. But Comcast’s Universal Studios have been slowly nipping at the heels of Disney. That’s thanks, in no small part, to the Harry Potter rides and experiences Universal offers. There’s also plenty for fans of Jurassic Park and those Minions.

Comcast’s Universal presence in Florida — just down the road from Disney World — is in the middle of a massive expansion. And this expansion comes while Disney World lags behind in terms of major new developments. That, and Disney World turned some smiles upside down with recent price increases and more on the way.

“It is a classic case of the smaller rival taking on the industry leader,” write Wall Street Journal reporters Jacob Passy and Robbie Whelan in this in-depth analysis of the rivalry that dropped over the weekend, ominously headlined “The Threat In Disney’s Backyard.”

The authors go on to explain that while Disney is currently way ahead of Comcast in terms of revenue — Disney’s division that includes theme parks posted $32.5 billion last year compared to Universal’s $8.95 billion for the corresponding division — Universal has positioned itself to flip Disney World fans. And even if families don’t opt to go to Universal instead of Disney World, what if families who used to spend five days and all their vacation dollars at Disney World suddenly decide to do three days at Disney World and two at Universal?

Some notable comments on that story:

Feedback from co-worker just back from an Orlando spring break trip: Universal was great, Magic Kingdom a dud. Too crowded and overpriced.

Legitimate and concerning culture war issues aside, Disney is unparalleled. Iconic timeless characters and a unique and unforgettable vacation experience. There’s something for everyone.

You forgot to mention that some of us will never spend another dollar on Disney anything ever again. Their trans and queer programming directed at children was the end for me.

Absolutely zero interest in artificial attractions such as these. My travel is focused on experiencing the history, culture, and art of our own country, and other countries and regions of the world.

I have to agree with the last commenter. Never been to Disney World. Never been to Universal. Am so glad that my kids never showed any interest. Zilch.

Center City Stabbings

The crime-talk of the weekend in Philadelphia was most definitely the stabbings that took place in Center City on Saturday. First, a 24-year-old woman was stabbed in the chest and a finger near 13th and Chancellor streets around 8:30 on Saturday morning. And just after noon, a one-year-old boy was stabbed in the arm in the Rittenhouse Square area. On Saturday night, police arrested Takeira Hester in West Philadelphia and charged her with the crimes. Fortunately, none of the injuries were fatal. There’s reportedly an open warrant for Hester out of New York, where she allegedly stabbed a person who was trying to break up a fight on the subway.

By the Numbers

60: Years ago today that MLK delivered a speech at Cheltenham High School. He was paid $1,000 for the appearance.

60: Years ago tomorrow that Wawa opened its first convenience store. Why am I telling you this today instead of tomorrow? So you can plan on stopping by your local Wawa for a free cup of coffee. Wawa says it will give away about 1.5 million coffees of any size to celebrate the anniversary.

145,298: Fans who attended the two-night WrestleMania 40 event in South Philadelphia last weekend. That’s not counting all the folks who came into the city for some of the other festivities, like the wrestling matches that happened in the middle of a shut-down South Street. Officials are already angling to bring WrestleMania to Philadelphia again. Prior to WrestleMania 40, Philadelphia hadn’t hosted the wild show for 25 years.

11:59 p.m.: Today’s deadline for filing your taxes. Well, that’s the deadline for filing online. If you’re filing on paper (do people even do that anymore?), you need to get your envelope postmarked before your local post office closes today.

Local Talent

Congrats to Dionicio Jiménez, the chef behind Kensington’s much-lauded Cantina La Martina. And he just earned a rare four-star review from Philly Mag restaurant critic Jason Sheehan. As if it wasn’t already hard enough to get a table there, Jason.

Congrats are also in order for the Philly filmmaking team behind the hit sports documentary Kelce, which is all about you-know-who. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences just nominated the film for two Sports Emmys, one for Outstanding Long Documentary and one for Outstanding Editing. We’ll find out the winners on May 19th. If you still haven’t seen Kelce, you can do so here.

And From the Weekend-Wrap-Up Sports Desk …

For their next-to-last regular-season game on Friday night, the (mostly healthy!) Sixers (then 45-35) started Kyle Lowry, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Joel Embiid against the Magic (then 46-34). And guess what? It was close — right up until Tyrese heated up at the end of the first quarter, which ended with us up 40-27. Hey, have you seen Joel’s new AT&T commercial? Pretty cute!

Thanks for the inspo @att, choice never goes out of style… right @jujubballin? #MarchMadness#adhttps://t.co/ab9DC9xciy pic.twitter.com/AyEfyu104d

— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) April 11, 2024

Orlando battled back to within five toward the end of the first — and Joel headed to the locker room after wrenching his knee. Yikes. At the half: 68-61 us, with some help from a technical foul on Franz Wagner for mouthiness. Joel came back, thank God, in the second half, and the lead stretched back out, though Joel was a little gimpy. This was fun, though!

Ref was mad after Embiid made it 😭 pic.twitter.com/OJ59S5uXA4

— BrickWrld (@BRICKW0RLD) April 12, 2024

He had 32 points in the final, much needed seventh straight win: 125-113. But he was out for Sunday afternoon’s season finale vs. the Nets, also played at home, so starters were Oubre, Maxey, Mo Bamba, Lowry and Harris. The report said keeping Joel out was a “precautionary” measure. Tyrese was hot from the jump, and the Sixers set a healthy lead before the Nets climbed back up and we chilled off. End of the first quarter: 23-22 Nets. The Sixers started hitting threes, though, and led 55-44 at the half. The Nets were cold through much of the third, and a Buddy Hield buzzer-beater let the Sixers grow an 81-64 lead. A 10-0 Sixers run in the fourth quarter helped them stretch things out to a 107-86 win. You want to know the complicated course of things henceforth in the playoffs? Here you go! For now, play the song.

The #SoFiPlayIn matchups are set!

Tuesday on TNT:
7:30pm/et: #8 Lakers at #7 Pelicans
10:00pm/et: #10 Warriors at #9 Kings

Wednesday on ESPN:
7:00pm/et: #8 Heat at #7 Sixers
9:30pm/et: #10 Hawks at #9 Bulls pic.twitter.com/mARzNZhZJ9

— NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2024

How’d the Phillies Do?

On Thursday night, Ranger Suárez went six scoreless innings against the Pirates, struck out eight, gave up two walks, and allowed just two hits at CBP. A fourth-inning homer by Alec Bohm was key, and Brandon Marsh tacked on an insurance run in the seventh on a long fly ball off the top of the fence. Hold on, let’s take another look at that. Yup, it’s a two-run homer! Then Nick Castellanos got on, and Bryson Stott whacked his first homer of the year! Bohm had a wild catch to end the game at 5-1 Phils.

A nice play by Alec Bohm to secure the @Phillies win! pic.twitter.com/9J5d1MKXYh

— MLB (@MLB) April 12, 2024

On Friday night, debuting their new City Connect unis (which are ugly as phuck), Cristopher Sánchez was on the mound and walked three and had an error and a wild pitch in the first inning, putting the Phils in a 1-0 hole. He’d notched five K’s by the end of the third, but he allowed another run in the fourth before Brandon Marsh doubled and Bryson Stott hit a blooper that pitcher (and former Phillie) Bailey Falter misread, bringing Marsh home.

Sanchez had retired seven in a row by the close of the fifth but came out after the sixth for Yunior Marte, and the Pirates got another after his pitch crossed up J.T. Realmuto  and hit the catcher in the wrist, laying him flat: 3-1. With two outs, Marte then walked the bases loaded on a timing violation. Double yikes. But he struck out Oneil Cruz to end the pain. Damn, two more added in the eighth, off Ricardo Pinto. We loaded the bases in the bottom half vs. Aroldis Chapman and got one in on a walk, but Marsh struck out to end it. And that was the final: 5-2.

Saturday’s 4:05 start saw Spencer Turnbull taking the mound, and it was déjà vu all over again as Pittsburgh jumped out to a 1-0 lead. But Schwarber led us off with a long homer to center to tie things up, and Trea Turner followed that with a double. After two quick outs, Nick Castellanos singled him home for the lead. Oneil Cruz gave the Pirates the lead with a two-run homer at the start of the fifth, and that brought on Matt Strahm, who struck out five Pirates in a row through the sixth.

Gregory Soto came on for the seventh and got Cruz to hit into a double play. In our half, Schwarbs walked and took second on a passed ball by Chapman, then third on a fielder’s choice. After Harper walked as well, Bohm singled to tie things up. Pitching change! Colin Holderman struck out Castellanos and got Stott to fly out. Jose Alvarado got through the eighth unscathed, but so did Hunter Stratton. On came Jeff Hoffman and got ’er done; Jose Hernandez pitched the ninth for Pittsburgh and gave up a Schwarbs single. Whit Merrifield came on to run for him, Turner walked, Hernandez made a wild pitch to advance the runners, and then made another wild pitch — but Harper struck out, and there was one last pitching change, for Roansy Contreras, with Castellanos at bat.

ATTA BABY 🙌 pic.twitter.com/1OxAGOz1sc

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 13, 2024

Maybe you stayed indoors to watch Sunday’s series finale. But the rest of the world was in the glorious outdoors, enjoying a perfect spring day. Me, I was digging up dandelions and thistles from the lawn at my kid’s new house. And that was a wise decision, as the Phils got a 9-2 shellacking by the Pirates. We were actually ahead 2-1 until starter Zack Wheeler had a disastrous sixth inning, giving up a grand slam and opening the gates of hell. Just about the only bright spot was Trea Turner’s homer. A three-game home series with the Rockies kicks off today at 6:40.

Any Doop News?

The Union managed to preserve their undefeated season in an away match vs. Atlanta United — barely — with a stunning 2-2 comeback tie on a Mikael Uhre goal in the 73rd minute and a stunner from Kai Wagner in the 77th.

Watch this goal then watch it again 🤯

What a goal from Kai Wagner! Assisted by @nateharriel #DOOP | #ATLvPHI 2-2 pic.twitter.com/SPYIfXEGqA

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) April 14, 2024

That was the good news; the bad news was another injury to goalkeeper Andre Blake — just back from concussion protocol — in the first half. Thank heaven for next weekend’s bye.

The Flyers also played.

Rejoice! Be Well Philly Fest Is Returning This May

Be Well Philly Fest is back! This year, our wellness event will happen on May 19th at Bok. / Photography by Zara Neifield Photography

We are thrilled to announce that Be Well Philly Fest presented by Independence Blue Cross is returning this year!

So, mark your calendar: The 2024 Be Well Philly Fest is happening on Sunday, May 19th from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Bok!

Be Well Philly Fest is our annual event focused on all things wellness to help you feel motivated, empowered and inspired. Expect an array of express workouts (so you can get a “taste” of different modalities), hands-on wellness activities, and learning opportunities.

Plus, there’ll be an interactive marketplace where you can sample and shop from local businesses. Even better: You’ll get a healthy lunch and access to our end-of-event happy hour so you can mingle with fellow attendees.

Be Well Philly Fest’s interactive vendor marketplace

This year, we are delighted to welcome an incredible group of fitness instructors and wellness practitioners. Here’s who you can expect to move with and learn from throughout the day:

Workouts

• Yoga Mix — YogaSix Rittenhouse
• Bilates (Bootcamp + Pilates) — Steven Westbrook
• Full-body Strength & Conditioning — Control Lab Strength & Wellness
• Rebound Fitness — Soul 2 Sole Bounce Fitness
• Core Mastery — Active Mom Fitness
• Meditative Mat Pilates — In Flow with Alli
• Barre + Box — Lumos Yoga & Barre
• Karayogi — Dave Hem
• Power Fusion (Pilates Sculpt) — Danielle Brody of Studio LIT
• Yoga 101 — Yoga Home
• Yin Yoga + Sound Bath — Monarch Yoga and Riot Alliance Sound Healing
• Booty Barre — The Wall Cycling Studio
• Athletic Conditioning — Arena Fitness & Performance
• Stretching + Mobility — Match Fit Medical
• Hot Girl Jazz — Evolve Dance

Enjoy workouts and wellness activities on Bok’s rooftop.

Wellness Activities

• Make and Take Skincare — DVINITI Skin Care
• Getting Intuitive with Tarot — Intuitive Jawn
• Cacao + Connect — Lainie Soto and Kristina Slog
• Mindful Journaling — ShrinkChicks of The Therapy Group
• Lymphatic Drainage — Modrn Wellness
• Meal Prep — Prepped by Carly
• Speed Friending — Let Me Know Club

Tickets are on sale now for $45 — and your ticket gets you access to the entire event, including all classes, lunch and happy hour.

So text your friends, snag your ticket, and save the date! We can’t wait to see you on May 19th!

Four Years After the Pandemic Began, Are We All Just Awkward Now?

Did I make it awkward? / Illustration by James Boyle

My mom is a retired therapist. When I was growing up, one of my favorites of her mantras about her profession was this: “Most people’s biggest problem is other people.” You can see where I get my ­chronic introversion. Psychological research tells us it likely is hereditary, and in my case, I believe it. Of the six members of my immediate family, only one could accurately be described as a people person. But lately, that number has doubled.

In 2022, I moved from the outer borders of Temple’s campus and onto an idyllic street in Queen Village. Something about daily life here made me want a sense of routine — to feel like a real part of a neighborhood, rather than a transplant. People were so friendly that at first, it seemed I’d gone to sleep and woken up on Sesame Street. Strangers on my block greeted me and asked how I was doing, occasionally complimenting my clothes or my hair. I wasn’t used to it, but eventually, I sort of liked it. I wanted to return their energy. The strictest of distancing guidelines had been lifted, and life seemed ripe for sociability again. Maybe it was time for me to be sociable, too. So I set out to earn the rank of “regular” at the handful of bars and coffee shops I frequented. I joked with the hardware-store owner and offered beers to the old ladies I passed on my way home from the Whole Foods. The neighborhood required that I open up a little, and I was ready to oblige. But in opening up to neighborliness, I found that I was opening up to moments of profound mortification as well.

One evening in the late summer after my move, I stopped at Southwark, a Queen Village restaurant I’d begun to patronize for some weekly quiet time with a glass of wine and a book. The staff had started to recognize me as soon as I walked in. This time, a waiter I’d never seen before appeared at my table on the patio. His name was ­Aiden. Though it was the first time I’d been attended by him, he looked oddly familiar, with his cropped sandy hair and mild but friendly expression. My evening proceeded as it usually did; the pet-nat was refreshing, and the book was good. But something was nagging at me. By the time my bill came around, I’d figured it out but resolved to keep it to myself. I settled up, said goodbye to the bartender, and rounded the corner to head home. On my way, I passed the patio’s iron doors and saw my waiter again, clearing away my glass and plate. Some spirit of impropriety possessed me in that moment. I waved him over to the entryway and said: “Has anybody ever told you you look like Tim Robinson?”

Not changing expression at all, he confirmed that he had indeed heard that before. He didn’t seem particularly pleased by the comparison, not that I expected him to jump for joy at being likened to the somewhat goofy-looking recent Emmy winner.

“Everyone loves Tim Robinson! It’s not a bad thing,” I insisted. This didn’t seem to soften the wet blanket of awkwardness that draped our exchange. I don’t remember what I said after that, just that the shame of a failed attempt at gaining social points was beginning to choke me to death. I walked home, replaying the conversation in my head and praying we would both forget what had happened.

Ahem. A few weeks later, I was at a fund-raiser. A guest bartender there looked familiar to me, and he seemed to recognize me as well. We stood for a moment, trying to place each other, and suddenly he laughed and exclaimed: “Tim Robinson!”

It was the bartender from Southwark. This was what my flub had spiraled into: a moment of social ineptitude so powerful that it had spread among the entire staff of a restaurant at which I longed to be a regular. I was the “Tim Robinson” woman who ran around comparing people to celebrities. The bartender confirmed that many of his co-workers had heard about me, and though he said some agreed on the resemblance, embarrassment made me sick to my stomach. Not sick enough to stop going, but enough that in my handful of visits to Southwark after that, I could barely look Aiden in the eye, or even in his direction.

I’ve had other clumsy encounters on my home turf since then — a paper-straw fiasco at a smoothie shop, a bit of overheard gossip at a cafe. And then there was the clown-­costume incident (more on that later). I wanted so badly to be part of the world again, but it seemed that every time I opened my mouth, my foot wound up in it. Life had become an inescapable episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and I was Larry David.

But it’s not just me.

Shortly after COVID vaccines began approaching mass availability and hope for the resurrection of sociability among Americans rose, publications including the Washington Post, the New York Times and Forbes reported on the epidemic of awkwardness brought on by the pandemic. By late 2021, these outlets had decided that yes, the social world was back, but it was … different.

Awkwardness in the COVID era could easily be chalked up to the weirdness of social distancing and anxiety about illness. Yet nearly three years out from the worst of it, the awkwardness remains. In a Forbes Health Survey, 59 percent of respondents said they found it harder to form relationships since the onset of the pandemic. Research on prisoners, astronauts and hermits has shown that isolation atrophies our social skills. Now we, too, seem to have lost our grasp on basic interpersonal norms, from greeting people to splitting the bill at dinner to, yikes, comparing total strangers to famous people they resemble.

The question this raises is the same one we ask about so many facets of life since the pandemic: Will things go back to normal? Will we be awkward forever, or are we simply shaking off the cobwebs?

A number of psychological and sociological concepts could be at play here.

Some experts see a wide-scale reevaluation of the merits of even being social taking place. We all know the stats — ­Americans of every age, gender, ethnicity and income are hanging out less than ever. Leisure time is decreasing; screen time is increasing. Our “third places” — ­locations outside of home and work that enable socialization — are disappearing, and with them, so is our greater sense of community. Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy diagnosed us with a “social recession.”

And while shrinkage of our social circles over time is natural, Laëtitia Mwilambwe-Tshilobo, a postdoctoral research fellow for Princeton’s Social Neuroscience Lab, explains to me that it typically doesn’t occur so quickly. “This is, in psychology, called socio-emotional selectivity theory: As people age and how they view their life shrinks, they become more selective in who they want to socialize with,” she says. “I wonder whether because of the pandemic, that realization might have happened to people much earlier, and they might be doing that much faster than they normally have.”

Laurence Steinberg, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Temple University, notes, “A lot of people, and I would put myself in this category, realized that maybe they didn’t like socializing as much as they thought they had.” In other words, he says, when face-to-face socialization paused during the pandemic, many of us expected to feel lonely and deprived of interpersonal contact, only to now come out of it and discover that we never really enjoyed dinner parties, after-work happy hours, and chitchat with the bagger at the grocery store. People are increasingly fine with the three or four friends they regularly talk to and no more. This would certainly make it seem, well, intrusive when some Nosy Nellie walks up to you at work and says you look like a nutty TV comedian.

Another possibility is that sociality seems different because the rules of engagement — and how we engage with those rules — are different. Pre-pandemic, Steinberg explains, the many social scripts we follow in everyday life were natural to us — so much so that we weren’t even aware we were following them. We didn’t have to consciously think about what to say to co-workers, how to order a drink, how to initiate or dodge conversation with a neighbor. But then we put those scripts on the shelf. In the throes of the pandemic, we adopted new social scripts and norms to adhere to isolation and social-­distancing guidelines. These norms were deeply abnormal to social creatures like us, but we (or most of us) adapted to them anyway.

“Now that all the restrictions have been lifted, you’re going back into the world, and you’ve got to relearn those things,” Steinberg says. Much as if you stop exercising or speaking a language for a time, your familiarity deteriorates, and routines have to be reintroduced, often uncomfortably at first: “There is going to be that period of awkwardness at the beginning.”

What might put a hitch in our re-­education, though, is that we may all be reacclimating to different scripts. In February of last year, New York magazine’s The Cut ran a guide listing a staggering 194 rules of etiquette for today’s society, positing that recent social turmoil (a pandemic, labor issues, the culture war, etc.) has essentially done away with any consensus we once had over what is “polite” and how our scripts should proceed. With millions of us getting back into the swing of things, opportunities abound for that dissonance to cause discomfort or even outright conflict.

While all these sociological concepts may be at work, the answer could be much more internal. Research tells us that loneliness, rates of which have exploded in recent years, can have a physiological impact on social cognition — our cognitive ability to engage with the social world and process social information. Our brains interpret isolation as mortal danger, the deprivation of a need. And while we’ve returned to a time where we can enjoy the company of others as much as we please, we’ve lost our finer touch in complex social interactions. We’re hypervigilant, oversensitive and withdrawn. (It shows even in our digital spaces. Been on Twitter lately?)

Changes in both self-perception and perception of social cues due to loneliness have been well documented. Mwilambwe-Tshilobo describes a study of the neuro-imaging of lonely people and not-lonely people in response to stimuli. The expectation was that brains looking at the same stimuli would respond similarly. But in the study, lonely brains didn’t just fail to respond to certain stimuli in the same ways not-lonely brains did. Lonely brains didn’t even respond similarly to each other.

“What this tells us — and there’s got to be a lot more work on this — is that we know social perception is changed, but there seems to be something more,” says Mwilambwe-Tshilobo. “It’s more than just lonely people negatively interpreting a social situation, either for themselves or others. How they are viewing the world seems to be very different from how not-lonely people might. These changes can have a downstream impact on how a person engages with others.”

Maybe my self-flagellation was a consequence of my physiology; my brain simply hadn’t caught up with my quest to get involved in the neighborhood. It’s not that the world has lost interest in its extroverts and Chatty Cathys — this is life as a new, post-pandemic people-person. It’s striking up conversation with anyone standing next to me in public — and then over-analyzing my every word as soon as I get home.

The extroverts in my own life agree. “All the time, I find myself thinking, ‘Did I make it weird?’” says Symone Salib, a South Philly artist and educator I befriended at a recent work event. Since the pandemic, more and more, she, too, has found herself navigating awkwardness and working overtime to make the most basic conversations fun. “As an extrovert, I have a lot of high energy,” she says. “I try to be very aware of my energy when I come into the space.”

Bartenders at my other local haunts tried to comfort me when I (naturally) regaled them with my Tim Robinson story. “A lot of times when there’s an awkward interaction, there’s one person that is completely absorbing all of the awkward energy and one person who has no idea what even happened,” Ryan Rayer, the general manager at Grace & Proper in Bella Vista, told me. (I had another inelegant moment at that very bar when I encountered the host of my favorite podcast, Kelsey McKinney of Normal Gossip, and, completely forgetting to play it cool, did a cartoonish double take: My eyes flew open, my jaw dropped, the whole nine yards. Luckily, she wasn’t totally put off by my gawkishness, and we made plans to connect later. When we did, McKinney, a recent Philly transplant, made an observation I’d been hearing since I moved here seven years ago: This is a big city, but it’s a small town. You run into the same people, information gets around, and jokes can take on a life of their own. “I think something really cool about this city is that it’s confrontational in a playful way,” she said. “It feels more common to get razzed by people you don’t know.”)

But with all these theories and studies and statistics duking it out in my head, I knew I needed the objective truth to end my distress. So one evening after a party in mid-February, I stopped by Southwark with a friend and took a seat at one of the booths. We ordered coffee and dessert, and who else but Aiden brought them to our table. Before I could finish apologizing, he assured me he wasn’t mad and said he’d be glad to talk more later. I couldn’t fit that in before my deadline, but knowing he was willing to sit down with me — and that there was probably no picture of me hanging on a wall somewhere for Aiden and other staff members to throw darts at — was a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. Now that I had a better look at him, he didn’t really resemble Tim Robinson all that much.

Awkward situations continue to find me in my quest to surrender to neighborliness, and predictions of when the social world will get back to pre-pandemic norms are speculative at best. But I still think that gab is a gift. The Harvard Study of Adult Development, a long-term analysis of adult happiness, found that the key lies in good relationships. And while the road to this goal is a bit rocky at the moment, many of us haven’t given up on small talk.

“There’s a lot of intentionality now where there didn’t used to be in terms of just existing socially,” Ryan Rayer says. “People are joining groups where you go out to dinner with people you’ve never met. I met a girl a couple of months ago who said she was on a mission as an adult to ‘hard-launch friendships’ immediately.”

Mwilambwe-Tshilobo, whose research focuses on loneliness, commends such endeavors. “It can just be a bit of a mess in how loneliness impacts an individual,” she says. “But what allows people to kind of snap out of it was just getting over that barrier and trying again, going into different social situations where you’re able to connect.”

As for the return of normalcy? It might be in your best interest to get acquainted with the new normal. Though many experts are sure our difficulties will eventually subside, exactly when is hard to say. And with no end to remote work in sight for many of us, including me, the onus of socialization is now on us — and will likely remain there for the foreseeable future. Why not get a little weird with it?

I, for one, am more than willing. On Halloween weekend last year, I suggested to my friends that we take a break from clubbing and bar-crawling to go speed-dating. The flier encouraged attendees to come in costume, and while this form of people-­meeting would typically seem a bit bleak to me, for reasons I still don’t understand, I felt I’d do it more comfortably in my get-up of the past few Halloweens — as a rodeo clown. So I threw on my cowboy hat and glued on a cheap red foam nose. When I got to the bar where the event was being held — 30 minutes late — a living nightmare unfolded: I was the only one in costume. The average person would have fled the scene, tail tucked between legs — or died on the spot of shame. But in my case, the spirit of impropriety returned in full force. I doubled down and proceeded to make conversation with a handful of strangers for an hour or two. By the time I got home, I was glad I had. At least now I had another funny story for my collection. Something Salib said rings very true when I look back on that incident: “This world is so much more fun when we’re being silly and goofy and ourselves.”

Published as “Did I Make It Awkward?” in the April 2024 issue of Philadelphia magazine.

From Mexico to Philadelphia: Cantina La Martina Is a Journey of Flavor

From left: Camaron suizas; Chef Jiménez preparing barbacoa in the backyard of Cantina La Martina. / Photography by Michael Persico

I don’t know where to start but with the thing that everyone talks about: Cantina La Martina exists in a piece of Philly hit hard by the opioid epidemic. It’s on the corner of Kensington and D, and there’s just no way around that. There are needles in the gutter, the scars of campfires on the sidewalks, some of the city’s most abandoned on the same block. It’s hard to look at, and it should be, because ignoring it helps precisely no one.

But then there’s the other thing everyone talks about: that Dionicio Jiménez has created something here that is remarkable — one of the best restaurants in the city in one of the most challenging places it could be. Calling Cantina La Martina an oasis is insulting, because it’s fully part of this neighborhood — with its Mexican music and weekend events on the fenced patio, killer happy-hour deals and Taco Tuesdays. In Cantina’s first year, Jiménez was a James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic. Now, in its second year, he’s received another nod from the foundation, this time for the national honor of Outstanding Chef. And that all makes sense, because everything he makes in this kitchen – ­everything he touches – becomes the best version of that dish you’ll ever try.

Diners enjoying bites over margaritas

The camaron suizas–the shrimp curl like pink corkscrews inside the loosely rolled tortillas, topped with pickled red onions, doodles of Mexican­ crema, melted queso fresco, and, most importantly, this amazing­ creamy-white salsa verde flooding the plate and holding­ everything together. It turns the fluffy white rice served in a bowl on the side (half a bowl, really) into a star all on its own, the smoky black beans (in the other half of the bowl) into a garnish, and the entire dish into something that makes you put your elbows down on the table and focus — that makes you scrape the plate with your fork to get every last drop.

The rest of the menu is just as good. Every plate shows the steps Jiménez has taken over decades in the business — as a dishwasher, a line cook, Vetri’s sous-chef, Solomonov’s opening chef at Xochitl, Starr’s exec at El Rey — and what he has learned along the way.

Who else is going to attempt a Mex-Italian fusion like Jiménez’s siete mares riff on the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes (done as a soup), or his food-nerdy red pozole, studded with chunks of tender pork and hominy and lime and jalapeño and threaded with ramen noodles? It was actually the ramen that got me into Jiménez’s dining room the first time, months ago, because I thought something like that has no safety net. It either has to be laughably bad or so good that it colors the entire menu — offering depth and a sense of humor bordering on whimsy.

Needless to say, it was the latter.

The kitchen’s tacos are monsters — street tacos given center-plate status, overstuffed and tightrope-walking that narrow line between upscaled and overcomplicated. All of them are good. The camarones (again) and the cochinita are great — the shrimp because they’re plainly influenced by that beach-bum vibe so many city taquerias reach for and miss, and the cochinita because that’s where Jiménez and his kitchen get to show off.

Noodles at Cantina La Martina

There’s an achiote braise that turns everything orange, a slow cook for an almost impossible tenderness, hints of chili and lime and black pepper, pickled red onions for a little acid brightness, cabbage for crunch (I always pull that off), and then the house’s pulpy, electric green salsa cruda that tastes like no other salsa cruda I’ve ever had, like spicy garlic, kinda; like hot tomatillo with a savory top note. That’s good times, right there. That’s a dish you talk about.

But two years in, and there’s still the conversation: Why this neighborhood? Is it really worth going?

And the answer is yes, obviously. Yes, if you’re comfortable enough. You walk in out of the tragedy and into the vibrant barroom, with its brick-backed long bar and exposed beams. The El rattles the walls, the radio plays MGMT’s “Time to Pretend,” and you can sink into the easy comfort and infectious joy of this room and forget everything else.

Cantina La Martina’s dining room

You shouldn’t, but you can. For a little while, anyway. But the world is still waiting outside. And while it’s beyond asking one restaurant to fix a problem as entrenched and multi-faceted as what exists outside the front doors, in a community that has had so much taken away from it, Cantina La Martina is giving a lot back.

They’re here. They’re part of the neighborhood. And they’re not looking away.
4 Stars — Come from anywhere in America

Rating Key
0 stars: stay away
★: come if there are no other options
★★: come if you’re in the neighborhood
★★★: come from anywhere in Philly
★★★★: come from anywhere in America

Published as “Cantina La Martina Is a National Treasure” in the April 2024 issue of Philadelphia magazine.