Want to Sit at This Philly Bar? Reservations Cost $75 Per Stool.

The bar at Hop Sing Laundromat, where it will cost you $75 per stool to get a reservation (photo courtesy Hop Sing Laundromat)

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Hop Sing Laundromat Reservations Now Cost $75 Per Barstool

Hop Sing Laundromat has been hailed as one of the greatest bars in America. Even one of the greatest bars on Earth. And if you want to sit at the bar at Hop Sing Laundromat, it will now cost you $75 to reserve a barstool, which I’m pretty sure makes Hop Sing one of the only bars around requiring you to pay for the privilege of sitting at it.

After COVID, Hop Sing Laundromat’s mononymous owner Lê only reopened the table-seating area, which was available on a first-come, first-served basis, without any reservation fees or table minimum. But recently, he reopened bar seating, with the condition that you have to reserve your stool in advance (you can DM Hop Sing Laundromat on Instagram to do that) at that $75 price point.

That $75 doesn’t just include the seat at the bar, though. It also includes some drinks, via a sort of cocktail omakase program. You give the bartender an idea of what you like or don’t like — when I tried the experience during an early test run, I told them to keep things like rosemary and elderflower and crème de violette as far from my glass as possible — and they concoct a series of cocktails based on your preferences and their whim and expertise.

That’s all well and good. But the real benefit to dropping the $75 per person is that because you have a reservation, you don’t have to wait in the long, long, long, long line on Race Street. Considering that it was cold and rainy on my recent visit — well, and that lines to get into places are my personal kryptonite — this is $75 well spent.

Note that your reservation holds the seat for two hours. And Lê cautions you to be on time.

“If they arrive late, then it’s on them to leave on time,” he says. “Or I drag them out.”

Sherwin-Williams to Pay $1 Million to Resolve Allegations About a Platt Bridge-Painting Scheme

If you’ve ever driven to (or been driven to) Philadelphia International Airport, you probably know the Platt Bridge. Well, way back in 2011, Penndot awarded a company a $42.7 million contract to repaint the Platt Bridge. Part of the deal was that a certain percentage of the work had to be performed by a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE). And on paper, a Pennsylvania DBE was tapped to provide materials.

But according to the feds, that was all “a sham,” in the words of prosecutors. Sherwin-Williams — a publicly traded company with locations in more than 120 countries that is most decidedly not a DBE — was actually the beneficiary of those funds. The contractor that orchestrated all this long ago pleaded guilty to criminal charges. And now Sherwin-Williams has agreed to pay $1 million to put their end of the mess to rest. You can read more about the whole convoluted thing in this statement from the DOJ.

Now There’s a Headline!

“How Gisele Fetterman Became the Right Wing’s Favorite Super Villain”

More Basement Art

Last week, it was the story of the fancy old French painting found by construction workers in some box in a basement at Penn. This week, it’s the story of a mural of George Washington — once commissioned by the guy behind Taylor Pork Roll and displayed in an opera house — found in a basement in Trenton.

That’s One Less Stephen Starr Restaurant

“Due to a difference in philosophy,” Stephen Starr has severed his relationship with Bankroll, the brand new Center City sports bar. Honestly, it sounded like an odd match to begin with.

Drama at Eastern State Penitentiary

The workers at the popular Fairmount attraction have voted to unionize.

Sure, You Could Binge White Lotus Again All Weekend…

But there’s plenty of other stuff to do. In fact, we have a whole list!

And If You’re Hungry, Which I Know You Will Be …

Be sure to eat at one of The Philly 15, our tightly curated list of the best new restaurants.

And from the Oh-Hell Sports Desk…

Oh my goodness, you do not want to know what the Red Sox did to the Phillies yesterday afternoon. (Can you say “15-3”?) The Phils face the Tigers today at 1:05.

Joel Embiid was back for the Sixers’ game in Dallas against the Mavericks, and the ESPN crew calling the game (we miss Alaa and Kate!) couldn’t say enough nice things about him. Tyrese Maxey started in place of DeAnthony Melton as Doc Rivers continued to dick around with the lineup. Oh look, there’s Kyrie Irving, traded from the Nets! It was 38-38 Dallas at the end of the first, and Jason Kidd had already used (and lost) his challenge.

James Harden after 1 quarter:
16 PTS
2 REB
7 AST
4/4 FG (100%)
3/3 3PT (100%)

COOKING THE MAVS 😤 pic.twitter.com/19AQ1iFKcP

— siv (@siv773) March 3, 2023

That’s how it went for the rest of the half, with the Mavs pulling ahead and the Sixers catching up. Pretty play here!

NBA: HARDEN ➡️ EMBIID

James: 19 PTS, 10 AST, 83% FG
Joel: 17 PTS, 3 REB, 78% FG

Mavs-Sixers | Live on TNT pic.twitter.com/6gkH7AdWkk

— x — Dubby's Burner (@dubbys_burner) March 3, 2023

Halftime score: 69-65 Dallas.

And then it all went to hell. The Mavs got three-happy, Philly couldn’t sink shit, and at the close of the third, it was 110 to 91. There is no logic to this league.

At least the Sixers came out shooting in the fourth, slicing it to 110-106 with a 17-0 run. Holy crap! Dallas came back, though, before the Sixers put together one last heartbreaking 11-0 run to pull within five, 131-126, with 20-some seconds left. Too little, too late: 133-126.

How can you not like kyrie 💙 #MFFL

— Steven Johnson (@Webee214) March 3, 2023

Oh, let me count the ways. The Sixers next go up against the Bucks in Milwaukee Saturday at 8:30.

Temple got off to a sluggish start in its home bout against UCF last night after an eight-day layoff, but picked up the pace to take the lead, 16-15, at the eight-minute mark in the first, and held a 22-20 lead at the half. There was, um, not a lot of scoring going on. The Owls stretched it out in the second half with an 11-point lead, but the Knights fought back and took the lead again with three minutes left, 49-48. Luckily, Michael Durr fouled out of the game, and the Owls snatched the lead back.

With 14.7 left to go, UCF was out of timeouts, had possession, and was down 54-53. Pressure! They sank a layup and went up one, but Damien Dunn was fouled on the answering desperation drive. Last time around, these teams went to overtime. This time, Dunn tied it with his first foul shot, then missed his second. But Nick Jourdain grabbed the rebound and sank a layup: 57-55 Temple, with .9 seconds left. And that’s where it stayed. Great game for Senior Night.

For your weekend lineup, the Phils face the Pirates on Saturday at 1:05 and the Blue Jays on Sunday at 1:07. I know; 1:07? Really?

You sticking with the Union? They play Inter Miami tomorrow at 7:30. And, wonder of wonders, the telecast is available free!

In college hoops on Saturday, Penn plays Princeton at noon over in Jersey. At two o’clock, La Salle tips off an away game at Loyola Chicago. At 2:30, Drexel faces the winner of today’s Monmouth-Hampton play-in in the CAA tournament. The Dragons are ranked fifth in the conference. And on Sunday, it’s Temple vs. Tulane in NOLA at 2 p.m.

All Philly Today Sports Desk coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.