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Photo: Smallbones, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
A lively neighborhood, extending from 7th to Broad Street, Chestnut to South Street. It is bordered by the quieter neighborhoods of Rittenhouse Square to the west and Old City/Society Hill to the east. It is home to Antique Row and Mid-Town Village (two great shopping districts), historic cobbled streets, theaters, restaurants and more. Antique Row (Pine Street between about 13th and 9th Streets) is full of interesting shops, not all of them antiques-oriented. This neighborhood is a good place to see Philadelphia's native style of house, the "trinity" -- two, three, or four floors, one room per floor, connected by spiral stairs. The small streets above Pine, such as Quince Street, are lined with trinities. Washington Square itself is worth a visit to see the tomb of the unknown Revolutionary War soldier.
Washington Square West is a neighborhood in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The neighborhood roughly corresponds to the area between 7th and Broad Streets and between Chestnut and South Streets, bordering on the Independence Mall tourist area directly northeast, Market East to the north, Old City and Society Hill to the East, Bella Vista directly south, Hawthorne to the southwest, and mid-town Philadelphia and Rittenhouse Square to the west. The area takes its name from Washington Square, a historic urban park in the northeastern corner of the neighborhood. In addition to being a desirable residential community, it is considered a hip, trendy neighborhood that offers a diverse array of shops, restaurants, and coffee houses. Washington Square West contains many gay-friendly establishments, especially in the gay village area of the neighborhood commonly known as the Gayborhood, which hosts annual events celebrating LGBT culture in Philadelphia, including OutFest.
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America's oldest theatre celebrated its 200th anniversary season in 2009. Shows regularly sell out, and travelers are advised to buy in advance. The theater is a self-producing, non-profit regional theater.
Built to preserve, interpret, and exhibit achievements of African Americans.
Mask and Wig has presented comedy, music, and dancing to the University of Pennsylvania, to Philadelphia and to audiences across the country since 1889 and is a legend amongst Philadelphia theatre-goers. Each spring, Mask and Wig performs a full-length musical comedy at its historic Clubhouse.
A subsection of Washington Square West, the Gayborhood is Philadelphia's traditional LGBTQ-friendly area. It covers from about Broad and Walnut about 11th and Pine, and is most strongly associated with 12th and 13th streets, especially from Pine to Walnut. The Gayborhood is comprised of bars, restaurants and other LGBTQ-friendly business, including Giovanni's Room, the oldest operating queer bookstore in the U.S. Popular establishments include Woody's, Pure, and 12th Street Gym. Most straight-owned Gayborhood businesses are friendly to the LGBT community and straights alike regardless of orientation.
Extends from approximately 8th Street to 11th Street east-west, and Vine Street to Market Street north-south. Compared to the Chinatown of other cities, Philadelphia's is fairly small. It is home to a variety of Asian ethnicities (not just Chinese) and is a popular neighborhood for young people. The streets are dominated by homes, restaurants, and boutique stores. Chinatown's symbol is its "Friendship Arch", an ornate paifang in the heart of the neighborhood, located at 10th and Arch streets. Though it is commonly found in many North American Chinatowns, the Arch Street incarnation is more elaborately rendered than most. Chinatown is filled with restaurants, bakeries and gift shops. Restaurants include Penang, Sang Kee, Banana Leaf and Tai Lake. Bakeries include Asia Bakery, Hong Kong Bakery, Mong Kok Station Bakery and KC Pastries. Popular foods include milk tea, bubble tea (also known as boba tea) egg tarts, pork buns, steamed buns, chicken buns and pineapple buns.
Showcases a variety of performing arts from chamber music, dance, drama, orchestral, jazz & pop.