Illustrations by Denise Erickson
back to school
New to Philly? Going back to school? Here's the real deal. Amarcord, 524 S. Fifth St., 928-0690. Amarcord's Anita knows her stuff.
Great dresses. Great hats. Antiquarian's Delight, 615 S. Sixth St., 592-0256. A virtual bazaar of vintage furniture
and clothes housed in an old temple, Antiquarian's is not to be
missed. Ballyhoo, 160 N. Third St., 627-1700. Nice used clothing and deadstock,
even vintage lingerie. Ballyhoo's selection is pricey, but most
of the items are in pristine condition. Greene Street Consignment Shop, 37 N. Third St., 413-3490. Great selection of consignment, designer
and non-designer clothes. Cool shoes. SpaceClown, 407 South St. (above Zipperhead), 592-1015. Dead stock from
'50s-'80s and unusual used clothes, shoes and trinkets. Venus in Furs, 1004 Pine St., 922-8887. Shellee Harper's window designs are always
a lure. Good selection of dresses and men's shirts. Vintage Clothing Co., 530 S. Fourth St., 925-7607. Mostly jeans, shirts. Look for their
soon-to-arrive selection of rubber furniture. Thrift Stores (just a few of our faves) American Family Services, 910 N. Broad St., 978-0611. American Thrift, Eighth & Wolf Streets, 336-6626. Thrift for AIDS, 692 South St., 592-9014. Village Thrift, 921-29 Lehigh Ave., (there's no phone number, but it's in Germantown). Cheap Threads Daffy's, 1700 Chestnut St., 963-9996. If your designer taste leans toward
the flashy/trendy, Daffy's is the spot to find designer names
like A.B.S., Vittadini and Steve Madden on the cheap. Easy Pickins, two locations: The Gallery, 829-1740; and 12th & Chestnut Streets,
751-9620. For those times when you need cool shoes in a pinch
- just remember they're likely to fall apart within two weeks.
But what do you expect for $9.99? Filene's Basement, 1606 Chestnut St., 864- 9080. Filene's often carries hipper,
more business-appropriate/established designer names like French
Connection, Isaac Mizrahi, Calvin Klein and Barney's signature
line. I. Goldberg, 902 Chestnut St., 925-9393. Much more than Army/Navy surplus,
check out Goldberg's great selection of boots, belts, jeans and
that German sailor shirt you never knew you wanted. Shoes Guacamole, 422 South St., 923-6174. Not as expensive as the others and
a good selection of Steve Madden and John Fluevog clompy-soled
lookalikes. Head Start Shoes, 126 S. 17th St., 567-3247. Expensive, but wait until stuff goes
on sale. One of the best selections in Philly. Mainly Shoes, 4410 Main St., Manayunk, 483-8000. Another great selection of
shoes if you're willing to head out to Manayunk. Time Zone, 535 South St., 592-8266. Vintage and new shoes in wild styles.
It's expensive and the salesclerks are snotty, but they've got
lots of shoes. Trash and Vaudeville, 628 South St., 238-8817. You can find good deals on weird name
brand shoes here. Used Furniture Bargain Thrift Center, two locations: 4530 Germantown Ave., 843-1300; and 5253-61 Germantown
Ave., 849-3225. Metro Antiques, 257 S. 20th, 545-3555. Walter shows his wares on the sidewalk
- everything from art deco dressers to pricey African tribal masks.
Thrift For AIDS, 633 South St., 592-9014. Cheap, cheap, cheap. We like that.
Not always the coolest stuff, but you've gotta keep going back.
Uhuru Furniture Bazaar, 1220 Spruce St., 546-9616. Used furniture if you don't mind a
little politics with your dresser drawers. Their profits go to
the Uhuru project, a black community campaign. UPenn for Sale newsgroup, (upenn.forsale.edu). These people are desperate to get rid of
their stuff - you can usually find great deals. Music Stores That Buy Used Records CDs To Go, two locations: 309 South St., 928-1613; and 526 South St., 625-9677.
Classical Choice, 3736 Walnut St., 382-2224. Only classical and jazz, but good
trade-in prices. Noise Pollution, 619 S. Fourth St., 627-7246. Philadelphia Record Exchange, 608 S. Fifth St., 925-7892. Princeton Record Exchange, 20 S. Tulane St., Princeton, NJ, (609) 921-0881. Third Street Jazz and Rock, 20 N. Third St., 627-3366. Musical Instruments Bluebond Guitars, 617 S. Fourth St., 829-1690. They have a nice selection of custom
and vintage guitars - but they know it and you're going to pay
top dollar for it. They also do repairs. Cintioli's, 5349 Oxford Ave., 533-2050. It's way up in Northeast Philly. If
you can make the pilgrimage it's worth it. DiPinto Guitars, 214 Market St., 923-2353. If you've been after a Silvertone
or Dan Electro for years, look no further. They also have a respectable
selection of more mainstream vintage at respectable prices. Chris
DiPinto's custom-made axes are like six-string hot rods. 8th Street Music Center, 1023 Arch St., 923-5040. It ain't exactly Tiffany's when it
comes to service, but it's darn convenient when you need some
new strings. Rustic Music, 333 S. 13th St., 732-7805. Used guitar prices are reasonable,
not exactly bargains. However, the used pedals - c'est magnifique! All-Ages (Music) Shows Cabbage Collective/Philadelphia Rebel Alliance, call 567-6661 for info, ask for Don. Their shows usually cost
around $5-$6 for three to four bands. They're often held at the
Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., or at the Pontiac Grille,
304 South St., 925-4053. It's not usual to have both national
and local acts on one bill. Electric Factory, 421 N. Seventh St., 627-1332. National acts in a warehouse venue.
Balcony bar. Fakehouse/Killtime, 39th & Lancaster. A couple of warehouses in West Philly where
they occasionally have shows (but you didn't hear that from us).
Mostly local acts, but sometimes national. Watch for fliers or
ask around. T.L.A., 334 South St., 922-1011. A wide variety of national acts play
this medium-sized theater. High heels aren't recommended as their
floor is standing room only and sloped. The Trocadero, 10th & Arch Streets, 922-LIVE. This ex-burlesque theater might
just be the most beautiful place you'll ever see a national punk
band play. Local acts occasionally open. Band Bars (Over 21) The Balcony, upstairs at The Trocadero, 10th & Arch Streets, 922-LIVE. A
small space with a great sound and look. The shows focus on indie
rock, local and national. Doc Watson's Pub, 216 S. 11th St., 922-3427. The space fills up quickly, but the
joint really gets rocking with local bands. The Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 238-5888. The best local bands play in a canary
yellow room in this Edward Scissorhands-like club. The Pontiac Grille, 304 South St., 925-4053. The former J.C. Dobbs (sniff) still
looks and acts like the place that showcased Nirvana and Beck
in their early days. The joint's a tad cleaner now, in every sense
of the word. Sam Adams, 1516 Sansom St., 563-2326. Sure it's a brewhouse, but it's also
an excellent place to see a band. Silk City, Fifth & Spring Garden Streets, 592-8838. Along with its Back
2 Basics and Ratpack nights, this club has showcased everyone
from Edith Frost to El Vez in the last few months. Upstairs at Nick's, 16 S. Second St., 928-9411. Pure grunge setting, great national
and local acts. Cheap Beer Anthony's, 226 Market St., 922-5429. Late night fries and wonderful service.
Pleasantly no-frills. Dirty Frank's, 13th & Pine Streets, 732-5010. The art student hangout that lives
up to its name. A Philadelphia tradition. McGlinchey's Bar and Grill, 259 S. 15th, 735-1259. If you don't like thick smoke wafting
over your brew, this place ain't for you. Murphy's Tavern, 4335 Spruce St., 349-8400. West Philly's longtime dive. Poor Henry's, 829 N. American St., 413-3500. During happy hour (5-7 p.m.)
you can get half-price appetizers and $2 microbrews. Yum. Going Swank The Continental, 138 Market St., 923-6069. Swing on in for a delicious chocolate
martini or some awesome snacks in this ultra-smooth martini bar.
Deluxe, 305 S. 11th St., 829-9151. Not as typically "cocktail" as the
rest, but we like that. Deluxe offers superb entertainment: drag
nights, great DJs, bands and bizarre-o theater performances. The Five Spot, 5 S. Bank St., 574-0070. Retro-themed martini bar with jazz
bands, swing and Latin dance nights. Paradigm, 239 Chestnut St., 238-6900. High ceilings, great food, loud
atmosphere and waitresses who are drop-dead stunning. You gotta
be prepped for the Paradigm scene. Rococo, 123 Chestnut St., 629-1100. Sip some wine at a bar that snakes
around the room, or puff on a stogie in the chic upstairs lounge. Cheap Eats Blue in Green, 7 N. Third St., 928-5880. The place to go in Philly for a styling
Soho breakfast and portobello sandwiches. Expect to wait in line.
Cavanaugh's, 119 S. 39th St., 386-4889. Wednesday night is all you can eat
and drink for $6. Not bad. Cuvee Notredame, 1701 Green St., 765-2777. This Art Museum Area restaurant serves
up the best $5 continental lunch. McGlinchey's, 259 S. 15th St., 735-1259. Super-cheap bar food. Samosa, 1214 Walnut St., 545-7776. A vegetarian Indian buffet that doesn't
taste like a bargain, but is. All-Night Eats (Breakfast Anytime) Diner on the Square, 19th & Spruce Streets, 735-5787. IHOP, 1720 Walnut St., 735-8135. Little Pete's, 17th & Chancellor Streets, 545-5079. Melrose Diner, 1501 Snyder Ave., 467-6644. South Street Diner, 140 South St., 627-5258. Silk City, 435 Spring Garden St., 592-8838 (24-hour service on Fridays
and Saturdays only). The Savoy, 232 S. 11th St., 923-2348. Dance Clubs Fluid, 613 S. Fourth St., 629-3686. A hangout for the stars of the
Philly DJ scene, you'll feel like you're underwater at this liquidy-themed
club. The Palmer Social Club, 601 Spring Garden St., 925-5000. Three floors of everything
you'd expect from a nightclub. Afterhours dancing, skimpy outfits
and attitude. Polly Esther's, 12th & Race Streets, 851-0776. How long can a devotion to all
things Travoltian last? This place is worth a crazy night's visit.
Shampoo, 417 N. Eighth St. (at Willow Street), 922-7500. This NY-style
hotspot started out with a '70s theme and a Warren Beatty mindset,
but has evolved into a meeting place for groovers and artists.
Silk City, Fifth & Spring Garden Streets, 592-8838. Join the sweaty, raw groove at Silk's legendary Back 2 Basics
on Saturday night or Booty on Monday night (which includes a soul
buffet). Where to Find Indie Films International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 387-5125. Ritz at the Bourse, 400 Ranstead St., 925-7900. Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St., 925-7900. Ritz 12, 900 Haddonfield-Berlin Road (Route 561), Voorhees, NJ, (609)
770-0600. The Roxy, 2023 Sansom St., 923-6699. Secret Cinema, Jay Schwartz shows his collection of educational, offbeat and
sometimes first-run films around town. E-mail him (jschwart@voicenet.com)
or watch City Paper for listings. Museum Musts Franklin Institute, 20th & Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 448-1200. Hard to believe, but
this place actually makes science fun. It's also got an IMAX theater
and laser light show. Best to do with a little help from your
friends. Mummers Museum, Second & Washington Streets, 336-3050. Where all good sequins
go when they die. Mütter Museum, 9 S. 22nd St. (at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia),
563-3737. Medical oddities that are scary and fun. You ain't seen nothin'
until you've seen the soap lady. Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th & Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 763-8100. A whole lotta Duchamp
and much more. Rodin Museum, 22nd & Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 763-8100. Houses the largest
collection of Rodin sculpture outside of Paris.
Survival Guide
Vintage Clothing
