CONTACT:

Caroline Bean

GPTMC

(215) 599-7433

caroline@gptmc.com

 

REAL FUN, REAL YOUNG, REAL PHILLY: REAL SPLURGE
When The Urge To Splurge Hits, Philly’s The Place To Be

All About The Bottle

Want to drop $200 on a bottle of vodka? If the success of the city’s luxe lounges is any indication, then the answer to that question is a resounding “YES.” Here, the bottle-service business is booming as club goers opt to purchase their favorite spirits by the bottle and (for those with serious dough) store the remains of their liquor in a personalized liquor locker. In Old City, there’s 32º, with its exclusive, upstairs getaway vibe and chilled shots served in glasses made of ice. Uptown at Rittenhouse Square’s Denim Lounge, velvet ropes lead to jean-lined elevators, which lead to a live DJ-ruled lounge and private parties catered by the tattooed chef Scott McLeod. One thing’s for sure: both of these spots offer European buy-the-bottle (and bring-on-the-party) glamour.

Hotel Posh

Playing grown-up is most fun at four-star hotel bars. At Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia’s Swann Lounge, hotel guests sink into plush couches, nosh on gourmet cheese sticks and sip fresh, seasonal martinis. After-dinner brandy at the The Rotunda of the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia is sophistication at its most visible, while the hotel’s Vault cigar bar is the city’s finest spot to sample your first single-malt scotch. The cigar-friendly, book-stocked Philadelphia Library Lounge in the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue makes a person feel like a member of an old boys’ club—only this club has a plasma screen TV.

Luxe Libations

At the moment, Philly’s coolest drink is the kiwi mojito at Washington Square, which must be sipped slowly, preferably in the restaurant’s urban-chic getaway garden. Then again, Philly barhoppers predict a massive resurgence of the classic sidecar and dirty martini, served on the planted roof-top deck of the very new corner showcase the Continental Mid-town. These two spots are the latest additions to the ever-expanding Stephen Starr restaurant empire.

Liquid Specialties

Bet you didn’t realize sake was so versatile? One visit to Morimoto, a modern Japanese culinary palace of the Iron Chef, and you’ll see that whether dry or sweet, hot or chilled, plain or martini-ized, sake is as edgy as the instantly impressive menu — and as delicious as the jaw-dropping interior design. If South of the Border libations are more appealing, Tequila’s Bar at Los Catrines is the place to sample gold and silver tequila that will forever change your idea of a run-of-the-mill margarita. For petite kir royales and Dom Perignon magnums, head upstairs to Old City’s Swanky Bubbles, the city’s only champagne bar and restaurant. Top-shelf vodkas are the specialty at Manayunk’s sleek Sonoma, while Rittenhouse Square’s Tria is a nonstop wine and cheese party. Even plain-old beer gets glamorous at places like Monk’s Cafe, with dozens of Belgian brews, and Nodding Head Brewery, where the brewmaster has his master’s in creating world-class ales and stouts.

Best Foot Forward

Look out, Sex and the City-ites. Danielle Scott boutique deals exclusively in drool-over Jimmy Choos, and Pollinis, while at nearby Joan Shepp, Prada and Miu Miu foot creations are displayed like the fine art that they are.

Because Philly’s all about equal rights, there’s an amazing market for men’s kicks, too. Those into rare reissues of sneaks (from basketball to skate boarding) can pay homage to Nike’s greatest hits and other classics at Rittenhouse Row’s Ubiq. South Street urban style is embodied in Rbk, Reebok’s first all-urban store inspired by the smart style of basketball great and the 76ers’ own Allen Iverson.

Dressed To The Nines

Boys first: If you have to ask, you can’t afford the Randall Cunningham circa 1992 Eagles jersey at hip-hop fashion mecca Mitchell & Ness, the world’s foremost dealer in authentic vintage pro sports jerseys and jackets. (P. Diddy and Jay-Z are just two of the shop’s devoted celebrity clients.) When it comes to custom-tailored, first-interview-impressive Armani suits, Boyds is it. Steven Tyler, lead singer of the popular rock group Aerosmith, and other big-name stars get their custom leather and denim at rocker’s paradise Very Bad Horse, a Northern Liberties’ shop owned by designer Kim Montenegro.

The couture-conscious put their platinum cards to work at Joan Shepp, refined repository of Dries Van Noten and Yohji Yamamoto. Those who prefer jeans with their sequined halter tops won’t be disappointed by the selections at Plage Tahiti, Charlie’s Jeans, Smith Bros. and Matthew Izzo. For thoroughly original local designs, check out Old City’s Vagabond and ME & Blue, B3’s (that’s short for Blocks Below Broad) bShehu and Bryn Mawr boutique Yellow Cake (creator of custom tee-shirts, bucket hats and yoga pants for Jessica Simpson, Molly Sims and Tori Spelling).

All Mall, All The Time

Be prepared to be blown away at the consumer excess of King of Prussia Mall’s Court, Plaza and Pavilion, a have-it-all repository anchored by Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom, and poshly peppered with Hermès, Louis Vuitton, DKNY, Cartier and Tiffany.

Swift Spas, Cool Cosmetics

Getting pampered takes only as long as lunch with “The Flash” mini massage, facial and poolside meal at the award-winning Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, while pedicures are royalty-length affairs at Salon Royale Court. Bluemercury’s back room offers oxygen facials like none other — and its front room offers full selections of NARS and Darphin. Need a quick airbrush tan? Head straight for Francis Jerome, making sure not to miss the Chantecaille cosmetics or Kiss Me mascara displays on the way out. Manayunk’s Beans Beauty may stock its own line of powders, the finest in straightening supplies and impossibly perfect tweezers, but it’s also the place to find some of the area’s finest stylists (they’re hiding upstairs). It’s so worth the trip to New Hope, if it’s just to visit A Beautiful Life, one of the countryside’s coolest beauty boutiques, a plush enclave of Lip Venom and Astara masks.

ADDRESS BOOK

All About The Bottle

Hotel Posh

Luxe Libations

Liquid Specialties

Best Foot Forward

Dressed To The Nines

All Mall, All The Time

Swift Spas, Cool Cosmetics


The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), Philadelphia's regional tourism marketing agency, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to building the region's economy and positive image through tourism and destination marketing. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, call the new Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676, or visit www.gophila.com. For information about arts and cultural attractions in the region, click on the CultureFiles link.

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Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit the photo gallery of gophila.com/pressroom.  

September 2004

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