Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

Gay and lesbian travelers looking to extend their summer fun into autumn need look no further than Philadelphia in 2009 and beyond. With a handful of new restaurants, bars, clubs, events and hotels to complement Philadelphia’s cherished and historical gay-friendly heritage, Philadelphia is the place to Get Your History Straight And Your Nightlife Gay®.

Make It A Weekend—Or More:
One of the nation’s leading gay-friendly hotel chains, Kimpton makes its Philadelphia debut on October 15 with the Hotel Palomar Philadelphia, a 24-story property housed in the 80-year-old American Institute of Architects building. Themed “Art in Motion,” the Art Deco

Journalists are taking notice of Philadelphia as a hot urban destination, as evidenced by the many accolades bestowed on the city in September and October 2008. Here’s a look at what some national magazines and a Web site had to say:

• Business Facilities chose Philadelphia as one of seven destinations for its “Editors’ Location Picks 2008” list featured in the September issue of the publication. Editors were particularly impressed that the region “has a ‘CEO Council for Growth’ that was so determined to create a high-powered entity to market the region it raised $16 million four years ago to establish

New On The Scene
More than 140 years after it closed for business, Fairmount Park’s famed Water Works—onetime home to the engine room for Philadelphia’s cutting-edge water department—reopened this summer as a chic destination lounge and restaurant. Sitting right below the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Water Works Restaurant and Lounge has an amazing view of Boathouse Row. On 24-year-old chef Adan Trinidad’s menu: grilled octopus with cilantro, duck risotto with porcini mushrooms and vanilla butter-poached lobster. Philly’s edgy Northern Liberties neighborhood recently welcomed extremely hip and colorful Bar Ferdinand, where Owen Kamihira, designer for restaurateurs Stephen Starr