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

Art lovers, garden enthusiasts, film connoisseurs and sports fans keep coming back year after year for festivals, sporting events, art shows, parades and cultural events in Philadelphia. Here’s what’s going on in the region in 2010*:

January:

• Thousands of decorative strutters kick off the New Year by marching up Broad Street in the festive day-long Mummers Parade that ends with the Fancy Brigade Finale at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. January 1, 2010. phillymummers.com

February:

• The Pennsylvania Convention Center is the site of the Philadelphia International Flower Show, the oldest and largest indoor show of its kind. The annual

Philadelphia’s gay culture is shimmering with a vibrant day and nightlife scene thanks to new restaurants and must-see shops, boutiques and galleries throughout the city. And while visitors are encouraged to get their history straight and their nightlife gay while visiting town, they’re also free to eat, drink and shop, shop, shop. Here’s a look at some of the newest gay-friendly spots in town:

Bars & Restaurants:

• At Bindi, a modern bring-your-own-bottle (BYOB) Indian bistro, partners in business and life Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran use locally grown products and fresh drink mixes. The duo also own gourmet shop

After exploring the Galileo, the Medici and the Age of Astronomy exhibition, appearing only in Philadelphia, only in 2009 (April 4 through September 7, 2009 at The Franklin Institute Science Museum), visitors are encouraged to spend a night or two and enjoy other exhibitions and events in the region. Here’s a look at what’s going on while Galileo’s in town:

Fun Art And Culture:

• The popular three-day West Oak Lane Jazz & Arts Festival—now in its sixth year—features all types of jazz alongside visual artists, craft vendors and more. This year’s lineup features WAR, Jeffrey Osbourne, Average

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) has launched a contest as part of the Philadelphia – Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay® tourism marketing campaign. Entrants can sign up to win “Philly’s Ultimate Gay Stay,” including a trip to the city and dining, shopping and pampering at some of the city’s gay-friendly businesses, at gophila.com/gayphilly.

Online banner ads promoting the contest will run nationwide on logoonline.com and outtraveler.com, while a print ad will run in Passport Magazine. In addition, targeted outreach at out-of-market events and businesses in cities such as Chicago, Denver, Palm Springs and Columbus

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) is proud to announce the renewal of three partnerships to support its groundbreaking gay and lesbian marketing campaign, Philadelphia – Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay®. Southwest Airlines has teamed up with GPTMC for the second year, while R Family Vacations and Mariah Hanson’s The Dinah Weekend are working with GPTMC for the third year. All three partnerships employ innovative and collaborative marketing programs, including cross-promotional advertising, e-mail outreach, social media and targeted public relations. Here’s a look at how GPTMC is working to get the gay-friendly Philly message out:

• Southwest

Restaurants/Cafes:

• 10 Arts by Eric Ripert – In this intimate space located inside the glitzy Ritz-Carlton, Chef Eric Ripert presents American cuisine with an emphasis on organic, locally grown ingredients. 10 S. Broad Street, (215) 523-8000, ritzcarlton.com/hotels/philadelphia
• Bindi – Guests enjoy the spices and full flavors of traditional Indian fare at this dimly lit bring-your-own-bottle (BYOB) spot. Be sure to bring along your own rum or vodka to create Indian-inspired cocktails. 105 S. 13^th Street, (215) 922-6061, bindibyob.com
• Bliss – Chef Fabrizzio Pace puts diners in touch with their inner gourmand thanks to his menu of creative contemporary

Philadelphia is heating up this spring with some of the East Coast’s hottest gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender (GLBT) events. Festivities swing into high gear with the first-ever Philadelphia GLBT Artists Festival, the 10^th anniversary of Philadelphia Black Gay Pride and the second annual Liberty Stampede Rodeo. Throughout the spring and summer, other annual favorites such as Equality Forum, Mr. Gay Philadelphia, Pride Day and the New Hope Open round out the offerings, giving tourists plenty of reasons to visit. Here’s what to expect in gay-friendly Philly this spring and summer:

April:

• Each year brings tough competition at

Gay and lesbian travelers eager to get their “history straight” and “nightlife gay” will find an eclectic mix of fun and fabulous happenings in Philadelphia and The Countryside® throughout the year. Dance parties, drag shows, pride parades and cultural events are among the offerings for gay travelers in 2009. Here’s a look:

Fun Seven Days A Week:

• Woody’s Bar is the quintessential gay hot spot in Philadelphia. With two sprawling floors, including a friendly downstairs bar and packed upstairs dance floor, there’s plenty of man-on-man action seven days a week. 202 S. 13^th Street, (215) 545-1893, woodysbar.com
• Every

Philadelphia is the 13^th most visited U.S. destination for gay and lesbian travelers, according to the 13^th annual LGBT Tourism Study of 4,500 gay and lesbian travelers conducted by San Francisco-based Community Marketing, Inc. This year’s report shows a remarkable increase in total visitation by gay and lesbian travelers to the Greater Philadelphia region and marks a three-year rise in the destination’s visitation ranking. Philadelphia first broke into the prized “Top 20 U.S. Destinations” list in 2006 when it ranked #16; it maintained that position in 2007. Gay and lesbian travelers spend $70 billion a year on travel

Art lovers, garden enthusiasts, film connoisseurs and sports fans keep coming back year after year for festivals, sporting events, art shows, parades and cultural events in Philadelphia. Here’s what’s going on in the region in 2009:

January 2009:

• Thousands of decorative strutters kick off the New Year by marching up Broad Street in the festive day-long Mummers Parade that ends with the Fancy Brigade Finale at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. January 1, 2009. phillymummers.com
• Making its world debut in Philadelphia, America I AM: The African American Imprint celebrates African-American contributions across 400 years of American history at the National

Name: Matthew Izzo, designer/boutique owner
Affiliation: Matthew Izzo boutiques
His Story: Matthew Izzo opened his first shop in Philadelphia in 2002, and business has been booming ever since. Izzo, a pedigreed Manhattan interior designer, opened his business here because "Philly is fresh. I fell in love with the architecture and newness of it. I was tired of being one of a bunch. Here, I could make a name for myself." Izzo has accomplished that task, with a furniture and home accessories shop, a thriving design business, a hip clothing boutique and a hair salon. When he has time, he paints

Philly locals will be the centerpiece of new creative developed for the Philadelphia – Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay® tourism marketing campaign, giving it a next-generation appeal. The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation and Southwest Airlines will debut "We Your People" in national advertising placements and in a five-city city promotional push beginning March 14, 2008. The groundbreaking gay tourism campaign originally launched in 2003 with the iconic images of Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross.

The first "We Your People" ad features local entrepreneur Matthew Izzo, owner of Matthew Izzo Boutiques. He will be joined by more

With so much to do in Philadelphia, visitors will want to sleep over so they don’t miss a thing. And with pleasant weather ushering in even more events—and a hotel package that gives guests a $50 gift—there’s even more to fit into a Philly trip. Fortunately, there are a number of hotel packages to choose from on www.gophila.com and beyond that are perfect for late nights and more fun. Here’s a sampling of 10 great options:

Seasonal Fun:
Philly’s More Summer Fun Hotel Package – Visitors who book this two-night package receive a $50 American Express gift card that

Gay nightlife in Philadelphia isn’t all about the men. Lesbian travelers have a vibrant scene all their own with Sisters Nightclub, a seven-days-a-week women’s bar, and themed parties at an array of venues each week. There’s a place in Philadelphia for all kinds of lesbians, from the artist to the activist to the party girl. Here’s a look:

Dance Venues:

• Sisters Nightclub – Philadelphia’s exclusive lesbian nightclub draws women of all ages for food, drinks, dancing and entertainment. The two-story nightclub features two bars, a restaurant, lower-level pool room and popular $10 all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch buffet. Open seven days

Philadelphia continues to come out as one of the nation’s top gay-friendly travel destinations. As reflected in its high-profile ad campaign, Philadelphia – Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay®, the region has become the place to learn about America’s past by day and to experience a little of the party life by night. Here, visitors will find all the ingredients for a fabulous weekend getaway: a hot restaurant scene, great shopping and rich cultural attractions and historic sites, as well as lively bars, clubs in a nine-block “Gayborhood,” where the street signs are marked with rainbow flags.

Philadelphia’s lively “Gayborhood” has become even more colorful with the addition of rainbow-branded street signs, but that’s not all that’s new in the city’s gay-friendly neighborhood or the region’s gay-friendly town of New Hope, an artsy enclave less than an hour’s drive from Center City. A slew of new gay-friendly restaurants, bars, nightclubs, shops and more give GLBT visitors plenty of reasons to revisit Philadelphia and The Countryside®:

PHILADELPHIA

Restaurants & Cafes:

• Bindi, a bring-your-own-bottle (BYOB) Indian restaurant slated to open in late October, emphasizes locally grown products and fresh drink mixes. It’s the creation of life and business

Good taste rules in Philadelphia’s diverse “Gayborhood,” a colorful nine-block swathe that includes dozens of gay-owned and gay-friendly cafes, restaurants and lounges. Whether the craving is for a designer martini at Bump or an Italian meal at Vetri, named “one of America’s top 50 restaurants” by Gourmet Magazine, the “Gayborhood” has a menu to fit the bill.

American:

• Knock Restaurant and Bar – Brothers Bill and Steve Wood sold Woody’s, the city’s venerable gay bar, and opened Knock, which features a New American-meets-global comfort-food menu in a chic setting in the heart of the neighborhood. 225 S. 12

From queer gear to trendy housewares and mid-century furniture, Philadelphia’s nine-block “Gayborhood” offers a diverse shopping experience for visitors. Located within the city’s hip Midtown Village neighborhood, the gay-owned and gay-friendly boutiques and stores share the streets with lively restaurants, bars and clubs. But, best of all, clothing shopping in Pennsylvania is tax-free, making it easy for visitors to splurge on one-of-a-kind finds.
 

The Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus and the Center City District have identified the gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses throughout the region in the Philadelphia Gay-Friendly Merchant Guide, available in hardcopy form at select hotels and for

Gay nightlife in Philadelphia isn’t all about the men. Lesbian travelers have a vibrant scene all their own with Sisters Nightclub, a seven-days-a-week women’s bar, and themed parties at an array of venues each week. There’s a place in Philadelphia for all kinds of lesbians, from the artist to the activist to the party girl. Here’s a sampling of Philly after dark. For more information, visit www.gophila.com/gay.

Monthly and Circuit Parties:

• Pure Party Girl First Friday – Pure, a gay after-hours club, lets women rule the floor on the first Saturday of the month. In the Pink Lounge, it's karaoke