Philly News Briefs: 6/30/15
1.) A 9,000 square foot beer garden is coming to Center City. Uptown Beer Garden will be opening at 1735 JFK Blvd. in the courtyard of the BNY Mellon Bank Center. It is the brainchild of Teddy Sourias, the owner of Finn McCool’s Ale House, Bru Craft & Wurst, and U-Bahn. The beer garden is a pop-up concept – it will open July 1st and run through September. It is large enough to seat almost 500 people. The menu at the beer garden will feature craft beers, spirits, and wine, and for food, sandwiches, sliders, and bar snacks. There will be picnic tables, granite benches, and long communal tables to inspire conversation and friendships.
The rainbow crosswalks celebrate LGBT pride.
2.) Speaking of restaurants coming to Center City: The Cheesecake Factory is also opening soon. The large chain restaurant is moving in on 1430 Walnut St., and staff are currently in training there. There are Cheesecake Factory locations in Cherry Hill, Willow Grove, and King of Prussia, but this will be the first location in Center City. The restaurant will feature two stories, with a dramatic dining room on the second floor. An enclosed porch shows off views of Liberty Place. The restaurant seats about 285 people and created about that same number of jobs.
3.) Just in time for this past weekend’s Pride celebrations, new rainbow crosswalks came to the Gayborhood. The crosswalks are painted like rainbow flags in honor of LGBT pride in a section of the city that has long been considered a haven for the cause. The walkways are set to be dedicated at the Annual Reminders Block Party on July 5 honoring the 50th anniversary of the first wave of U.S. LGBT rights group demonstrations.
