Philly News Briefs: 8/31/15

1.) Wawa lovers of Center City, it’s time to rejoice! The beloved convenience store will be opening its Center City flagship location in time for Pope Francis’ visit, two whole months ahead of schedule. The tentative opening date for the Avenue of the Arts Wawa is now September 18th. The World Meeting of Families starts September 22nd and the pope’s visit falls over the weekend of September 26th – 27th. The Wawa wasn’t supposed to open originally until November. The 5,000 square foot location at Broad and Walnut will replace the former Robinson’s luggage store. It will sport indoor seating, a rarity for Wawa locations.

Wawa’s opening date has been bumped up in time for the papal visit.

2.) The Naked Bike Ride went off more or less without a hitch this past weekend. It began at Drexel Park on 32nd Street and Powelton Avenue around 3 p.m. Saturday. This was despite earlier information that told riders the ride would kick off from MLK Drive. Some riders showed up to the wrong location and were angry. At the actual ride, however, it was all about peace, love, and body acceptance. Riders showed up wearing lots of body paint, bandannas, and other strategically-placed accessories. The 12-mile course took riders through University City, around the Rittenhouse Square park, down to City Hall and through Chinatown. It was just one part of a larger global naked biking movement.

3.) Developer Pearl Properties has bought the Art Institute of Philadelphia building at 1618-22 Chestnut St. and will rent three of the building’s lower stories to Gap Inc. for the retailer’s second Center City Old Navy store. The discount retailer has leased almost 24,000 square feet for a flagship store. Old Navy already has a Center City location at the Gallery at Market East shopping mall. The Art Institute will be moving its lower-story operations to other floors and remaining a tenant in the building.