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Tag: Perfect Philly Day

  • How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to 92.5 XTU’s Nicole Michalik

    How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to 92.5 XTU’s Nicole Michalik

    Nicole Michalik spends her afternoons talking directly to Philadelphians as they make their way home. As a host on 92.5 XTU, the city’s country music station, she’s on air from 2 to 7 p.m., juggling live breaks, listener calls, and interviews with artists like Luke Combs and Parker McCollum. Radio, she insists, is still relevant, “sexy” even. “I’m live, I’m local, I’m talking about stuff that’s going on in Philly,” Michalik said. What more could you want?

    Michalik lives in Midtown Village, but her days stretch across the city, including a trek to Bala Cynwyd, where the radio station is located. She loves her job. In fact, she loves it so much that her perfect Philly day includes a trip to the office. Here’s what else it includes.

    This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

    7:30 a.m.

    I usually wake up somewhere between 7 and 7:30. First thing I do is check socials and email, then I make coffee at home. I need it piping hot. I use a Keurig — no judgment — with organic half-and-half.

    I take it back to bed and do my Instagram bit, “Coffee Under the Covers.” I started it during COVID and it just became a thing. I’ll take a sip and talk about whatever’s on my mind. People have sent me mugs. It’s wild.

    After that, I record my Boston radio show from home. I’m on Country 102.5 up there, so I have a whole setup — computer, mic, everything. I want it to feel as local as possible, even though I’m not physically there.

    10 a.m.

    I force myself to work out. I walk to XForce to train with James, who keeps me accountable. I hate working out, but I don’t hate it there, so that’s a win for me.

    When I cross Broad Street, I always take a photo of City Hall and post the temperature. It’s become a thing. One of my friends who lives in Portugal checks it every day. He calls me his Cecily Tynan.

    11:30 a.m.

    After the gym, I get my hair blown out at Dina Does Glam inside Sola Salons at 15th and Walnut. I go at least once a week. I love that Sola lets people in the beauty industry run their own little studios.

    From there, I walk to Gran Caffè L’Aquila for an iced coffee. It’s the best iced coffee in the city. That’s nonnegotiable.

    I try to head home after that, because if I don’t, I’ll get sucked into Sephora buying makeup I absolutely do not need.

    1 p.m.

    I get ready for work and drive to Bala Cynwyd. On the way, I stop at the Starbucks on City Avenue. I order an iced Americano with almond milk and a drizzle of caramel. They know me there.

    I don’t even know if caffeine really affects me that much. I just love the ritual. I like sipping it throughout the show.

    Nicole Michalik works at 925XTU on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025 in Philadelphia.

    2 to 7 p.m.

    I’m live on the air. On my perfect day, I’m doing a Zoom interview with Luke Combs, and he finally announces he’s coming back to Philly. We’ve been mad at him for skipping us for a few years, so this would be huge.

    7:30 p.m.

    After work, I meet friends at Lark in Bala Cynwyd. It’s right across from the station, and it’s one of my favorite places. I’m ordering the gnocco fritto — they’re like little puffy clouds with lemon ricotta — and the striped bass. Nick Elmi just knows what he’s doing.

    9 p.m.

    I’m heading to a Sixers game. In my perfect world, it’s the Eastern Conference finals, Joel Embiid has great knees, and we’re winning. I live in the city and love walking everywhere, but I also love that Philly is easy to drive around — as long as the PPA doesn’t get you.

    11 p.m.

    Once 11 p.m. hits — I’m like Cinderella — I’m ready for bed. I love going home to put my pajamas on.

  • How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to WXPN host Joey Sweeney

    How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to WXPN host Joey Sweeney

    Musician, writer, journalist, DJ, and tastemaker Joey Sweeney has been having a conversation about Philadelphia with Philadelphians for more than 25 years.

    The native Fishtowner broke into the Philly music scene in the ’90s, eventually fronting bands like the Barnabys, the Trouble with Sweeney, and Joey Sweeney & The Neon Grease, as well as recording and performing solo.

    Founding and publishing Philly’s first cityblog, the now dormant Philebrity, in 2004, Sweeney wrote about Philly daily for a decade with signature snark. Before that, he wrote about music and culture for Philadelphia Weekly, City Paper, and national outlets.

    Since 2023, Sweeney, who is soon releasing a new single with the Grease, has also been creative director — and “vibe Sherpa” — at 48 Record Bar.

    Joey Sweeney waits for his lunch at Pho75 on Washington Avenue.

    In August, Sweeney, 53, joined WXPN as new Saturday morning host of Sleepy Hollow, one of the station’s longest running weekend programs, which has played an intimate, ambient blend of folk, jazz, New Age, and indie since 1973.

    A definite change of pace for the longtime nighthawk — “I’ve only recently discovered mornings,” Sweeney said with a laugh — joining the iconic show has been a “dream,” he said.

    “The biggest wallop of it is experiencing that WXPN community from the other side,” he said. “The staff is amazing. The listeners are really passionate about loving the station. They really give their love to it. Especially with Sleepy Hollow. It’s this legacy program, and you really want to honor that. The audience and the longevity and all the people who made it happen all those years. It’s a powerful thing.”

    Sweeney, who lives in Society Hill with his wife, Elizabeth Scanlon, poet and editor in chief of the American Poetry Review, and stepson, Sully, 20, says his perfect Philly day would revolve around a diverse culinary excursion through the Italian Market, record store shopping, a corner bar pit stop, and some late-night guitar in his attic.

    Joey Sweeney is greeted by server Kevin Trinh as he stops for lunch at Pho75 on Washington Avenue.

    8:30 a.m.

    I’m going to Loretta’s on Second Street. It’s the coffee shop closest to my house, and they do wonderful things. Generally for me, it’s coffee and pastry, usually a chocolate croissant. If I’m feeling extravagant, I’ll go for their Betty sandwich. It’s their breakfast sandwich, which is a really amazing riff on the classic bacon, egg, and cheese.

    10 a.m.

    Then I’ll head over to South Philly to Pho 75. I am a big pho-for-breakfast or pho-for-mid-morning-meal guy. I love Pho 75. Get the brisket with extra noodles.

    11 a.m.

    Then, I hunt and gather my way back to my house. I walk down Ninth Street and get all the food we need for the week. All of the things that we need and eat on the regular, that are good, come from a six-block area around Ninth Street. My whole palate lives on that street or thereabouts.

    I’m going to the Hung Vuong Supermarket, at 11th and Washington. Hung Vuong has all the noodles and dumplings and the chili crisp and fish sauce — all that stuff you need.

    At Ninth Street, it will be any combination of the following: Anastasi Seafood, where I will probably get a half dozen already cooked crabs, and whatever fish we need for the week. Cod. Maybe, Branzino. Anastasi always does me right. They are our household’s Seven Fishes place. God forbid they ever went away. I don’t know what happens to the fish order.

    Joey Sweeney at Cappuccio’s Meats. He especially likes their chevalatta gourmet pork sausage with provolone and parsley.

    Then, it’s Cappuccio’s Meats for their chevalatta. It’s this very thin sausage with greens and cheese. It’s a very Philly Catholic thing. And Esposito’s Meats. Because Esposito’s will grind meatball mix for you while you wait. The veal, beef, ground pork mix. They don’t put it out with the rest of the stuff. You have to ask for it, and they go in the back and grind it up for you. It’s the best way to make meatballs, by the way. My whole life, I’ve been searching for how to get my Grandma’s meatballs. She left us a long time ago, and I don’t have the recipe. I finally figured it out. You gotta get it ground right there, and not use the crushed tomatoes. Use the canned tomatoes you squeeze with your hands.

    1 p.m.

    Somewhere in the middle there, I will pop across the street to Molly’s Books & Records. Pound for pound, Molly’s has the best used record selection in the city, and the inventory changes over frequently. They don’t gouge you on the prices. I’ve been going to Molly’s for as long as I can remember. I love giving Molly any shine.

    I would also go to Tortilleria San Roman at Ninth and Carpenter. They have these tortillas that they make right there. If I am doing meatballs, I am going to Talluto’s, because they have cavatelli pasta, our house favorite.

    Joey Sweeney looks through bins at Molly’s Books & Records.

    2 p.m.

    I’ve gotten my giant bag of food and records. At this point, I would like to go to Grace & Proper, over on Eighth. It’s a corner bar right off the market. They’re open Saturday and Sunday afternoons. It’s got this cafe kind of vibe and there’s something about it in the daytime. It depends how perishable the food is in my bag. But I might go there, have a drink, have a snack, before I come home and listen to whatever records I got.

    6 p.m.

    I cook. But my wife, Elizabeth, is the better cook. If we’re not cooking, I like an early bird dinner. Since I’m back in the neighborhood at this point, I’m going to either Cry Baby or Bloomsday.

    Cry Baby, especially, is like a second home. Bridget Foy, who owns the place, was kind enough to let me shadow at Cry Baby before 48 Record Bar opened, because I had never had a proper hospitality job. She put me on every station in the place just about. It feels so casual and friendly, like a family spot. But you pop the hood on that place, and it runs like a machine. Her team is so amazing that by the end of it, I was like, oh, man, I would work here.

    9 p.m.

    Creative times usually come after dinner. Maybe I’ll put on a record or play some guitar. Or I will get on my computer in my attic office and start working on tunes. My wife and I had this really funny moment, like six months ago, where we were hanging out up in the office, and I started playing some of the songs that I’ve been recording up there after dinner. And she’s like, “You never played this for me. This is an album you’ve got. This might be one of the better things you’ve ever done. When are you doing this?” I’m like, “I do it after dinner.”

    Joey Sweeney pauses under a big crab sign.
  • How to have a perfect Philly day, according to indie rocker Golden Apples

    How to have a perfect Philly day, according to indie rocker Golden Apples

    Russell Edling has been in Philly long enough to remember when Fishtown was quiet — “pretty sleepy,” he said. That was more than a decade ago, when he was a fresh Temple grad.

    Things have changed a lot since then, both for Fishtown and Edling. A musician who records under the name Golden Apples, Edling just released his fourth album, Shooting Star, in September. It’s a “record of songs about writing songs,” he said — and about trusting your creative instincts.

    Edling’s own instincts extend beyond music. He also dabbles in design and helps run Freehand Supply, the art shop he and a friend opened in the neighborhood earlier this year.

    “When I first moved here for college in 2008, there was nothing like that in Fishtown,” he said. “I used to bike up to Temple just to get art supplies. It feels good to be able to offer that to people now.”

    Here’s how Russell Edling would spend a perfect day in Philadelphia.

    7 a.m.

    I get up around 7 and I like to go running. I do a casual jog through the neighborhood and loop through Penn Treaty Park, then run around the casino and come home. It feels special to wake up and, in like 15 minutes, be running by a river through a park.

    9 a.m.

    My wife and I have a favorite spot to get breakfast. It’s this place in South Philly called Comfort Floyd. It’s wonderful. I think it’s the best pancake I’ve ever had. All their food is so good. The ambience is very chill and pleasant, too. We will ride our bikes down there and hang out as long as we want.

    Noon

    After that, we will bop around South Philly a little bit. I really like Brickbat Books. It’s a great spot. They have a lot of art books, a lot of used books, a really great curated selection. They also have some records.

    We will probably go to Retrospect on South Street, too. My partner, Mimi, really loves thrifting. I have less of an appetite for it. I get exhausted by the experience sometimes and have to dissociate.

    Russell Edling, a musician who goes by the moniker Golden Apples, in his art supply store, Freehand, in Fishtown.

    2 p.m.

    On our way back up to the neighborhood, we might stop at Freehand just to make sure everything’s going all right there. Then we’ll head home to walk the dog. We have a wonderful black German short hair–pointer–lab mix. We live right by a soccer/baseball field that he loves to run around. You’re not supposed to bring your dogs in there, but everybody does anyway.

    Basil cream, confit garlic, ricotta, fontina, and mozzarella atop a white pizza at Pizza Richmond.

    3:30 p.m.

    If it happens to be a weekend when the Richmond Street Flea is happening, we’ll definitely go to that.

    There are a bunch of little shops on Richmond Street, and they all open their doors. Everybody’s out on the street. They have vendors, food, and pop-ups. Even live music.

    We’ll end up popping into different shops. There’s a vintage store called Big Top. There’s Launderette Records, which is an incredible record store. There’s a jewelry store called Tshatshke, where my partner and I got our wedding bands. And there’s a great pizza spot — Pizza Richmond. They also have soft-serve ice cream. We’ll hang out at the flea market for a while. Maybe see some music, talk to some friends, and just hang out.

    6:30 p.m.

    If we’re still out for the day after the flea market, we’re going to see a show. Our favorite venue is Khyber Pass Pub. It’s been around for a really long time. I think Nirvana played there. Guided By Voices played there. So many legendary people have played there over the years. It’s a small, intimate space, but they have great shows all the time, and they have an incredible menu.

    Franklin Fountain ice cream: “Our equivalent of a nightcap.”

    11 p.m.

    Our equivalent of a nightcap is ice cream at Franklin Fountain because they are open until midnight.

    There are two Franklin Fountains in the same building. One is 1920s style. The other is 1950s style. No one goes to the 1950s one for some reason, so we go to that one to skip the line. I know it’s very touristy, but I have worked in ice cream throughout my life, and I think it’s the best ice cream in the city.

  • How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to Gritty

    How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to Gritty

    Ever since he emerged from the rubble of the Wells Fargo arena construction site in 2018, the Philadelphia Flyers mascot, Gritty, has been busy wreaking havoc across Philadelphia. One moment he’s dumping popcorn on Flyers fans in the Chaos Corner, the next he’s mooning the goalkeeper for the Boston Bruins. More often than not, he’s behaving recklessly with a T-shirt cannon.

    Gritty shows his rear end to the Boston goal keeper during the Boston Bruins at Philadelphia Flyers NHL pre-season game at xfinity mobile ARENA in Philadelphia on Sept. 27, 2025.

    Despite being famous for his game day antics, Gritty arguably gets into even more mischief off the ice. Who can forget his infamous Kim Kardashian impression?

    Or that time he crashed Stephen Colbert’s Super Bowl party. Or how about when he tore through the streets of Philadelphia on a motorcycle to celebrate his third birthday. What did he do on his fourth birthday? Get divorced and start smoking Marlboro Reds?

    Does Gritty like being so busy? If he could spend his day doing anything he wanted, would he really spend it throwing sheet cake at people and making celebrity appearances everywhere? To find out, we asked the bright orange, googly-eyed mascot to walk us through his perfect Philly day, and he responded in his perfect Gritty way.

    4:55 a.m.

    I roll out of bed just so I can tell people that I get up before them. I’m no hero, so I go back to bed. I sleep naked on a concrete floor, no covers, with a memory foam pillow.

    8:30 a.m.

    By this point in the morning, I’ve hit snooze a fistful of times. Time to start my lil day. First things first, coffee. I like my coffee like I like myself: gritty. I make it with no filter because I like the pulp. I drink it outside so I can bask in the sweet sounds of I-95 rush hour traffic.

    10 a.m.

    I’m a pretty busy Gritty. I make appearances at events all over the city. I’m also incredibly photogenic, as you know. I reserve my midmornings for events and photoshoots. My favorite thing to do is the 2026 Gritty calendar. It’s for charity, NBD. I’ll do anything for the perfect shot, like squeezing my nude body into one of those skinny rowboats at Boathouse Row and laboring my way down the Schuylkill.

    Gritty likes to spend the afternoon bouncing around Philadelphia, posing for photos and popping up at special events.

    Noon

    I’ll do a little lunch at one of my favorite Philly spots. There’s a dumpster on Broad Street that serves the most delicious half-eaten burritos. I’m gatekeeping the location because I don’t want to see my favorite burrito spot overrun with tourists. But trust me, they’re decent.

    2 p.m.

    I usually eat until I feel sick, so I like to take a nap after lunch. I’ll sneak onto one of those ships at the Navy Yard and go down for about an hour. Hopefully my upset tum tum settles.

    I built my own ‘Itty Bitty Gritty’ at the new Gritty store. He’s hideous. I love him.

    3:30 p.m.

    I’ve got people to see and places to be. But instead I do neither. The afternoon is my moment of zen. Maybe a quiet walk, maybe a light jog, maybe a full sprint after a group of strangers just to keep them on edge. There’s not a bad place in the city to chase strangers. Head on a swivel, Philly.

    6 p.m.

    Time for dinner. I’m a bit of a health nut, so I’m having a salad with a steak on the side. Maybe my steak is slathered in cheese. Maybe I eat it on a roll. OK, maybe it’s a cheesesteak. It could be from anywhere. I don’t judge a cheesesteak on taste. Only on girth. Maybe I don’t stop at just one. Maybe I didn’t want to talk about it because I thought you’d judge me. Maybe get off my case about it. Maybe cheesesteaks are the state fruit of Philadelphia, and I’m a supportive citizen.

    Maybe you wouldn’t be so quick to judge if you relaxed a little bit and had a cheesesteak for yourself. Maybe I’m just built different and my body craves protein, and this is the only way to maintain my perfect fazeek. Maybe you’re just jealous that you’re counting calories while I’m counting empty wrappers. Anyway, yeah cheesesteak dinner.

    Maybe Gritty eats a cheesesteak from John’s Roast Pork.

    7 p.m.

    It’s game time. I’m spending the next few hours at Xfinity Mobile Arena getting the people going! My favorite place, my home. I like to keep it out of pocket at Flyers games. Make some people laugh, throw some cake at people. No perfect day of mine would be complete without hurling a sheet cake through the air at a stranger’s face. Highly recommend if you’ve never tried. I live for chaos and chaos lives for me.

    11 p.m.

    Time to sleep. Naked. Airing out the follicles is a very important part of my fur care routine.

  • How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to ‘Predator: Badlands’ director Dan Trachtenberg

    How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to ‘Predator: Badlands’ director Dan Trachtenberg

    As a kid growing up in Philly’s northeast suburbs, filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg was obsessed with movies. In fact, he spent so much time at the local video store in Willow Grove Mall that the manager eventually hired him, even though he was only 15.

    “I wasn’t really allowed to work,” said Trachtenberg. “But because I frequented the store so much and would advise people on what movie they should get, they gave me a job.”

    After his shift, he’d often take the train to Market Street station and walk over to Chinatown where he would pick up a new Hong Kong action movie. He even learned Mandarin so he could speak to the woman at the pharmacy who rented Chinese movies on the side. He may have purchased a few bootlegs from the adult film store down the street, too.

    “Hong Kong action movies really ignited my fire for filmmaking,” said Trachtenberg. He has since transformed that passion into a successful career as a major Hollywood director. His most recent film, Predator: Badlands, hit theaters in November and earned rave reviews from audiences and critics alike.

    “I am thrilled to have made the kind of movie that I would have devoured as a kid growing up,” said Trachtenberg.

    Dan Trachtenberg and Elle Fanning attend the premiere after-party for “Predator: Badlands” at Hard Rock Cafe on Nov. 03, 2025, in Los Angeles.

    Here’s how Trachtenberg, who now lives in Los Angeles, would spend a perfect Philly day — or afternoon, rather — based on his time as a student at Temple University in the early aughts. His perfect day requires a bit of time travel.

    4 p.m.

    I spent so much time on South Street because I was really big into pop-punk and emo music. I would go to Tower Records where you could listen to music on the headsets. It was the only way to hear something before you bought it.

    [Editor’s note: Tower Records closed in 2006, unfortunately.]

    6 p.m.

    Then I would go to Jim’s and get a cheesesteak. Sometimes I would have two cheesesteaks in a row. I don’t know how I did it. Then I’d walk two blocks up and go to Lorenzo’s and get a slice of pizza. They have these giant slices, literally pizza the size of your chest, and it’s incredible.

    8 p.m.

    Two pretty treasured movie experiences were going to the Ritz and seeing movies that didn’t normally come to the movie theaters where I grew up in the suburbs. And then also going to the Riverview for a very interactive experience — people yelling, throwing popcorn, and getting fired up. There was no better crowd than seeing something at the Riverview.

    I saw a Jackie Chan movie called Jackie Chan’s First Strike. It’s the one that had this iconic ladder fight in it where he fought off a bunch of guys using a ladder. At the end of that sequence, I started clapping. I initiated the clap that became a standing ovation in the theater. No one was there to receive the standing ovation. All of us were so taken by what we had just experienced that we had to erupt in a standing ovation. That was a truly incredible moment.

    11 p.m.

    Late at night my friend and I would often go to Melrose Diner [Editor’s note: the diner was demolished in 2023]. It was a staple, but it was the most annoying diner because the way the seats were, they forced you to sit facing other people. They would cut a booth in half and seat three people on one side and three other people on the other side. We would get grilled cheese and mozzarella sticks and a bunch of marinara sauce and just dip it all. It was my favorite late-night food.

    I also loved going to Wawa. There was a meatball sub there that I devoured. When you leave Philly, you realize how ridiculous the word Wawa is. When you grow up with it, it’s just normal. You don’t think about it. But when you leave, you realize how silly you sound when you say it. No one believes you that it’s actually a store that really exists.

  • How to have a perfect Philly day, according to author Diane McKinney Whetstone

    How to have a perfect Philly day, according to author Diane McKinney Whetstone

    For the most part, award-winning author Diane McKinney Whetstone’s characters live their complicated lives in between El stops in early to mid-20th-century West Philly.

    In her new book Family Spirit, released by Amistad earlier this fall, her protagonist Ayana works at a fictional West Philly coffee shop in 2019.

    And Ayana is clairvoyant.

    Whetstone packs a lot of Philadelphia in this 229-page book. Ayana weaves in and out of downtown office buildings. Her aunt Lil flashes back to 1970s Philly when she was shopping at Wanamakers and up for a gig on The Mike Douglas Show, when the variety show was filmed in Old City.

    Diane McKinney Whetstone, author of newly published book Family Spirit at her home in Wynnewood, PA., Thursday, October 23, 2025.

    But the majority of the story takes place in Southwest Philly at the Mace family house, where women on Ayana’s paternal side have gathered for 100 years to take part in rituals that reveal the future.

    We talked to Whetstone, a lifelong Philadelphian, about her perfect Philly day.

    5 a.m.

    I get up early and make really strong coffee. Every day I spend a couple of hours writing. I have to, that’s my best time of the day. Sometimes I will write for three hours. Other times, I write until noon. Sometimes, I write the whole day if the spirit hits me.

    8 a.m.

    If it’s not a writing day, and I’m done for the day, my husband and I will go out for breakfast. Sometimes we will go to Sabrina’s Cafe in Wynnewood.

    A student from the Krieger Schechter Day School of Baltimore, MD, on a field trip to the Franklin Institute on February 12, 2020, enters the right ventricle of the Giant Heart.

    But lately, I’ve really liked going to Boutique River Falls off Kelly Drive, near Midvale. They have the best pancakes and fried fish. If my grandkids are with me, we will go to the Frankie [The Franklin Institute] and go through “Body Odyssey,” especially the “Giant Heart.” They love it.

    If we have a lot of time, we take a nice long walk on Kelly Drive. I’m a big walker.

    11 a.m.

    Both my husband and I are from Philadelphia and we like to drive around our old neighborhoods. On some days we will head down Lancaster Avenue where it intersects with Haverford and reminisce about the days it was a central shopping district like Center City.

    Sometimes we will drive down to 52nd Street. When I’m over there, the sounds of the El train, the way the houses are situated on the street, it takes me immediately back to my childhood.

    1 p.m.

    If it’s a nice day in the summer, we may go to the Nile Swim Club in Yeadon. My sister has a membership there. On any given day there are families there relaxing, sharing stories. It’s a really nice place to relax.

    A historical marker is pictured ahead of the opening for the summer season at Nile Swim Club in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, U.S., May 27, 2022.

    2 p.m.

    Again, if my grandkids are in town, we may go to a matinee at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. We saw The Wiz. It was so good. Then we went around the corner to Samurai Japanese Restaurant. I’m not a real big fan of raw fish, but the teriyaki there is just so good.

    4 p.m.

    I cook a lot at home and especially a lot of fish. I eat salmon three times a week and I love it fresh. I really enjoy going down to Fairmount to pick up my order from Small World Seafood. I love that I get to cook restaurant-quality food.

    Bri Smith of West Philadelphia poses by the Roots Picnic sign with the city skyline in the background before the start of day 2 of the Roots Picnic at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, June 4, 2023.

    8 p.m.

    I would end my day at a concert at the Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts. I saw Cynthia Erivo there in June and it was incredible. She sang Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I saw Your Face” and I nearly cried. The view of Philadelphia’s skyline is amazing. It’s just a wonderful way to end a day.

  • How to have a Perfect Philly day, according to Pulitzer-winning writer Quiara Alegría Hudes

    How to have a Perfect Philly day, according to Pulitzer-winning writer Quiara Alegría Hudes

    Quiara Alegría Hudes grew up on the little street of South Saint Bernard near West Philly’s Baltimore Avenue, but her family spanned the city and its borders. As a child, she shuttled between her home and her mother’s extended Puerto Rican family in North Philly, while regularly visiting her father’s white, Jewish family on the Main Line.

    Her writing is often rooted in Philly, though it spans borders and mediums, too. She cowrote the Tony-award winning musical In The Heights with Lin-Manuel Miranda, and won a Pulitzer in 2012 for her play Water by the Spoonful. Her 2021 memoir, My Broken Language, told the story of growing up in West Philadelphia and being the first in her family to attend college, at Yale.

    Now Hudes, 48, is experimenting once again with a new form: her debut novel, The White Hot, is out this month. It’s a fever dream fantasy about a young mother from North Philadelphia escaping her predetermined life — and her child — in order to reckon with the “white hot” rage that sometimes consumes her and the women in her family. It’s a gem of a book, poetic and propulsive at the same time.

    “Was my leaving a seed that might bear fruit?” April, the main character, wonders. “The possibility cracked open like a slitted envelope, that fleeing the stovetop and laundry machine could big-bang a new universe.”

    Here’s how Hudes, who now lives in New York City, would spend a perfect Philly day.

    Quiara Alegrí­a Hudes (center) with her cousin and daughter at the top of the Art Museum steps on Christmas morning. The family started the tradition in 2020.

    7 a.m.

    It starts on Christmas morning. Our across-the-street neighbors, Tracy and Charlie, bring over their pound cake.

    The main event of the morning is that we head over to the Art Museum steps. The city’s empty, you can double-park on the street.

    We climb up to the top of the steps in our pajamas and just hang. It’s magical and sleepy. The city has that wintery, cold air, blue-silver look to it. You’re looking through your crystallized breath.

    9 a.m.

    We walk through Center City to Sam’s Morning Glory Diner. (We’re definitely doing some time travel: Now it’s a more temperate fall day.)

    Of course, this is all on foot because, no shade, in my experience SEPTA just doesn’t come. This is how I became a reader as a kid, because I had to do something while waiting for SEPTA.

    At Morning Glory, they make their own ketchup. This is of utmost importance. Also, their biscuits are the best biscuits I’ve ever had, but even that pales in comparison to the homemade ketchup.

    It’s never fancy with me — just give me two scrambled eggs and home fries, and some rye toast.

    10:30 a.m.

    We go on a Black history tour of Philly, with tour guide Mijuel K. Johnson of the Black Journey. He’s wonderful.

    Even as a middle schooler, walking over the old cobblestone bricks of Old City, there was that sensation that 20 feet below, history is literally buried. It’s nice getting new layers of the historical story.

    Some walking tours can be: fact, fact, fact, and my eyes gloss over. But Mijuel is not just rattling off facts, he’s really contextualizing stories.

    1 p.m.

    After all that walking, you want to sit down. The best bet is to go over to the Landmark Ritz Five and see what’s playing. Just go to the next show and enjoy it.

    4 p.m.

    We head south, and stop at Garland of Letters on South Street. It’s the O.G. New Age bookstore.

    They’re always burning some great-smelling incense, they always have a huge amethyst geode that costs $5,000. They have a fountain with water trickling. It’s just peaceful — let the vibes center you.

    4:30 p.m.

    I go to Fante’s Kitchen Shop, a kitchen supply store. It’s the splurgy place. They’ve got copper pots and knives and kettles that looks so fancy. I’ll look for whatever I can afford.

    Then we swing around the corner to John’s Water Ice. I always have the same conversation with them: I say, “Once upon a time I had a flavor called Tutti Frutti here,” and they say “No, such a flavor never existed.” I describe it, and they’re like, “Well, would you like a mixed cherry and pineapple?” And then I have it, and it’s amazing.

    Quiara Alegrí­a Hudes marshaling the Puerto Rican parade in New York City in 2022.

    6:30 p.m.

    For dinner we go to Marrakesh. We’re walking, we have not taken a taxi. If the bus has gone by, we popped on it, but we don’t wait for it.

    This is either with an old friend who you need to spend hours catching up with, or date night. It’s all covered in blankets, and it’s candle-lit. It’s very romantic and magical in there. You’re leaning against pillows, you might be sitting on the floor.

    They have a set menu, it’s Moroccan food. The dish I remember most is the B’Stella: it’s kind of like scrambled eggs and very finely diced chicken inside a flaky pastry that’s got sugar on top, so it’s sweet and salty.

    You just gab the night away as they bring you food.

    9 p.m.

    For our next stop, we are going to rely on the bus. It’s just too far to walk at this point.

    We go to Taller Puertorriqueño, the Puerto Rican culture workshop in North Philly. They have literary and musical events there. Maybe they have a Nuyorican author in town, or a Philly-Rican poet reading their work.

    They also have an in-house bookstore called Julia de Burgos Bookstore. It’s fantastic: they have English books, Spanish books, and local artworks and jewelry.

    11 p.m.

    It’s way past my bedtime. I catch an Uber, or drive home.