My date’s stats:
Blog: PhilaDate — Hot Spots for Great Dates in Illadel!
Age: Started blogging in October 2010.
Likes: Walking the city, singing, jazz and blues, and being the go-to source for her friends (especially her guy friends) for date ideas sure to impress the ladies.
Dislikes: Negative Feedback. (Who doesn’t?)
Little Known Fact: Also writes Songs That Won’t Make You Vomit, where she details the ups and downs of her dating life as it relates to, and reminds her of favorite songs.
Favorite Cheap Date: Brunch at Fitzwater Café.
Meg Mirzoff is a 27 year old “self proclaimed dating pro” and the author of PhilaDate, a relatively new (October 2010) blog that highlights fun date spots culled from Meg’s own extensive experience with both dating and Philadelphia. A lifelong area resident, her twitter profile quips positively that “Philly is a hotbed for the singles… you just gotta put yourself out there!” And that is exactly what Meg did when she agreed to meet me for a blind date after I pitched my I’m Seeing Other Blogs idea to her via email.
Of course, as soon as we met I realized that Meg really never had a moment’s hesitation – a spirit of adventure is just a part of who she is. Outgoing and enthusiastic, her fun-loving personality comes across in her blog as well. For example, for a date with “heat” she recommends following a meal of tacos with a night out dancing at a salsa club, and she isn’t afraid of proposing ideas for a 24-hour long date (for some “serious” quality time).
Her idea for our Cheap Date was equally adventuresome: an afternoon Busker-hunting in and around Suburban Station, followed by drinks at Village Whiskey. For those that don’t know (I didn’t), “Busking” is the act of performing in public while soliciting tips or gratuities (i.e. passing the hat). Those engaged in Busking are called “Buskers,” also known as street performers, street musicians, minstrels, or troubadours. I’ve passed by countless such performers before − on South Street, in Rittenhouse, and in the subway stations – but it hadn’t occurred to me that intentionally seeking out these performances could make for a highly entertaining afternoon and a great cheap date.
How cheap we talkin’: $1-5 in tips for the Buskers; Approx. $6 for a beer at Village Whiskey.
Why this will impress your date: Not only does Busking have a long history dating back to at least the 1860’s, but today’s Buskers have their own culture involving unspoken but understood rules and customs about who gets to play when, and where.
Score Extra Points: By ordering tater tots to share at Village Whiskey. They are only $3 and they are delicious.
The Inside Game: All Buskers are entertainers, but not all are equally entertaining. For a nice profile of various Philly Buskers and their stomping grounds, check out this article from Penn music blog God Save the Beat, or this blog by local Busker David Richenbacher.
Next Date: Anytime! But Saturday and Sunday afternoons are a pretty safe bet at Suburban Station, as well as early evenings weeknights (rush hour).
If you or your date are into architecture, Suburban Station at 1600 JFK Boulevard is a worthy destination in and of itself for its classic pink and black art deco facade. All Septa regional rail lines stop here, so it’s a major hub of travel in and out of the city. Meg and I wandered around the mezzanine level and encountered our first Busker there, a solo flautist. It was mid-December and he was playing a delicate rendition of Silent Night. We were the only two people who had stopped to watch him at that point, and stalking him with my camera from across the way, Meg joked it seemed like something out of Animal Planet — the Busker in his natural habitat. This got us laughing, and the gentleman took a break between songs to talk to us about the adamantly pro-stance he’d taken on playing religious Christmas Carols that year. After leaving a few dollars in his flute case, we wandered on to see what else we would happen upon.
There weren’t any other Buskers underground that day, although according to this piece by the Philly Inquirer, on another afternoon we might have run across talents such as folk songwriter Cassendre Xavier or singer John Sutton. We may have cheated a bit with our second street musician find – a Saxaphone Quartet playing on the stage set up for the Christmas Village at City Hall – but we enjoyed it anywayas they were talented and fun to watch.
From City Hall we walked back to Village Whiskey at 118 South 20th street. We had intended to take advantage of their popular Saturday afternoon happy hour, but found out they had recently abandoned it (although the special menu is still up on their website advertising $3 bar snacks, $4 drafts and $5 wines — a definite bargain, so I hope they reprise it eventually). Without the happy hour offerings, Village Whiskey does not really make for a cheap date (unless you are prepared to limit yourself to one drink). In our case, having spent the last half hour or so outside, enjoying the warm atmosphere was worth enduring the self-imposed limitation.
Narrow and dim, with painted tin ceilings and a wide wooden bar, Village Whiskey is cozy bordering on claustrophobic. Their tight leather booths looked like they would be good for eye contact, and for brushing knees under the table, although due our impatience to be inside, Meg and I took seats at a small counter in the back.
Over drinks and a shared order of tots, Meg told me a little more about herself and her hopes for her blog. She loves Philadelphia and hopes to show people, especially her friends who live and work in the suburbs, the kinds of food, culture, and nightlife that the city has to offer. Her sophisticated knowledge of the city and her enthusiasm for its possibilities shines through in PhilaDate, even in its early stages. And while her date ideas aren’t always “cheap” by Cheap Date standards, they are definitely inventive and fun. Just like my date with Meg.
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