Will People Dine Outdoors Below 40 Degrees?
The answer is yes.
Shortly before the Inauguration I took a walk and had another look at the outdoor dining rooms near Rittenhouse Square and around 13th Street. Actually, I took several walks. Things have definitely evolved.
Tria, above, was firing on all cylinders around sundown on a Saturday. Note that people are using the shelter and also the sidewalk, where there are high-top tables in the open air, back next to the building.
And then we have Rouge, which seems to have transplanted its outdoor space from a ski lodge somewhere. The firepits, the faux sheepskins on the chair backs, the crossed skis on the posts supporting the roof of the tent all contribute to the alpine atmosphere. (Note that the far wall of the tent, nearest the moving cars, has been opened, with sheets of clear plastic gathered up like drapes in a living room.)
Love is also up and running with a white-painted structure that communicates a light, airy feel.
All the above are on 18th Street, near Rittenhouse Square. Let's go over to 13th Street and its environs. The structure below is on Juniper Street (just west of 13th).
Mercato, on Spruce at Camac (just east of 13th), has gone with plastic igloos. I'm a little surprised we're not seeing more of these.
Finally, people really will eat outdoors, without a roof, in January. This is El Vez on 13th Street.
And Then the Snows Came
My impression is that Philadelphia's outdoor dining rooms can barrel right through the kind of cold winter air we've been seeing in recent years. Snow, on the other hand, does seem to slow things down. This photo is on Sansom by the Oyster House.
See also Philly Plein Air, Winter Shelters in Rittenhouse.
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