[Somewhere between Jersey and Delaware]

The weekend of the Roots picnic we partied in philly. We had no real plans- except for the picnic- so we let the days unfold as they would. As soon as we arrived in my home away from home we headed straight to the Belmont Plateau aka the plat. This hill in Fairmount Park was made famous in Will Smith's classic song "Summertime". During college we used to head up to the plat, throw a blanket down and indulge in some beverages. Good place to escape the traffic and stress, cool out with friends, or just meditate on the skyline. The plat offers a picturesque view of the city and I like to refer to it as makeout point.

Friday night we headed to the Barbary - a self proclaimed DIY bar just north of Spring Garden street on Frankford Ave. That night Colt 45 and Vice Magazine were throwing a free shindig aka Tales of Colt 45 tour. Featured performers included Drop the Lime, Gang, the Major Leagues and the 4AM djs.

Neither of us had been to the Barbary before so we were pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a laid back, artsy space akin to rochester's bug jar. We missed the free colt 45 giveaways but there were plenty of drink specials to make up for that. On arrival the electro/punk outfit Gang was finishing up their set and getting a lot of love from the crowd. Next was Drop the Lime AKA Curses- the "bass heavyweight champ" of ny. With ease he got the crowd bumpin and jumpin- movin and groovin. Everybody moved to the dancefloor and proceeded to get down.

We didn't stay long but I think I heard some MSTRKRFT, Boy 8-bit, and Foamo. We had just a couple of drinks since it was a hot and steamy night and we longed to be outside. So we headed to Old City to wander the cobblestone streets. It was still 90+ degrees when we finally found a parking spot off Market St. (around 1am). The streets were packed with people cruising, riding their bikes and their 4 wheelers (gotta love PA where you can ride anything without a helmet). Old City offered prime people watching and it certainly felt like a summer evening in late July or August. We ended our night with some drinks at the Continental- the martini spot. It's a pricey spot but you will not leave sober. -CleverGypsy