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Philly Pride Visitor Center feat. Kristopher Lawrence · philly has heART

0:14
This is Robert Marsh, and you're listening to
0:16
Philly Has Heart Podcast. In this podcast, we
0:19
sit down with the artists, gallerists, educators,
0:22
curators, and other creatives who comprise the
0:24
Philadelphia art world to discuss upcoming performances,
0:28
exhibits, and other events and initiatives that
0:30
are not to be missed. The art scene in Philadelphia
0:33
is so rich that it can seem daunting. Consider
0:36
this your weekend cultural recommendation. With
0:39
me always is my producer, Lucinda Degerland.
0:42
Hello! And today, we have Christopher Lawrence,
0:45
Philly Pride Visitor Center Supervisor and Community
0:48
Liaison. And we're so happy to have you today.
0:51
Thank you, Robert. Thank you, Lucinda. I'm happy
0:53
to be here. Philly Pride Visitor Center opened
0:55
this year on February 25th on Locust and 12th.
0:59
It is one of the nation's first visitor center
1:02
devoted to LGBTQ plus travelers, residents, and
1:07
allies. How did you become involved in the Visitor
1:11
Center, Christopher, and how does it feel to
1:13
be a part of something so groundbreaking? It
1:16
feels great to be a part of it, and I agree it
1:19
is groundbreaking. We are, as you mentioned,
1:22
one of the first. There are a few others. One
1:26
in New York, the Stonewall National Monument
1:28
and Visitor Center in Manhattan. I'm told there
1:31
is one out west somewhere. I haven't really looked
1:33
into it because I'm so focused on what we're
1:35
doing. I think that we may be even possibly the
1:40
first that is sort of strictly visitor center
1:44
focused. We are part of the Greater Philadelphia
1:48
Visitor Center Corporation. We have multiple
1:51
visitor centers, including the Independence Visitor
1:53
Center over by the Liberty Bell, City Hall, Love
1:57
Park by the Art Museum. We're the fifth, and
1:59
we have more actually opening this summer for
2:02
all sorts of exciting things happening this summer
2:05
here in Philly. What's happening? Right? I heard
2:09
sunshine through till November, rain in the middle
2:12
of the night twice a week. It's the 250th, of
2:15
course, so that's a big deal for us. We're really
2:18
excited for Pride. To answer your question, though,
2:20
Robert, it feels great to be a part of this,
2:23
and I feel like the universe kind of decreed
2:26
it almost. It's been a long journey for me these
2:29
last five years or so, and I'll just briefly...
2:33
dive into that for a moment to give you how I
2:36
got there, how I got where I am involved with
2:38
the Philly Pride Visitor Center. I'm from the
2:40
Poconos up in northeast Pennsylvania, a big tourist
2:43
tourism area, and I lived in New York City for
2:47
15 years. I'm really sorry. Wake up, Lucinda,
2:52
wake up. That's my alarm to sign up for Pilates.
2:55
Oh, make sure to do that, though, you know? Those
2:58
spots go quick. You have to be in the app. You
3:01
moved to the Poconos after spending... Yeah,
3:04
so I grew up in the Poconos, in Stroudsburg,
3:07
in that area. And I lived in New York City from
3:11
2006 until 2020. In early 2020, I had plans to
3:17
move to Philadelphia. I had even begun an initiative,
3:20
one that I established in 2004, when I was still
3:23
in the Poconos before moving, and revisited it
3:27
in 2020. for reasons you'll notice similar between
3:32
2004 and 2020, which is that I was going into
3:36
gay bars and nightclubs to register voters. Smart.
3:40
Thank you. It was an initiative that I began
3:43
in 2004 with a colleague of mine, Susan Washington,
3:47
at the time. And in 2020, I thought it would
3:51
be a good idea to bring it back. I recruited
3:54
some friends and colleagues here in Philly as
3:57
volunteers. And we went into three bars here
4:01
in Philly in the Gabor Hood on a Saturday night
4:03
in early 2020. And then the following week, we
4:06
did it in the Poconos. And it was successful.
4:09
We had plans to continue in the Lehigh Valley
4:12
and then New York City. But two weeks later,
4:15
COVID lockdown hit. COVID lockdown. And it kind
4:20
of... Killed everything, you know, everything
4:22
was canceled forever for a little while there.
4:24
Certainly all the bars were closed. Right. So
4:27
I'm glad that we did what we could, but that
4:29
sort of changed that. We even had stickers printed
4:33
that said, kiss me, I'm registered to vote. As
4:35
if COVID wasn't killing enough of this. Yeah,
4:36
you couldn't get those out anymore. No, no, no.
4:40
You could bring it back though. Maybe, right?
4:43
It is something that I'm considering bringing
4:46
back. So I did not move to Philly at that time.
4:50
Because of everything that happened with COVID,
4:52
I ended up staying in New York, in Jersey City
4:54
then. I spent 10 years in Brooklyn, a year in
4:57
Hell's Kitchen, and four years in Jersey City.
4:59
And I finished out 2020 there and moved back
5:02
to the Poconos, where I grew up. And for five
5:04
years was there. I was part of a startup team
5:08
for a queer 21 -plus camping resort called Camp
5:12
Out Poconos. Camp Out, people lovingly call it.
5:15
And that's in East Stroudsburg. Lovely place
5:18
to visit, I recommend. And I was their arts and
5:20
culture director for the first three years and
5:23
helped with some merchandising things in the
5:25
fourth year and then took a sabbatical. It was
5:28
a long journey, one that included two years into
5:32
that, a local mayor up there was an out gay mayor.
5:36
He tapped me to run arts and culture for the
5:39
local Pride Fest up there. So I've done that
5:42
for the last three years. And in the course of
5:45
the last year, I took some time off to just sort
5:47
of figure out where I was going to land next.
5:49
And in the autumn of 25, I thought it's time
5:54
to get back out there. And I put my name into
5:58
a number of hats. There was something in New
5:59
York I considered. There were some things in
6:03
the Poconos that I was up for. And, you know,
6:08
sometimes the universe is just pointing you in
6:09
a certain direction. And one day... toward the
6:12
end of 2025, I just literally Googled the words
6:18
Philadelphia Pride Jobs. That's it. Yes. And
6:22
the first thing that popped up six days after
6:25
it had been posted that I had no knowledge of
6:28
was the role that I'm in. Well, first off, I
6:31
at the same moment learned that it was a thing
6:33
that was happening, and that really excited me.
6:36
I'm really passionate about queer advocacy. And
6:40
community building. And to know that that was
6:44
going to happen really put a lift in my feet.
6:47
And as I read through the description of what
6:51
they were looking for in a person to fill this
6:52
role, it really did just kind of amazingly feel
6:56
like I was built for it in a lot of ways. But
6:59
also like the last five years, it just brought
7:02
me to a place where I was primed for it. Right.
7:05
The perfect experience. Yeah, it really felt
7:09
that way. And I'd just come off the heels of
7:11
something that I'm a little bashful about, but
7:13
a friend of mine told me to be more boastful
7:15
about being named Person of the Year 2025 by
7:18
the Pocono Pride Coalition, which sort of gave
7:20
me good confidence. And I had been in the Poconos
7:23
for five years. I love the Poconos. I also, like
7:26
I said, spent a lot of time in a metro environment
7:28
and was kind of ready to get back to that a little
7:30
bit, you know. When I saw... this job description.
7:33
I almost said job offer. Felt that way very early,
7:36
from the universe at least. So I applied. Some
7:40
time goes by. Eventually, I got an interview
7:42
and hit it off pretty quickly with two people
7:46
in our organization, Dan Corti and Maeda Suka.
7:49
That was on a Friday. The following Monday was
7:53
a holiday. Two days later, on Wednesday morning,
7:57
they reached out for references. They scheduled
7:59
a reference call in the morning for that afternoon.
8:02
And midway between scheduling that call and having
8:06
that call, I got a job offer. So it was giving
8:11
me a lot of confidence. Yes. And I felt very
8:14
prepared and very ignited. Wow. I'm very happy
8:21
with it. So aligned. Yeah. Kind of remarkable.
8:24
Yeah. And the elements of my role and of the
8:28
Philly Pride Visitor Center, which I only learned
8:32
once beginning the following week after the job
8:36
offer, opening week, were... The historical exhibit.
8:41
We'll get into this. You got hired on Wednesday
8:44
and opening week was the next week? Was the next
8:47
Wednesday. Wow. Tuesday night there was a soiree
8:50
and then the next day was ribbon cutting. Oh,
8:52
right. Yeah. Thrown into the deep end. I'm going
8:55
to say jumped in, but sure. Definitely was shown
8:58
the diving board. Yeah, happily so. But yeah,
9:04
it was, you know. A lot of times with stuff like
9:07
this, and with a background in theater, it's
9:09
nothing I'm a stranger to. There's a race to
9:13
the start line. And that's what the Philadelphia
9:18
Visitor Center Corporation, as well as our partners
9:22
that I'm sure we'll get to talking about, were
9:26
doing at that moment. And I'm glad that I was
9:29
there. and available at the moment that this
9:33
all happened. Like I said, I think the universe
9:35
decreed it, and I'm happy with that. I long ago
9:38
stopped arguing with the universe when it shows
9:41
me, when it ushers me in a direction. And yeah,
9:45
like you said, Robert, a week after I knew that
9:48
I was going to be taking this job was the ribbon
9:51
cutting, and I was in the right place. Yeah,
9:54
serendipitous. Yes, thank you. As a partnership
9:58
between Philadelphia, Visitor Center, Visit Philadelphia,
10:03
Visit PA, and the Philadelphia Gay News. Christopher,
10:06
do you have any intel on the origins of the location
10:09
for this Visitor Center? From what I understand,
10:14
the location was something that was batted around
10:20
for a little while. I think the gayborhood was
10:22
definitely the goal always. The impetus for the
10:27
Philly Pride Visitor Center was an inspiration
10:32
by, if I'm correct, Mark Siegel, head of the
10:37
PGN, the Philadelphia Gay News, celebrating their
10:40
50th year, and Neil Frauenglass from Visit Philly,
10:46
and I'm sure some others, but the two of them
10:49
specifically being inspired by the Stonewall
10:52
National Monument and Visitor Center in the West
10:55
Village of Manhattan, and thought, this is something
10:59
that could exist in Philly. And I'll say that
11:06
they may have also thought, but I definitely
11:08
often suggest, you know, we'd like to see it
11:11
catch fire across the country, really, if not
11:13
further. I find that the gayborhood in Philadelphia
11:16
is unique to any other queer central neighborhood
11:22
in any city that I've visited in that It feels
11:27
like you're walking into somewhere you've been,
11:29
even if you haven't, you know? There are open
11:33
arms at every corner for you. And the name is
11:37
very unique, even. Yes. Gaborhood, you know?
11:39
I don't think that exists anywhere else as a
11:41
designated name. And I actually had the pleasure
11:44
of meeting someone in the last couple of months
11:47
who visited us who actually coined that name.
11:51
Wow, nice. Back in 1995. Oh, my gosh. So it's
11:53
a very unique spot. I almost forget the question.
11:57
Oh, right. Definitely will point to the people
12:01
in the Philadelphia Pride Visitor Center who
12:04
connected with Visit Philly and the Philadelphia
12:08
Gay News, which then led to a connection with
12:12
Visit PA run by the Commonwealth. That altogether
12:17
sort of just came together to make it all happen
12:19
with Knock Bar and Restaurant and a lot of other
12:23
interests in the gayborhood and beyond. People
12:26
and entities that have for a long time been active
12:32
in advocacy and the advancement of the gayborhood
12:37
as well as different initiatives within the gayborhood
12:39
and beyond to call out the... LGBTQIA friendliness
12:45
of the city and that neighborhood. And I don't
12:48
want to leave any of them out. But if I mentioned
12:49
one, I'd be leaving all of them out. I love it.
12:52
Before we dig into the history of the exhibit
12:55
at the Visitor Center, can you tell us how long
13:00
has this been in the works for before opening
13:03
in February? Obviously, I have a sense that Philadelphia
13:07
Gay News is the one that really pushed this forward.
13:12
I know gay men to be very organized. But do you
13:17
have any intel on that? Yeah, a little bit. So
13:21
the Stonewall National Monument and Visitor Center
13:24
opened in 2024. The Stonewall National Monument
13:29
was designated in 2016 by President Barack Obama.
13:34
I think days after... the tragedy in Philadelphia,
13:40
I'm sorry, in Florida. Orlando. Yes, thank you.
13:43
The tragedy in Orlando at Paul's nightclub. If
13:46
not weeks, I think days later, President Barack
13:49
Obama designated the park at Stonewall in Sheridan
13:54
Square, it's called, as a national monument.
13:57
Stonewall National Monument and Visitor Center
14:00
in Manhattan opened in June 2024, founded and
14:05
led by the Pride Live co -founders Diana Rodriguez
14:09
and Anne -Marie Gothard. Maybe more than these
14:13
two individuals, but specifically Neil Fraunglass
14:16
from Visit Philly and Mark Siegel from PGN being
14:20
inspired by that. And from what I understand,
14:23
there was maybe a little over a year between
14:26
that inspiration and the opening. So that's pretty
14:31
quick, but it was also a long year of planning
14:34
and working all of that out. As I mentioned,
14:38
I was not there for it, but from everything I'm
14:41
gathering, it was a lot of hard work from a lot
14:47
of invested individuals and funding, operations
14:52
which... led to opening after a year, which sounds
14:57
quick, and it was. They did a lot of work for
15:01
that, and it's well -respected and appreciated.
15:06
I wish I was there for it, honestly. Can we dig
15:09
into the history of the history in the exhibition
15:13
that's currently at the Center? Yes. A team of
15:18
people came together to... work on the information
15:21
and the delivery as it applies to the text and
15:26
photos chosen on the historical exhibit on the
15:30
wall at the Philly Pride Visitor Center. The
15:33
layout was designed by a gentleman named Keith
15:36
Ragone, and the information issued there, very
15:42
impactful, a lot to absorb, definitely worth
15:45
it. I implore... Anyone and everyone to stop
15:48
by the Philly Pride Visitor Center at 1139 Locust
15:52
Street in the neighborhood and take your time
15:54
with it. It starts in the 60s and goes up to
15:57
today. In the 60s, Philadelphia had quite a role
16:04
in the queer liberation movement. I say queer
16:08
liberation movement. The word queer has been
16:10
reclaimed long since. It was used derogatorily
16:13
for a long time, some generations. are still
16:17
adjusting to the reclaiming of that. I want to
16:19
point it out because I will use it freely because
16:22
I'm used to that, and I like the reclaiming of
16:25
it. I also don't want to dismiss the emotions
16:28
around that. And in the photos that you'll see
16:31
in the exhibit, it was then more called the Gay
16:34
Liberation Movement, the explosion of the Stonewall
16:37
Riot in 69. I'll back up a little, though. From
16:41
65 to 69. Some things happened in many locations,
16:45
but I'll talk about Philly, that you could say
16:48
all of them together opened up the door for people
16:52
to feel emboldened, to express their fury and
16:58
rightful rage that led to the Stonewall Riots,
17:02
which I get emotional about. These people put
17:07
their neck on the line at a time when they could
17:09
have lost. Their jobs, they could have lost their
17:12
homes. They could have lost their lives. They
17:14
lost their families a lot of times. And in 1965
17:18
here in Philly, there was the Dewey's sit -in
17:20
at a diner. And that was some teenagers staging
17:25
a sit -in being referred to as gender variance,
17:30
which I can only assume without having access
17:35
to photographic. evidence meant that they presented
17:38
themselves, perhaps by dress, perhaps in other
17:40
methods, in ways which would have then have been
17:44
considered, well, really anything outside of
17:46
the binary. That was, of course, poorly received
17:50
by the establishment and whoever else witnessed
17:54
that and had a reaction which led to it existing
17:57
as a sit -in. And beyond that, Barbara Giddings
18:00
was a prime person. in the establishment of the
18:05
Reminder Days demonstrations. The annual Reminder
18:09
Days were the first regularly held demonstrations
18:14
in the United States for gay liberation. They
18:18
took place on July 4th from 1965 to 1969 across
18:23
the street from Independence Hall here in Philadelphia.
18:27
A number of individuals who then, I don't know
18:30
if they only would have used the word homosexual,
18:33
but that certainly is the word they would have
18:34
used then, which we kind of less frequently use
18:38
now. It's a little clinical, maybe. And, you
18:40
know, protest was not even a means of expression
18:44
or political advocacy then that was really seen
18:51
as, I don't know if it was seen as effective.
18:54
I definitely don't think it was welcomed. by
18:57
even people who might have supported the movement,
19:01
but just thought it was a little too out there,
19:05
a little too showy, a little too forward or present.
19:09
Within every movement, there are people who stand
19:14
on the front line and there are people who support,
19:17
but just aren't as comfortable being out there
19:20
and putting themselves out there. And some of
19:23
them might not feel comfortable with other people.
19:26
putting themselves out there in that way, and
19:27
I understand that. But these people doing that
19:30
is a good example of what opens the door to things
19:36
that advances, you know, gets us another rung
19:39
up the ladder of equality. Visibility is a key
19:42
factor, I can't say it enough, in the advancement
19:46
of equality, freedoms of any marginalized group.
19:54
The Reminder Days, the Stonewall Riots, the Dewey
19:59
-Sitton, the Julius Sippin. There are a lot of
20:02
examples that led people on both sides of the
20:06
understanding of queer equality to be on our
20:12
side, emboldened and confident enough to continue
20:19
pushing for what's right, as well as people on
20:22
the other side. of acceptance to come to the
20:27
realization of that equality. The more visibility
20:30
that exists, the more visibility that exists
20:33
on that front, the more that is capable. You
20:37
know, if someone comes to encounter, comes to
20:41
know, comes to love, to quote myself in a recent
20:44
PJN article, which I was surprised to find myself
20:47
quoted and I did not know about until someone
20:49
pointed it out. You know, the more that that
20:50
happens, the more that someone else's most likely
20:54
to become comfortable with the queer community
20:59
you know being in their in their life it might
21:01
happen on a personal basis with a family member
21:03
with a friend with a colleague but if it doesn't
21:07
just being out there in the community the more
21:09
it happens the more it is accepted the more it
21:11
becomes accepted i mean i don't know what you
21:13
know as far as the history i think you're probably
21:16
smarter well and actually about well not a lot
21:20
of people necessarily know what What roles Philadelphia
21:25
had in that movement. Stonewall was a huge, explosive,
21:31
legendary moment. And more than a moment, actually.
21:35
Six days of riot. And to think about what that
21:39
would have been like. Part of me wishes I could
21:41
have been there. What was that energy? My God.
21:44
What was that buzz in the air? What was that?
21:47
What a moment of the era. What a time. They were
21:50
really doing something. Correct. That summer
21:52
of 2015, you were in New York. I was in Brooklyn.
21:57
When Obergefell, did I say that right? Yes, you
22:00
did. Versus Hodges, where that decision came.
22:04
Did you make it down to Stonewall? Because I
22:06
heard that was the place to be. Maybe just repeat
22:09
it. I heard that was the place to be if you were
22:13
anywhere in one of the accessible boroughs. Yeah.
22:17
I did not make it down that day. I'd moved around
22:21
in Brooklyn a lot for 10 years. I was deep in
22:23
Brooklyn at that point. And there was a lot going
22:26
on in my world, but it struck me. I mean, honestly,
22:29
guys, I didn't believe that I would see gay marriage
22:32
in my lifetime. And I'm only 47. A lot of people
22:35
in older generations say that as well, that they
22:37
didn't believe they'd see it in their lifetime,
22:39
people that I've encountered. And I really didn't,
22:42
which you could say that it would have been another
22:43
50 years plus, potentially, if I lived to 100.
22:46
I just didn't believe it. I wanted it. Didn't
22:49
mean I want people to stop fighting for it. But
22:50
when it happened, I was just floored. I mean,
22:54
I think a lot of people were. It had already
22:56
happened in a few states by that point, not too
22:58
long before that. Pennsylvania, I think, was
23:00
less than a year before that. I was a groomsman
23:03
in a gay wedding in the Lehigh Valley that March,
23:07
and then it happened nationally. In June? Yeah,
23:11
what a buzz. What a buzz, the marriage equality
23:14
movement. Looking forward, do you have hopes
23:16
for the future of Philly Pride Visitor Center
23:20
and in a broader scope for the future of Pride
23:23
in Philadelphia and the Commonwealth? I do. I
23:27
do. I'll start at the first one and grow outward.
23:34
My, dare I say, our hope for the Philly Pride
23:38
Visitor Center is to expand. and extend our current
23:41
12 -month agreement in the space we're in. We
23:44
want to be in a larger space, if possible. That
23:48
would be great. We'll see what the universe has
23:50
in store for us. I have a feeling it's going
23:53
to be a good result in the neighborhood is where
23:55
we'd like to be still, of course. And we could
23:59
expand our historical exhibit. We could expand
24:02
our space, allowing for more visitors at a time.
24:06
We can expand our... fun, colorful, vibrant merch
24:10
offerings created by local and regional queer
24:16
artists and creators. That would be something
24:19
that we all would really enjoy. And I'd love
24:22
to see, as I mentioned, catch fire across the
24:24
country, catch fire across the state. More visitor
24:27
centers meant to include and invite LGBTQIA individuals
24:33
and our allies, who are the majority, by the
24:36
way, of people. at least in this country. And
24:40
I want to say that anybody who is still coming
24:43
to terms with that, that's the people living
24:44
in the bubble. It really is. Bubbles burst. That
24:48
what I see happening is already happening. Philly
24:52
Pride 365 is a great example. There are a lot
24:55
of other pride groups in the state of Pennsylvania,
24:57
in the Commonwealth, who are doing great work.
25:01
in the Poconos, in Lehigh Valley, in Lancaster,
25:05
Reading. I don't want to leave anyone out. Wilkes
25:07
-Barre, Scranton, Milford, and all the way west
25:11
to Ohio. Pennsylvania is a good example of a
25:14
state that has a lot of areas of progress. It
25:16
is a good example of a state that also has a
25:18
lot of areas with a lot of progress to be seen.
25:21
And that progress is being made. And don't doubt
25:25
that. Anyone out there, don't doubt that. That
25:27
is happening. And find... where it is, where
25:31
you're local, because it's happening. And a network
25:34
only makes us stronger. That is happening. And
25:38
I think that there is power in numbers. There
25:41
is strength in knowing those numbers and believing
25:48
that power. And that is what I see happening
25:51
in the future. That is literally what I see happening
25:54
now. This is going to go live at the beginning
25:57
of June. What should we expect out of the Philly
26:01
Pride Visitor Center for Pride Month? Everything
26:04
you always wanted. Yes. We're working closely
26:08
with Philly Pride 365 and some other entities.
26:11
There's a lot in store that I can touch on that
26:17
Philly Pride 365 has planned. Starting in the
26:20
first week of June, leading into Pride weekend
26:22
here in Philly, plan is for a new opportunity
26:29
called Pride Around the Region. In the first
26:31
week of Pride Month, there will be some ventures
26:35
out into the suburbs and the greater Philadelphia
26:40
region to both bring Philly Pride out into the
26:45
region and to extend that network we were talking
26:49
about into the region where it already exists,
26:53
strengthen it, and make sure that that web grows
26:57
in areas that it could be stronger. And that'll
27:03
exist in events, in networking, in community.
27:10
In any way we can experience that in that week
27:15
leading up to Pride weekend, to let those people
27:18
know that we're here for them and invite them
27:21
in for Philly Pride. happenings including the
27:25
pride festival friday june 5th pride around the
27:28
city will be happening parts of the now thousand
27:31
foot flag will be shown in different parts of
27:36
the city and come together all in one flag on
27:41
that friday later in the day there's a big event
27:45
happening that i'm very excited that we have
27:47
a part in at the philly pride visitor center
27:48
called dine out The gayborhood gives back. That
27:52
is essentially from 4 to 8 p .m. on Saturday,
27:55
June 6th, to allow their guests to dine outside.
28:00
Oh, excellent. Oh, nice. Hence, dine out. Yes,
28:03
hence, dine out. I got you. Thank you, yeah.
28:05
And also, you know, as that probably implies
28:08
easily, but to state, you know, to encourage
28:12
people to both literally and figuratively fly
28:15
their flag, you know. In the gayborhood footprint
28:19
and beyond, I hope. On that day and whenever
28:22
possible. If you're in the gayborhood, make sure
28:26
it's known. A lot of people already know it,
28:28
but I'd love to see more of those flags, honestly.
28:31
On gay -owned businesses, businesses in general,
28:34
in the gayborhood. And that evening will be a
28:37
great opportunity for community, for feeling
28:41
the love in the gayborhood. Streets will be closed
28:45
off in a great deal of that area for pedestrian
28:48
traffic. The Philadelphia Pride Visitor Center
28:51
will have a presence in the streets, and we will
28:54
be inviting people into the Philly Pride Visitor
28:58
Center during that period on Saturday evening
29:00
for a special offering. So if you're around that
29:05
evening, come into the Philly Pride Visitor Center
29:07
between 4 and 8 p .m., and we've got something
29:09
for you. And then on Sunday, the march starts.
29:13
At 11 a .m., I'm told. And with the big flag
29:18
will lead to the parkway where this year's Pride
29:23
Festival is taking place from 12 to 7 p .m. Three
29:27
stages of entertainment. Last year's estimate
29:31
was 140 ,000 people. This year's projection is
29:34
larger. That's bigger than an inauguration these
29:38
days. If you believe evidence, it's going to
29:43
be great and it's going to be large and it's
29:45
going to be joyful. Christopher, where can our
29:48
audience find the Philly Pride Visitor Center,
29:51
both in real life and online? The Philadelphia
29:54
Visitor Center Corporation website is phlvisitorcenter
30:00
.com. And to get more specifically to the Philly
30:04
Pride Visitor Center on our website would be
30:07
phlvisitorcenter .com slash pride. We are in
30:12
person right now in the winter spring months,
30:15
12 to 6 p .m. Thursday through Monday. It looks
30:19
like we are going to be able to extend those
30:21
hours in the summer. Stay tuned. Check our website.
30:25
Check our socials. The Philadelphia Visitor Center
30:29
Corporation. On social media is PHL Visitor Center.
30:35
And you can find the Philly Pride Visitor Center
30:38
in person on Locust Street at 1139 Locust, right
30:43
near the corner of South 12th Street. And if
30:47
you're available on Saturday, June 20th, come
30:50
visit us because we will be celebrating our festival
30:55
as part of the campaign for 52 Weeks of Firsts.
31:00
as one of the components of the celebration of
31:02
the 250th since the Declaration of Independence,
31:05
which will be celebrating, in our case, the Reminder
31:10
Days that we talked about. And there are 52 total
31:14
festivals celebrating all sorts of things which
31:17
happened in Philadelphia before anywhere else
31:19
in the country. Excellent. Excellent. And we'll
31:21
be right back with rapid -fire questions. And
31:32
we're back with rapid fire questions. Christopher,
31:35
what's your favorite restaurant or bar in the
31:38
neighborhood? No one's going to take it personally
31:40
if they don't. Oh, you're so right. They will.
31:44
So I'll say my favorite and then I'll mention
31:48
a few that are great for various reasons if I
31:50
can really quick. I really love a piano bar.
31:53
Yep. Okay. I have a theater background. I play
31:56
the piano. I'm a songwriter. So I'm going to
32:00
say I really love hanging out at Tavern on Comac.
32:04
And that's a really comfortable place for me.
32:07
I also really love Knock Bar and Restaurant.
32:10
It's a really nice atmosphere. The staff is very
32:13
friendly. And I'm also a friend of Little Gay
32:17
Pub and U Bar 254. There are really a lot of
32:23
great places in the gayborhood, and I recommend
32:25
all of them. Please check out Val's, a great
32:28
lesbian bar, and some new ones opening. I don't
32:32
want to leave anyone out, but I just can't think
32:34
of all of them. There's a lot of really good
32:37
ones. Cheese steaks with whiz or without? Without
32:41
because I have a dairy allergy, but with onions.
32:44
Nice. And your favorite beverage at the moment?
32:48
Ooh. If it's non -alcoholic, I'll go with club
32:53
soda, some cranberry juice with a lime. If it's
32:57
alcoholic at the moment, I love a glass of Prosecco
33:02
with a little bit of one of those blueberry blend
33:07
juices. Ooh, nice. A little blueberry mimosa.
33:09
Big fan. Or a Guinness on draft. Excellent. Those
33:13
are two very different options. It depends on
33:16
if you're, again, this is food, you know? Yeah,
33:18
yeah, yeah. Well, Christopher, thank you so much
33:22
for your time today. And everyone check out Philly
33:25
Pride Visitor Center. Thanks for tuning in to
33:59
Philly Has Heart, your weekly cultural update.
34:02
Until next time, keep creating, keep connecting,
34:05
and remember, Philly has heart. And art!