Just So We’re Clear

When Barack Obama comes to town, he’s at the Sheraton at 17th and Race.

When Billy Mays comes to town, he’s at the Sheraton in Chinatown.

It seems like this is a good way to mark the relative quality of hotels in this town.

Camden To Have New Hotel?

Did you know: There are zero hotels in Camden. None. Really! (Where do opponents of the Cmaden RIversharks stay?) Ever since the Plaza Hotel closed in 1985, Camden has been hotel-less.

The New York Times reports a group of developers is looking to build a 140-room Hilton Garden Inn — there’s one in Philadelphia on top of the Filbert Street parking garage near Chinatown — on Camden’s waterfront.

What better place for people following around Pearl Jam or whoever this summer to stay when the band plays the concert venue on the waterfront, now called the Susquehanna Bank Center for some reason. That, and people who don’t want to pay to stay in Philadelphia.

But will one hotel save Camden?

“A hotel can start to leverage quite a bit,” said William H. Hudnut III, a senior resident fellow at the Urban Land Institute, an education and research group in Washington, D.C. “It brings people, and it brings rooftops — restaurants, bars and eateries. One hotel won’t do the trick, but it’s certainly a positive piece in the jigsaw.”

Okay, so: No. But, hey, it’s a start. Maybe that family that fled Camden on Extreme Makeover is now selling their Pennsauken house to move back in to the city! No, wait, probably not.

In a Faded City, Plans to Build a Hotel Build Hope [New York Times]
Home built for ‘Extreme Makeover’ for sale [AP via Iracane]
[Photo via Jessica Kourkounis/New York Times]

Continental: The Hotel To Open In NYC?

As you may remember, earlier this year Stephen Starr became yet another Philadelphian to try New York City, opening Morimoto and Buddakhan up in the original five boroughs.

In an interview in the current issue of New York magazine, Starr explains his newest idea for New York: a hotel.

What’s next for you in New York?

We’d like to do one of the Philly restaurants here, Jones or Continental. I’m also thinking of opening a small hotel in New York. I used to just want to do it in Philadelphia, but the more I’m here the more I feel confident I could do one here.

Stephen, how could you? You’re supposed to do your cool things in Philly first (for much cheaper, might I add!) and then move them to New York or Atlantic City or wherever you’re planning on going next.

Come on, open a hotel near the Convention Center or something. We have hotels here in Philadelphia that were built on top of parking garages. And that hip Aloft hotel is going near the airport instead of in, oh, a good location.

As The Illadelph wrote, “You need to open a boutique hotel in Philadelphia. And you need to do it soon…. Philadelphia wants a fucking original. An independent. Be the man. Think the James, but even a little more urban. You’ll own the market.” I can’t help but agree.

Time’s yours, Stephen.

Mr. Big Box [NY Mag]
Breaking: Stephen Starr’s hotel dreams resurface [The Illadelph]
Jan. 25: Morimoto, Buddakan latest Philly expats

‘Phillymag’: More Dangerous Than Actual Homicide?

Nicer Philadelphia hotels sometimes give guests copies of Phillymag, because there’s no better way to let someone know about the city than by telling them all about the suburbs.

This month, though, the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association has warned hotels to think twice about giving Phillymag out due to the story about Philebrity editor Joey Sweeney.

No! Wait! Phillymag has a cover with a gun and the word Murder, and the hotels association wanted to let its members know that this month’s Philadelphia (the magazine) might not be the best introduction to Philadelphia (the city).

Not sure if it would do harm to the hotel industry, especially when they’re already in the hotel and, as Phillymag editor Larry Platt pointed out, a high murder rate would be, uh, more of a turnoff.

But, as we know, our city’s fine mayor is probably already burning copies of the magazine.

The Dead of Night [Phillymag]
Philadelphia, Meet Your Future [Phillymag]
Sept. 18: It’s Settled: John Street Truly Does Not Care If You Die Today As Long As ‘National Geographic’ Offshoot Magazines Keep Praising The City

Leftovers: Here, Kitty, Kitty

• Someone dumped a bunch of purebred kittens in South Jersey, and now these wittle wittle guys are up for adoption! Yes, this was basically just an excuse to post a photo of a kitty, to shush the people who complain I’m only about puppies.

• Albert Yee posts about PhillyCarShare’s pimp our ride contest, where people can get to design a wrap that’ll be going around one of the cars for a month. A commenter on the post: “Did no-one in your office think that using the word ‘pimp’ to mean ‘prettify’ might be offensive to those campaigning for ‘pimp’ not to mean ‘bring a woman into the country illegally, make her sell sex to pay off debt bondage, hook her on drugs, make her see ten or twenty men a night, and brutalise her to keep her compliant’?” Uh, wait, wouldn’t using “pimp” to mean “prettify” be not having it mean that long definition she came up with? Right? [dragonballyee]

• Phils great Johnny Callison died today at the age of 67. The story also notes that Callison merchandise will be in hot demand any day now. Indeed. [KYW 1060]

• Hello! David Grasso is proposing a $315 million complex that includes a Whole Foods and a five-star hotel! (And another store, possibly a major electronics chain.) The Whole Foods is supposed to be “taking the experience of coming to a food store to a new level.” Boy, how can you wait? [Inky]

• The Rock Paper Scissors Keystone Classic is this Saturday, with a top prize of $850! Eight-hundred-and-fifty bucks, for playing Rock Paper Scissors! C’mon, you know you want to. [Northeast RPS Champs]

Blogicized: Hip New Hotel Complete With Refinery, Planes, Swamp

• Starwood is opening its hip new Aloft hotel — aimed at “Generation X” — at the Philadelphia airport. This is better than when they built that Hilton on top of the Garage at 10th and Filbert. [The Illadelph]

• Ed Rendell has unveiled his wine shipping plan — and, yes, it still includes the 18 percent tax to help the citizens of Johnstown recover from that drastic flood early last century. It’s still a pretty good plan, which is shocking, considering this is Pennsylvania. [Phila Foodie]

• Thanks, Phillyist. I really needed to read an article about shit. [Phillyist]

• Joe Vento needs to learn himself some Ingish. [Philebrity]