Happy New Year! I’ll have a State of the Union post up tomorrow as we head into 2020, but in the meantime just a heads up that quizzo is ON for Birra tonight but OFF for Bards. We’ll be back at all of our normal spots next week.
Tonight is a a 2010s Decade in Review quiz. Action starts at 8 pm with Boots Boccutti.
We’re doing a 2019 Year in Review quiz for one night and one night only: tonight! Action starts at Birra at 8 pm, and we’ll also have a quiz at Bards at 9:15. All questions will be about the year that was. Last two quizzes of the decade. Hope to see ya tonight!!!
What Podcast You Should Be Listening to: The Philly Blunt! Our interview with Jerry Blavat, the Geator with the Heater, is live! And oh man is it good. His story about Chuck Berry is worth the price of admission alone. Such an honor to sit down with such a true Philly legend, and he absolutely did not disappoint. Dick Clark, Sammy Davis Jr., Angelo Bruno: he’s got stories about all of them and they’re all terrific.
What Music You Should Be Listening to: John Morrison has been writing some solid pieces for WXPN for awhile, but lately he’s been making some new moves: He now hosts a monthly hip-hop show on WXPN called Culture Cypher. His podcast, Serious Rap S**t, just got picked up by iheartradio. And he was nice enough to put together this Youtube mix of his favorite rap songs of 2019. Some great stuff in here: check out Cam’ron’s Losin Weight, Gangstarr and J Cole Family Loyalty, and Danny Brown Best Life. You can follow John on twitter here.
Where I’m Eating: Had breakfast with Chip Chantry earlier this week at the Melrose Diner. I really want to start going there regularly. It has everything a good diner should: friendly older ladies as servers, a nice mix of people from all walks of life, and damn solid food (I had the feta and spinach omelette and was feeling a little frisky so I had them add tomato.)
What I’m reading: This article about what a heaping load of bullshit online advertising is was fascinating.
Local Instagram I’m Following: PHLBucketlist has a ton of great photos of things to do in the area. Dunno who curates it but whoever does takes some really terrific photos.
Alright, hope everyone has a safe and Happy Holiday. If you’re doing some last minute shopping, be sure to hit us up at Shibe Sports. Got lots of great unique and local gear still in stock. And be sure to follow me on twitter. We’ve got some big things planned for 2020, so stay tuned!
If you’ve missed previous Friday Fives and want some good stuff to read, eat, drink, and listen to, go here.
What physician and Founding Father was born in Byberry on Christmas Eve, 1745?
Hey gang, just made the toy drive spreadsheet a lot easier to use. I have included links to all of the toys, so that all you have to do is write down your name, click on the link, order the toy and get it shipped to the address below. It will literally take less than 20 seconds and will make a child’s Christmas. As of now, things are moving slower than past years, and if more people don’t step up, over 45 kids won’t get toys this Christmas, which would just be heartbreaking.
Most of the toys left are in the $10-$25 range. Once you purchase them, just have them shipped to:
PPEHRC
1505 W. Allegheny Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19132
Amazon does the shipping! All you have to do is put in the address. They don’t need to be wrapped, nothing. All you have to do is buy one. If you would prefer to buy something locally and drop it off, you are welcome to. Just drop your toy off at Shibe Sports at 13th and Walnut. And finally, if you’d prefer to donate money and let me get the toys, that’s fine too. You can either give me the money at quizzo or send the money to johnny@johnnygoodtimes dot com on PayPal and write “Toys” in the subject box. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!
Best Way to See Christmas Lights: Did the Founding Footsteps Christmas Lights show this past Sunday, and oh man was it great. A BYO trip through Philly with live Christmas music, it’s a great way to look at the city in a whole different way. There’s a fun Christmas pop-up bar to start off. Then it’s all aboard, and you head to South Smedley Street to see the lights there. Off to the Miracle on 13th Street, past the City Hall lights, and over to the Art Museum, where you get to check out the enormous tree. Just a really fun tour, and the guy who runs it, Tim, is an awesome dude. This isn’t some big corporate monolith going through the motions. This is a Philly owned and operated business sharing their love of the city, and it comes through in the tour. Highly recommend. You can get tickets here.
Where I’m grabbing pizza: Is it my favorite pizza in town? No. Is it always service with a smile? No. But there’s still something special about Lorenzo’s. The comically large slices, the number of people there with bloodshot eyes, the communal sense of everyone eating around the same counter. When I first moved here, I was a regular…I was dead broke, and $2 was a good price for a meal. The price has gone all the way up to $4.50 over the past 18 years, but it’s still a good deal.
Underrated Christmas Lights: The old Lit Brothers building on Market street has one of the most underrated light shows in town.
What I’m Listening To: Slow Burn, a podcast by Slate. They did a great one about Watergate a couple of years ago. They came back this year with a solid one on Biggie and Tupac.
What Local Legend I Got to Hang Out This Week: The Geator with the Heater, the Boss With the Hot Sauce. Jerry Blavat sat down with the Philly Blunt on Thursday night (if you don’t know who he is, you should read this excellent 2008 Philly Mag piece on him). Oh man, it was so much fun. His stories about Chuck Berry, Sammy Davis, and Angelo Bruno were incredible. Episode drops next week. In the meantime, be sure to listen to our interview with DJ Rich Medina.
