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Phillytown Customs
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Welcome to Philadelphia, affectionately known as Philly. This page has been set up for our international pubcrawlers who might not be familiar with the Philly customs or the nuisances of pub crawling in Philly. For example, we do not want to see you stranded downtown because the subway closed. This happened to me in Paris and it was not pretty. Times The two main nights to go out in Philly are Friday and Saturday. Wednesday and Thursday are also very popular; with Thursday maybe even rivaling Friday. Most bars, clubs, and pubs are open to 2:00. There are a few after hours bars but they normally stay open only until 3:00 and membership is required (It can usually be bought on the spot, but for a hefty price of $10 - $20). Saturdays are mostly date nights, so when you see people without dates, you have a better chance of finding someone unattached. On Wednesdays and Thursdays you can start your night around 21:00 because most people go home early because of work the next day. Friday starts happening at 17:30 as the happy hour crowds fill the local bars and pubs. This might go strong until around 21:00 and will not pick up again until 23:00. On Saturdays places don't start to get crowded until 23:00. Dress When it comes down to it, the average Philadelphian does not dress as nice as your average European when going out. Very few places have dress codes. The places that normally have dress codes are classified as our "Dance Clubs" and "Swanky Bars". These places normally require nice shoes, no sneakers, and you can not wear jeans or hats. Most of the other places you can wear jeans, but hey, you're going out, you want to look your best. Put on your A game. Transportation The transportation in Philly sucks! We have a subway but it's a joke and it closes before 0:00. We have busses, but I would not feel safe taking some of the busses at night. We do have cabs, but not to the extent of places like New York, London, etc. Philly is not a cab town. With the exception of about 2 streets in Philly, you can't hail a cab - you have to phone them and they'll pick you up. The car is the preferred method of transportation. Tips Americans tip bartenders and servers. Employers are allowed to pay bartenders and servers below minimum wages (around $3.50 /hour) because they know they will receive tips to supplement their pay. For lunch/dinner, the average tip is between 15% and 20% of the bill's total. Don't even try tipping the standard European 10% for good service - it's insulting and you may get a steak knife to the back of your head as you try to get out the door. Sure, if service is extremely slow or your food comes out cold, lower tips prevail. If you're standing around a bar just ordering beers or mixed drinks, you should tip about $0.50 a drink, with a minimum of $1.00 total. When sitting at the bar all night, wait until the end of the night and then leave your tip. Bartenders and servers will keep the brews coming if you're generous with the tips. So if you're planning to be at a place all night, treat your servers right - throw them some green (American term for money)! Attitudes Philadelphians enjoy the company of foreigners. If you have an exotic accent or brogue, you have a good chance of "getting lucky." Russian accents may not do too well, all because of a little Philly movie called Rocky IV. The only thing is that you'll probably have to put up with are many questions like: "Do they have running water where you're from," "Have you ever met the Queen and/or Pope?" "Is Italian Pizza better than American Pizza?" and "What's a bidet and/or have you ever used one?"
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