When beginning your journey, make sure to take a glance at the Schuylkill River as you cross the South Street Bridge. Sometimes it actually looks blue if the sun hits it right!
First Stop: Ants Pants Café 2212 South St.There just can never be enough places to get brunch. Ants Pants is a tiny little Australian place on 22nd and South with a bacon stack to kill for. They also have a unique selection of Australian specialty drinks, including the Flat White and the Long Black. And honestly, when has a day ever gone wrong when it starts with bacon?
Second Stop: Sweet Freedom Bakery 1424 South St.Maybe it's not so logical to hit a bakery right after you just ate your own weight in brunch, but Sweet Freedom's salted caramel cupcake is totally, TOTALLY worth it. Did I mention that all their baked goodies are totally vegan and allergen-free? That means you, gluten/peanut/other inconvenient allergy sufferers, are no longer being cheated out of to-die-for treats. Also, nobody is about that backtracking life, so you might as well hit it as you go by.
Third Stop: One of a Kind 1120 South St.Stop in here for some very reasonably priced glass pipes, hookah pipes and other fun smoke shop paraphernalia. It looks like a tacky rasta place at first glance, but a step into this cozy shop will reveal that there's some very interesting retail items awaiting its customers. But seriously, "fun smoke shop paraphernalia."
Fourth Stop: Wooden Shoe Books 704 South St.Not your ordinary book shop, the Wooden Shoe refers to themselves as an "anarchist bookstore." The place is collectively run, as in nobody has a position higher than anyone else — hence the anarchy. Basically, the Wooden Shoe is trying to provide its shoppers with off-the-beaten-path literature that questions the values of everyday society. Now that is some hipster s***.
Fifth Stop: The Bean Café 615 South St.It's been a long day of walking and radical lit, and you're in need of a cup of coffee. Look no further than the Bean Café, a coffee shop with a very special quirk — the bathroom has insanely cool graffiti artwork all over the walls. The graffiti starts when you begin to walk down the stairs to the bathroom and basically overtakes the walls by the time you get there. It's guaranteed to make your coffee stop a lot more interesting.
Sixth Stop: Retrospect Vintage 508 South St.Retrospect is the quintessential higher end but not ridiculously priced vintage shop. It captures the heart of South Street with its funky old school styles, and probably has the original (and cheaper) version of that cute 54 dollar top you just saw at Urban.
Final Destination: Tattooed Mom 530 South St.And now you've arrived (well actually passed on your way to Retrospect and then only slightly backtracked to, but shhh we'll let that one slide) to Taco Tuesday at Tattooed Mom where tacos cost a dollar and all drafts are half off from 5-7 p.m. This punky dive bar might at first seem inaccessible, but the bartenders are very friendly despite their face piercings, and many people consider it the best place to get a drink on South Street — probably because of Tuesday dollar tacos and beer. Or Wednesday three dollar burgers and beer. Or Thursday 50-cent pierogies and beer.
P.S. If you and and a special friend have a really good time, Condom Kingdom is only a block away at 437 South St. for you to purchase some provisions!