8 (fun) things Wilmington needs
Wilmington has come a long way in recent years.
Delaware's largest city has welcomed everything from its first IMAX theater and a cadre of food trucks to the Uber car-hailing service and upstart, independent rock clubs like 1984 and Oddity Bar.
Wilmy's recent hip additions got us thinking over here at 55 Hours, The News Journal's weekly entertainment section: What else does Wilmington need?
Surrounded by major cities like Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Wilmingtonians shouldn't be deprived of some of the lifestyle options that are standard to our neighbors to the north and south.
In that spirit, we spitballed ideas without concern for feasibility, proposing what the city still needs to break through as a bustling metropolis both day and night, weekdays and weekends.
POP-UP BEER GARDENS. Since Philadelphia altered its liquor laws in 2012 to allow temporary beer gardens in the city, they've been all the rage. Open spaces are converted into outdoor gathering spots where beer and sometimes food are served. While places like Winterthur have jumped on the trend, hosting beer-centered evenings on its patio most Fridays this summer (including this one) and calling it a pop-up beer garden, authentic pop-ups have not made their way into the heart of Wilmington. With the state's growing love affair with craft beers and city officials pushing outdoor events, pop-up beer gardens would be a perfect fit. With Philadelphia's tourism board already touting their beer gardens as a summer destination and Delaware's tourism group pushing its own Beer, Wine & Spirits Trail, it's time for Wilmington to jump on board the pop-up train. Choo choo!
HIP-HOP FESTIVAL. Now that Delaware has a world-class rock festival (Firefly) and a pair of upstart country festivals (Big Barrel and Delaware Junction) with deep-pocketed backers, the time is right for hip-hop to get its own day in the summer sun. Sure, some might remember the headache the last attempt caused. Foxtail Fest, which was held in 2013, ended in a messy ball of lawsuits and accusations of political favoritism. Foxtail has since moved north to Philadelphia, but its Wilmington night of hip-hop, electronica and indie rock with headliners like Travi$ Scott and Machine Gun Kelly showed the potential of a hip-hop festival in the city. Wilmington is teeming with under-served hip-hop fans yearning to see their favorite acts in their hometown with The Grand and World Cafe Live at the Queen serving up little in terms of rap. Since Kanye West regularly visits Delaware to see family, maybe he can whip up a little fest for us in his spare time.
WAWA. Sure, Wawa is focusing more on opening stores in the suburbs than in cities these days, but we gottahava Wawa in Wilmington for goodness sake! The store on Lancaster Avenue closed years ago and the closest Wawa to the city is in Elsmere. It's nearly impossible to get a fresh-made, deli-style sandwich past 8 or 9 p.m. (Even then, our options are mostly limited to Subway and that just won't cut it, especially with Jared Fogle in the news.) Whether you're drawn to Wawa's coffee, soft pretzels, soups, sandwiches, sides or salads, you have to hit the bricks to get your fix. Wilmington should have at least one more Wawa than North Korea. Just sayin'.
RECORD STORE. If you live in the city and want to buy music at an independent record store, once again it's time to leave the city limits. Jupiter Records, which focuses solely on vinyl, is near Arden and down in Newark, there are old stand-bys like Rainbow Records and Wonderland Records. Each spot is more than a music shop – they are throwbacks to the days when music stores were hubs of activity for musicians, artists and fans, helping fuel an arts scene. The city's recent additions of indie rock clubs Oddity Bar and 1984, which draw steady crowds with local shows, prove that young musicians and artists are willing to play in the city at night even if some in the suburbs are scared away by headlines about street violence.
EAT-IN DINER OR RESTAURANT OPEN PAST 1 A.M. Last call has come and gone and now it's time for some grub. Unless you want to settle for 7-Eleven nachos or a McDonald's drive-through burger, there are no real diners or proper sit-down restaurants open late night. (Heck, some Market Street restaurants close before 1 a.m. when there isn't a crowd.) There has been some progress on the late-night eats scene recently with the opening of Jerry Deen's Family Restaurant at 43rd and Market streets at the old home of The Post House. While on-site, late-night dining isn't on the menu, they do offer take-out meals from midnight to 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. (Baby steps.) The hole created by the 2012 loss of the go-to Golden Castle diner on Concord Pike outside of Wilmington has even limited options for those willing to leave the city for a hot meal in the early morning hours. But there's still the Marsh Road Diner at Marsh Road and Philadelphia Pike. It's open 24 hours a day and it's located only a half-mile north of the city limits.
ART HOUSE MOVIE THEATER. Theatre N, the city-sponsored theater in the Nemours Building, has been Wilmington's de facto art house theater for years. And while it is a lifeline for indie film lovers and has been bringing must-see films to the city for years, there's no way around its downsides. Located in a hard-to-find auditorium in an office building, it feels more like a setting for an "Office Space"-style training session than a place to unwind and see a film. (The beer and wine sold on site can help soften that feeling, however.) But it's hard not to be envious of Philadelphians who have three Ritz movie houses run by Landmark Theaters clustered near each other in a bustling area of the city. With Wilmington's indie theater hidden from view like a red-headed step-child, and only showing films a handful of times on the weekend, it's time to ride the Penn Cinema wave and introduce a small, visible theater for films that don't feature an explosion every five minutes.
PRODUCTION BREWERY. With the recent release of the book "Brewing in Delaware" ($21.99, Arcadia Publishing), we are reminded that Wilmington once has three major production breweries within its borders and we currently have none. And if you thought Delaware-based Two Stones Pub would maybe open its new 2SP Brewing Company in Wilmington, you were wrong. They left Delaware altogether and landed in Aston, Pa. Iron Hill's Riverfront location does brew its own beer, but it's not canned or bottled and sold beyond its restaurant walls. There's a certain pride that comes with buying beer in a store that was brewed right in your home town. We hope we'll see "Brewed in Wilmington" on a beer can someday soon. (And while we're at it, we'll second Out & About's recent call for Dogfish Head to open a brewpub in Wilmington.)
AMAZON SAME-DAY DELIVERY. Currently available in only 14 metro areas in the country including Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Amazon.com's same-day delivery is a game-changer for Amazon addicts. With large-scale fulfillment centers in both New Castle and Middletown, how long will Wilmington have to wait to get same-day delivery? Probably quite a while, but who knows with the always-innovating Amazon, which is still testing its drone-delivery system. After reading the New York Times' expose this week about working conditions at Amazon, the company is on the defensive about the pressures it places on employees. Our guess is Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has more on his plate these days than thinking about same-day Delaware deliveries.
WHAT DOES WILMINGTON NEED?
We threw some of our Wilmington wants out there. Now what about you? What lifestyle additions to the city would make it a more fun place to live and play? Send your suggestions to Ryan Cormier at rcormier@delawareonline.com rcormier@delawareonline.com. Please include your name and town.
-- Ryan Cormier, The News Journal. Facebook: @ryancormier. Twitter: @ryancormier. Instagram: @ryancormier.