👃 Wanna smell like Philly?

🚆 The SEPTA ‘Death Spiral’

SEPTA has announced a 29% fair increase starting Jan. 1. There will also be major cuts to service, including the elimination of some routes. SEPTA said this is because there is “no prospect of a statewide solution to help fund the everyday operating expenses of a public transportation system.” [NBC10, SEPTA]

🕯️ Smell Like Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation has released a line of candles representing different smells of Philly: Beautiful Day in the Gayborhood, Boathouse Mornings, Place Called the Plateau, South Philly Sunday Dinner, The Steps, and Wanamaker Holiday Light Show. If you want to smell for yourself, a “Candle Catwalk” will be held at 4 p.m. today at the Independence Visitors Center. The first 20 people to guess the scents correctly get to take a candle home. [NBC10]

🚗 No Cars, No Problem, Let’s Shop

Rittenhouse Square will go car-free for two days in December. When this was first tested in September, business owners saw a 68% increase in sales. [WHYY]

Join us as we take a stroll up Germantown Avenue from Berkley Street to West Johnson Street. City Cast Philly host Trenae Nuri spent the day on Germantown Avenue exploring the sites, restaurants, and shops on this avenue.

What To Do

Trenae recommends starting your walk around noon and stopping in Deke’s Bar-B-Que for BBQ and cornbread. If you're looking for a spot to hang out with your friends, Deke’s is great because they have a pool table to use while you indulge in ribs and mac & cheese. Note that they open later on Mondays and Tuesdays. Walking around this area, you may smell the delicious odors of freshly baked bread. Merzbacher's, an amazing bakery that offers a variety of breads (check out the Philly Muffin!), is near Deke’s. The shop is open from 4–8 p.m. and is closed Tuesdays and Saturdays. Also in this area is Attic Brewing Company, which boasts 14 award-winning craft beers.

Further up Germantown Avenue, Trenae stopped at Bargain Thrift Center. This thrift store offers discounts on a different color tag each week, making certain items even more of a bargain. And all clothing and linens with a brown tag are always just $1! After all that thrifting, Trenae needed a pick-me-up, so she stopped at Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee Shop & Books. While sipping her drip coffee with Oatmilk and pumpkin spice, she browsed the book selection. For art lovers out there, Ubuntu Fine Art is a spot you’ll want to check out. You can see the beautiful photos from photographer and owner Steven CW Taylor. Side note: There is a great fabric store near Uncle Bobbie’s called Gaffney Fabrics to check out if you’re in the market.

After getting caffeinated, Trenae recommends stopping at Yadain Cultural Solutions where they sell body, hair, and facial care products. And right across the street is Harlem Uncut Organics which offers various herbs, fragrances, and cosmetic bases. K&J Caribbean American Diner is located near these shops, and we recommend checking that out if you’re feeling peckish. Try the large jerk chicken, rice and beans, mac & cheese, and the cabbage platter. Yadain Cultural Solutions and Harlem Uncut Organics are located on Chelten Avenue and K&J Caribbean American Diner is on Greene Street.

Here is this week’s “Where Is It?” segment. Can you guess where today’s art piece could be from? Before diving into today’s guess, let’s go over last week’s answer and winner.

📍 This mosaic with people gathered around a campfire in front of mountains is located at the Young Children’s Center for the Arts.

🏆 It looks like last week was a hard one – nobody guessed it!

Let’s see if you can figure out this week’s mural. Here is your newest art piece in Philly: