The Parrot Lounge

Now no true Philly fan is satisfied with only one Philly hangout, but come one people its Miami, not Philly! Well settle down, there is one other Philly owned bar in Fort Lauderdale that I smelled out. I believe we all remember 2008 when the Phillies won the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays (GO PHILLIES); well I was depressed since I couldn’t go home to be with my people and enjoy the game to its highest potential. My mom was actually the one that found this bar for me since she knew how bummed I was. Of course I was skeptical as to how “Philly” this bar really was going to be and to my surprise I saw a sea of red. It was packed inside and out filled with Philly love and never an argument. I fell in love with the Parrot Lounge from the very first game and you can bet I was there for every other game and every other Philly team, win or lose. It is defiantly my favorite Philly bar in South Florida.

Philly Sports Nation
Not only is the Parrot Lounge just a block away from the beach but it is a Philly nation bar. The Parrot is a Philly’s hangout and other teams don’t bother stepping foot inside. The second you walk in you feel like you’re in Philly, everyone is covered in their Philly’s sports attire. It is a sports watching atmosphere and you'll end up making friends with complete strangers. Everyone is an Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, and/or Sixers fan. It’s like indoor tailgating by the beach anytime there is a Philly sports game on.

The Parrot Lounge
Aside from the Philly’s watching they have a ton of different beers on tap, and good food. It’s a very casual small bar but they have an outdoor area and they have a very reasonably priced menu. They also have about 20 TVs all around the bar so you don’t have to worry about finding a good seat to watch the game. The bartenders and waiters are very friendly and give great service. They are also almost always having some kind of special; my personal favorite is taco Tuesday. The Parrot Lounge is located at 911 Sunrise Lane, Fort Lauderdale.

http://www.parrotlounge.com/

Philly Pretzel Heaven - "It's a sin not to eat them!"

“Few places in the world are easily defined by a single food item, Seattle has coffee, New York has pizza, and Philadelphia has pretzels (along with cheese steaks but who’s counting).” – Philly Pretzel Heaven

Pretzels and cheesesteaks were the two things I missed the most while living in Miami. Every morning in Philly I would get a coffee and soft pretzel but living in Miami I had to do without the pretzel. Whenever I went back home to visit I would always lug back a ton of pretzels but they never lasted long. I introduced soft pretzels to my Miami friends and they fell in love which meant my pretzel stash would go even quicker. Once you get a taste of an authentic soft pretzel from Philly there’s no turning back. You may ask well what about Auntie Anne’s Pretzels? Well of course they have Auntie Anne’s in Miami but compared to a real soft pretzel they’re crap. They are thin, rubbery, and not chewy. Once you go Philly you’ll never go back. And on that note Miami I am proud to introduce you to Philly Pretzel Heaven. The best and I’m pretty sure the only genuine soft pretzel place in South Florida.

Philly Pretzel Heaven
When I first walked into Philly Pretzel Heaven I was skeptical and didn’t expect it to live up to my taste buds but when I took my first bite I was right back on the street of Philly. It was everything I didn’t expect and more. I couldn’t tell the difference between a pretzel purchased from a truck on the streets of Philly and a pretzel from Philly Pretzel Heaven. They have great pretzels for even better prices. They sell soft pretzels, pretzel twisters, pretzel nuggets, pretzel dogs, and pretzel sliders. The owner grew up in northeast Philadelphia so he knows exactly what a real soft pretzel should taste like. They’ve only been open since 2006 but they are doing a darn good job. If you never enjoyed a real soft pretzel I encourage you to go try one and if you’re a Philly transplant, trust me you won’t be disappointed. Philly Pretzel Heaven is located at 5021 South State Road 7, #210 Davie Florida.

http://www.phillypretzelheaven.com/

Lost Weekend

Need a place to hang out, throw one back, and watch an Eagles game with fellow fans, well Lost Weekend is the place to go. There are a lot of transplants from Philadelphia and New York in Miami so it’s inevitable that there are going to be a few bars to enjoy your hometown teams. Night after night, season after season I would sit in my room (alone or with one/two other fellow fans) and watch the games. Eventually I got tired of locking myself in my room rooting for my home teams; I wanted to be around my crazy adoring fans so out I went braving all the haters and that’s when I found Lost Weekend.

Philadelphia Eagles Fan Club
During Eagles games fans meet weekly at the Lost Weekend in South Beach. It’s a great place to watch the games. Not only do fellow fans gather here it is also a Philadelphia owned sports bar. The games are shown on HDTV and on huge projection screens. It gets very loud in there which makes it feel like home even more and everyone becomes your friends. You find yourself hugging, high-fiving, and celebrating with total strangers which makes the experience so much better. They also serve authentic cheesesteaks on an amoroso roll. What gets better than cheesesteaks and Philly sports!?

Lost Weekend
Located in South Beach at 218 Espanola Way Miami Beach; open until 5am. It’s a great neighborhood bar for locals and tourists. It’s a small place (or a large square) and a little dingy which makes it all the better and more like home. They have an extensive beer selection and ladies drink for free on Wednesdays. They have pool tables, foosball tables, darts, videogames, and a jukebox. The music tends to be mostly rock and a little old school rap here and there. My favorite feature besides the Philly fans and cheap drinks would have to be the chalkboard bar top.

Where To Get Your Kicks

If you ask me, Philly is known for their food (cheese stakes) and unique sense of fashion; especially their kicks. I’m going to get off the topic of food, since my last two posts were dedicated towards savory treats and focus on sneakers. In Philly everyone has their own style sense and follows the beat to their own drum whereas in Miami everyone is dressed from head to toe in Ed Hardy (boring). If you’re a real shoe feen or collector then you understand the importance of having fresh and original kicks. I have an extensive collection of kicks and most of them are either limited editions or just really expensive. My favorite brands are Dunks, Chucks, and Supras and I’m always on the hunt for the hottest kicks out there. And once again Miami didn’t have that kind of Philly style, so on the hunt I went. I found two completely different sneaker places: Philly In Miami and MIA Skate Shop.

Philly In Miami
Philly In Miami is a custom sneaker shop located at 1059 Collins Ave in Miami, Florida. This store is a great place to really get one of a kind custom kicks. You can be sure that there isn’t a duplicate out there since you can be the designer of your own shoe. Every shoe is one of a kind and very unique. The artists are very talented and will create anything you can imagine. No two shoes are identical. Not only do they specialize in custom kicks but they also sell mix tapes, clothing, fitted hats, and much more.

MIA Skate Shop
Although a predominant skateboard shop, MIA Skate Shop sells exclusive kicks. Its located on South Beach; 229 9^th St Miami Beach, FL. They only sell men’s clothing and footwear but that never stopped me. I’ve found tons of shoes that I fell in love with here and brought them home. I also got a lot of exclusive kicks from here. They carry brands such as Lakai, Enties, Nike SB, Supra, Vans, DVS, ES, Emerica, Adidas, Habitat, Alien Workshop, Girl, Element, and many more. Their apparel consists of element clothing, element shirts, element jackets, element sweaters, and element pants. I love the kicks here; they are always getting new shipments in every month. It’s a very small store tucked away good but that’s what makes it even better, no one really knows about it. I’ve been in so many times they know me by name now, not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. The MIA Skate Shop is my favorite place to purchase kicks from in Miami.

http://www.miaskateshop.com/