How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to ‘Streets Dept’ founder Conrad Benner

Lifelong Philadelphian Conrad Benner is a font of knowledge and passion for Philly’s street art world. He is the founder-editor of the beloved art blog Streets Dept, is a curator for Mural Arts, and hosts WHYY’s podcast Art Outside. He also makes videos highlighting arts and artists for social media, is working on an art scene booklet, recently launched Streets Dept’s fourth annual magazine, and is currently curating several mural projects.

Here is his perfect Philly day.

I’d wake up and walk to the Bok Building. And get a very simple iced coffee — a little oatmeal, simple syrup — at Two Persons, which has a great staff. Then I’d get some work done in my studio [also at Bok].

I would take the Broad Street line, because SEPTA needs some love, to South Street. Philadelphia is known around the globe as the mural capital of the world. We were just called the best city for street art, but it’s definitely in pockets.

Our 4,000 murals are all over the place with a few exceptions. I think the Gayborhood is one of them but also South Street, which is a beautiful place to walk down during the day when a lot of the businesses are still open.

I’d get an early bite at T-Moms (Tattooed Mom), which is the unofficial, official street art museum of Philadelphia. The first floor is a semipermanent art gallery and there are great bites if you’re vegetarian or vegan. I’d get the veggie BLT and a beer. And then when you go upstairs, it’s an open space for Philly’s street art world. It’s a great place to see a wide range of artists and I’ve been going since I was 20.

Then I’d walk to South Street Art Mart. The two folks who run it have a good eye and a great relationship with a lot of the artists in Philadelphia. I highly recommend it if you’re in Philly and wondering where you can buy the work of artists in the city in all kinds of price ranges.

I’d then stop at YOWIE, one of my favorite places in Philly, which offers a well-curated aesthetic. I always leave with two things: 1) a new hat because they always have really good hats that are Philly-centric or YOWIE-centric; and then 2) something for the house like a cool candle.

There are a couple of green spaces right around the Society Hill Towers between Old City and South Street/Headhouse District, where there are these huge sections of grass that you can lay out in and lots of benches to sit in. There’s very little street traffic and the towers sit on their own little hill and it’s just so quiet up there. It’s one of my favorite places to go, to just sit and relax and not be around a trillion people. There’s one bench that overlooks Second Street that I sit at when I edit videos sometimes.

I’d want to check what Paradigm Gallery is doing. It’s one of the strongest galleries in the city and they have a really good collection. They’re really good at elevating and supporting local artists in the city I’ve had my eyes on. It’s three stories, so there’s something on every floor — including a gift shop if you need to buy something for someone.

Then I’d go to 48 Record Bar, which is the coziest little speakeasy with a DJ or live music. I feel like enough people know about it, where it feels fun but not enough people know about it to [the point] where it’s always really full. Ideally, they’re playing something I’ve never heard before but something I want to download to my Spotify.

We live in an age where algorithms curate everything so to be somewhere where an actual human with human experience in the music world can be there and help discover new music I think is really wonderful.

I’d walk to my neck of the woods to Barcelona Wine Bar to get a late dinner. I love East Passyunk. There’s wonderful wine there. Food and service is always really good.

It’s a 45-minute walk from Old City, but Philadelphia is such a walkable city. I always keep my eyes peeled for art, whether it’s a legacy mural, something new, or something small like a sticker, so I can either document it for a piece later or just remember to come back to.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.