Walk a Mile on Frankford Ave in Fishtown & Kensington

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Fall weather is perfect for lacing up your walking shoes. We offered some tips earlier this week for getting out and about in nature … and today we’re taking a little urban adventure together.

Inspired by our friends over at the Hey Chicago newsletter, I decided to walk a mile down Frankford Avenue earlier this week. I started my journey at Frankford & Girard in Fishtown and wrapped things up at Frankford & Cumberland in East Kensington — and I’ve got a dozen recommendations for where you can stop if you’d like to do the same 👟

How To Get There

Starting From Girard Avenue:

• Trolley route 15
• Bus routes 5 or 25
• The Market-Frankford Line (get off at the Girard stop and walk two blocks east)

Starting From East Cumberland Street:

• Bus routes 5 and 39

What To Do

You may know Fishtown as a prime nightlife destination, but there’s also a lot going on during the day. (I started this walk around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday.)

I began by walking past Joe’s Steaks + Soda Shop — one of my favorite spots for a casual lunch — and fantasizing about their milkshakes and crinkle fries. (I might repeat this one-mile journey the next time I overstuff myself there and need to walk it off.)

I made my first stop at Jinxed Fishtown, an antique shop full of quirky miscellany, from globes to marbles to chandelier crystals to $5 golf clubs to a popcorn machine. A few doors down, I grabbed a pumpkin pie chai oatmilk draft latte from the large, flagship location of La Colombe. My review of the latte: Yummy but pricey — it was $7 — and so, so sweet.

As I passed by Frankford & Belgrade, a giant skeleton at the corner caught my eye, and I made a detour into the neighborhood rose garden to appreciate its trees and pollinator plants. (Tip: There’s a little outdoor market coming to this garden on Sunday!)

A few blocks northeast, I made another stop in Palmer Park to take a breather, soak in the beautiful weather, and ponder the very elongated fish mural across the street, which I’ve since learned is a diabetes awareness piece called “You Can Be Stronger Than Diabetes.”

A dressed-up Homer Simpson mannequin greeted me outside Urban Exchange Project, a vintage/second-hand clothing store where you can buy a dress for $5 or $20 — or hunt for more expensive finds, like a pair of pants I spotted with a variety of neckties sewn into them … and a triple-digit price tag.

Up the block from there, I fought off the temptation to dump out my pumpkin pie chai and stop for a blueberry refresher at Cake & Joe. Instead, I continued a few blocks north toward Myrtle & Magnolia, a flower shop that also carries cards and gifts. On that same block, I visited H&H Books and Circle Thrift.

Continuing north, I passed by Pizza Brain’s old storefront, silently mourning the now-shuttered pizza museum. Stopping along my route to admire various pieces of public art, I finally ended my adventure by grabbing a massive, $4 pepperoni slice from a different pizzeria, OG Pizza. (I now fully understand why Hey Philly readers singled it out as one of their faves!)

🤔 Have a beloved Frankford Ave haunt that I missed? Let me know!

Check out more Philly insider information with City Cast Philly. Their daily newsletter and podcast are the easiest way to stay up-to-date on Philly. For life hacks, daily event recommendations, and local news visit philly.citycast.fm.