Despite its name, Queen Village isn’t the official Gayborhood of Philly. That’s about 10 blocks away, officially called Midtown Village and decorated with rainbow-colored street signs.
But Queen Village (named for Queen Christina of Sweden) is gay-popular. It’s a low-slung district of narrow streets and brick-fronted row homes, just west of the Delaware River and south of Independence Hall. The original 17th-century settlers were Swedish, but just about everyone else has passed through since: Fabric Row on South Fourth Street is a historically Jewish stretch where some two dozen stores still cater to design-on-a-dime shoppers; the landmark Italian Market is just west; and by the ‘80s, young Philadelphians were flocking here for club clothes, cheap jewelry, tattoos, and cheesesteaks worth a half-hour queue…
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