THE PHILADELPHIA JUNTO.: Take-Out Piazza: Two Die

Tuesday 14 July 2009

Take-Out Piazza: Two Die

Junto Photos: Writers Clearinghouse
Piazza in Philly
By Richard Carreno
Junto Staff Writer
No, shlub, piazza, not pizza!

Yeah, we have one of those too. It's call the Piazza at Schmidts, an upscale, multi-use housing-commercial complex in Northern Liberities. It's located on the site of the former Schmidts Brewery.

Also the site of a pretty gruesome drug-related double-slaying last month. Not what you'd expect at an up-market piazza. Drug shootings have a more of a South Philly pizza ring to them.

Still, all that's the easy part.

What's harder to understand is why The Inquirer's Inga Saffron has been constantly refering to the Piazza as an ersatz version of Piazza Navona in Rome. Huh? Duh? The place looks nothing like the Roman plaza.

I checked out the piazza (in Philly) a few weeks ago, shortly after the gangland shooting. (My most recent visit to Piazza Navona was in April). Local management was still touchy -- murder is never good advertising for a new enterprise. 'Who are you with?' a security guy asks me when he sees I'm making pictures. 'I'm with myself,' I respond. 'Oh, OK, then,' security says.

Piazza at Schmidts is nice enough -- though in the hinterlands of Northern Liberties. But, please, please, Inga never confuse it with Navona. No TV screen there.

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Celebrating ....

Tuesday 14 July 2009

Take-Out Piazza: Two Die