Washington Square West

Three neighborhoods in one: That’s the perfect way to describe Washington Square West, a thriving enclave that includes Midtown Village and the Gayborhood. Midtown Village maintains its own personality thanks to a small-business boom concentrated on the 13th Street corridor, where power couple Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran preside over a handful of popular restaurants and shops. The Gayborhood sets itself apart with dozens of rainbow street signs throughout the area, along with many LGBTQ-focused restaurants and bars. Washington Square itself — one of five original public squares in Philadelphia — ties the whole area together. Here, picnickers, families and residents gather to enjoy the open space.