"The Northeast."
"Oh."
Just whom does the Delaware Avenue nightspot district belong to? The tight- knit South Philly set? The suit-and-tie out-of-town hordes expected when Center City's Pennsylvania Convention Center opens next month? The suburban South Jersey contingent? High-rise office workers in search of the eternal happy hour?
The dozen or so waterfront clubs, eateries and watering holes - some casting seasonal tents and others permanently anchored to land - are banking on having a party for all. And while critics say that the amusement-park-style
clubs cater to the lowest common denominator, proponents contend that the waterfront - bolstered by another season of expansion and by new-found cooperation with the city - has something for everyone.
To prove it, many of the clubs promote theme nights. Tuesday evening at the Aztec is Latin night with hot salsa. Wednesday at Katmandu is reggae night. Friday and Saturday nights at Meiji-En are cool with jazz. Many clubs offer
college nights and evenings of "alternative music."
Another measure of the waterfront's diversity is the age of its visitors. The nautically themed Rock Lobster and the Katmandu - both outdoor restaurants - have more mature moneymaking crowds. The sandy outdoor Beach Club and the indoor teen-dance Oz attract the youngest patrons.
Yet even the crowds of locals aren't enough. The clubs want tourists.
"The value of this waterfront has risen with the (imminent) opening of the convention center," says George Polgar, Katmandu's entertainment and marketing director. "We benefit particularly from that because we're a little more suited to out-of-town clientele."
