For many, many years, this site ran a weekly Weekend Picks roundup that collected the very best of all the events that we were privy to, whether they be from the roiling tips[at]philebrity[dot]com inbox, or our own extensive research. We loved going out, you see. And we know that you did, too. 

But we have also liked staying in. In recent years, plenty of times, going out on the weekends in Philadelphia felt lame, like you got dragged to a party of recent Penn State grads. Often, you did. And just as often, we recommended waiting until Monday to go out, because everyone knows that is when the city is magic. Philadelphia on a Monday night, say 10pm, with just you and moonlight, is better than most places get to be any day of the week. 

Now, with COVID-19 fairly raging all around us, we find that once again, the city is under new restrictions in an effort to flatten the curve. We support these efforts 100%, but also want to continue our long, long tradition of suggesting fun things for you to do. So until it seems reasonable to do so, we give you: Lockdown Picks. 

Remember: There was a good chance we would have told you to stay home anyway.

FOOD:

The first time this household tried the Rich Burger from the pickup window at Bloomsday, a joyous cry went up: “Oh, that is just filthy!” It’s not a reinvention of the wheel — it’s a 3-ounce smash burger with Cooper Sharp, American cheese, pickles, catsup & mustard on a potato bun — so much as a perfect execution. It’s gooey, it’s deeply satisfying. It might be the best way to take a walk and spend $6 in Philly right now.  

Many know Bibou as a Philly restaurant go-to/small-”i” local icon, but during this crazy time, one of the ways they’ve chosen to innovate is by opening up  boutiquebibou.com, an online gourmet French foodstuffs boutique that contains loads of French pantry items that will be music to Francophiles and wildly intriguing for anyone else. Perhaps a jar of Guinettes du Perigord, aka sweet morello cherries in kirsh? A really, really good selection of mustards? Or do you wanna shoot the works and try out some Wild Burgundy Snails? There’s a lot to geek out on here, and whatever you order, you can pick up from Bibou on South 8th Street.

I’ve been staring at this Bucatini Amatriciana recipe from Mackie’s Meals on Instagram so long I feel like I’ve been eating it every week for the last 30 years. And I haven’t even made it yet. But I’m going to. As part of this, I’m giving myself and you permission to just start making pasta dishes as a hobby, as something to do with your hands where you get to stand up and put on music. Of course you’ll eat it, too, and that will be great, but let’s also just consider this exercise, okay?

MUSIC:

Based in Brighton, UK, Mr. Bongo is a reissue label par excellence, who bring to light a broad swath of music from Brazil, Africa, the Latinx diaspora, and even the US. As part of their new reissue of golden-age hip-hop 45s, they made this mixtape above, with tracks from Nas, Souls of Mischief, Ultramagnetic MC’s, Cypress Hill, Gang Starr, Black Sheep. A lot will be familiar, but plenty won’t to anyone but the deepest head, and right now, it goes down really well. 

If we might get a little bossy, do this: Carve out a day to get up really early, before anyone else, and immerse yourself in the work of jazz legend Keith Jarrett, if not the whole ECM Records catalog. Jarrett recently suffered a stroke that has effectively ended his performing career, but has given us a body of work that is both meditative and masterful. Jarrett’s style of playing the solo piano is both improvised and intuitive, and where his pieces go — especially on a set like Concerts Bremen/Lausanne (Live) — are generally exactly where you wanna go on a quiet morning. 

STREAMING: 

The world is burning, and we are all stuck in our own personal trash compactors, but guess what? Put on Rick Steves — any Rick Steves program at all — and A) watch your cares melt away and B) take yourself on a nice little trip to, say, Brussels! Or Lisbon! All with Rick Steves, who’s been quietly combating the Ugly American stereotype and sticking it to the man this whole goddamned time. That’s right, people! Don’t let the Dockers fool you — Rick Steves is Antifa! And he will chill you out like nobody’s business.

Likewise on the chill scale, if you like smart, spooky tales, check out this production of Angela Carter tales that recently surfaced on the BBC Sounds app. 

Going the other way, if you wanna get hype and have yourself a little bit of the old Barbary in your living room, follow DJ Baby Berlin on Twitch. Berlin has been DJing parties around town for a few years now — spinning Britpop, Darkwave, Goth stuff, New Wave, and so on — but when the pandemic hit, she got serious about doing it from home. Constantly upping her production values while also spinning very, very often, she’s now doing a series of different theme nights. Check out her schedule and you’ll see.

To submit an event for consideration for Lockdown Picks/Weekend Picks, email your stuff to tips[at]philebrity.com.