Philadelphia-based local game store Queen & Rook is here to show you around the stomping grounds of the World Championship. See the sights, get amongst fellow gamers, or wolf down a Philly Cheesesteak – the choice is yours! Here’s a guide to the city, advice on transport, local hotspots, and more, so you can get the most out of your trip.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, FAB Fanatics!
My name’s Dallas Walker and I’ll be walking you through many of the most exciting and historic things you can expect to see while you’re here for Flesh and Blood’s main event in the birthplace of the USA! I’ve lived here for 13 years and I’m heavily tuned into the gaming, food, and culture of one of the most interesting cities in the world, so take good notes; you’re going to get some tips from a pro!
Philly has a robust gaming history that stands out amongst many of the world’s largest communities. This region contains some of the most competitively engaged and accomplished players anywhere, and the average level of skill you can expect out of anyone you meet locally is likely to be much higher than the global average, so dive into the community with me and embrace the challenge!
Humble Entrance
First we will need to get you situated! Most attendees will be arriving via PHL International Airport or Amtrak at 30th Street Station, so I’ll be going over those and then discussing a few of the more local methods of transport I recommend to get you to and fro. Thankfully Philadelphia was set out to be grid-based from its inception, so the majority of the city is fairly simple to orient, especially with the assistance of tools like Google Maps. Ride-sharing services are usually the most simple and quickest way to get from Point A to Point B, but it’s not the most cost effective so I’m going to assume you’ll consider using it if you’re short of time or have the resources to spare.
PHL International Airport: From the Arrivals Terminal, there are clear signs for the Regional Rail to Center City Philadelphia. These trains run fairly frequently, so you shouldn’t expect a delay of more than 30 minutes.
30th Street Station Amtrak: Once you arrive by Amtrak here, I recommend you dip your toes into the subway system straight away. Using Google Maps for directions via public transit is very reliable, so have no fear! From the train station, skip across the street to the west to Drexel Station for the local lines. You’re looking to jump on either the Trolley (The “T”) or the Market-Frankford Line (The “L”) headed east, and getting off at 13th Street before heading above ground.
Consult Google Maps for any deviations to your personal accommodations as needed, but if you’re headed straight to the Pennsylvania Convention Center for the World Championship, you have two options to optimize your experience; Airport riders via Regional Rail can either ride to Suburban Station for an immediate dive into a pleasant (and slightly shorter) walk through the iconic LOVE Park on your way to the venue, or wait and get off at Jefferson Station if you’re planning on being hungry and want to grab something to eat first at the incredible Reading Terminal Market.
Reading Terminal Market
Regardless of where you decide to stay or eat while you’re in Philadelphia, Reading Terminal Market can be your home base for making sure you’re properly fed and prepared to compete this week. Just a three block walk from the tournament venue, this Philadelphia staple indoor market houses more than 70 locally-owned businesses offering a wide variety of hot food, drink, groceries (including Vegan-fare), even some convenient souvenir shopping for you to knock off your list all in one go. Make sure you stop here at least once to hit the ground running!
This area houses a large number of the hotels many of you will likely be staying at (the official hotel block is just around the corner from Reading Terminal Market) and the Convention Center also neighbors another cultural gold mine, Philadelphia’s Chinatown District.
Chinatown
Just to the east of the venue lies another amazing resource in Philly’s Chinatown. Between 11th and 9th Streets and from Arch to Vine Street, experience six blocks of extremely diverse Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Thai food, drink, and shopping. There are also many nightlife spots here to blow off steam at the end of the day. You can book a private Karaoke room at a spot like the dazzling Space KTV Bar Lounge or opt to soak in the local culture and check out Yakitori Boy’s public Karaoke area! As with many activity options, definitely plan ahead with your friends and make reservations with these spaces in advance before you show up with a big group!
In your mornings, if you play your cards right and have a bit of extra time, my personal pick for this district is Ray’s Cafe. This is one of the only places in Philadelphia to find Siphon Coffee, and they have an amazing curated selection from across the world as well as homemade traditional Chinese small dishes with some French inspiration. This place can get extremely busy on the weekends however, so I recommend visiting a few minutes just before they open.
If you’re okay walking around a bit, El Merkury is a delicious Honduran/Guatemalan restaurant envisioning traditional and popular Street Foods in a restaurant form that I recommend highly. The owner Sofia Deleon is super sweet and very active in helping grow the Philadelphia food scene.
Feisty Locals
Now that you’re hopefully squared away with your accommodations and well fed, what is there to do before and after the World Championship? I alluded to Philly having a very rich gaming culture, and we’re here to game, right? There’s an exciting roster of local events leading up to Friday, and it’s a great opportunity for you to experience the city while preparing for the weekend! We’re blessed with what I consider to be the Crown Jewel of gaming on the East Coast: a series of three excellent and unique local game stores all within a four block radius!
Dark Depths Games
Around for more than 15 years, this awesome Metal-Record-Shop-LGS-Hybrid is where you’ll go if you’re desperate for those last couple of cards you need for the weekend with the best selection of Flesh and Blood singles in the city.
Dark Depths is hosting two events the week of the World Championship: Classic Constructed Armory on Sunday, November 9, 7:00 PM, and a Super Armory on Thursday, November 13, 11:30 AM.
This space and its events are very limited capacity, so I recommend you say hello to Gibbi and the crew on their Discord and let them know you’re coming!
Philly Game Shop
The heartbeat of the gaming community in Philly is without a doubt the Philly Game Shop (PGS). Started by Taylor and Kevin Jenkins in 2019, they’ve managed to expand and grow their play space formidably in a high foot-traffic shopping and nightlife area known as the South Street District. PGS has become a landing zone for new and experienced players of all types of games to form strong bonds and cultivate arguably the most socially positive and healthy tabletop gaming community anywhere in the world. Many of our locals can attest to their staff’s inexhaustible welcoming attitude and passion for play. They host tons of events as well as regularly showcase wares from local artists and game designers for you to consider picking up and sharing with your friends when you get back home!
PGS is hosting two events this week: a Living Legend Super Armory on Tuesday, November 11, 6:30 PM, and a Classic Constructed Armory on Wednesday, November 12, 1:00 PM.
Again, the closer we get to the weekend the more packed the city is going to be with Flesh and Blood enthusiasts, so I recommend joining the PGS Discord and RSVP’ing for the event you’d like to attend!
Queen & Rook
Now we come to my Home Turf! I’ve been Manager at Queen & Rook since its inception in 2019, and I’m so excited to show this space to you! This 200+ seat monster is a three floor restaurant with full bar, outdoor patios, retro arcade in the basement, and comes complete with a boardgame library of over 2000 games for patrons to play while enjoying our wood-fired pizzas and specialty cocktails.
As if you needed any more of a reason after that, Queen & Rook is hosting a MASSIVE Super Armory Wednesday, November 12, 6:00 PM! We’ll also be hosing post-World Championship celebrations on Sunday, November 16, from 6:00-10:00 PM (reservations encouraged).
If you do anything with your time before the convention – come hang out with us here! I heavily recommend you RSVP on our Discord if you’re planning on coming!
While you’re in the South Street area in between rounds, check out Puyero for a good combination of affordable and delicious Venezuelan food that can be ordered to-go. Get the arepas and tell them Queen & Rook sent you!
Dig In
Nearby a diagonal street named Passyunk that runs southwest holds a significant number of cultural hotspots and restaurants, so consider walking your way down through there till you hit the infamous Pat’s and Geno’s Hoagie landmarks, before turning back north for the Latin and Italian markets on 9th Street (I personally prefer Angelos, a bit further up 9th Street past the Italian Market if you’re walking all the way back to the convention center).
RIM Cafe and La Prima are some of my favorites along this route, but definitely hit up South Philly Barbacoa if you’ve got room in your stomach. Christina Martinez has put together one of those special type of establishments that manages to combine tear-inducing food experiences (personally speaking) with massive social change through their community advocacy efforts. Know that not only will you be getting an incredible meal but you’ll be contributing to making a difference for real people with your patronage. There’s also a really neat retro video games and collectibles store right next door if that’s your thing. Maybe you’ll come across a hidden gem of your own!
Carrying on upwards you’ll hit the Italian market. This strip has some amazing sights and shops for you to pick from and is another great place to grab some souvenirs for your friends back home.
What Happens Next?
Now I know we’re all here to card game first and foremost, but since you’re coming all the way here, you might as well catch some of the more unique sights and experiences Philadelphia has to offer. I’ll leave you here with some of my top picks you might not find on other local travel guides or with a Google search.
LOCALHOST: Just a few blocks from the Convention Center is also another fairly unique space for a change of pace. This massive LAN center holds over 100 top of the line PCs and offers an accessible way to play hundreds of the top games on the market. They host regular live tournaments as well as youth programs, gaming bootcamps, and more, so if you need to get some work done but your portable device isn’t up to the task, this is a good substitute.
Round 1 Entertainment: Another option near the World Championship is this popular Arcade and Entertainment group. This venue has some of the most cutting edge arcade machines imported from Japan that many travel far distances to see. My personal favorites are the Rhythm Games!
Philadelphia Magic Gardens: This breathtaking art installation designed by Isiah Zagar that’s been around since 1968 is right down the street from the local game stores if you come out that way, is an easy pickup on your touring schedule. Mesmerizing glass and tile mosaics create a stunning walk-through experience that doesn’t eat up a lot of time. Expect to spend just under an hour here, it’s definitely worth the time if you’re already in the area!
Speaking of art, Philadelphia is one of the most art-rich cities in the United States. The Benjamin Franklin Parkway is about a 15-30 minute walk from the convention hall and harbors some once in a lifetime opportunities to see world-famous paintings and sculptures. If you only stop at one, I recommend the Barnes, which has one of the largest collections of Impressionist-era art from artists such as Cézanne, Matisse, and Renoir. For a change of pace you could try the Mutter Museum though, specializing in a more approachable menagerie of medical oddities and exhibits on pathology if the macabre is more up your alley.
There’s also a massive number of public murals across Philadelphia. If you want a bit more convenience on your visit, consider a Bus Tour! Grabbing a ticket on one of these tours allows you to use it as a kind of DIY public transit for the whole day; the circuit these buses run are much different and targeted than the North / South / East / West model that public transit sticks to, so this is very good for travelling diagonally across the city (say, from the convention area or museums to South Street for all of the local game stores).
As the birthplace of the United States, you might be remiss if you didn’t go check out Independence Square! This area houses several important landmarks and resources to visit like the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Carpenter’s Hall, and the National Constitution Center.
Philadelphia also has a host of excellent home grown breweries and distilleries these days that are absolutely worth your time to consider if you’re looking for a place to gather up with a lot of your friends. Yards Brewery has an amazing beer hall with a huge selection of their repertoire along with really tasty bar food fare and even offers tours if you’re curious about the process! If you’re looking for a bit more of a bespoke experience though, Philadelphia Distilling has an amazing program with high-quality spirits mixed professionally, and is one of my favorite drinking venues in the city (remember to drink responsibly).
Get in the Ring!
That about wraps it up for me, gamers. Philadelphia captured my heart when I moved here 13 years ago, and is a very unique place, home to some of the most creative and talented people I’ve ever met. It has a special kind of texture to it that fosters success and development. Friction is necessary to grow, so conflict shouldn’t be avoided but embraced. Make sure you eat well while you’re here and get ready for a challenging host of competitors this upcoming tournament weekend, and have the courage to show the world all you’ve got!
