A couple of weeks back, the Philadelphia Planning Commission gave its blessing to a proposal that’s been floating around for about a year now, for bro-bar Finnigan’s Wake to take over little Bodine Street for the purposes of porch seating for catering customers. We’ve always been fond of the look of the outside of this bar, but confess we haven’t been inside since a fateful night in 2003, when our shoes narrowly avoided vomit at two different locations within a matter of minutes.

Finnigans Wake

Bodine St

According to this story on Planphilly, Bodine Street will be struck, and closed to car traffic. In its place will be a raised patio, with seating for Finnigan’s Wake customers. There will, however, be a six foot wide path for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The original proposal, which included balconies off of the building on Spring Garden Street and no footpath on Bodine Street, was contested by NLNA. The compromise seems to benefit the bar, while not causing much of a hardship for near neighbors.

Overhead view of the proposed porch seating

Can anyone think of any other example of a business simply commandeering a city street for the purposes of increasing its footprint? And should we be worried that Shake Shack might annex part of 20th Street, to make more room for its gigantic, ever-present line?