Page 26 - Delaware Lawyer - Spring 2019

FEATURE
David McBride
The Secret Is Out
Wilmington Has an Exciting New Nightlife.
We had heard rumors of the secret, but neither I nor my photographer sidekick, Bud Keegan of Bud Keegan Images, were sure it was true. The secret is that the town that once rolled up its sidewalks at 5:45 p.m. and was dormant on the weekends is experiencing a nightlife renaissance. Bud and I were out to capture this scene in photos.
24 DELAWARE LAWYER SPRING 2019
We began at the public opening of DECO, the food hall in the DuPont Building at the corner of 10th and Orange Streets. The place was crowded with those ending their work day and beginning their evening. To call it a food hall actually seems like a misnomer, be- cause it is much more. To your left as you enter, there is what may be the longest bar in Delaware. To your right are large windows that open to a charming and covered sidewalk café along 10th Street. Inside, there is a collection of food that includes pizza, sushi, BBQ, Indian and Vietnamese, chicken and waffles, pastry, cool-pressed juices, acai, smoothies and sandwiches. The food hall is modeled on R. House, a food hall in the Remington neighborhood of Baltimore. Peter Di- Prinzio, who manages the hall, hopes it will become a community gathering place
with space for meetings, classes and po- etry readings.
But who stays downtown after the of- fices close? For one, tenants of The Resi- dences at Mid-town Park, built by the Buccini/Pollin Group and bounded by Shipley, Orange, 9th and 8th Streets. The most surprising part of the Residences is the outdoor patio with grills and a swim- ming pool. Who expected sunbathers along Shipley Street? The amenities are exhaustive and include the obligatory gym, but also a unique demonstration kitchen for use by residents who want to host a real dinner party, with the best of equipment and plenty of space. There’s parking in the building and a concierge at the entrance. Many of the residents are young and work downtown, but there are a considerable number who work outside Wilmington, including in Philadelphia