Dee's Hideaway

It's Where We Drink

by Will Dean

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Turning 21 means gettin' down at almost any bar in town. Ordering a drink at Dee's Hideaway in West Philly, however, means waiting till your 30th birthday. Only then will Dee's bartenders crack open a bottle of Old Grand Dad and sock you a strong one.

"We attract an older, more settled crowd," says bartender Sissie Savage. "It makes you feel more comfortable when you're around people your own age." Savage cards everyone who walks in, and while she won't serve alcohol to twentysomethings, over-21s can still hang out, sip Shirley Temples and study their imbibing elders.

"On the weekends we all get together and dance," says Hideaway regular Vanessa Hunter. It's better without the young'uns, she figures, because people her age know how to handle themselves.

That's not to say mature boozers have forgotten how to have fun. Wednesday, for instance, is "Dollar Wheel Day" at Hideway; from 3 to 7 p.m., every drink ordered buys patrons a chance to spin a numbered wheel. Savage, also known as "Vanna Black," presides over the wheel, handing out dollar-store prizes and collecting extra tips for the bartender if the spinner lands on the number 13. A weekly pinochle night is also in the works. Get down, granddad, get down.