Heard in the Hall

Philadelphia's City Hall: the only place in town where you can pick up both a marriage license AND a bushel of heirloom tomatoes.

Ok, so not yet. But a City Hall farmer's market is one of several ideas the Nutter administration is kicking around to increase public use of the building's courtyard and plazas. Other possibilities include musical performances and the screening of outdoor movies.

The ideas are just in the "brainstorming stage" at the moment, according to a Nutter press aide. But Nutter clearly is putting a premium on opening up City Hall to the public. There was the massive open house he held on his first full day as mayor. The ugly cyclone gates that had clanged shut promptly at 6 p.m. now stay open, meaning pedestrians on an evening walk no longer have to detour around City Hall.