Introducing Flat Billy Penn: Your vacation photos needed this

Shannon Wink

Jun. 17, 2015, 10:00 a.m.

It’s time for vacation. Maybe that means your annual week down the shore, the best chair at your neighborhood pool or a trip abroad, like the photos above that Billy Penn founder Jim Brady sent from Barcelona.

Wherever you go this summer, take a little bit of Philly with you. Remember that Flat Stanley thing your fourth-grade cousin mailed you in 1997? It’s kinda like that, but we don’t care if you learn anything. We just want your photos.

Print out Flat Billy, take him on your adventures around Philly and beyond, and tag us on Instagram and Twitter at @billy_penn. You can post them to our Facebook page, too. Don’t forget to tell us where the photo was taken.

Print Me

Click here or on the image below to download a FlatBilly optimized for printing on standard letter paper (8″ x 11″). Looking for a bigger Billy? Click here to download a tabloid paper (11″ x 17″) version.

Tents at the Parkway encampment in late August

Philly housing activists declare victory, say city will place properties in community land trust

How long will the encampments remain? Unclear.

Election 2020

Philly to open 17 one-stop shops to make early voting easy and safe, starting Tuesday

At the satellite offices, you'll be able to register, request a ballot, fill it out and securely return it all in one visit.

Embiid baby index: The Sixers center’s newborn son, by the numbers

Arthur Elijah de Paula Embiid shares a first name with Joel’s late younger brother.

Kendall Stephens is a 34-year-old Temple student who wants to advocate for others

Arrest in attack on Kendall Stephens, Black trans woman beat up in her Point Breeze home

There's no hate crime charge — because queer and trans people aren’t a protected class in Pennsylvania.

Colorado Harvest Company CEO Tim Cullen describes the leaf structure of different strains of cannabis during tour of his company's 10,000-square-foot facility in south Denver on Sept. 16, 2016

Should legalizing pot come with reparations? Advocates say yes — and so does PA’s governor

Expect lots of discussion at the inaugural CannAtlantic Cannabis Conference on Saturday.

outdoordining-sidewalk-positanocoast-oldcity-societyhill-crop

Philly food and drink scene

12 different Philly streets swap cars for outdoor dining this weekend

A pair of bills in City Council would extend these options through the end of 2021.

Philly kids practice gaming at Pro Am Live while learning about the esports industry

As Philly becomes a hub for the $1.1 billion esports industry, can these founders close the racial gap?

A tournament venue on North Broad, a giant gaming center in Bucks and a build-your-own PC program all have goals to diversify the pipeline.

Community Health and Literacy Center at Broad and Tasker streets

Philly’s coronavirus response

When a coronavirus vaccine arrives, Philadelphia is primed for battle

Implemented in 1994, the immunization registry known as PhilaVax gives the city a head start.

A representative at Beachwood Farms' Headhouse Market stand uses a glove to pick apples for a customer, before the rules were relaxed

Philly food and drink scene

Philly relaxes rules at farmers markets to make outdoor shopping easier

You can now pick your own produce when you visit the stands.

Members of the Juvenile Law Center’s Youth Fostering Change pose in Harrisburg in better days

Broke in Philly

Who did the pandemic hit worst? Young adults aging out of foster care felt an economic slam, new survey shows

Advocates in Pa. say there are ways to mitigate the disaster, but officials must act.

stedwards-homeless-churchprotestcamp-01crop

Revival of famous North Philly church protest camp gets shut down by police overnight

25 years after initial takeover, housing activists planned to offer refuge in the former St. Edward’s chapel.

Riders were invited to test drive Lime scooter at Philadelphia City Hall in May 2019

Philly’s coronavirus response

Open to the air and socially distant, e-scooters are trending — but they’re still illegal in PA

Detractors include the insurance industry, SEPTA and the Kenney administration.

Billy Penn Philly Quizzo

Philly election trivia: Test your local knowledge about voting and politics

24 questions about democracy in Philadelphia.

Wawa’s new branding replaces ‘plain and beige’ with bright, cheery colors

New red coffee cups and single-color Sizzli boxes now feature a prominent goose.

Secret Philly

The Great Philadelphia Balloon Race, and that time a crash landing ended in a $1,000 robbery

Launched at the Bicentennial, the annual airborne event petered out in the '90s.

Forgiven Wine's first offerings: a sparkling rose and a CBD-infused red

Philly food and drink scene

New Philly label makes sweet, fruity and CBD-infused wine

Forgiven Wine, launched by two women, fills a blind spot in the industry.

PennDOT resumes issuing Real ID, deadline pushed to Oct 2021

The cost, requirements and timing for PA's new driver's licenses.

Election 2020

Mail ballots in PA cleared for print after state court boots Green Party candidates

Philly voters could receive their mail-in ballots within 8 to 10 days.

A haze of high-atmosphere smoke obscured the sun over Boathouse Row on Sept. 16

When will the sun return? Philly skies could be hazy until California gets some rain

The smoke might get pushed south this weekend, weather experts say, but it’s likely to return.

The Schuylkill Expressway brings travelers from the western suburbs through along the river on their way into Philadelphia. Traffic along this stretch is down nearly 20% because of the pandemic, according to transportation authorities.

Why is I-76 lane closed through 2020? To reduce flood danger

The double median along a mile of Schuylkill Expressway in University City allows water to pool, PennDOT says.

More Billy Penn