Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez take Philly By Storm Drink Smoothies at Mall – Sightings are Reported all over Rittenhouse Square

August 19, 2011 by HughE Dillon 4 Comments

(Watch me on Fox 29 Philadelphia Good Day on Monday for more stories and photos.)

This morning Disney star/singer Selena Gomez stopped by Center City KMart to promote her new clothing line “Dream Out Loud”Folks starting lining up as early as 9PM the night before for the 11AM meet and greet.

Like Nikki Bagonis, Zoe Protin and dad Del Protin from North Jersey. (They enjoyed natures light show Thursday night)

How cute Julia and Alexis Hagan with friend Lauren Carpenter. The girls stayed up all night making these cute shirts. Dad Christopher Hagan was happy to wake up early and bring the girls down by 5AM

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a line of about 500 Selena fans. They love the Beibs but it was all about Selena for them.

She was sweet. A little shocked that we knew that she was at Vetri for dinner last night. I thought it was a good idea I don’t mention I knew what movie they went too too. (This top is from her new collection. It’s adorable.)Here’s my coverage on PhillyMag about last night.Then a reader text me to say that Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez were spotted near Rittenhouse Square around 18th Street. I had been at lunch at Rogues Gallery with a friend I hadn’t seen in about 3 years, we parted and I darted to the Square area. People around 18th & Chestnut were in a dither and I realized that the twosome must have passed by recently. I asked people and they pointed me in the direction. I got to the Shops at Liberty Place and asked some guy who was calling someone and had a big smile on his face, he said they went inside. WOW really. OK off I went. Girls were freaking out on the escalator they said he had just gotten off. They ran down then ran up behind me shrieking. I spotted them and said to the girls stop screaming you’re going to scare them. Are you a paparazzi they said, we want your picture. Later, then we spotted them as they were at Smoothie King ordering.

At first Selena, 19, and Justin, 17, were not very welcoming as they ordered at Smoothie King on the 2nd level. By this time a large crowd had arrived. I wish I had taken the shot of the crowd but I was a little worried for them and kept talking to them. Justin wanted me to just shoot Selena alone because he told me this is her big day. She’s promoting her new clothing line and has a concert tonight. I said I know I photographed her this morning, and I would make sure that my readers knew that she was in town to promote both of those events. (I did take a few shots of her alone at the Smoothie place, but did not put them here. In fact I also held back a few other great shots for my agency.) I actually asked them if they needed help with leaving. Justin said he goes here all the time and never had a problem before. (maybe that was before he had 12 million followers on Twitter and almost every tween has an account and phone.)

Finally I said to them let me get one of the security guards, you will not be able to leave safely with the 100 or so fans screaming your name and chasing youse. Finally a Shops at Liberty Place security guard did walk them back to their hotel, which they appreciated. The guard told me that when they walked through Rittenhouse Square it was mobbed with lots of tweens and peeps taking cell phone photos. Justin was wondering where how all the people knew they were there. (They probably thought I called them or something. Earlier he gave me a few good shots and asked if I would stop following them as maybe it wouldn’t draw such attention to him. I complied, but Justin you have 12 million twitter followers, I’m not the one drawing attention to you baby baby.) (See the huge crowd on the escalator)

BTW He ordered the Strawberry Hulk LARGE and it was $9.35 cause I had to have one. The Biebs is influential. When I left I tweeted my sighting, and a few fun things. Not fun: The two superstars arrived without any bodyguards, which is crazy and naive.