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Attention you all-star shoppers! Skip the mall, log off eBay and enjoy spending your cash in the great outdoors. The 2009 Art Star Craft Bazaar is happening this weekend from 11AM to 6PM on both Saturday and Sunday. Crafts, food, free gifts, live music and play for the kiddies-it all takes place at Penn’s Landing Great Plaza thanks to the good people of Art Star Gallery.

Craftaholics get ready, ‘cause this bazaar is big! Over 100 emerging artists fresh off the Indie Craft Scene have been selected by Art Star for this show. That means that artists and crafters from all over the country will be displaying their work for your shopping pleasure. Take your pick from a fine array of clothing and jewelry, handmade dolls, hats, house wares and stationary. There will even be a selection of fine art like prints, sculpture, ceramics, glass and more. And the best part? It’s all surprisingly budget-friendly and, of course all handmade, with that distinctive quirky Art Star aesthetic.

Wanna know what music you can enjoy while you shop? Check the line up out after the jump!

To add more fun to the afternoon there will be a chance to win a craft-stocked gift basket filled with goodies like 2 tickets to Inliquid’s Anniversary Benefit and a 3-Month Group Membership to Balance Health Center.

And when you’ve worked up an appetite, stop by NoLibs hot spots A Full Plate and The Soy Café, who will be on hand to feed hungry shoppers. Meanwhile, keep the little ones amused with hands on ceramic projects courtesy of The Clay Studio and meet and greet embroidery queen Jenny Hart (only on Saturday!).

Don’t forget to get to the show early as the first 250 visitors will get a chic Art Star Craft Bazaar tote stuffed with gifts like treats from Holly Hue Clothing, Jaime Zollars, Brainstorm Print & Design and Philly.Life.Craft, just to name a few.

See you there!

The 2009 Art Star Craft Bazaar

Penn’s Landing Great Plaza

Columbus Boulevard between Walnut Street and Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

www.artstarphilly.com

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You probably know Rum Bar as that classy lounge on 20th and Walnut. It’s true to its name – it’s a bar first and foremost, with over 100 different kinds of rum, and an astoundingly creative list of cocktails. But don’t be fooled by the fact that the drink menu dwarfs the food menu; the Caribbean-inspired tapas and entrée offerings are so delicious and varied that although the list is short, it’s almost impossible to choose just a few of them.

I went in for dinner on a Thursday night, eager to try what I’d heard was their exciting re-vamped menu. Past the swanky bar the restaurant gets cozier, creating the perfect atmosphere for a date or for some low-key relaxing with friends.

After ordering a Summer Picnic Mojito (an amazing concoction made from cucumber-infused rum, fresh watermelon, basil, lime, and simple syrup – I’ll never think of basil the same way again), I decided to start my meal with the chilled tomato and crab soup ($7), which was one of the best appetizers I’ve ever had. The huge chunks of crabmeat were succulent, the broth fresh and creamy, and the surprising flavor of Jamaican curry tied it all together, leaving a tingle on my tongue after every spoonful.

Next up was the Tropical Fruit Salad (combining lettuce with mango, strawberry, red onion, yellow peppers, and cilantro vinaigrette), which comes topped with your choice of jerk marinated chicken, grilled shrimp, or sliced filet tips. The flavors complement each other shockingly well, but if you’re a true steak lover, get those filet tips by themselves – it’s almost a shame to adulterate them with anything other than the caramelized onions, cumin and coriander that make up the luscious sauce.

More, including delicious looking photos, after the jump!

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Although this fabulous film series has already begun, it’s not too late to check out what’s to come. I actually wish I knew about this just a tad sooner because I was looking for something to do last Saturday night and this definitely would’ve been it. The Ritz is showing midnight movies every Saturday night until June 20th! The Ritz at the Bourse, that is, the one on 4th & Chestnut. This is a great, inexpensive way to do something non-alcohol related (which we could all admit we probably get too much of) on a Saturday night.

Don’t miss out on these classic films in the next few weeks: Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window; the original Ghostbusters; The Big Lebowski (okay, I won’t be mad if you have a White Russian or two after this flick); and Miyazaki’s Spirited Away – the original Japanese Anime version with English subtitles.

The first weekend showing of Back to the Future was sold out, so be sure to get your tickets in advance. Definitely worth 9 bucks to see one of your favorite classics on the big screen again.

Ritz at the Bourse
4th Street between Market & Chestnut Sts, Philadelphia, PA 19106

It seems a bit ironic that the main fundraiser for Girls Rock Philly (GRP) should be a silent auction. After all, Girls Rock is all about giving young ladies in the region a voice to rock out with. Then again, with all the fabulous prizes being won on June 7th, this event is sure to be anything but silent.

In true Girls Rock fashion, the Silent Auction Benefit will be a musical tour de force, featuring acoustic music from Attia Taylor and Nora Whittaker and plugged-in performances by Kitten Disaster, Frisky or Trusty, and The Lopez. There will also be DJs, drinks and snacks as well!

And how about those prizes!? Come join the party and get the chance to win everything from sports tickets and gift certificates to spas and salons, to gift baskets and sessions with personal trainers.

This is the third year for the benefit event, the biggest fundraiser for Girls Rock Philly. The non-profit summer camp offers local girls the chance to explore their creativity through a week long program that encourages musical education and so much more.

But this camp rocks in other ways too. Girls Rock Philly never turns away any would-be campers just because of lack of funds and almost half of GRP campers receive scholarships. But they can’t do it alone! To raise these funds, GRP needs your help, so try your luck at the annual auction. You’re guaranteed to come out feeling like a winner.

Girls Rock Silent Auction
Sunday, June 7
2 to 6 P.M.
117 South Street, Philadelphia
(215) 789-4879

Want to know why you’ve never heard of the Manayunk Kayak Tours? Because it’s actually called the Kayak Hidden River Tour. Duh. Hidden River Outfitters teams up with the Schuylkill Project and provides kayak tours along the Schuylkill River in Manayunk all summer!

You don’t have to be an expert at kayaking to enjoy this river tour. In fact, you can be very not expert. The tour starts out with a mini paddling instruction session with your guide, and then you’re ready to hop on in the kayak and explore all the hidden-ness of the Schuylkill (accompanied by your guide, of course).

Your $50 registration cost includes instruction, equipment rental and the guided tour. Most tours even include a meal at the Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant! Also, this season there are two new versions of the staple tour – Jazz Brunch Tours and a special Early Morning Birding Tour. You can choose to enjoy jazz music and a breakfast buffet on a Sunday morning after your scenic kayak tour, or observe our feathered friends in migration from the water (don’t forget your binoculars!).

All tours depart from the dock at the Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant on Main Street. All you have to do to sign up is call or go online! I can’t wait to try this out!

Visit their official website for more information. Have fun!

Summer is here! That means entertainment is going outdoors and there’s no better time to take in an open-air concert than now. For fans of the Mann Center for the Performing Arts’ outdoor Philadelphia Orchestra and Philly Pops concert series, this summer is going to be just as sunny as planned. There’s good reason to rejoice as the original concert line-up has be restored to include nine performances.

The concerts in June are set to take place on June 29th and 30th. This season debut series will be a celebration of The Curtis Institute of Music with The Philadelphia Orchestra. The June 29th concert is titled The Legendary Beethoven and features conductor Rossen Milanov with Benjamin Beilman on violin and Kyu Yeon Kim on piano. Performances include Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Romance No. 2, for violin and orchestra, Piano Concerto No. 4 and Symphony No. 5.

This concert is followed the next day with the Tuesday, June 30th, Mozart and A Midsummer Night’s Dream performance. Here, Christina and Michelle Naughton will play duo pianos and Mayor Michael Nutter will narrate Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals. You can also expect to hear Lutoslawski’s Variations on a Theme by Paganini, for two pianos, Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365 and Mendelssohn’s Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

For more information, visit the Mann Center’s official website.

The Mann Center for the Performing Arts
5201 Parkside Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131
www.manncenter.org
(215) 546-7900

Zahav, Philadelphia Magazine’s newly-crowned #1 restaurant, is making it super easy to enjoy its world-renowned Israeli cuisine.

The $10 Kadima lunch special — including skewers grilled over hot coals, served on laffa (soft flatbread) with tehina and pickles — is offered in five varieties, ranging from eggplant with pistachios to house-made, Israeli-style sausage.

If you’re in Old City at lunchtime, I implore you to give it a try. The restaurant is fun, the cuisine is (not even kidding) earth-shattering, and, at $10, you really can’t go wrong.

CLICK HERE to download Zahav’s lunch menu.

Zahav [gophila.com]

- Every Wednesday, June 3 – August 26, 2009.
- 5-7 p.m.
- $4 Cocktails
- $3 Wine
- $2 Beers
- 1/2 price appetizers
- 75+ participating bars and restaurants.

What else do you need to know?

CLICK HERE for more info on the Center City District official website.

Summer in the City Concert and Happy Hour Series [Gophila.com]

Napoleon Bonaparte… ahem, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte is a major historical figure, but there are just as many myths about the French leader as there are truths about his life.

No, he wasn’t all that short for his time. Yes, he somehow managed to win several military battles. Maybe he was poisoned to death.

Let the National Constitution Center separate fact from fiction for you with their upcoming exhibit, Napoleon, opening May 29. The installation features over 300 objects, as well as some of the most recognized portraits of the man. Objects on display include the first letter Napoleon wrote, a lock of his wife Empress Josephine Bonaparte’s hair, his personal map of the French Empire at its most powerful in 1812 and articles of clothing Napoleon actually wore.

And, if you’re stuck on American history, the exhibit has a special gallery that explores the American Revolution’s connection to the French Revolution and Napoleon’s rise to power. The exhibit even has the valise the Louisiana Purchase was transported in.

This is the collection’s first time in North America. The exhibit runs through Sept. 7. Admission includes tickets to the Constitution Center’s main exhibition, The Story of We the People and the Freedom Rising theater production.

Napoleon
May 29 – Sept. 7

The National Constitution Center
525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 409-6700
www.constitutioncenter.org

As the last rays of summer sunlight bathe everything in an orange glow, evenings at the Eastern State Penitentiary welcome the dusk and visitors with a hunger for the eerie. In the cool summer evenings, more than the weather chills visitors on the Twilight Tours.

Experience the Eastern State Penitentiary as never before on the newly initiated Twilight Tours. On Wednesdays through the summer months of June, July and August ESP remains open until 8pm (last entry at 7pm).

Included with admission are access to audio tours, guided tours and critically acclaimed artist installations. Tours expose visitors to the vaulted sky-lit cellblocks, solitary punishment cells, Death Row, and Al Capone’s Cell, which shockingly looks more like a library study.

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $8 for students and children ages 7-12 (children under the age of seven cannot be admitted to the site). See ESP’s visit page for a map of the site, directions, public transportation routes, parking information, and other inquiries.

So after a day at the office or for an inexpensive mid-week date, the Twilight Tours are a prime way to unwind and escape into the depths of your imagination, or at least the cold prison corridors. After the tour, head around the corner to 23rd and Aspen Streets to Rembrand’s for a drink in their fireside cocktail lounge or bite to eat in their dining room.

This summer if you’re looking for a little spook and adventure, The Twilight Tours at Eastern State are sure to deliver.

Eastern State Penitentiary
22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa
(215) 236-3300
www.easternstate.org