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Visiting Philly for the 4th of July and looking for unique way to celebrate? Or maybe you live here and just want to shake up your routine. Perhaps you know that they best way to enjoy fireworks is with a full belly. Get in the spirit with City Food Tour’s Red,White & Blue tour to sample some patriotic colored food while visiting classic Philly institutions.

You’ll start in Center City in the private dining room at Solefood, where a cheese expert will answer all your questions about moldy cheese as you sample American blue cheeses and accompaniments. Moving on to Tavern 17 the historic Radisson Warwick Hotel, toast to independence with a flight of red California wines, while an friendly expert takes the intimidation out of wine tasting. Ready for dessert? Stroll to the popular Naked Chocolate Café and feast on several desserts made from white chocolate (make sure to ask for the recipe!).

Plan ahead for this July 4th and order advanced tickets at www.cityfoodtours.com, or call 1-800-979-3370.

Photo by L. Wuillermin for GPTMC

July 4th may be the premier independence celebration around these parts, but local Francophiles can get their fix of pride at Fairmount’s annual Bastille Day festival. This year’s fete will take place July 9-12, and, as in years past, the whole neighborhood will be involved.

The celebration begins on Thursday night with a Fairmount bar crawl featuring Kronenbourg 1664, the best-selling beer in France. On Friday, have a Gallic dinner at a local restaurant and then take the family to see a French-themed movie at Friends of Eastern State Penitentiary Park (the grassy area bordering ESP). Then make sure you get a good night’s sleep for the main event on Saturday.

The Bastille Day Street Festival on Fairmount Avenue will be full of activities: a costumed pet parade (good luck getting your dog to wear a beret), a tricycle Tour de France, cheese samples, a tent dedicated to French wine tips. Be sure to head back to ESP by 5:30pm for a recreation of the storming of the Bastille with a local cast. Marie Antoinette will be played by London Grill owner Terry McNally, the Bastille by Eastern State Pennitentiary, and the cake (of “Let them eat cake”) by, of course, Tastykake. Two thousand of the famous local snack packages will be flung from the prison’s towers as the festival’s climax.

On Sunday, several Fairmount restaurants will finish off the festival by offering a French champagne brunch. What better way to honor French Independence Day than with a champagne-fueled weekend of joie de vivre?

Fairmount Bastille Day
July 9-12. 2009
www.fairmountbastilleday.com
www.easternstate.org

Throughout history, top hats have signaled an air of class and sophistication. Whether on a rich man or a poor man, you always get the impression that a top hat is sitting above someone of importance; a real man-about-town who knows where the action is. So it should come as no surprise that Lucy’s Hat Shop, Philly bar-baron Avram Hornik’s Old City institution, is sporting some sleek new headgear.

Top Hat resembles a dance studio, with white walls combining with exposed brick and hardwood. And with dance spaces on either end of the room and windows overlooking Market street, you will quickly find your groove.

And that shouldn’t be too difficult with Friday and Saturday parties from some of the best Philly DJ’s. If you are a fan of the party nights offered by Bar Noir, you are in luck. Because even though Bar Noir is in the process of being sold, the party nights like Breath Stretch Shake and cuts from Ian St. Laurent are still hitting the dance floor every weekend

But because top hats are generally thought of as high-class accessories, Top Hat will feature weekly first Friday events exhibiting local artists and crafters with art/trunk sales. Featuring free appetizers, two cash bars and a ton of local talent, First Friday’s at Top Hat gives Lucy’s the formal touch to impress the Old City scene. Come see what a famous hat shop puts on its head this weekend. For more info, visit www.tophat215.com.

Top Hat @ Lucy’s Hat Shop
247 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.tophat215.com

This is happening right now through 6:30 pm today, June 24, 2009, at Capriccio at Café Cret on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

BBQ provided by Famous Dave’s. Ice Cream by Bassetts. Refreshing drinks by Capriccio.

All complimentary.

So swing by and check it out.

The bank-turned-immaculate dining space at Union Trust. (Photo courtesy of Union Trust)

In the hours leading up to Night 4 of Center City Sips, let’s turn our attention to Union Trust, shall we?

Since opening at 7th and Chestnut (directly next to last week’s spotlighted spot, Chifa) last year, Union Trust has garnered enough buzz to fill its huge, cathedral-like interior. Philadelphia Magazine even included Union Trust in its Top 50 restaurants, citing the restaurant’s exquisite steaks and service.

Why do we love it? Union Trust is Philly all the way, naming itself after the bank originally housed in the building and calling on local farms for the bulk of the menu’s ingredients.

Why should you go there tonight? Well, with entrees ranging between $24 and (brace yourself) $95, it’s a special treat to dine here on the cheap.

Union Trust’s CC Sips menu runs as follows:

Food
- Cheese plate ($7.50)
- Sliders ($7.50)

Drinks
- Bud and Bud Light ($2)
- House wines ($3)
- Specialty martinis ($4)

And here’s the thing: While some spots in town may fill up quickly because of the deal, Union Trust has room to spare. Just look at that picture, will ya?

Center City Sips [gophila.com]

Union Trust [gophila.com]

Check out more photos of the birds on our Flickr page!

Yesterday, I stopped the Philadelphia Zoo to check out their beautiful new McNeil Avian Center. The large exhibit features over one hundred birds from around the world, from the brightly colored parrots, loaded with personality and curiosity, to the shy, delicate little mariana fruit doves. Click on that link, and say it with me… aww!

Speaking of parrots, see that one above, pictured in-flight? That picture wasn’t taken while peering inside a cage or from behind some sort of glass. On weekdays at 11AM and 1:30PM, the keepers at the Philly Zoo let the parrots fly freely around the center! Outside! On the weekends, there’s a third show at 3PM.

Inside the Avian Center, you’ll get to walk through a large room, filled with birds fluttering right next to you. That little green guy pictured above was one of many. Visit the Philadelphia Zoo’s official webpage on the Avian Center, to get a virtual tour of the inside.

I uploaded some more pictures of the birds onto our Flickr page. Have a look, and be sure to visit the Zoo in the near future. This exhibit is fantastic, and I can’t wait to go back!

Philadelphia Zoo
34 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19123-1721
(215) 243-1100
www.philadelphiazoo.org

Recently, we sent our wonderfully talented videoblogger, Stephen Metzger, to scope out artist Steve Roden’s work at Founder’s Hall, one of the many places currently featured by Hidden City Philadelphia. Located on the Girard College campus and co-produced by the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, the installation is a combination of both sculpture and sound.

Take a look at the video, and be sure to visit the exhibit before it closes at the end of the month. You can score more information about the exhibit, including the history of the building and some gorgeous photos, over on the official Hidden City Philadelphia website. Enjoy!

Hidden City Philadelphia
www.hiddencityphiladelphia.org

More Than Just Ice Cream, is, just like the name implies, a fantastic ice cream parlor that also has a great restaurant. While it’s certainly worth it to duck in and get a cone or a huge sundae on a hot summer day while strolling around Washington Square West (this place is at most a five minute walk from Independence Mall), it’s well worth sitting down for lunch or dinner as well.

The menu is pretty extensive, including sandwiches, burgers, salads, and of course some phenomenal desserts. Despite being extensive, the menu is anything but expensive. Two people can easily have a great lunch for under $25.

Best of all, even though they’ve been around for years, the turnover for tables is quick and efficient, so you don’t need to worry about a long wait to be seated. And, of course, if you do have to wait… Well, think of it as the perfect justification to step right up to the ice cream counter and just have dessert first!

More Than Just Ice Cream
1119 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 574-0586

Inside Local 44

Local 44 is University City’s surprise hit beer bar, found at the corner of 44th and Spruce Street. Local just opened on New Years Day in 2009, and was packed to the rafters that night. This place is really easy to get to – plenty of bike racks out front, and the #42 Septa bus stopping literally right at the front door.

Known for it’s selection of all-draft beers, Local 44 rotates out its kegs on an almost weekly basis, so everyone is bound to find something they like. Beers range from hard-to-find imports to local staples, hoppy to yeasty, light to very dark. Local has a number of events (it really is worth signing up for the e-alerts on their website), including Quizzo every Sunday night at 9pm with host JB Farley.

Check out the menu while you’re there – not only do they offer great bar food, but they’ve got some pretty delicious entrees as well, and they’re all reasonably priced (think the $7-11 range).

The best part? Local 44 is hosting a summer-long “Locals Happy Hour” from 5-7 every weekday, with discounts on locally brewed beers.

Local 44
4333 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 222-2337
www.local44beerbar.com

Tierra Mia Organic Nail Spa interior

Summer in Philly can feel like the desert, with the dry heat radiating from the city sidewalks and sun rays burning off the glimmering office buildings. To the rescue: an urban oasis, Tierra Mia Organic Nail Spa. Newly unfurling its leaves in a quiet residential spot just off Rittenhouse Square, Tierra Mia is Italian for “My Land” – and lives up to the label.

From the highest-purity air quality, assurance of solely sustainable practices, and use of all-organic ingredients from raw coconut to cinnamon, co-owners (and betrothed) Karina Restrepo and Justin Mitchell have applied their belief in natural alternatives to the concept of a non-traditional nail spa. The space itself was constructed with environmentally safe materials, from the American Clay natural clay plaster walls to the zero-toxic paints to the 78% post-industrial wood waste flooring.

Book an appointment at this urban sanctuary (check the website, tierramiaorganicnailspa.com, for hours), either as a well-earned refreshing treat or to celebrate with a group of friends. Choose from a luxurious manicure, pedicure, massage, waxing or makeup application, all free of chemicals and focused on spoiling you with a revitalizing sensory experience. And for the ultra-harried, who need the replenishment to come to them: Karina will be continuing her mobile manicure/pedicure service, complete with masks, scrubs, moisturizers, polishes, a soaking tub, and a comfy vibrating chair.

Either on- or off-site, douse yourself this summer in all-natural, refueling bliss. Sometimes it is easy being green.

Tierra Mia Organic Nail Spa
328 South 17th Street, Philadelphia, PA
www.tierramiaorganicnailspa.com