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Ah, movies in the park. People in Philadelphia love ‘em. Whether you’re catching some old school celluloid on the Schuylkill Banks, a cult classic at the Lawn Chair Drive In, or scoping out some more modern flicks down on Penn’s Landing, there are certainly a lot of options for you outdoor movie going types. And now, we’ve got another. Jefferson Square Park’s Summer Movie Series, featuring Alfred Hitchcock classics.

As you can see on the flyer, this Wednesday you can ‘catch’ To Catch A Thief (did you see what I did there?), followed by North By Northwest and Vertigo the following Wednesdays.

Grab some more details over on the official Friends of Jefferson Square Park website. Happy movie watching!

Movies @ Jefferson Square Park
July 29th, August 5th, & August 12th
www.jeffersonsquarepark.org

Three looks at the Betsy Ross House in Historic Philadelphia; All photos by G. Widman

The Betsy Ross House is one of the most popular attractions in Philadelphia.

And deservedly so.

It is the one-time home of the nation’s best known colonial seamstress.

Included in a self-guided tour are Betsy’s workroom, two bedrooms and the kitchen. The tiny rooms and tight little staircases give a good portrayal of a working class woman’s life in colonial America.

There’s also live programming daily, which will further immerse you in the experience.

And don’t miss the special exhibit currently on view at the Betsy Ross House: Play Ball! A History of Baseball in Philadelphia. The new exhibit is presented by renowned local retailer Mitchell & Ness and the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

The exhibit examines the history of baseball in Philadelphia, from the early beginnings of the Phillies and Philadelphia’s other historic teams — the Philadelphia Athletics, the Philadelphia Pythians, the first African American team in Philadelphia (circa 1866), and the Philadelphia Stars, the Negro League team (circa 1933) — all the way through to the present day 2008 World Series Champion Phillies.

After the jump, a few more photos. (more…)

Alo Brasil, performing at World Cafe Live this Saturday

Jazz and more… Where I’ll be and where you should be…

TUESDAY 7/28/09
Lucky Thompson & the Budesa Brothers Blue Tuesday Open Mic & Jam Session
Elena’s Soul Showcase Lounge, 4912 Baltimore Ave.
Veteran drummer Lucky Thompson has played with greats like Nina Simone and Patti LaBelle during his long career and led jam sessions all over the city (including at Natalie’s Lounge, where he was the music director for more than 10 years). Lucky and brothers Rich Budesa on keys and Rob Budesa on guitar are doing their part to keep Philly’s great organ trio tradition alive. If you haven’t heard them play at Elena’s, a neighborhood bar with a friendly staff and a welcoming vibe, then you’re missing out on an essential part of Philly’s jazz scene.
9 p.m., FREE

WEDNESDAY 7/29/09
Sonic Liberation Front, Planet Y
Institute for Contemporary Art, 118 S. 36th St.
The final installment of ICA’s celebration of the great Sun Ra should be an awesome night. Sonic Liberation Front, Kevin Diehl’s Afro-Cuban / free-jazz project, will perform a brand new piece commissioned just for this event as well as an arrangement of Sun Ra’s 1978 “Where Pathways Meet,” with an expanded version of the band, including alto saxophonist Julian Pressley, who played on the original Sun Ra recording. Planet Y is Charles Cohen on Buchla Music Easel and Yanni Papadopoulos on Casio digital guitar.
7 p.m., FREE

Ian O’Beirne’s Jones Quintet
Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St.
Alto saxophonist Ian O’Beirne has chops, soul, and a knack for writing challenging yet catchy compositions. And his band includes some of the city’s best young players–Ryan Kuhns on bass, Matt Scarano or Anwar Marshall on drums, and Chris Aschman on trumpet. Check them out before Ian leaves town to go on tour.
8 p.m., $10

THURSDAY 7/30/09
Maxfield Gast’s Trio Innovations
Tritone, 1508 South St.
9:30 p.m., $5

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So many choices!

I lived in Italy for a year, and when I came back American ice cream just didn’t do it for me anymore. Not even a pint of Haagen-Dazs or Ben and Jerry’s can compare to just one bite of the rich, creamy, fresh, flavor-infused ambrosia that is Italian gelato. I used to think there was something about the air in Italy that made their gelato (don’t call it ice cream!) taste so delicious. But I was wrong – Capogiro, which recently opened a new branch on 39th and Walnut, makes gelato that’s every bit as transcendent as what you find in the gelaterias of Italy.

Not only is gelato incredibly delicious, it’s not even that bad for you: it’s made with whole milk instead of cream, which means it has half the calories of regular ice cream. They also offer up fruit flavored sorbetos, which are dairy-free. They have an astounding 300 gelato flavors (don’t worry – they’re not *all* available every day), but their pistachio and dark chocolate are classics that are hard to beat, and a taste of the chocolate hazelnut brings me right back to the cobbled alleyways of Rome. There are also flavors for the more adventurous: rosemary, anyone?

But wait, it gets even better! In addition to serving up amazing gelato, the new Capogiro on 39th and Walnut is a full-service café, offering up all the requisite Italian-style espresso drinks. But the really amazing thing about this branch of Capogiro is… wait for it… a LIQUOR LICENSE! Their bar serves up a whole slew of mouthwatering gelato cocktails, as well as your more familiar drinks. They even have two beers on tap! Even Italy can’t beat that.

Capogiro
3900 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
www.capogirogelato.com

With only four in the entire country, the Philadelphia Mint gets a lot of attention. Okay, so they don’t give out free samples. But how much of a lifestyle change are you going to get with just a free nickel or two? Currently serving its fourth location at 5th and Arch, getting inside requires a tad bit more than just showing up.

Any camera: digital, film, even the cameras on your cell phone… not allowed inside the premises. And not having a storage area anywhere in the building sure does complicate one’s trip. But having been forewarned of this burdening dilemma, let’s for the sake of argument take a look inside.

The tour is self guided, so feel free to take as long as you like. It’s broken down into two parts: the history of the mint and the coin making process. Philadelphia and Denver are responsible for producing all the coins in circulation, but we are also responsible for making the prestigious Medal of Honor and all 50 State Quarters.

Flip any coin to heads and look at the lower right hand side for the letter P. It’s known as a mintmark and yes, that coin is Philly made! Opened here in 1792, the first Mint was watched by the careful eye of David Rittenhouse, a scientist and astronomer who was appointed by Washington himself. Does his name sound familiar? Called the best place to people watch in the city, you guessed it, Rittenhouse square bears his name…

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Summertime is prime time for many BYOBs
Photo credits clockwise from left: by G. Widman, by uwishunu, courtesy of Gayle

Another weekend is upon us and the forecast is favorable. Which means it’s another opportunity for alfresco dining.

This week, we’re suggesting BYOBs that offer awesome seasonal seating, letting you take full advantage of summer.

The Jerk Hut made the list. Our sleeper pick: a Japanese restaurant on East Passyunk. Do you know it?

CLICK HERE to view them all.

To check out some of our other Summer Picks, click here.

Top Five Summer BYOBs [gophila.com]

Root beer isn’t just for little kids and ice cream floats. ROOT is the new liqueur transforming the classic soft drink into something more adult-appropriate. Based on the (alcoholic) recipe from which root beer originated, ROOT blends smoked black tea, sundry spices and citrus peels to recreate the beverage how our forefathers drank it. ROOT has its “roots” in Philly; it’s brought to us by Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. I tried it in May and can attest: this stuff is delicious.

You can check it out at the ROOT Cocktail Competition on July 28th at the Silk City Beer Garden. Bartenders from Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co., Snackbar, North 3rd, and other local bars will be creating cocktails featuring ROOT. Judges are local writers and alcohol professionals: George Costa (Southwark), Arthur Etchells (Foobooz), Marnie Old (sommelier) and Victor Fiorillo (Philadelphia Magazine).

Guests enjoy free hors d’oeurves and $5 Root cocktails. Admission is free but RSVP to info@artintheage.com.

What would you make with ROOT?

ROOT Cocktail Competition
Tuesday, July 28th, 7-9pm

Silk City Beer Garden (Rain location: inside Silk City)
435 Spring Garden St, Philadelphia, PA

Clockwise from left, PYT facade, burger and fries; photos by M. McClellan

Move over, Standard Tap! There’s a new burger in the neighborhood and from what I’ve seen and tasted so far, it’s poised to become hottest bite north of Market Street. Owned by local promoter Tommy Up, P.Y.T. is positioned in a prime corner of the Piazza at Schmidts, the european-influenced public plaza just off 2nd Street. They’re serving up a variety of well seasoned burgers, hand-cut fries and boozy milkshakes that will forever have you sneaking a shot of Patron XO into your vanilla shake. Vegetarians will also be delighted by the variety of available grilled cheese sandwiches.

Tommy Up thinks so highly of his burgers that he’s spent the week challenging the Stephen Starr organization to a burger competition. It started with him calling out SquareBurger for a head-to-head battle. Then earlier today, he sent an email around to local food-lovers, offering to put his burger up against any Starr burger. Time will only tell if Starr or one of his minions takes up the gauntlet.

After a soft grand opening last weekend, P.Y.T. spent all this week closed for training and tweaking. However, they’re opening up again today at 5 p.m. and for those of you with Twitter accounts, Tommy Up will be awarding one free draft High Life or Kenzinger to anyone who retweets the following message: “PYT opens at 5 today! Retweet for a COMPLIMENTARY High Life or Kenzinger draft on me! Show tweet to bartender.”

For more on P.Y.T., we’ve rounded up a number of posts from local bloggers who’ve already made their pilgrimage. Check out that list, as well as more pictures, after the jump.

P.Y.T.
The Piazza at Schmidt’s
1050 N Hancock Street, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 268-7825

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Join the Eagles for a night of fun and fan appreciation. (Photos by R. Kennedy)

Get ready: football season is right around the corner.

And on August 2nd, you can get a sneak peek at your 2009 Philadelphia Eagles over at Lincoln Financial Field.

Eagles Flight Night, taking the place of the Annual Eagles Carnival, gives you a chance to get an up-close look at the team, including your favorite veterans and new rookies.

The Eagles will participate in a full-contact practice with portions of it mic’d up, so the crowd can hear all the action.

Flight Night will also feature a fireworks display, jersey giveaways and team merchandise for sale; and of course Swoop (the team mascot) and the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders will be in attendance. The main event begins at 7pm, but the gates open at 5pm with events taking place in the pavilion.

Date: August 2nd
Time: 7pm (Gates open at 5pm)
Location: Lincoln Financial Field

CLICK HERE for tickets and more information.

Where music flows like wine. [Photos (from top left): Courtesy of Kreutz Creek Vineyards; by R. Kennedy; by J. Smith; and by M. Kennedy.)

You uwishunu readers are probably seasoned veterans of Philadelphia’s live music venues, like the Trocadero, Ortlieb’s and the TLA. All great venues, sure, but did you ever consider Chaddsford Winery?

That’s right. The Philadelphia region’s numerous wineries and vineyards — in addition to producing reputable varietals from Chardonnay to Bordeaux — take advantage of the warm weather to host music festivals and weekly concerts, so you can enjoy wine tastings while you listen, dance and sing along.

Over at gophila.com, we’ve collected our Top Five Wine and Music Pairings. Check out the list, then sip and be serenaded.

Top Five Wine and Music Pairings [gophila.com]