Uwishunu.com

Anyone who’s driven down Kelly Drive has undoubtedly wondered about Laurel Hill Cemetery and their annual Gravediggers’ Ball – if only because they advertise it year-round. But it’s a huge yearly fundraiser for the very cool and mysterious cemetery near the banks of the Schuylkill.

And really, it is a pretty awesome fundraiser. This year’s event will be held on Oct. 2 at Center City’s uber-classy Crystal Tea Room. In true Philadelphia fashion, the night’s theme is a tribute to Harry Kalas. Entertainment includes a silent and live auction as well as music from JELLYROLL, sketches from Simon Mauer and vintage photographs from Tsirkus Fotografika. Perhaps the coolest entertainment – that only a cemetery could pull off – is a visit from spiritual channel and medium Carolann Sano.

To be sure, it’s a classy black-tie (or costume!) event and it’s coming up soon – tickets are $150 a person. But it’s a Philadelphia tradition that’s worth keeping track of, and worth knowing about for its unique themes and entertainment.

Laurel Hill Cemetery’s Gravediggers’ Ball
Friday, October 2, 7:00 p.m

Crystal Tea Room
100 Penn Sq E, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 627-5100

The Philadelphia Museum of Art officially opened its rooftop sculpture garden last week! Located on top of a brand new parking facility, this artfully landscaped green “gallery without walls” between the Azalea Garden and the museum’s West Entrance serves as the site for a variety of unique outdoor installations.

The inaugural installation features an innovative selection of stone sculptures by Isamu Noguchi. If you’re a Constantin Brancusi fan like me, you’ll see similarities between these sculptures and some of Brancusi’s masterpieces displayed inside the PMA. Turns out, Noguchi’s earliest stone sculptures from the 1920′s were actually made under the tutelage of Brancusi himself. Talk about a great mentor!

As you walk along the sunny walkways and gently sloping lawn areas, be sure to take advantage of the cellphone guide to get in-depth info on the sculptures on view. Visiting with kids? All five works have an audio stop tailored to younger audiences. Just grab a map of the garden when you arrive for details.

And let’s not forget the top notch panoramic view of the Schuylkill River and Boathouse Row! So pack a blanket, get out there and experience the museum’s latest addition!

The Sculpture Garden at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
26th Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130
www.philamuseum.org
(267) 519-5646

Photography courtesy of Supper Restaurant

Isaiah Zagar’s Magic Garden Murals, with their chalk-and-mirror inlays accented with pottery shards and other additions, give South Street and many other spots across the city a bright, one-of-a-kind look you won’t find anywhere else.

The murals have become so popular, seeing them all could take a while. You might even work up an appetite. So this old South Philly institution has teamed with a new South Street restaurant to battle the hunger of mural sightseeing with their second annual South Street Stroll.

For $40 a person, Philly’s Magic Garden and Supper Restaurant offer a full tour of all magic garden murals. Some are plainly visible, in spots you know and love. Others lie in alleyways and enclosures only the neighbors know about. A PMG guide will lead the way, showing you mural techniques, sharing stories about their creation and explaining some little-known South Street history. You will get to see it all on your way to supper at Supper.

After the hour-long walking tour, you can enjoy a 3-course tasting menu at South Street’s fine dining establishment, paired with a complimentary glass of wine or bottled beer. These eclectic murals are some of the most original street art Philly has to offer. It is no wonder their walking tour is also far from ordinary.

Interested? Contact the Magic Gardens to reserve your ticket.

Second Annual South Street Stroll
Sunday, September 27, 2009, at 4:00PM

Supper Restaurant
926 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 592-8180
www.supperphilly.com

There are still Restaurant Week reservations available at most participating spots, including Del Frisco's (pictured). And remember: Cancelations are your friends. (Photo courtesy of Del Frisco's)

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House [gophila.com]

Center City Restaurant Week [gophila.com]

Peter Javian and Teresa Chang, in their studios

It’s time again of one Philadelphia’s coolest events, POST aka the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours. It’s a chance to visit artists in their native habitat. And unlike the Zoo, you won’t get in trouble if you feed them.

Long story short:
- a lot of Philadelphia artists open their studios to the public for a weekend.
- the city is roughly divided in half. Artists east of Broad Street are open the weekend of October 3 & 4. West of Broad is the following weekend, October 10 & 11.
- it’s FREE unless you want to buy some art, but there is no pressure.

The hard part is narrowing down which artists you want to see. There are lot of artists and they can be a little spread out (Philadelphia is a good sized city), though you could see them all if you really tried. Go to the POST website to figure out your itinerary. There are also free hard copy brochures available around the city.

POST has been going on for a number of years now and I have done one or both weekends every year. I usually pick a few high density locations and visit all the artists there, which often led to some very pleasant surprises. Some artists that didn’t read well to me wound up being the ones that had the most impact. I also make a point to hit some more isolated artists that especially peak my interest. It’s a nice balance. And if you miss a few this year, you can catch them next year.

It’s a great chance to meet artists and see where and how they work. And it’s free!

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours
www.philaopenstudios.com

ARTIST STUDIOS EAST OF BROAD STREET
The weekend of October 3-4, 2009, Noon-6pm
South Philly, Bella Vista, Queen Village, South Street, Center City, Old City, Northern Liberties, Kensington, Fishtown, and Port Richmond

ARTIST STUDIOS WEST OF BROAD STREET
The weekend of October 10-11, 2009, Noon-6pm
Germantown, Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill, East Falls, Manayunk, Roxborough, West Philly,  North Philly, Fairmount, Center City, and Graduate Hospital

It still feels like summer and the Terrace at Thirteen at the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel is making sure you take advantage of it. They are extending their Center City Sips-style promotion even further, so it is now available Wednesday through Friday, from 4-7 pm, through September and into October.

That means $2 Drafts, $3 Wines, $4 Specialty Cocktails and $5 Margaritas as well as specially priced appetizers.

Menu highlights include jerk chicken skewers with pineapple salsa, pork sliders, homemade empanadas, wedge iceberg salad with blue cheese, garlic chili shrimp and mango mojito sorbet. Prices range from $2.50 – $7.

And on Thursdays, there will be live Reggae-inspired music to enhance the summer feel even more.

Thirteen at the Philadelphia Marriott [Official Site]

Give yourself the heebie jeebies and learn about some of your favorite city’s behind-the-scenes history with the guides of the Spirits of ’76 Ghost Tour. The tour takes you on a stroll through the more familiar spots of Old City like Edgar Allan Poe’s Philadelphia home, Carpenter’s Hall and Ben Franklin’s statue. Familiar now, but take a look at these locales again in the dead of night, and we’re sure you’ll find something new.

The Spirits of ’76 Ghost Tour runs frequently during the fall season and doesn’t cost much for the chance to get some quality spirit photography. Yes, we highly recommend you bring a camera along (the Old Pine Street Cemetery produced results for me).

For the month of October, the tour meets daily at the Cosi on the corner of 4th and Chestnut Streets at 7:30 p.m, as well as 9:30 p.m. tours on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays (including Halloween). We recommend reserving your spots in advance by phone at (215) 525-1776 as spots do fill up quickly the closer we get to the big night.

Spirits of ’76 Ghost Tours
www.spiritsof76.com

Finding love is an often daunting task that can leave any romantic bewildered and perplexed. And if you don’t believe me, check out the cast of Brad Fraser’s latest play, as they try to learn the meaning of love amid a world of sexual frustration, overwhelming fear of the unknown, and a rash of murders caused by a serial killer. Alright, maybe finding love isn’t that difficult for all of us, but it sure is for Fraser’s characters. Difficult, and with the addition of a serial killer, certainly interesting to say the least.

Fraser, a former writer/producer of Showtime’s Queer as Folk, takes a look at the lives of several sexually frustrated individuals in, Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love. This dark comedy is wrought with humor and suspense, and is told through the eyes of Benita – a mysterious woman of the night with the ability to see the future. Pitfalls, heartbreak, and fear consume her friends who continue to ask: Does love exist? Who is the murderer? Will I be next?

The play is slated to open September 26 and run through October 18 at the Adrienne Theater in Center City. Adult ticket prices cost $20.00 Thursday evenings Saturday and Sunday matinees and $22.00 Friday and Saturday evenings. Tickets for students and senior citizens cost $18.00 for all performances.

Adrienne Theater
2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Taps at Brauhaus Schmitz (photo courtesy of Brauhaus Schmitz)

In this, the best beer drinking city in America, announcements of the Oktoberfest celebrations are beginning to flood in. So that you don’t miss a moment of the German beer, here are all the Oktoberfest dinners, festivals, specials and events that we know of.

• -Oktoberfest 2009 at Brauhaus Schmitz, September 21-26
• -Oktoberfest at Fork, September 24, 6-7 p.m.
• -Oktoberfest at Devil’s Den, September 25-27
• -Oktoberfest Celebration at Triumph, September 26-27, music starts at 12 noon
• -The City Tavern Oktoberfest, September 26 – October 2
• -Octoberfest at Earth Bread + Brewery, September 17 – October 31
• -Port Richmond Oktoberfest, October 2-3, 9-10
• -Oktoberfest Wine Classes at Savona Restaurant, October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
• -Harvest Beer Dinner at Supper, October 4, 6:30 p.m.
• -World Café Live Oktoberfest, October 4, 1-4:30 p.m.
• -Kennett Square Brewfest, October 10, 2-6 p.m.
• -Monk’s Café Oktoberfest Beer Dinner, October 13, 7 p.m.
• -The Gathering of the Gourds at Iron Hill Brewery, October 24, 2 p.m.

So get out there and celebrate Oktoberfest in style!

Lovers of Philly, food and Philly food: Tune in to the Travel Channel tonight at 10 to catch Man V. Food star Adam Richman take on such Philadelphia dining giants as Tony Luke’s, Franklin Fountain and DiNic’s in the Reading Terminal Market.

While in town, Adam spends some time rubbing elbows with the locals on South Street; check out this video clip to see who he meets.

Adam’s big challenge: a 5 lb. slab of beef, cheese and onions, otherwise known as the Ultimate Cheesesteak Challenge at Tony Luke’s. Tune in tonight to see if Adam or the sandwich was the bigger man!

Man V. Food: Philadelphia [Official Site]

Tony Luke’s [gophila.com]