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Annie, Image courtesy the Kimmel Center

Annie, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary tour, returns to Philadelphia next weekend.

The famous tale of Little Orphan Annie hits the Merriam Theater for a limited weekend engagement, running from February 26th to the 28th. That’s right, only three days to catch the show. Performances include Friday & Saturday evening at 8pm, Sunday evening at 6:30pm, and two matinee performances on Saturday (2pm) and Sunday (1pm).

Tickets run from $20 to $70, and can be purchased on the Kimmel Center’s official website, or right at the box office.

Annie @ the Merriam Theatre
February 26th – 28th, 2010

Merriam Theater
250 South Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19102-5022
(215) 732-5997
www.kimmelcenter.org

The Arboretum in full bloom, B. Krist for GPTMC

This Sunday, swing by the Morris Arboretum for a special lecture with Lucinda Fleeson, a respected botanist and former staff writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Fleeson will be discussing her latest book, Waking Up in Eden: In Pursuit of an Impassioned Life on an Imperiled Island. The book details her experiences working at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaii, and the dangers the Garden faces.

The reading and talk starts at 2pm at the Arboretum. For more info, and to check out more upcoming events, visit the Morris Arboretum’s official website.

Lucinda Fleeson @ the Morris Arboretum
Sunday, February 21st, 2010, 2pm

Morris Arboretum
100 Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118
(215) 247-5777
www.morrisarboretum.com

Hey, all you snowed-in folk: Enough with the hibernating. It’s time to voyage out into the city and Spread the Love.

Need some convincing? Well, we’re delighted to report that, thanks to Mayor Nutter, the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) and SEPTA, parking in Center City is free all long weekend, including Monday (at all PPA-operated garages and lots, as well as all on-street metered parking), and SEPTA fares have been reduced. Which means that you can spend your hard-earned cash on more fun affairs, such as:

- Valentine’s Day Weekend
- Presidents’ Day Weekend
- Restaurants
- Bars
- Shops
- Museums
- etc.

And that’s not all. Spread the Love will continue next week with more parking and transportation deals, while free parking returns throughout next weekend (click here for more details). Now, that’s a lot of love.

So get out there. Let’s embrace our social selves and make some Philadelphia magic!

Spread the Love Winter Promotion [visitphilly.com]

Last year, local Philadelphia filmmaker Ted Passon shot this wonderful video with us in Love Park.

With Valentine’s Day on Sunday, we figured this was the perfect time to feature this video again. This is our Valentine to you, world. Happy Valentine’s Day.

For more information on Ted, visit his official website. And as for the composer of the theme song, Anna Biller, you can learn more about her here.

With Love, Philadelphia XOXO
www.visitphilly.com/campaign/withlove

Fun ceiling fans at the Little Treehouse Play Cafe

“Space to Play. Time to Think. Food and Drink.” I love the motto behind The Little Treehouse Play Cafe because those words say it all. The Play Cafe is the perfect escape for kids and parents alike. Located right off Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill, the cafe offers a large space split into a cafe and playground that people of all ages can enjoy.

While the cafe is geared towards children and has an variety of choices on the kids menu, the adult menu was quite lovely. There is a fantastic variety of pizzas, paninis and salads. The atmosphere was fun, I was actually inside a playhouse when I ate my meal!

Smoked turkey panini from the Little Treehouse Play Cafe. Mmm!

For dinner I enjoyed half of the Smoked Turkey, Lancaster cheddar, pesto and arugula on country bread panini, a few slices of the Claudio pepperoni, tomato, mozzarella pizza and a raspberry iced tea. Their pizza is made with whole wheat dough and they use locally sourced food whenever possible. The panini and pizza were both fresh and full of flavor.

The play area is filled with massive structures that are both colorful and intricate. There is also a large variety of wooden toys with a focus on encouraging the children to use their imaginations. It seems children could entertain themselves here and play for hours on end. And while the kids are playing, the adults can enjoy an equally good time as The Little Treehouse Play Cafe is a BYO establishment.

Handing washing station for the kids

I also enjoyed the fact that in the play area was a no-shoe zone, in an attempt to keep the area as clean and germ free as possible. There were also hand sanitizers all over the place and a big watering trough on the floor by the bathrooms to encourage the kids to wash their hands frequently.

The Little Treehouse
10 West Gravers Lane, Chestnut Hill PA 19118
215-247-3637
www.treehouseplaycafe.com

New Year's in Chinatown

Join the residents of Chinatown (and one billion of our dearest and closest friends) this Saturday to welcome in the Year of the Dragon. Lions and dragons will parade the streets, accompanied by the sweet sound of fireworks.

Stop by the corner of 10th and Race for the parade at midnight this Saturday, February 13th. Can’t stay up that late? It’s alright, we’ll do it all over again at 11am on Sunday.

And speaking of Sunday, on the 13th the Chinese Cultural Center will kick off their Annual New Year’s Banquet. 10 courses! You can find out more details here.

Happy New Year or as we like to say, Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Chinese New Year Celebration
Saturday, February 13th: Midnight, Corner of 10th Race
Sunday, February 14th: 11am, Corner of 10th Race

Eastern State Penn is offering up Buy One, Get One tickets this Sunday!

Friday

Explore Presidential Philadelphia
Mary wrote up a lovely itinerary on how to celebrate President’s Day weekend in Philadelphia. Check it out here, and plan accordingly.

2010 Brain Olympics
The Franklin Institute is hosting a special Brain Olympics, complete with trivia, Wii games, and more. Former Olympic skaters will be there, posing for photos and greeting visitors.

Saturday

Puppy Love Party
Smokin’ Betty’s and Devil’s Alley host their 5th annual Puppy Love Party, a Valentine’s Day bash that raises money for PAWS. Expect cocktails and nibbles from both establishments.

Carol Denker Book Signing @ Lisa Reisman
Stop by the Lisa Reisman Et Cie boutique to meet Carol Denker, author of Autumn Romance. She’ll be signing copies of her book.

Enchantment Under the Sea
Our pals at Philebrity are hosting an Enchantment Under the Sea party at 2424 Studios in Fishtown. Uwishunu favorites, the Blood Feathers, will be performing classic, oldies rock n’ roll. Awesome.

Paleopalooza @ the Academy of Natural Sciences
Come celebrate dinosaurs at the Academy of Natural Sciences this weekend. The little festival runs today through Sunday, and features crafts, workshops, lectures, and more.

Philadelphia Zoo @ Smith’s Playplace in the Park
The Philly Zoo on Wheels is stopping by Smith’s Playplace, giving families a chance to interact with live animals at the playground.

Sunday

Valentine’s Day
It’s today, and we’ve got plenty of picks for you. Dining deals, special tours, and more. Check it out!

Some more picks after the jump!

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With Love at Suburban Station (photo by M. Edlow for GPTMC)

This morning at Suburban Station, commuters were greeted by an unfamiliar, but decidedly welcome sight.

Cupid.

He was equipped with a brigade of deputies, all doing their darnedest to spread good cheer and a little pre-Valentine’s Day spirit throughout the subterranean rail terminal.

For those of you who missed his earlier appearance, weep not. You still have a chance to catch the cherub of romance, as he’ll be at Reading Terminal Market today from 12 noon until 1:30 p.m. with his band of merrymakers. They’ll be passing out Valentines, balloons and other seasonal treats, so don’t miss out!

Tomorrow, Devil’s Alley and Smokin’ Betty’s kick off their 5th annual Valentine’s Puppy Love Party, benefiting the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).

Attendees will spend the evening dancing to live music while enjoying appetizers and cocktails from Devil’s Alley and Smokin’ Betty’s. They’ve got plenty of contests, games, and prizes to give away, and all proceeds go towards PAWS.

Tickets are $35 a person and can be purchased on PAWS’ official website, at Smokin’ Betty’s, Devil’s Alley, or at the door the day of the event. For more information on how you can support PAWS, or to buy tickets, visit their website.

5th Annual Puppy Love Valentines Party
Saturday, February 13th 6-9pm

Thomas Jefferson University (Alumni Hall)
On Locust, Between 10th & 11th, Philadelphia, PA 19107-4316
(215) 955-6331
www.jefferson.edu

Schuylkill River view of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Monday, February 15th is Presidents’ Day, which means that a great deal of workplaces are closed. Wondering how to best spend your free weekday? Consider getting yourself over to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Typically they aren’t open to the public on Mondays, but will be in order to give all us Philadelphians the opportunity to get a little culture in on a day when we’d otherwise be tethered to our computers.

For more information on hours, fees and current exhibitions at the PMA, click here.