Uwishunu.com

It’s nearly impossible to choose a main course these days without turning it into a political and environmental act. Happily, one new local program is working to encourage sustainable eats throughout our area restaurants. Called Local Abundance, it is designed to educate chefs, servers and diners about the many sustainable choices available.

This program will kick off next Wednesday, May 26th at 7 p.m. with a seven-course sustainable seafood dinner at 10 Arts designed by Chef de Cuisine Jennifer Carroll. It will feature oysters, scallops, Alaskan halibut and king salmon. The meal is $95 per person (not including tax, tip and drinks). Reservations can by made by calling 215-523-8273.

Click here to learn more about the Local Abundance program.

Octu Vishnu: 2008's Winner of the Kinetic Sculpture Derby

Friday

Philebrity Happy Hour @ Octo
Our pals Philebrity are hosting their annual happy hour at Octo on the Waterfront. Music, bands, cheap drinks… sounds like a good time!

Saturday

Baby T-Rex @ the Please Touch Museum
The baby t-rex from Walking With Dinosaurs is stopping by the Please Touch Museum for a meet and eat… I mean greet! Stop by and say hello to the baby dino, and partake in all the dinosaur related activities the museum has planned.

Trunk Show @ Third Street Habit
The cupcake truck will be here, dishing out delicious little treats as you shop. Seriously, what else do you need to know? Okay, maybe about the sales. Read about that, here.

Kinetic Sculpture Derby
This wild and wacky event takes place this weekend. Prepare yourself for plenty of creative works that are literally rolling down the street.

Alumni Reunion at Eastern State Penitentiary
Meet former inmates and prisoners at this annual reunion at ESP. Ask questions and listen to them reminisce about their time in the historic prison.

Super Adoption Day @ the Piazza
Our good friends Phillyist report on an epic adoption event at the Piazza this weekend, bringing together almost every shelter in the region. Stop by and bring home a new friend.

More after the jump!

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No, not the big scary dinosaur on the left. The cute little one on the right.

Tomorrow the baby Tyrannosaurus Rex from Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular, is making a guest appearance at the Please Touch Museum. The traveling show returns to Philly’s Wachovia Center mid-July, and Baby Rex will appear in the museum’s Hamilton Hall at noon for a special demonstration.

The rest of the day will be full of dinosaur programming, including a reading of How Do Dinosaurs… in the Story Castle, appearances by the museum’s own dinosaur mascots and dragon puppets, and an arts and crafts workshop in the Program Room, where kids can make their own dinosaur masks.

For more information, visit the Please Touch Museum’s official website.

Please Touch Museum
4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia, PA 19131
(215) 581-3181
www.pleasetouchmuseum.org

Three Sirens Boutique

Sex and the City 2 hits movie theaters next Thursday, May 27th, and the Three Sirens Boutique is ready to celebrate. Swing by the Old City boutique to sip on complimentary cosmos and enjoy 15% off your entire purchase on Sunday, May 23rd.

The first five people to make a purchase at the boutique on Sunday will receive a Sex and the City 2 t-shirt and complimentary Three Sirens lip balm. Visitors to the shop can also enter a raffle to win two tickets to an advance screening of the film, on Tuesday, May 25th.

So go shop! Enjoy discounts, cosmos, and hopefully, some VIP treatment on Tuesday.

Three Sirens Boutique
134 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 925-3548
www.threesirens.com

Plate of Artisan Chocolates from Antoine Amrani

This Sunday, May 23rd, the Bucks County Chocolate Show returns to satiate the wildest imaginings of local chocolate connoisseurs and gastronomes alike.

The show begins at 10am. Plan to arrive early because from 10:45-11:15, Antoine Amrani, an acclaimed chocolatier and former Executive Pastry Chef at Le Bec Fin will be demonstrating the art of the truffle. If you have had the distinct pleasure to taste one of his creations, you understand that this is an up close and personal opportunity not to be missed.

His signature creations include flavors like the deep and dynamic Coffee and Sour Cherry and the citrus lightness of his Coconut Kaffir Lime. This will be a rare opportunity to observe a renowned culinary artist at work and learn more about how much work goes into these little bundles of cocoa delightfulness.

Also, for those of you who would like to know a bit more about where your chocolate comes from, there will be a multi-media exhibit at the show called The Journey of the Pod, which illustrates how the cocoa goes from bean to bar form, and explores the history and present day challenges of cocoa farmers.

Parking is free at the event. For more information, visit the chocolate show’s official website.

Bucks County Chocolate Show [ Official Site ]

The Biopond @ the University of Pennsylvania

If you ever find yourself in University City feeling a bit stressed, take a detour off of 38th Street onto Hamilton Walk.

If you turn right after the Leidy Laboratories of Biology, and make a quick left, you will find The James G. Kaskey Memorial Park and Garden. Even though it sits in the middle of several University of Pennsylvania science buildings, it is free and open to the public year-round.

Small flowers along the edge of the pond, and the pond's resident ducks

This oasis was originally created back in 1897 by botany Professor Dr. John M. MacFarland as a botanical garden, but over the years it has grown into a forest glade as well.

The Biopond is arguably the most fascinating feature of the park with very sizable and colorful Koi that compete with the resident ducks for food. There are also turtles, lots of turtles, enough to cover entire the constructed log island in the middle of the pond.

Koi splashing around in the pond

A waterfall and weeping water walls on the edges of the pond provide a drinking spots for birds. Along the paths that meanders around the park, there are old stone benches, uncommon plants and even a table for a relaxing game of chess.

This urban oasis is a well-loved and historic treasure. A visit here just might make your day.

James G. Kaskey Memorial Park & Garden [ upenn.edu ]

View of Baltimore Avenue's Milk and Honey Market (all photos by M. McClellan for GPTMC)

Up until last fall, just about the only place to buy pastured eggs and locally grown produce in West Philadelphia was the twice-weekly Clark Park farmers market. However, if you went out of town for the weekend or had to work late on a Thursday night, you’d miss the market and find yourself out of luck.

Last year, neighborhood residents Annie Baum-Stein and Mauro Daigle determined to fill that void and so opened Milk and Honey Market at the corner of 45th and Baltimore. Their new market sells locally grown produce, regionally and humanely raised meats and poultry and a world of locally made goods (like Betty’s Tasty Buttons and Baker E’s preserves). Since opening, they have started carrying a few non-locally produced goods in response to shopper demand (like the bananas and pineapples you see above).

Milk and Honey also doubles as a local cafe, serving coffee, smoothies and made-to-order sandwiches. You can grab a seat inside or out, or take your order to go. They also sell Bassett’s ice cream by the scoop, a fact that delights children and parents alike.

You can find Milk and Honey Market at 4435 Baltimore Avenue. They are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. To see more photos from our visit to their market, click here.

Meet at the Art Museum Steps at 7:30am!

I love riding my bicycle. It’s empowering, it’s green, and since it makes my commute to work faster, it means I can sleep late. And I’m certainly not alone.

Philly has come a long way in embracing bicycles. With the now permanent bike lanes on Pine and Spruce St and the ever-increasing bicycle racks, we’ve gone from gas pedals to foot pedals. And in our continuing quest to make us the greenest city in America, our own Mayor Nutter is inviting all of you to take a ride with him to work.

This Friday, May 21 is National Bike to Work Day, and what better way to celebrate than with an old-fashioned group ride. So bring the hybrid, fixed, BMX, or tandem, to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at 7:30 am, where we’ll all be waiting.

Rain or shine, it’s going to be good!

For the full details, visit the Bicycle Coalition’s official website. Let’s ride.

National Bike to Work Day [ bicyclecoalition.org ]

Jigsaw Jones

The Walnut Street Theatre is closing their Kids Season with a performance of Jigsaw Jones on Saturday, June 5th.

Jigsaw Jones is a musical adaptation of the popular children’s book, Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Class Clown by James Preller. Families will hear the story of Jones’ quest to find the “mysterious practical joker in Ms. Gleason’s class,” with the help of his friend Mila.

Jigsaw Jones

The show runs three times on June 5th, at 10:30am, 1pm, and 3:30pm. Tickets are only $10 – $14, and the 1pm performance is ASL interpreted.

For more information, visit the Walnut’s official website.

Jigsaw Jones
June 5th, 10:30am, 1pm, 3:30pm

Walnut Street Theatre
825 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 574-3550
www.walnutstreettheatre.org

Stay at the Rittenhouse Hotel, Dine at the City Tavern, and Explore Historic Philadelphia, Photos by E. Savaria and J. Smith for GPTMC

An awesome auction on the U.S. Travel Association’s DiscoverAmerica.com is available for preview today today. The item? A “Once-In-A-Lifetime” travel package: a six-night stay in Philadelphia and the Countryside.

Entitled Philadelphia and The Countryside: Shop, Smell, See, Savour, the travel package is a great, one-of-a-kind deal, that takes you to a number of attractions through out Philadelphia and Chester County. Whether it’s the private tour of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the exclusive three course meal at City Tavern, or the picnic in Longwood Gardens, you’re guaranteed to sample a little bit of everything.

The first three nights will find you at the beautiful Rittenhouse Hotel, with a fantastic itinerary all lined up. Along with the PMA and City Tavern visit, you’ll stop by The Rodin and the Barnes Foundation for a private tour, see Philadelphia’s impressive outdoor art with the Mural Arts Program, and travel throughout Historic Philadelphia on the Independence After Hours Adventure Tour. You’ll also enjoy dinner at Chef Jose Garces’ famed restaurant, Chifa, and walk away with an autographed copy of his cookbook, Latin Evolution.

Longwood Gardens and the Brandywine River Museum, Photos by B. Kirst for GPTMC

Think you’ll feel spoiled after three private tours of Philadelphia museums? That was just the beginning. For the last three nights, you’ll stay in scenic Chester County, right in Brandywine Valley at the Desmond Hotel. You’ll enjoy a private tour for two at the Brandywine River Museum, Longwood Gardens (with lunch!), and spend a day behind the scenes at QVC. You’ll even get to see a live broadcast, in action!

Dining? Brandywine Valley’s got it. You’ll nibble on dinner for two at the Simon Pearce Restaurant and at Brandywine Prime Seafood & Chops in Chadds Ford.

Right now, you can only preview the upcoming auction. Bidding doesn’t start until Wednesday, May 26th, at 10am. The auction ends promptly at 10pm that same day. So bookmark the site, and make sure you revisit it on the 26th! Good luck!

Two Artful Escapes in One [ DiscoverAmerica.com ]