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Enjoy free hot dogs in Historic Philadelphia this Friday. (Photo by J. Smith)

This Friday from noon to 5 p.m. celebrate Dietz and Watson Hot Dog Day at the Independence Picnic, taking place on the lawn adjacent to the Visitor Center, as part of Wawa Welcome America.

For a few hours during the picnic FREE hot dogs will be distributed, so get there early to ensure you get one before they’re gone. The fun doesn’t stop at free grub, as live entertainment will keep the picnic lively and some of Historic Philadelphia’s most famous figures (Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross, etc.) will be in attendance.

After the picnic, stay close by because at 8 p.m. the annual Pops on Independence free concert will begin at Independence Hall. That’s an entire day of free food, entertainment and music in Historic Philadelphia. Awesome.

Independence Picnic
Where: The lawn at the Independence Visitor Center (5th and Market Streets)
When: 12 noon to 5 p.m.
Cost: FREE

Wawa Welcome America! [visitphilly.com]

Le Bar Lyonnais at Le Bec Fin

Tomorrow Le Bec Fin celebrates their 40th Anniversary, and in honor of this milestone, the French restaurant will be offering up a $40, four-course celebration menu. This new tasting menu features the following choices:

Appetizers
* Roasted Spanish Octopus, Chorizo in Two Preparations, Pickled Blueberries
* Tomato and Watermelon Salad, Grains of Paradise, Chevre Sorbet
* Chilled Pea Soup, Toasted Almond Ice Cream

Entrees
* Roasted Stuffed Quail, Cannelinni Bean, Summer Root Vegetables
* Olive Oil Poached Salmon, Fresh Summer Bean, Sauce Beaumaniere
* Roasted Flat Iron Steak, Red Wine Poached Shallot, Pea Top Pommes Puree

Cheese Course

Dessert
* A choice of 2 from our award winning pastry cart

Now, in addition to this new menu, the restaurant is also offering up a $40 by-the-bottle wine list. The menu will be available Tuesdays through Fridays, 5pm to 6:30pm, in the main dining room and in Le Bar Lyonnais.

Le Bec Fin
1523 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 567-1000
www.lebecfin.com

Bastille Day @ Eastern State, Photo by L. Wuillermin for GPTMC

With all the July 4th festivities going on around town, it might be easy to forget that there’s another festival hitting Philadelphia next week. Well don’t forget! Because the annual Bastille Day Festival is a whole lot of fun.

The Bastille Day Festival starts on Saturday, July 10th, at 2pm in front of Eastern State. There’s a pet parade at 2pm, a French fashion show at 2:30pm, and a Tricycle Tour de France, which awards prizes for the best French decorated bikes, at 3pm.

However, the festival hits its peak at 5:30pm, when local businesses and Eastern State team up for a Monty Python-esque reenactment of the Storming of the Bastille. Hear Marie Antoinette yell “Let them eat Tastykake!” as 2,000 of the delicious little snack cakes are flung from the prison’s towers.

Eastern State is also hosting a special late night, 25-minute evening tour after the reenactment, set at just $10 per person.

Several events surround the festival, including a French Fling Crawl on July 8th and a French Champagne Brunch at the London Grill on Sunday, July 11th. Spend the entire weekend in Fairmount! You won’t regret it. It’s a wild and quirky festival not to be missed.

Bastille Day @ Eastern State Penitentiary
22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130
(215) 236-3300
www.easternstate.org

The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Please Touch Museum... All Open on July 5th! PMA Photo by M. McClellan.

July 4th is a Sunday, which means July 5th is a sweet federal holiday. Have a day off? Looking to unwind from all of the July 4th festivities? Well luckily, there are a number of Philadelphia museums and attractions open this Monday, July 5th.

So go see a few paintings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, some animals at the Zoo, or some dinosaurs at the Academy of Natural Sciences. I’ve got a list of great places that are open, listed below.

* Abington Art Center’s Sculpture Park
* Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial
* Brandywine River Museum
* Eastern State Penitentiary
* Fonthill Museum
* Independence Visitor Center
* Mercer Museum
* Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
* Mutter Museum
* Philadelphia Museum of Art
* Philadelphia Zoo
* Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens
* Please Touch Museum
* The Academy of Natural Sciences
* The Franklin Institute
* The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education
* The Wharton Esherick Museum

There’s also a handful of events still going on post-July 4th. Stop by Penn’s Landing for the final day of the Ice Cream Festival, or visit Independence Hall for a reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Know of anything else going on? Another place open that I missed? Leave it in the comments!

Celebrate July 5th in Philadelphia [ www.visitphilly.com ]

The Union League of Philadelphia

The Union League of Philadelphia, a rather beautiful and historic building located on the Avenue of the Arts, is offering up a rare chance to dine and explore the private building, thanks to a recent partnership with Philadelphia Hospitality.

On Saturday, July 17th, guests can dine at 1862, the private restaurant inside the league, ran by award-winning chef Martin Hamann. You’ll meet Hamann, and enjoy a three course lunch with wine pairings. After the lunch, you’ll tour the kitchen and then tour the Union League.

Tickets for the lunch and private tour are $55 per person, and are offered up through Philadelphia Hospitality. Reservations are a must. Call (215) 790-9901 x 21 to book your spot.

Union League of Philadelphia
140 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102-3003
(215) 563-6500
www.unionleague.org

Sip From a Stemless Wine Goblet @ Hudson Beach

Drinkers of wine argue that a stemmed glass is necessary when drinking chilled wine. After-all, you need to keep warm hands away the tasty beverage. Hudson Beach Glass begs to differ, and over the next eight weeks, is running a fun Stem vs. Stemless Wine Series beginning Tuesday, July 6th.

Every Tuesday, participants are invited to visit the studio and sip on chilled white wine from stemware and a stemless goblet. Through out the night, the folks at the studio will take the temperature of your glass, to see if the stem effects anything at all. At the end of the evening, you can go home with whatever glass you liked best.

Results and temperatures will be published on Hudson Beach’s blog. Tickets ($25) can be purchased in advance by calling the shop.

So go, mingle, sip on wine, check out the artists in Hudson Beach’s gallery, and join in the experiment.

Hudson Beach Glass Studio
26 South Strawberry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(267) 319-1887
www.hudsonbeachglasspa.com

Photos courtesy the Chemical Heritage Foundation

This Friday, the Chemical Heritage Foundation is hosting an all-day First Friday celebration in honor of Fourth of July weekend.

There are a number of fun, family-friendly activities planned, from learning how to make an exploding foam snake to creating beautiful botanical sun prints.

And as a means of participating in Philadelphia’s July 4th festivities, demonstrator Thomas Twardowski will create a spark fountain.

A great (and free!) way to kick off the holiday weekend.

Chemical Heritage Foundation
315 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 873-8258
www.chemheritage.org

We’ve reached week 12 of the “Phanatic Around Town” photo submission contest. Continue sending in your photos and remember, winners receive free Philly baseball gear. Check out last week’s winners after the jump.

Week Twelve’s featured Phanatic Around Town location: National Constitution Center

This week’s featured statue is the National Constitution Center’s “Philanatic” statue and the deadline to submit your photo is Monday, July 5th.

Photo Op

Wawa Welcome America is in full swing this week with movie screenings, three free concerts, two fireworks shows, an ice cream festival, and much, much more through July 5th. Located in the heart of Historic Philadelphia, the National Constitution Center will be right in the center of much of the week’s action.

Currently on display at the center is Ancient Rome & America, a world premiere exhibition exploring the links between the two republics. Ancient Rome & America spand more than 8,000 square feet organized into five distinct galleries and is available through August 1st.

Whether checking out the Rome exhibition, celebrating Dietz and Watson Hot Dog Day at the Visitor Center or enjoying the sounds of Peter Nero and the Philly Pops performing at Independence Hall, stop by the National Constitution Center and snap a photo with the “Philanatic” Phanatic statue (which has a new location: inside the center, to the right of the gift shop).

For even more Phanatic fun, head to Penn’s Landing on Friday, July 2nd for the Philadelphia Orchestra free concert featuring a special guest conductor — none other than the actual Phillie Phanatic! The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and is followed by a spectacular fireworks display over the Delaware River.

To submit your photo, upload it to our Visit Philly Facebook fan page or share it on Twitter using the hashtag: #Phanatic. Each week’s winners will receive free Philly baseball gear. Click here for all the details.

Who: You and a “Phanatic Around Town” statue.
What: Take a picture of you with the “Phanatic Around Town” statue of the week and share it with us via Facebook and/or Twitter.
When: Every week for 20 weeks beginning on Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Where: At 20 locations across the city, changing each week.

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Movie Goers Catch a Film @ Penn's Landing, Photo by G. Widman

Don’t forget, dear readers, there are still a handful of outdoor movie screenings now through July 1st.

From Academy Award winning special-effects extravaganzas (Avatar) to films that fill us with local pride (Rocky!), there’s surely something in this list that will make you want to unpack those lawn chairs. Have a look!

Catch Grease on Tuesday at Love Park tonight, June 29th, at 9PM. There is limited seating available, so I recommend packing your own chairs and blankets.

Run up those famous steps tomorrow, June 30th, for a screening of Rocky at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Again, bring your own chairs, blankets, and if you’re up for it, your own Rocky costume. There’s a contest, and winners can score a year of free Wawa hoagies. Learn about that, here. Screening starts at 9PM.

Missed it in the theaters? Well now is your chance to see Avatar on a big screen. Head over to Penn’s Landing on Thursday, July 1st, for the 8:30PM screening.

Bonus indoor pick! You can see The Last Airbender at the Pearl Theater on Thursday, July 1st, before it hits theaters the next day. Tickets are required for this event.

Philly at the Movies [ www.welcomeamerica.com ]

Amuse Bouche & the First Course, Heirloom Tomato Salad, Cucumber Granita, Pickled Red Onion, w/ Thai Basil Emulsion @ Meritage

With summer in full swing, nothing beats a tasty, refreshing meal enjoyed– how else– al fresco along the streets of the city of brotherly love. For all you Vegans (and non-Vegans, for that matter) out there, Meritage’s recently added Vegan Chef Tasting Menu is an absolute must.

Created by Executive Chef, Anne Coll, the 4-course meal is not only wonderfully flavorful, but a feast for the eyes as well. Offered Tuesday evenings, the Tasting Menu goes for a very affordable $35 per person. You’ll start with a deliciously crisp “Amuse Bouche” Vegetable Tartlette with star anise tomato chutney. You can keep the whole Vegan thing going by opting for a bottle of Vegan Rose to accompany your meal, but I also highly recommend sipping on a glass of 2008 organic Bianco di Sicilia, which, with its smooth, fruity body, is the perfect match.

The first course offers a refreshing Heirloom tomato salad cucumber granita, pickled red onion with Thai basil emulsion, served with a crispy rice cracker that adds a great touch to the plate.

Second Course, Grilled Japanese Eggplant, Fingerling Potatoes... Mmm!

My personal favorite is the second course: A grilled-to-perfection Japanese eggplant, salt baked fingerling potatoes, gingered carrot puree in a delicate Indonesian kaffir lime curry sauce, and crispy chick peas. The third course brings a delicious mushroom lentil sticky rice wrapped in smokey banana leaf, served with a shallot confit, fricasse of asparagus and royal trumpet mushrooms, lemongrass espuma.

Fourth Course (Dessert), Rhubarb Soup w/ Coconut Panna Cotta

And if Rhubarb soup with coconut panna cotta, a touch of strawberry salad, and crisp chocolate sesame tuile isn’t the best summer desert out there, I don’t know what is.

Whether you’re a Vegan or not, this is a Tasting Menu you won’t want to miss. Happy Tasting!

Meritage
500 S. 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 985-1922
www.meritagephiladelphia.com