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Watch the parade from the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Photo by J. McWilliams for PCVB)

It’s the 91st year of the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade, making ours the oldest in the country. Make 2010 the year you partake in this tradition, popular with out-of-towners and Philadelphia locals alike.

This holiday’s parade will feature special guests Brandy, Sam Champion of Good Morning America, American Idol finalists Siobhan Magnus and Justin Guarini, Miss America 2010 Caressa Cameron, The Eagles Cheerleaders, characters from Walt Disney and Sesame Place, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus and many more.

A range of balloons and floats appeal to participants of all age groups, including Mr. Potatohead, The Jetsons, Tom the Turkey, Elmo, Scooby Doo, Bugs Bunny and Twinkles the Snowman.

The parade kicks off at 8:15 a.m. at 20th Street and J.F.K. Boulevard.

Parade Route:

1. Start point: 20th Street and JFK Boulevard.

2. The Parade proceeds down JFK and turns left onto 16th Street until reaching the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

4. The Parade bears right, bearing northwest on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for three blocks until reaching Logan Circle.

5. The Parade loops around the southern part of Logan Circle and continues on the Parkway until it reaches Eakins Oval.

6. The Parade proceeds along the south portion of Eakins Oval finishing in front of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Best Spots for Watching:

1. Cozy up with hot chocolate in the Campbell’s Winter Wonderland Expo Tent on the south side of Eakins Oval, sponsoring games and giveaways.

2. Stake out some elbow room at the parade’s finish, the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

3. Logan Circle on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is a prominent vantage point.

4. Witness the parade’s launch at 20th Street and JFK Boulevard and then head north on 20th Street five blocks to the Parkway and catch the procession again as it goes by.

After the parade, head home for football and turkey. Or if you’re looking for somewhere to dine without the dirty dishes, check out our roundup of local restaurants offering Thanksgiving dinner.

2010 Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade [6abc]

Oyster House prioritizes local ingredients. (Credit: iStockPhoto)

Beginning this Saturday, November 27th and continuing every Saturday through December, Oyster House is offering “Bags and Bubbles,” a treat for holiday shoppers: a half dozen oysters and a glass of Casa Del Mar Cava for just $15.

Available from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., the special offers a much-needed respite from seasonal store madness along Rittenhouse Row. Of course, non-shoppers are also encouraged to drop in and enjoy the snack.

Guests can also indulge in Oyster House’s Saturday brunch, 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., including dishes like the oyster omelet, shrimp and grits and famed oyster scrapple.

Oyster House
1516 Sansom Street
www.oysterhousephilly.com

We recently had the opportunity to sample items from the dinner menu at Amuse at Le Meridien, and goodness, are you all going to like this one. The menu managed to be both classic and perfectly tuned for these cooler, darker days. Starters include a freshly pulled mozzarella with heirloom tomatoes (they did warn us that that dish is in its final days) and a deliciously briny clam and homemade chorizo pasta dish.

Main dishes include the best steak frites I’ve had in ages, a giant bone-in veal chop, a roasted chicken leg/thigh/wing dish that is patiently cooked to tender submission and a ratatouille that is served with red quinoa and a dollop of tomato sauce that was perfectly savory and not to acidic.

The desserts are not to be missed either (and are served with the most elegant spork I’ve ever seen). Tarte tatin, chocolate pot de creme and crackly phyllo dough topped with pastry cream and macerated berries are all satisfying ways to finish the meal.

Amuse at Le Meridien
1421 Arch Street Philadelphia
215-422-8222
website

This Saturday, Nov 20th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Bridgid’s in the Art Museum area is unveiling the Gravity Tap: a beer tap where the booze comes from above rather than being pumped upwards from below. The result is a smoother brew, because of the lack of pressurization.

Bridgid’s keg is three stories above the bar so it can only be run during cold weather, lest the beer in the tube doesn’t get warm.

That, and the fact that the bar is the only one know to have a Gravity Tap on the East Coast, means you’d be hard-pressed to find a reason not to check it out this Saturday at the official opening featuring Yards, sponsored by Drink Philly.

Pay $25 for all-you-can-drink out of the Gravity Tap, $2 and $3 on all other Yards taps, plus a full food buffet.

Tickets are $25 online, and $35 at the door.

Bridgid’s
726 N. 24th Street
www.bridgids.com

The Eagles will take on the New York Giants for first place on Sunday Night. (Photo courtesy the Philadelphia Eagles)

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, the Philadelphia region has begun changing gears, as Longwood Gardens concludes its Autumn’s Colors events while Peddler’s Village lights up with their annual Grand Illumination Celebration.

Don’t count out the outdoor activities just yet, though — this weekend is the annual Philadelphia Marathon, for which thousands of runners and spectators are arriving from all-over to enjoy three days of events, contests, music and entertainment, finishing with the big race on Sunday.

The sports action continues on Sunday night as the red-hot Eagles take on the rival New York Giants in a nationally televised match up, which will be displayed on the big screen at the Piazza at Schmidts.

And as always, the city’s bars, clubs and concert venues are hosting a full weekend’s worth of live shows, DJ nights and special events.

Friday

Mitchell & Ness Grand Opening

Peddler’s Village Grand Illumination Celebration

Art After 5: Greg Osby at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Harry Potter at the Franklin Institute IMAX

Pop-Up Brewery at City Tap House

Saturday

North Pole Express at New Hope and Ivyland Railroad

Nouveau Wine Festival at Crossing Vineyards and Winery

The Cleopatra Exhibition at the Franklin Institute

2010 National Dog Show at Greater Philadelphia Expo Center

BalletX Fall Series Continues at the Wilma Theater

Brigid’s Official Opening of the “Gravity Tap”

Sunday

The Philadelphia Marathon

Longwood Gardens’ Chrysanthemum Festival and Fall Foliage – Final Day!

Art of the American Soldier at the National Constitution Center

Eagles vs. Giants Sunday Night Football at The Piazza

Beer lovers are always welcome at City Tap House in West Philly. (Photo by M. McClellan for GPTMC)

Expand your beer knowledge at the City Tap House this weekend with their first “Pop-Up Brewery” featuring Sixpoint Craft Ales from Brooklyn, New York.

Sixpoint will feature 10 taps of standard favorites and a few rare brews in City Tap House’s private beer lounge through Sunday, November 21.

For $10 per person, you’ll get a limited edition beer glass that can be filled twice from any of the taps. Savor the last kegs of Sixpoint’s Pumpkin Brewster and Old Krusher barleywine.

City Tap House will be the only place you’ll be able to try out Sixpoint’s Vienna Pale Ale, Bark Red and the Philadelphia-debut of Enterprise Belgian Rye Ale

Education can be your excuse for a Sunday afternoon of beer drinking as you learn about the art of homebrewing from Sixpoint’s brewers at 1 pm and enjoy $4 beer specials.

City Tap House [Official Site]
Sixpoint Craft Ales [Official Site]

Check out a full list of featured Sixpoint brews after the jump…

Still@Life by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa: full cast in the final scene. (Photo by Alexander Iziliaev.)

Emerging with passion and intensity, BalletX’s Fall Series 2010 launched this week with a world premiere and two revival performances at the Wilma Theater.

“Still@Life” choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa accentuates the beauty of still life, highlighting Michelangelo’s career as a sculptor and his completion of the Sistine Chapel. The dance revives religious paintings with an explosion of color and fruit, and the energy is contagious.

Tobin Del Cuore, a filmmaker, dancer and choreographer, introduced “Beside Myself,” a world premiere inspired by consciousness and the complexities of human nature. A captivating performance combining hip-hop beats and soulful rhythms creates a metaphoric journey through darkness and light. Cuore’s piece evokes strong emotions and a powerful awareness of our human existence.

Matthew Neenan’s “Frequencies” retells the Biblical story of Jacob with graceful lifts and a surprise twist in special effects. The combination of jovial moves and heavenly lighting makes this a truly enchanting piece.

BalletX’s unique performances definitely live up to their reputation, with exceptionally engaging dancers and their limitless endurance and ability. The Fall Series is a must-see!

Catch these performances this weekend only, through Sunday November 21st. Tickets are $30, $25 for seniors, and $20 for students. Or online at www.balletx.org, call (215) 546-7824, or visit the Wilma Theater Box Office, 265 S. Broad Street.

Tank at the Adventure Aquarium (photo by R. Kennedy for GPTMC)

Next week and weekend, a host of holiday exhibitions, displays and performances will begin. From the light show at Macy’s to the Christmas Village at City Hall, there are a number of ways make a holiday memory with your friends and family this year.

One such opportunity is the Adventure Aquarium’s Christmas Celebration. Located just over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, on Camden’s Waterfront, Adventure Aquarium will be transformed into an underwater winter wonderland starting on November 26. The display will feature masses of twinkling lights, glowing trees and gently falling snow and will be available until January 2, 2011. There will also be a life-size, interactive Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as well as The Abominable Snow Monster who has the power to actually make it snow.

In addition to Rudolph and the Snow Monster, Scuba Santa will also be returning for another year. He’ll dive into the Ocean Realm and put on quite a show! There are even opportunities to have breakfast with Scuba Santa, on December 11 and 12 at 9 a.m. (reservations are needed)

The Adventure Aquarium is open daily, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more about their Christmas Celebration or to make reservations, call (856) 365-3300 or click here.

Adventure Aquarium Christmas Celebration
November 26, 2010 – January 2, 2011
1 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ
856-365-3300

Dilworth Plaza is set to undergo a dramatic transformation beginning in 2011. (Image courtesy Center City District)

The Center City District recently announced that it has been awarded a federal grant to redesign and renovate Dilworth Plaza, located adjacent to Philadelphia’s City Hall.

The redesign of Dilworth Plaza is intended to transform an underutilized concrete plaza in the heart of Center City into a green, pedestrian-friendly public space with new plantings, lawns, programmable fountain, a cafe with outdoor seating and two iconic glass entrances to the underground concourse.

The substantial increase in permeable surfaces not only will enhance the environment but also provide a more welcoming environment for commuters using public transportation and for events on the Plaza, which will include winter ice-skating and space for outdoor concerts and events that can accommodate up to 8,000 people.

Dilworth Plaza sits atop the intersection of SEPTA’s Market-Frankford elevated line, Broad Street subway and the Subway-Surface Trolley lines, and boasts easy connections to the regional rail lines, all of which bring over 300,000 transit riders downtown each day.

The sustainable design of the plaza will help achieve many of the objectives of Greenworks Philadelphia by reducing by 38 percent the existing impermeable paving, adding dozens of new trees and other landscaping, and reducing storm-water runoff through an irrigation system with water supplied by a rain-collecting cistern.

A few additional green facts about the new Dilworth Plaza.

The new plaza will be able to accommodate special events. (Image courtesy Center City District)

• 76 new trees will increase tree canopy by 26%, reduce ambient temperature by 2 degrees, and allow for a reduction of stormwater into the combined sewer system of 84,892 gallons annually over the entire site.

• The new trees will also help remove air pollution from the site, estimated at 12.92 pounds of ozone/year, 19 pounds of particulate matter/year, 6.84 pounds of nitrogen oxide/year, 6.84 pounds of sulfur oxide/year and 1.52 pounds of carbon monoxide/year.

• Design reduces by 38% the current 112,000 sf of impermeable paving by adding 14,600 sf of permeable paving.

• Design increases to 27,600 sf the amount of planted area from 6,643 today.

• The irrigation system will utilize a 36,000-gallon cistern that is designed to meet 100% of the site’s irrigation needs, eliminating the need for potable water.

• 5,000 square feet of wall finish in the new concourse will be salvaged granite from the existing plaza.

Construction is set to begin in 2011 with completion scheduled for 2013.

We can’t wait.

Pretty Visions of Dilworth’s Transformations [Philadelphia Brownstoner]

The new Mitchell & Ness store opens today at 1201 Chestnut Street. (Photos courtesy Brownstoner)

Mitchell & Ness, the retro-inspired sportswear company, is opening a new flagship store at 1201 Chestnut Street, today at 10 a.m.

The new location continues to offer its traditional apparel alongside brand new offerings like the recently launched women’s line and new styles of jackets and sweatshirts.

Nationally known for it’s collection of “throwback” jerseys, Mitchell & Ness originally opened in Philadelphia as a sporting goods store over 100 years ago and through the decades, the store has evolved into a destination for sports fans around the world, including many athletes and celebrities, in search of classic, retro athletic wear.

The new location has a bit of a museum feel, as the store pays homage to the company’s roots by displaying antique golf clubs, track shoes and other early 20th century sports equipment. Also, on display is a collection of rare Philly items including original historic Phillies hats, batting helmets and jerseys and seats from Connie Mack Stadium and Veterans Stadium.

It appears that no one is more excited about the new Mitchell & Ness store than Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who dusted off his MC skills at last night’s VIP opening party, video of which is below thanks to Philly Chit Chat):

Mitchell & Ness Nostalgia Co.
1201 Chestnut Street (Entrance is on S. 12th Street)
www.mitchellandness.com

(Photos courtesy Philly Brownstoner)