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Check out the revamped IMAX Theater starting tomorrow. (Photo courtesy Franklin Institute)

After being closed January 10th to 21st, the IMAX theater at the The Franklin Institute is reopening tomorrow with all new speakers, all new amplifiers, and a brand new automation system for more dynamic pre-show sound and lighting effects.

Starting tomorrow, January 22nd, visitors will get the advantage of a completely upgraded sound system that will take them even deeper inside each movie. This most extensive technology upgrade in the IMAX Theater’s 20-year history complements the already existent 70-foot-wide and 4.5-stories-tall dome screen to provide the ultimate film experience.

Current movies in IMAX at the Franklin Institute are: Legends of Flight, Forces of Nature and Arabia. Check out the Institute’s Facebook page to win a 4-pack of tickets to Arabia!

The Franklin Institute
222 N. 20th Street
www2.fi.edu

2010 Art In the Open artist Michael Bartmann painting in the rain along the Schuylkill.
(Photo by Brad Jamula, courtesy Art In the Open)

Submissions are now being accepted for Art in the Open Philadelphia, a citywide event that celebrates artists, their inspirations for creating art, and the process of making art in the urban environment, running from June 9th to 12th this summer along the Schuylkill River Banks Park.

A jury-selected group of 40 artists will have the opportunity to create new work in designated areas of the Park, from Fairmount Water Works to Locust Street, and at Bartram’s Garden, as onlookers observe the artistic process. Participating artists will then exhibit the works that were created during the four day event in a giant exhibition.

Past participants have used books as a medium, created watercolor collages, led costume- and sculpture-making workshops, and crafted free-standing sculptures using bamboo and zip-strips.

Entry submissions are due February 28th; juror review is March 21st; and notification of chosen artists is April 1st.

Eligibility details and more information are available online.
Art in the Open Philadelphia [Official Site]

Restaurateur Joe Varalli, owner of the long-running dual restaurants Upstares & Sotto Varalli stacked one atop the other at the corner of Broad and Locust Streets, officially reopens the two today as Varalli (the first floor) and Perch Pub (a brand new second floor gastro-pub).

Varalli is the product of Upstares & Sotto Varalli merging together, with their menus fusing to create a new bill of fare focusing on Northern Italian seafood with a Mediterranean twist.

After 21 years of service, the Upstares restaurant will be remodeled to become Perch Pub, named for its elevated spot where diners can “roost” above Broad and Locust Streets surrounded on two sides with floor-to-ceiling windows. There will be a large selection of craft beers on tap, a full bar and an American-inspired menu of comfort food made from scratch — think buffalo and chipotle barbecue jumbo wings, an oyster of the day, chopped salad, and burgers and tacos using upscale meat from New York’s La Frieda.

The space’s decor has been completely renovated to cultivate a comfortable, unpretentious vibe, including a pool table, dart board, juke box, HDTVs and a large drop-down projection screen in the dining room for big games.

Perch Pub and Varalli open today at 4 p.m.

Perch Pub
1345 Locust Street
www.perchpub.com

It'd be a nice weekend to check out the Academy of Natural Sciences, including the famous T-Rex skeleton in the museum's Dinosaur Hall.
(Photo courtesy Academy of Natural Sciences)

There are lots of opportunities to engage in Philadelphia’s vibrant cultural scene this weekend, from shows at the Arden, Wilma and Adrienne Theaters, to the latest museum exhibits: Flora Fantastica at the Academy of Natural Sciences and Live Cinema/In the Round: Contemporary Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to name just two.

There are also options galore for cashing in on Philadelphia’s awesome food-and-drink scene, from Center City Restaurant Week to Pizza Week to a Winter Beer Fest.

Eat, drink, be merry, and bundle up because we’re in for some more cold temps this weekend (nothing you can’t tackle with a fireside meal or some street-side soup.)

Check out our top picks for the weekend, below:

Friday

Art After 5: Sachal Vasandani at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

A Moon For The Misbegotten at the Arden Theatre

Center City Restaurant Week

Ben Franklin’s 305th Birthday

Pizza Week at Stephen Starr’s Stella — Last Day!

Keigwin + Company at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

Sale of the Century at Addresse boutique

Pig Iron Theatre Company’s Pigadilly Circus at the Trocadero Theater

Saturday

Wine and Cheese class at Chaddsford Winery

Flora Fantastica at the Academy of Natural Sciences

Art of the American Soldier

Winter Adventure Tours at the Eastern State Penitentiary

2011 Volunteer Impact Challenge Kick-Off Event at the Free Library

Morris Arboretum Wellness Walk

Winter Beer Fest at the Starlight Ballroom

Sunday

The Understudy at The Wilma Theater

[title of show] at the Adrienne Theater

Free morning admission to the Brandywine River Museum

Asian New Year Party: The Year of the Rabbit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Blue Cross RiverRink

Live Cinema/In the Round: Contemporary Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

In The Heights at the Academy of Music — Last Day!

Philadelphia Home Show — Last Day!

Philadelphia's Kimpton rocks.
(Photo courtesy Hotel Palomar)

Our suspicions have been confirmed. The Hotel Palomar Philadelphia is awesome.

Earlier this week, TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, unveiled its 9th annual Travelers’ Choice® Awards. There are a number of categories, but the one that really caught our attention is “Top 10 Trendiest Hotels in the United States.”

Because coming in #2 on that list is Philadelphia’s very own Hotel Palomar.

Not too shabby for one of Philadelphia’s newest hotels.

All the more impressive is that on its way to the #2 ranking, The Hotel Palomar Philadelphia came out ahead of some very formidable competition, including The Ace Hotel in New York (#3), The Crosby Street Hotel in New York (#4), the Wit Hotel in Chicago (#6), and The Standard Hotel in New York (#7).

Take that NYC.

Top 10 Trendiest Hotels in the United States [TripAdvisor]

Catch STOMP in its limited run, February 15-20. (Photo courtesy Kimmel Center)

As a continuation of the Kimmel Center’s Broadway Season, international sensation STOMP is at the Merriam Theater for a limited engagement, February 15th to 20th.

The percussive hit show returns to Philadelphia revamped and restructured, including the addition of two new full-scale routines, utilizing props like tractor tire inner tubes and paint cans. The climactic trashcan sequence “Bins” has also been rechoreographed to include a newfound instrument: strip-lighting recycling containers.

Also prepare your ears for the use of stiff-bristle brooms, Zippo lighters, wooden poles, tea chests, plastic bags, plungers, boots, hubcaps — basically anything except conventional percussion instruments.

From its beginnings fourteen years ago as a street performance in the UK, award-winning STOMP has been performed in over 350 cities in 36 countries. See it here in Philadelphia while you can.

Tickets and performance schedule are available online.

STOMP
When: February 15th-20th
Where: Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad Street
Cost: Tickets range from $25 to $75
More info: www.kimmelcenter.org

Hugh Breckenridge's oil painting "The Pestilence (War)" is featured in the exhibit.
(Photo courtesy PAFA)

Anatomy/Academy, a new exhibition exploring the intersection between art and medical science, will be on display at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) January 29th through April 17th.

Anatomy/Academy will draw on PAFA’s rich artistic holdings, complemented by loans from Philadelphia institutions, private collections and museums. The exhibition will include drawings, photographs, paintings and sculptures that deal with changing conceptions of the body over time in Philadelphia scientific and artistic culture.

Philadelphia has been a center for art and science since the eighteenth century. Don’t miss this first-ever exhibition to focus on how the city’s dynamic art and science communities, and in particular the PAFA curriculum, have fostered essential knowledge of the human body.

Bonus: the exhibition coincides with the return of Thomas Eakins’ The Gross Clinic to PAFA.

Anatomy/Academy
Where: Pennsylvania Academy Of The Fine Arts, Broad and Cherry Streets
When: January 29th-April 17th
Cost: Adults $15, Seniors (60+) and Students $12, Children (13-18) $12, Children (12 and under) Free
More info: www.pafa.org

Listen up, local food lovers! There’s no reason to sulk and give up your beloved local produce, meats and dairy just because it’s January. There are a number of ways to get your hands on some local fruit, veg, butter and cheese over the weekend. This Saturday, there are seven farmers markets taking place around the area, including the Rittenhouse Square market pictured above.

To see our complete list of January 22nd markets, including times and locations, just click on over to the Philly Homegrown blog. We’ve got all the details there! And remember, if cooking isn’t your thing, you can also use our website to search for area restaurants dishing up all those good, local edibles. Click here to use the Food Finder.

Twenty Manning Grill loves to source locally.
(Photo by Jason Varney courtesy Twenty Manning)

It’s no secret we support keeping it local when it comes to dining; the mission of our sister site, Philly Homegrown, is to champion local food and drink. Our last Center City Restaurant Week guide, therefore, is centered on Philadelphia restaurants prioritizing fresh, local ingredients.

You have through January 21st, then the 23rd to 28th, to partake.

Check out our picks for Homegrown-approved restaurants participating in Restaurant Week, below:

• Twenty Manning Grill: This accolade-showered spot has rightfully earned its reputation: friends and neighbors flock continually for seasonal, classic fare served in a relaxed setting. Restaurant Week menu here.

• Noble: An American Cookery: You’d think Noble’s M.O. of relying on fresh locally grown, sustainable ingredients would falter in the cold months; their rooftop garden hibernates until the spring. But not so. Executive Chef Brinn Sinnott simply turns to local herbs from other sources in winter. Restaurant Week menu here.

• Fork Restaurant: Reflective of its use of fresh, local ingredients, Fork’s menu changes daily to emphasize the flavors of the season. The restaurant’s stylish and sophisticated interior complements the contemporary menu. Restaurant Week menu here.

• FARMiCiA: FARMiCiA is the conception of Kevin Klause (formerly of the White Dog Cafe), James Barrett and Wendy Smith Born (owners of Metropolitan Bakery). Fittingly, the emphasis here is on great tasting food and beverages crafted from local, organic, and artisanal producers. Restaurant Week menu here.

• Pumpkin: “Locals supporting locals” is this rustic BYOB’s mission. Restaurant Week menu here.

• Oyster House: Owner Sam Mink strives to use local ingredients whenever possible. Daily changing menus are inspired by the freshest available seafood. Restaurant Week menu here.

• Friday Saturday Sunday: This romantic Rittenhouse spot posts recipes on their website, has its own iPad app, and after 37 years is still a beloved local favorite. Can’t get much more locally engaged than that. Restaurant Week menu here.

Center City District Restaurant Week
When: January 16th to 21st and 23rd to 28th
Where: Center City District
Cost: $35 for dinner, $20 for lunch
More info: www.centercityphila.org/restaurantweek

The Onion, the popular news parody publication and website, is launching a Philadelphia edition this spring.

The Onion covers sports, politics, world news, economy, science and technology and entertainment with deadpan humor. Content ranges from the predictable to the potentially provocative (the public school system, GLBT community, the economy).

For a taste of the content that will fill the Philadelphia version of the paper’s (and website’s) pages, check out a few Philly-centric headlines from Onions past:

• Andy Reid Vows To Eat Philadelphia Delicacy If Eagles Win, Arizona Delicacy If Eagles Lose

• New Evidence Proves First Flag Made By Betsy Ross Actually Shirt For Gay Friend

• Historical Archives: Rural Quaker Scandalized By Intricate Furniture Pattern!

The Onion [Official Site]