November 13, 2008
Sure, I like a cheese steak every once in a while, and Philly has many fine establishments that’ll fry you up a hardy example, but the only cheese steak that has ever lingered in my memory for taste magificence is a long closed steak shack in Rose Tree, near Media.
Another regional delight, Philadelphia roast pork sandwiches, are often more memorable, just less hyped. Having had the well known and the obscure around the Delaware Valley, I merely have to close my eyes and a cartoon scent caresses me back to the Reading Terminal Market for Tommy DiNic’s consistenly amazing roast port sandwich. Try it with the sharp provolone and either (or both!) of the greens.
Do yourself a real favor and eat right there at the counter. Corny as it sounds, my wife and I actually suggest to each other that we have a little ‘DiNic’s date’. The sandwich is the main event, and anything else we do coming and going from that counter is just… gravy!
Reading Terminal Market
12th & Arch, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 922-2317
www.readingterminalmarket.org
November 6, 2008
Let’s say a group of five local and international classically trained musicians got together here in Philly, and dove into a Tango Nuevo meets plucky, old school cabaret stylee. Say they experimented and had a blast over a two year period, and suddenly felt they were tight enough for a proper debut. Hello and welcome, Oscuro Quintet!
My wife and I went out to see the Oscuro Quintet’s coming out party at the First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut Street, this past Saturday night. The cavernous space, with lofty Gothic Revival beams, set a great mood on many levels. Grand piano, guitar, violin, bandoneon, guitar, accordion, double bass, in various combinations of no more than five at a time, of course, the band took off into realms that were passionate and elegant, yet not without humor. Works by Astor Piazzolla, old familiar favorite Kurt Weill, Frederic Devreese and others, there were numbers that invited tangoing with my sweetie (we denied our impulses in deference to the setting and to our lousy tango skills!), and some that pepped along in early 20th century urban industrial beat, like Raymond Scott or Roger Roger.
We thanked the group before we left, for taking us into such amazing territory. They were all delightfully flushed, wide eyed and joyful, pleased with what was clearly a strong performance. Visit their site and hear what they’ve been up to, though the cool sounds you’ll find there pale beside the immediacy of their live set.
The early hour of the performance meant that we could continue a hot date on a cool evening in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. Philly is a great town to be in with the one you love!
Oscuro Quintet
www.oscuroquintet.com
November 3, 2008
Photo by Natalie Hope McDonaldÂÂÂ
To say that I’m in awe of MANNA is such an understatement. MANNA is and has been an amazing, love driven organization that delivers meals to people whose life-threatening illness puts them at acute nutritional risk. For many years, that meant HIV/AIDS exclusively, but MANNA has actually increased their already monumental workload to cover many others are coping with illnesses such as cancer and diabetes.
For the past 12 years, one of the best concieved, best realized, and certainly most delicious fundraisers ever has been their annual Thanksgiving season PIE IN THE SKY bake sale. You can order an absolutely fabulous pie for Thanksgiving, and the money from your purchase goes to help MANNA help others. What’s not to love?
There are convenient pick up spots for the pies all over the city, but you need to visit the MANNA site to reserve the pie of your choice. I used to run the distribution location in Reading Terminal for years, and the general joy of everyone involved really speaks to your heart. The fact that the several flavors of pie available are all consistently exceptional means you cannot help but bring home a winner.
Consider buying two, and giving one to a neighbor. Isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about?
MANNA
www.mannapa.org
October 29, 2008
An isolated elbow of the Alabama River holds the traditionally African American community of Gee’s Bend, where the men are sharecroppers and small stake cotton growers, and the women make beautiful quilts. Unbound by the styles or traditions of others, the Gee’s Bend quilts are fresh, free and exciting. Brought out of isolation, they’ve caused a fascinating stir here in the states.
The Arden Theatre presents Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder’s telling of the story, Gee’s Bend, and as much as I love the avant garde and the esoteric, it feels good to surrender to a beautifully crafted, straightforward narrative. Wilder covers over sixty years of the lives of a small handful of Gee’s Bend residents, and for those among us who know that joy, love, family and hard work are four legs of the same table, it is an unapologetically heart warming tale. Engaging, energetic and embracing performances by Edwina Findley as Sadie and Philadelphia’s Kala Moses Baxter, with strong support by Marjorie Johnson and Kes Khemnu, I recommend you treat yourself and as many family and friends as you can to a great night of theater.
In the sort of groove serendipity that makes Philly such a big, fun cultural stew, I ran into Ruth and Rick Snyderman from Old City’s Snyderman-Works Gallery as we left the theater. He told me about arriving late to the opening of the Gee’s Bend exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and how, after most people had left, the quilters who’d come for their opening broke into song… their joy not to be further contained.
He also mentioned their current exhibit by the utterly remarkable, multi disciplinary artist, Joyce J. Scott, who learned quilting from her mother, eminent story quilter, Elizabeth T. Scott. If you have a few minutes, explore Joyce Scott on line, then make every effort to catch her show at Snyderman-Works.
Arden Theatre
40 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 922-8900
www.ardentheatre.org
Snyderman-Works
303 Cherry St, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 238-9576
www.snyderman-works.com
October 28, 2008
There are several things you want when you go to a lecture. A compelling topic, a terrific speaker, and that elusive third dimension that you forget about unless you suddenly find yourself surrounded by it… an amazing space.
This Wednesday afternoon / evening, local historian and, fortunately for us, vivacious and engaging speaker Thomas Keels will give a lecture called Rest in Pieces: Philadelphia’s Lost Cemeteries, an outright shocking yet wryly presented look at how we’ve regularly destroyed thousands of graves in Philadelphia. Keels is good, and I’d look forward to this lecture even if it was in a yawn inspiring conference room at The Hotel Nowheresville… which is certainly is not.
The lecture is being held at one of my all time favorite hidden places in all of Philadelphia… The Wagner Free Institute in North Philly! The Wagner is an awesome natural history museum that looks like someone bolted the doors in 1880 and just reopened them this year. It is so delightfully unreal that it seems more a movie set than a real institution.
Get to know the Wagner. It is one of those gems you should be familiar with when showing visitors around our beloved city.
The lecture is at 5:30, though doors open at 4, and you should try to get there early enough to experience a little of the Wagner first, if you can. The Wagner is at 17th and Montgomery, right across from the police station. Hopefully, Mr. Keels will have copies of his book, Philadelphia Graveyards and Cemeteries, on hand. I treated myself to a copy recently, and I recommend it!
The Wagner
1700 W Montgomery Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19121
(215) 763-6529
www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org
October 27, 2008
Romance is a year ’round state of mind, even though we conveniently compartmantalize it for easy consumer consumption during Valentine’s Day. If you love your sweetie, you cook her a really special breakfast from time to time, you bring flowers home for no reason other than you saw flowers and thought of her, you plan fun getaways that include time for huggun’ up in close clutch. Y’know, all that goofy, groovy romance stuff.
Twice a year, I give my wife a luxurious yet inexpensive aromatherapy massage at Terme Di Aroma, a truly wonderful little spa on 3rd Street above Market. Earlier this year, we added a facial as part of a special ‘Aroma Package’ they offer. Money well spent? You bet! Her genuine joy and excitement in anticipation of her massage is fun, and her state of glowing, relaxed, healthful radiance upon leaving is everything we could ask for in such an experience.
I’ve read about the costs of spa treatments at places designed for almost cartoon luxury in Atlantic City, and I’d rather use that much money to put my kids through college. Terme Di Aroma is a relative bargain, and has a genuine, intimate feel that has no relationship to the amount of money being thrown around. They are the real thing, and are one of those hidden gems that makes Old City special.
Terme Di Aroma
32 N 3rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 829-9769
www.termediaroma.com
October 24, 2008
Any time of year is good for a little Edgar Allan Poe, but the Halloween season is especially good in Philly for all sorts of ghoulish things, and our friend Poe is right up there with the grooviest and spookiest.
In that spirit, the Rare Book Department of the Philadelphia Free Library has devoted all 13 of its display cases to featuring their unparalleled collection of rare and unique Poe manuscripts, 1st editions and memorabilia, opening October 1st and running through February 13th.
Utterly shocking because it is so utterly crazy cool is Charles Dickens’ stuffed pet raven, Grip. Ol’ Grip was the inspiration for Poe’s best known work, and the first time I came face to face with this most famous of ravens I actually burst out laughing. I was visiting the Rare Book Department and didn’t know he was there and just wasn’t expecting him. He is on display in his awesomely rustic glass and tree branch reliquary.
You can take a free tour of the Rare Book Department any Monday through Friday at 11 AM, and then linger afterwords to enjoy the Poe exhibit. The department takes up much of the third floor, and is full of worthy surprises.
Free Library of Philadelphia
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(between 19th and 20th Streets on the Parkway)
www.freelibrary.org
October 21, 2008
This Thursday at 12 noon, local rock and roll pioneer Charlie Gracie will be inducted onto the PHILLY WALK OF FAME. Charlie, a native of South Philly, has always been a huge star throughout the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, and tours there regularly. He is best known here as the man who brought us multi-million selling singles like Butterfly, Cool Baby, Guitar Boogie, and an all-time favorite of Paul McCartney’s… Fabulous.
Also being inducted are Philly greats Billy Paul, Dee Dee Sharp and posthumous awards to the late Tammi Terrell and jazz great Clifford Brown. Ceremonies will be held right there on Broad Street in the Merriam Theater, with Mayor Nutter and other groovy dignitaries in attendance.
Philadelphia. We do music right!
October 17, 2008
I have come to accept that my genuine proselytizing of all sorts of peace agendas and my desire to see and appreciate the subtle, contemplative beauty in much of the world around me is balanced by a love of rusty rat bikes and the traveling circus of effluvia spewing superstars, GWAR.
This yin and yang seems to be well represented at the always groovy Japan America Society of Philadelphia, whose latest e-newsletter includes volunteer opportunities for cherry tree maintenance, invitations to tea ceremonies at Shofuso, various lectures and art exhibits, and… BIG JAPAN WRESTLING: The Global Gauntlet!
Chikara Professional Wrestling will be hosting an event in South Philadelphia with several full on, wildly masked and costumed Japanese wrestlers from BIG JAPAN WRESTLING. The show is being promoted as “family friendly with elements of both comedy and fantasy,” but make sure you’ve given considerable wiseacre grown up perspective to little Billy, Darlene and Pablo before you just toss them into this crazy alt wrestling culture stew. PG13 in the house. Held at The New Alhambra off Delaware Avenue in South Philly, this group mixes the best of traditional Mexican masked wrestling with the low budget craziness of 1950s American TV wrestling. There is a punk DIY undercurrent throughout that is a joyful stick in the eye to the bloated cyclops that is pro professional wrestling.
The main CHIKARA website will keep you busy through several coffee breaks. It includes the Chikara Podast-A-Go-Go, the Chikara Store where you can buy groovy Lucha Libre goodies, including an inexplicable Los Ice Cream t-shirt, and a Mitch Ryder shirt announcing that you look marvelous!?!?
Representing America will be (among others) the traditionally Mexican masked and costumed… yet inexplicably Egyptian themed tag team, Osirian Portal. I love that these guys woke up one morning and decided this was the direction for them. You’ve gotta see their MySpace photos. THERE is dedication!
Doors open at 3:30. Bell at 4 PM!
October 8, 2008
The Chemical Heritage Foundation in Old City has been one of those quirky institutions that we’ve had only a vague idea of it’s purpose…. yet we’ve been aware that it has grown, physically, and grown, and grown.
Seems it has been very, very pregnant with purpose, and just gave spectacular birth to a truly breathtaking science museum and exhibition space which had it’s grand opening last Friday evening. Fittingly revolutionary in it’s appeal to adults, young and old, rather than children, the exhibits are lively, engaging, visually exciting, and much of it outright fun. Even if you THINK you go don’t for the history of science, chemistry and technology, you cannot get around how all that ties in to absolutely everything tangible in our modern lives. I was challenged in some areas, and pleased to learn as a result. Other areas covered topics and disciplines I knew well, and I was able to share much of that with my 10 and 13 year old sons who’d accompanied my wife and I to the opening.
I encourage you to feel free to pop in and out of this museum as you come and go through Old City. Since it is free, you don’t have to try to drink it all in at once. You’ll soon have favorite exhibits that you’ll drag friends in to see.
If I seem to be gushing, well, I suppose I am. I thought the experience almost shockingly good, and all the more so because it was so completely unexpected. Congratulations, CHF!
Note that they have a lively lunchtime lecture series, with topics like “The Fluoride Glass Case (1970″”2000), or How a Chemical Dwarf Nearly Turned the Giant of Telecom Upside Down” Check their schedule for something that floats your boat (a boat likely held together or coated by something represented and explained in the exhibits!).
Chemical Heritage Foundation
315 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA”Ž
(215) 925-2222
www.chemheritage.org
