Uwishunu.com

The Italian Market on south 9th Street definitely makes the cut on the Philly ‘must-see’ list. Audrey and Mark head down for an afternoon of shopping, cafe-sittin’ and fun. Claudio’s for cheeses, Sabrina’s for brunch, Gleaner’s for coffee and more…

Claudio Specialty Foods
924-26 South Ninth Street, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 627-1873
www.claudiofood.com

Sabrina’s
910 Christian St, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Gleaner’s Cafe Gallery
917 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 923-3205

Attention art lovers!!! October Gallery will be hosting the 22nd Annual International Art Fair in Philadelphia; the nation’s largest African-American art expo. There will be over 200 exhibitors and 40,000 attendees. Here you will get the chance to meet artists such as Annie Lee, Charles Bibbs, Cal Massey, Sidney Carter, Kimmy Cantrell and many more!

Also for the first time ever, October Gallery presents the Latin American & Caribbean Art Expo! This is only a small portion of how huge the event will be. Visit the Latin American & Caribbean section and enjoy a variety of art from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Guatemala along with others and art by Carlos Pascual, Daniel de Jesus, Anabelle Rodriguez and Betsy Casañas.

This event is free & held for 3 days!!! Check them out at the Liacouras Center at Temple University on Broad and Cecil B. Moore in North Philadelphia. The expo will run from November 9th through the 11th from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

If you have a group of 50 or more people that would like to enjoy this exhibition, please contact Taller Puertorriqueño at (215) 426-3311 or dviacava@tallerpr.org.

October Gallery
7175A Ogontz Avenue Philadelphia, PA, 19138
(215) 629-3939
www.octobergallery.com

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Video by David Kessler

In today’s POST video, the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours takes you inside the Crane Arts Building. Nicholas Kripal narrates, taking you on a tour of the building.

Be sure to check out the Crane Arts Building and the various artists who will have their spaces open for visitors, including Pamela Birmingham, InLiquid, Linda Sutker Cope, Marilyn Simon, and Amy Stevens.

If you missed the other videos, well, take a look! Filmed by David Kessler, these vids will take you on tours of the Sherman Mills studio in East Falls and Amber Street Studios in Port Richmond.

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours: Sherman Mills

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours: Port Richmond

This second weekend runs October 27th to the 28th, and explores studios west of Broad St. Visit the official POST website for more information, directions, and artist profiles.

POST: Philadelphia Open Studio Tours
http://www.philaopenstudios.com/

I was riding my bicycle into downtown yesterday from my home in Eastwick when I spotted an osprey over the Grays Ferry Bridge. I stopped by bike and walked to the edge of the bridge the osprey was flying south down the river. Ospreys are a near-eagle sized brown and white bird of prey that have rebounded dramatically after being decimated by pesticide pollution through the 70’s. Although I have seen them on the Delaware River and at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, this was the first I’ve seen over the Schuylkill in Philadelphia. The osprey flew further downstream and dove feet first into the river and caught a fish. It immediately flew into some trees where I lost sight of it.

Not only was it a thrill to see one of my favorite birds, but it was in the same field of view as one of my favorite Philly landmarks”"the Grays Ferry Swing Bridge. The bridge, now locked in its open position, was built in 1902 by the American Bridge Company for the Pennsylvanian Railroad”"it is one of two swing bridges in Philly. This whole section of the river I find quite visually appealing, with the idle bridge. Osprey or no osprey, it is worth a trip to see this remnant of by-gone Philadelphia and the view of the skyline is spectacular.

Gray’s Ferry Bridge
Grey’s Ferry Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19146

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Post by Anthony Croasdale

This past Sunday, I participated in the “Big Sit!” at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum (86th and Lindbergh Blvd.). The “Big Sit!” is a bird-a-thon hosted by Birdwatcher’s Digest and is an international informal competition where teams compete to record by sight and sound as many species of bird as possible in a twenty-four hour time period”"the catch is, you are restricted to a fixed 17 foot diameter circle! I chose the observation platform at John Heinz NWR; I work at the refuge as an Americorps VISTA. Our team was named the Philadelphia (de-listed) Eagles, besides the obvious, our name refers the de-listing of the bald eagle from the Endangered Species Act this year, as we are a team representing a national wildlife refuge, we thought it appropriate to highlight this conservation victory.

I started the day out by driving the gator, a six-wheeled off-road golf cart that was filled up with a cooler, a bushel of apples, chairs, scopes and binoculars at 5:30am. I listed for rails and owls but all I could hear in the darkness was geese and herons. The observation deck overlooks the refuge’s impoundment (man-made lake) as well as a stretch of I-95 and the airport, which was quite light up and made for a strange juxtaposition. As dawn approached birds started singing and I identified the songs”"cardinal, song sparrow, eastern towhee”"as the sun cleared the trees the ducks and herons morphed into recognizable images. I was soon joined by my father and friend Steve Kacir…

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Post submitted by Tina Isen Fox

Ah. There’s nothing like hitting the gym for a quick work out. A jazz dance or hip-hop class perhaps. Maybe shoot some hoops then a yoga stretch class and quick dip in the pool. No. Not for me, for my kid”"at the new Kids on 12th presented by the Philadelphia Kids Club“”the new fitness and activity center in the heart of Center City. Here kids get to be”"well”"kids, with activities that stretch both the body and mind.

Kids on 12th has joined forces with the well-known 12th Street Gym to provide the teachers, resources and facilities that create this safe, fun and stimulating environment for kids to let it loose. Kids on 12th was started by sisters Sharon and Judy Hershman, who have more than 25 years combined experience in helping children achieve in the classroom and through fitness.

I wish my fitness club offered classes like this: gymnastics, basketball, ballet, hip “”hop dancing, yoga, drama, singing, arts and crafts, African dance, swimming and even sword fighting. (Think of Star Wars only using plastic swords).

The place has its own kids’ gym room with lots of cushy padding and space for any activity that includes jumping, rolling, climbing, sliding or balancing. While I was there with my son, a group of breathless sweaty young ‘uns were running back and forth in what looked to be some kind of aerobics-oriented class. It didn’t really matter what it was though because the kids were having a blast. To a grown-up, hitting the gym seems more often like a chore than a pleasure. But when you’re a kid, going to this gym isn’t about “working” out it’s about “playing all out.”

So once the colder weather forces kids from outside in the park to inside the house take a detour and head on over to 12th street where the kids are having fun.

Kids on 12th @ Philadelphia Kids Club
201 South Camac Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 545-2930
www.philakidsclub.com

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I recently took a trip to the lovely Bartram’s Garden and decided to document it with some photos.

Here is a photo from inside the Bartram house. It is a model of the Bartram’s Cider Press.

Here is a stone carving on the side of the Bartram house. Bartram was a member of the Society of Friends, but this plaque’s somewhat deist sentiment somehow upset the Quakers, who ultimately de-/Friend/ed him.

This is a view of a desk in the Bartram house displaying a variety of items for study…

More pictures of the house, garden, and some beautiful flowers after the jump! And check out the Illadates episode featuring the garden.

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Weekend one of POST, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours, kicks off this weekend! Starting tomorrow, you’ll be able to explore all the participating studios east of Broad St. Meet some artists, learn something new, and buy some gorgeous work!

In case you missed the videos, we have some guided tours (filmed by the ever talented David Kessler) posted for you to watch. Check out the Sherman Mills studio in East Falls and Amber Street Studios in Port Richmond!

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours: Sherman Mills

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours: Port Richmond

And remember, on Sunday, October 21 from 3pm to 6pm, P.O.S.T is providing a guided bus tour of artists’ studios, which includes an exclusive viewing of the Uwishunu Room 414 at the Westin Hotel. For more information about getting tickets, visit the official POST website.

Have a fun, art-filled weekend everyone!

POST: Philadelphia Open Studio Tours
http://www.philaopenstudios.com/

When Bloomsday rolled around back in July, The Rosenbach Museum & Library had a stellar celebration. With Halloween approaching (my favorite day of the year), the Rosenbach is back, throwing a festival in honor of Dracula.

Bring the entire family out, dress up, and if you’re lacking in the costume department, don’t worry! Spiral Q Puppet Theater will be there, helping outfit people with parade gear. Zombies, coffins, bats, werewolves, you name it! This is the 5th annual Dracula Festival.

The parade is running along with the Rosenbach’s current exhibition, Dracula: The Making of a Monster. The museum currently holds the notes for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and holds this festival every October. The exhibit opened at the beginning of the month and will be running now til November 4th. The display gives you a look into the years of Stoker’s research and planning for his classic piece of literature. There will be a special gallery talk on the 24th at 6PM.

So check out the gallery before it closes, and be there for the gallery talk on the 24th. Then, to celebrate your newfound knowledge of all-that-is-Dracula, join the parade on Saturday, October 27th. Meet at the museum at 5:30PM, and join the parade at 6. It will wind through Rittenhouse Square, and people of all ages are welcome!

Rosenbach Museum and Library
2010 Delancey Pl, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 732-1600
www.rosenbach.org

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I’m not a serious boxing fan by any means, but even I wasn’t sure what to expect last Thursday when a hand-picked crop of fighters from Belfast, Ireland’s Holy Family Boxing Club came to rumble against some local boys.

Actually, the only thing I felt sure about was chaffing at a bunch of non-stop Quiet Man references. Still, my inner-Rocky Balboa was prepared to soldier through, fully willing to trade out “Eye of the Tiger” for “Wild Colonial Boy” for a night. I’m glad I went.

Holy Family has been coming to Philadelphia since 1990, when they were first hosted by the Philadelphia Irish Society at the new convention center. Since 1998, South Philadelphia’s Harrowgate Gym has played the host, organizing large-scale amateur boxing nights pairing the lads up against locals from Front Street Gym, Shepherd Recreation and the Phoenixville and Upper Darby Police Athletic Leagues.

Posters began popping up in finer watering holes like O’Jungs and the Shamrock months ago. But, despite the event’s near 15-year history, the traditional Harrowgate-Holy Family event remains something of a well-kept secret between neighborhood Joes and boxing aficianados.

“This event is about true sportsmanship,” says Host Committee man Fred Druding. “We “take them around, showing them the city and playing host.”

Even if your only experience with boxing is a Simon and Garfunkel song, this night of amateur boxing still has a lot to offer…

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By: Katie Thompson

I’m ashamed to say this but I hadn’t actually seen Man Man until last week at the Pop Montreal festival. For about two years now people have been telling me to go see them because they’re one of Philadelphia’s best live bands. True story; those dudes put on an amazing show both musically and visually. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the tunes translated live and I was astounded by both band and audience for going nuts for the duration of the show.

This was no small show, either; it was held at Sala Rossa, one of Montreal’s most popular mid-sized venues. The show was sold out in advance and by the looks of things, the entire room was completely filled. The energy in the room was insane and it made for a very strange and surreal evening. Lesson learned; when people tell you to go see a band, skip school and drive ten hours to see them at an international music festival. Or just wait for them to return and play a hometown show in Philadelphia. Whichever.

Man Man
http://www.wearemanman.com/
http://www.myspace.com/wearemanman

More photos after the jump!

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Photo by Mahera Rana

On Sept 29th – 30th, dozens of volunteers convened at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia in center city for Humanitarian Day, an ambitious event distributing food, clothing, hygienic products and medical screening to hundreds of homeless men and women organized by the Islamic Relief organization.

On paper, Islamic Relief’s humanitarian D-Day sounds good, with the predictable assembly of press release promises. Seeing it first hand, however, was enough to bring a smile to the face of the most hardened cynic (read: most Philadelphians following the previous day’s Phillies loss).

Volunteers ran the gamut of age and ethnicity in a transcendent afternoon of feel goodery perhaps best described as a sort of Muslim Two-Street (minus eating weird Mummer soup and string bands), with everyone wearing their most earnest and unabashed idealist vision on their sleeves.

When the group first opened the front gates to the church, a line had already formed stretching over half a city block. Despite the impressive demand, Islamic Relief volunteers kept the crowds moving with an efficient assembly line that got the job done while making folks on either side feel a little brighter inside.

Judging from that weekend, Islamic Relief has got to be one of best charities when it comes to spreading humor and cheer along with the necessities.

Islamic Relief – Humanitarian Day
http://www.irw.org/campaigns/humanitarianday