October 22, 2007
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.
October 19, 2007
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/
October 19, 2007
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
October 18, 2007
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…
October 17, 2007
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!
October 16, 2007
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
October 12, 2007
Jay Reatard, Lost Cause, Eat Forever, Women
First Unitarian Church, 22nd and Chestnut
- or -
The Sw!ms, The New Motels, American Princes, The Squaaks
The Khyber, 56 S 2nd
Go to the trashy fun punk show at the church or the raucous pop show at the Khyber. You can bring your underage cousins to the church, you can drink beer at the Khyber. You can “rawk” at both and neither costs all that much. 8/9pm, both $8.
Living Legends with Large Professor
Fluid, 613 S 4th St
- or -
Making Time with special guests Digitalism and Pink Skull Transit
600 Spring Garden
Later in the night, go check out the latest installment of the Living Legends hip hop series, this time with Large Professor(!) at Fluid, or let your ears and heart bleed neon at the infamous monthly Making Time. Living Legends is $10 at the door and Making Time is $12. Both go until at least 2am.
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Spiral Q Open Puppet Builds
Clark Park, 43rd and Baltimore
In anticipation of Spiral Q Puppet Theater’s upcoming annual Peoplehood parade, they’re doing free puppet building workshops in Clark Park most Saturdays and Sundays. Noon, free.
Rizumu presents Octave One
The Vacuum, 2nd and Tilghman
If you didn’t go dancing on Friday because you were saving energy until the next opportunity to rave until dawn, well, here it is. $10, byob. 11pm-6am.
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Kidd Jordan Trio
Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St.
Edward “Kidd” Jordan has played with Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, Ellis Marsalis, Cannonball Adderley, Ed Blackwell, Julius Hemphill, Alvin Batiste and zillions of others. He’s been knighted in France. On Sunday he’ll be playing saxophones, with Joel Futterman on piano/sax/indian flute and Alvin Fielder on drums. 8pm, $12.
Rutu Modan
Free Library, Central Branch, 1901 Vine St
Modan is a killer Israeli comix artist who you may have seen in the New York Times or the New Yorker. Her recent graphic novel, Exit Wounds, is about a Tel Aviv cabbie trying to figure out if his dad got killed in a suicide bombing. You can read an excerpt here. 2pm, free.
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ONGOING
FaerieCon
Faeriecon – the international convention for all things faerie – is up in the convention center this weekend. It’s hosted by Brian Froud (responsible for, among many other things, this). Depending on how you look at it, there are a hundred hilarious and/or awesome events going on in conjunction with this, including two Faerie Balls (one for good faeries and one for bad) at the Troc. Weekend tickets are $47, but it’s worth noting that you can blow your 12-and-under D&D kid’s mind for free on Sunday.
Rotorfest
1220 American Boulevard, West Chester, PA 19380
Saturday and Sunday in West Chester is Rotorfest, the American Helicopter Museum’s annual all-copter air show. This is on the weekend picks because there is no other non-catastrophic way you are getting a cheap helicopter ride anywhere else in the area this weekend. Read more about it here and bring your kids.
$10/$5 kids, 10am-4:30pm both days.
October 12, 2007
I’ve come across several sections of the Cobbs Creek Bikeway in my travels over the last week. I’ve recently moved to The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at 86th and Lindbergh Blvd and have been exploring my new neighborhood and ways to get to it from downtown. I first came across the bikeway right at Cobbs Creek Park where it is an off-the-street paved path separated by the street by curb, barrier or guard rail. This section is quite beautiful as it is shaded by the parks many sycamores and pines. Along the park wit hit’s stone bridges and towering tress one feels like you are in the county and not a residential city neighborhood.
I’ve also come across Cobbs Creek Bikeway along Elmwood and Buist Aves in Eastwick near 80th and Lindbergh Blvd. This section is a bike lane on a pre-existing street. Although not separated from the street and alongside a park, this section is also quite beautiful for the nice small town feeling Eastwick has with its many single and twin homes and large yards. Another section I found is along 84th St down to Bartram Ave.
I did some looking around online about the bikeway but could not come up with anything official on a city website. Apparently, rumor-has-it, the bikeway will run from 63rd and Market St to Philadelphia International Airport. There will be a side trail that links the bikeway with John Heinz National Refuge.
John Heinz National Refugehttp://www.fws.gov/northeast/heinz/
Cobbs Creek Park
http://www.fairmountpark.org/CobbsCreekPark.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobbs_Creek
October 12, 2007
After years of saying, “I’m going to learn to play the piano,” or “I’m going to learn to ride horses,” I’ve finally decided to live out one of my other childhood dreams. No, not going to a tony prepschool or riding yachts in madras outfits–TAP DANCING!
Years after whining, “I wish I knew how to tap dance! “, I finally did some research and found a dance studio in my ‘hood. I made an appointment and now I’m all set for private tap lessons at The Dancer’s Studio on East Passyunk.
At $35 for a 45-minute session, the money is a stretch, but I think it’s worth it for my well-being. Dancers have the option of group classes or private lessons with one of several instructors. I didn’t fit the bill for group lessons (both in experience and availability), so I decided on private lessons. The lessons are available in 30, 45 or hour-long increments.
Now I have to go get tap shoes!
The Dancers Studio
1621 East Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 271-6277
October 11, 2007
This place is beautiful! And in Philly, an amazing bike ride through Fairmount Park gets you there in no time. Shofuso is one of those hidden treasures that is sure to delight you once you find out about and get yourself there. Nestled in West Fairmount Park, near the Horticulture Center, around the bend from Memorial Hall, the future location of the Please Touch Museum, the tea house and garden is the perfect day-date or meditation location.
Entering the front gate you feel immediately at ease, and transported out of Philly, out of the country to Japan. Once you have paid and take your shoes off, paper booties are supplied, you are free to walk around.
The traditional 17th century shoin style house opens at the front to a beautiful garden, waterfall and all. With the garden at your back you can set your gaze on the atmospheric murals that have been permanently installed recently by Hiroshi Senju. Step out of your row home and into the park, and discover Shofuso, this month is the last month of its open season.
It can also be rented for weddings!
Open May-October
10 am – 4 pm Tuesday – Friday
11 am – 5 pm Saturday & Sunday
Admission
$5.00 Adults
$3.00 Seniors, Students with ID, Groups with reservations
Free Members
Shofuso in Fairmount Park
Belmont Ave & Montgomery Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19131
(215) 878-5097
info@shofuso.com
www.shofuso.com
