June 7, 2010
Eastern State at Dusk, Photo courtesy Eastern State Penitentiary
This Saturday and Sunday, June 12th and 13th, Eastern State Penitentiary is offering up a special tour of the Bertillion, also known as the parole and intake offices. Added to Eastern State in 1944, these offices include “record rooms, showers, photography rooms, and a dark room.”
These days, the area has been retrofitted into staff offices, but still retain a lot of the original architechture… including bullet holes in some of the windows! You’ll get to check out the offices and see all sorts of artifacts that tell the story of this interesting space in Eastern State.
The tour is $12 for the general public, free for historic site members. For more info on Eastern State, visit their official website.
Eastern State Penitentiary
22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130
(215) 236-3300
www.easternstate.org
May 17, 2010
It might not come as much of a surprise to find out that former officers from Eastern State Penitentiary enjoy visiting the historic prison, and reminiscing about their time spent working there. But the fact that former inmates return to the prison to remember old times… that might seem a little odd. But it happens, and you’re invited to welcome them back this Saturday.
At 1:30pm on Saturday, May 22nd, alumni from the prison (workers and prisoners alike) will gather with the public for a talk, sharing memories about the towering prison in Fairmount.
According to Eastern State, “previous discussions have addressed work details, recreation, race relations and daily life for inmates and officers.” Come join in and ask some questions. The roundtable talk is free with admission.
Alumni Reunion @ Eastern State Penitentiary
Saturday, May 22nd, 1:30pm
May 11, 2010
Last week, Eastern State Penitentiary announced their 2010 season with a fun video detailing their plans for the year. The 142 Years of Architecture Tour, the awesome tower cam, and of course, some new artist installations.
This Friday, May 14th, Eastern State is hosting a reception for the 2010 artists from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. The event is free and open to the public, granting visitors a rare chance to visit the historic prison after-hours.
Stop by and check out the new works of Mary DeWitt (Pardon Me), Bill Morrison and Vijay Iyer (Release), and Shanon O’Mara (Victim Impact Statement).
More information on the individual installments can be found on Eastern State’s official website.
Eastern State Penitentiary
22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130
(215) 236-3300
www.easternstate.org
May 6, 2010
The folks over at Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia’s spookiest urban ruin, are so excited for their 2010 season that they’ve made a video in order to better share all the new exhibitions and specialty tours they’re offering this year. There are new artist installations, a new tour entitled 142 Years of Architecture and the very cool tower cam.
Additionally, ESP decided that this was the year to jump on board the social media revolution. Check them out on Facebook and Twitter! Follow those accounts to get the latest updates on ticket specials, ESP events and news on this year’s Terror Behind the Walls (it kicks off on September 17).
May 5, 2010
Looking for an incredibly unique way to spend Mother’s Day? Why not spend the day inside a historic prison?
Eastern State Penitentiary is offering up free canvas tote bags to all moms visiting with their kids (of any age!), with the price of admission this Sunday, May 9th.
Eastern State Penitentiary
22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130
(215) 236-3300
www.easternstate.org
April 19, 2010
This weekend, the neighborhood of Fairmount will be bursting with local art, live music, restaurant deals, hands-on activities and more for the annual Fairmount Arts Crawl. The yearly festival takes place around Fairmount Avenue between 20th and 25th Streets, with free events galore.
Visitors can expect exhibits from local and national artists, and can browse through a number of paintings, prints, photos, sculptures, and mixed-media pieces at several different galleries, restaurants, and boutiques. Check out the entire list of artists participating, and where they’ll be, right here.
Mural Arts will also host an exhibit, showcasing an upcoming mural on the corner of 24th & Fairmount. Two mural artists, Phillip Adams and David
Guinn, will be at the festival, explaining the new mural and the process for developing the design.
For more information on the The Fairmount Arts Crawl, be sure to visit their official website. They even have a video available from last year’s event. Check it out.
The Fairmount Arts Crawl
Sunday, April 25, 2010, 2pm-6pm
www.fairmountartscrawl.com
April 1, 2010
Eastern State at Dusk, Photo courtesy Eastern State Penitentiary
As much as you might want to, you can’t climb up the massive guard towers at Eastern State Penitentiary. According to the prison, they were “literally built to resist a riot” which “makes this impossible.” Sorry everyone.
However, Eastern State Penitentiary understands your desire to climb up, look over the prison, and view Philadelphia’s cityspace from the hulking towers. Which is why they’re opening a new exhibit, TowerCam.
TowerCam features HD, remote-controlled cameras in the guard towers, giving visitors the chance to see what Eastern State’s guards would have seen. The views will be on display on two extra large plasma TVs.
The new exhibit launches on Saturday, April 10th. Check it out, and see what Philadelphia landmarks you can spot from the prison’s guard towers.
Eastern State Penitentiary
22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130
(215) 236-3300
www.easternstate.org
March 23, 2010
On March 29th and March 30th, Fairmount’s London Grill will host their annual Passover event; a special Seder Dinner. According to the restaurant, this $40, four-course prix-fixe meal will feature “modern interpretations of traditional dishes.”
Highlights from the menu include traditional items like gefilte fish, Matzah ball soup, and braised brisket, as well as new dishes like poached wild sea bass with braised artichokes, roasted veal breast with spring herbs, and braised lamb shank with olives and preserved lemon.
The bar is celebrating as well, with unique cocktails through the holiday, including:
Manischewitz Martini
concord grape Manischewitz, Krahn gin, bitters and lemon
Sweet Miriam’s Revenge
vanilla vodka with blood orange juice, orange flower water and orange bitters
The 11th Plague
Manischewitz with walnut liqueur, vodka, rhubarb bitters, horseradish and matzah crumb garnish.
All of these cocktails are modestly priced, at $9 each.
Can’t make it to the London Grill for Passover? Don’t worry, items from the special menu will be available a la carte through Monday, April 5th, along with the Passover cocktails.
Uwishunu blogger Mikey Il tried out the London Grill not too long ago. Read up about what he thought, here.
London Grill
2301 Fairmount Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19130
(215) 978-4545
www.londongrill.com
Twitter: @LondonGrill
March 1, 2010
Photo courtesy Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary is known for a lot of things. Terror Behind the Walls, the Bastille Day celebration, and of course, its place in American history. But Eastern State is also a place for art. The prison features a lot of artwork, from sculptures, to photography, to large scale installation pieces.
On Monday, March 16th, Eastern State opens up a new art installation, Release, created by filmmaker Bill Morrison and composer Vijay Iyer. The installation presents edited archival footage of the 1930 release of Al Capone, set to Iyer’s composition.
Visitors can watch the 12 minute piece in the cell next to Capone’s. Release will be running through November 30th, 2010, corresponding to the 80th anniversary of Capone’s release from the penitentiary.
Eastern State Penitentiary
22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130
(215) 236-3300
www.easternstate.org
February 11, 2010
A cute cupcake at Mugshots Coffeehouse
If you are on the hunt for a little local nook to call your own, Mugshots just might be the place for you! With a focus on fair-trade and organic ingredients, Mugshots has a variety of coffees, teas and recovery shakes. There is a hot, cold, iced or frozen drink option for everyone’s tastebuds.
Aside from an array of beverage choices, Mugshots features a seasonal menu with a focus on local and organic produce. There is a wide range of breakfast choices (with eggs from local pastured hens), sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads.
The food is fresh, the vegetables are crisp and the atmosphere is quite mellow. With the free wi-fi (with purchase), this is a nice peaceful little place to zone out on your laptop, have coffee with a friend, or just enjoy some time to yourself.
Mugshots’ pumpkin soup, served with a side salad
The pumpkin soup has become a favorite of mine from Mugshots, especially during the cold winter months. The flavors explode in my mouth, put a smile on my face and warm my heart. The soup alone keeps me coming back for more.
Check Mugshots out for yourself!
Mugshots Coffee House
2106 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130
(267) 514-7145
www.mugshotscoffeehouse.com
