Philadelphia, PA

Independence Day is an important holiday in our country, but it also holds a special significance to Philadelphia. If you all remember back to 3rd grade history class, you’ll recall that the Declaration of Independence was signed at Independence Hall, then known as the Pennsylvania State House. All this week, I’ll be providing you historic information on Philadelphia, and the roll it played in bringing about our nation’s independence.

Photo credited to Britannica.com

But first, I’ll provide you with this week’s calendar of events.

Sunoco Welcome America
From History and culture to food and entertainment, Sunoco presents the week long Welcome America celebration. It started June 28th and continues up to the 4th of July.
Sun the 1st is the Fair on the Square, and all day event with food and amusement activities in Rittenhouse Square.
July 2nd, the Kimmel center invits you to Go 4th and Learn; explore a world of music with interactive games and activities.
On July 3rd, the place to be is on the Avenue of the Arts, for live music, food, FREE salsa lessons, and more!
and of course, july 4th… there will be cake at the National Constitution Center at noon, a parade starting at 7pm, and concerts with fireworks starting at 8:30 pm.
Click here for a full list of Welcome America events.

Other Events
The City Tavern in Old City, was the site of the first 4th of July celebration. This year, you can continue the tradition with all day festivities and culinary delights.

July 5th, the fireworks may be over, but the fun isn’t. From July 4th thru July 8th, Shove Productions Presents the 2nd Annual BROTHERLY SHOVE FEST - “SO CALLED INDIE NIGHT” at the Trocadero Theater(1003 Arch Street). Tickets are $14 adv./ $16 day of show, doors open at 6 pm.

July 6th marks the first Friday in July, as well as First Friday at the galleries of Philadelphia, from 5pm-9pm. First Friday is an on-going event on the first friday of every month (as if it wasn’t obvious), where 40-plus galleries around the city open their doors to art lovers abound. Free food & drink and a sociable atmosphere, much like an opening night in SoHo, only better. Most galleries can be found in Old City between Front and Third, and Market and Vine Streets, which is where i usually hang hit up.

And now for an event you won’t find on the tourist sites. Making Time, with Simian Mobile Disco. Making Time is a dance party event started by Dave Pianka 7 years ago. “It was meant to be a one-off. My goal was to have a great party and make people freak out,” said Pianka. You too can “freak out” from 9 pm- 3:30 am this friday, Jul. 6th, at Pure nightclub. Maybe I’ll see you there!

Independence Hall, 4th of July, Welcome America, The City Tavern, First Friday, Making Time, Simian Mobile Disco, Pure Night Club

When I was a little girl, I can remember going to the zoo with my family. I especially loved going in the petting zoo and being able to feed the animals. Although I am much older now, the Philadelphia zoo still holds a special fascination for me. So many things have changed at the zoo, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the zoo’s love for animals.

In December, 1995, a fire broke out in the primate house killing 23 of the animals housed there. Five years ago, the zoo opened the Peco Primate Preserve.

Today the zoo offers a wide variety of things to see and do, from the concerts which go on during the summer and are free with admission, to the Channel 6 weather balloon.

Come on down to the zoo and have a look. It will be an experience you will never forget.

Made it through another week of work, now what?

Bar Specials
It made not be the 4th of July yet, but Finnigin’s Wake is ready to party like it is! Finnigin’s (3rd and spring garden) is hosting a 4th of July VIP celebration. $10 gets you in with an open bar of Coors Light, mixed well drinks, and food from 9PM-11PM. Sign up at philly2night.com to get on the list!

Suburbanites, don’t feel like going into the city? Reed’s in Blue Bell(1486 skipback pk) offers $1 Coors light bottles all night long. You can even get your groove on to DJ MIAMI and some great local bands. Tonight’s live band is The Union.

And tommorow night…
Hungry for some authentic cajun and southern grub? Check out Bourbon Blue on main st in Manayunk. Now featuring Party bands every Saturday night 10pm-2am, with $2.50 Coors light.

And thats just a quick sample of whats going on at philly’s bars. You can find out more specials at Philly2Night.com. They let you search events based on date, atmosphere and neighborhood.

Music
** June 29th at 7:30, World Cafe Live (3025 walnut street) is hosting The Kin, Australian brothers Isaac and Thorry Koren. The Kin will be performing songs from their new CD Rise and Fall. Billboard calls their live performance a humbling experience. Come witness their unique sound, complete with their drummer (named Shakerleg) who plays without sticks! Tickets $10-14.

*** Sat. June 30th 11am-6 pm (raindate 7/14), is the first realizePhiladelphia Music & Arts Festival, a FREE community/family event benefiting PennFuture, and will be held in the 2-acre Liberty Lands Park, 3rd & poplar, in Northern Liberties. For a full schedule of activities that will be held continuously throughout the day visit realizePhiladelphia.net. The festival will exemplify emerging Philadelphia culture by providing a forum for networking and collaboration among various communities in the region. There will be an exchange of cultural resources, involving: music, multimedia, art installations, fashion, poetry, clowns, comedy, environmental and health advocates, local politics, spiritual groups, organizations and forward thinking businesses.

***Family/ Kid Friendly
Friday June 29th through Sunday July 1st, Penn’s Landing Corporation is sponsoring the Super Scooper Ice Cream Festival(Penn’s Landing - Great Plaza, Chestnut Street and Columbus Boulevard- on the Riverfront ). A $5 donation earns you all the ice cream you can eat and all proceeds go towards Joshua Kahan Fund, fighting to cure Pediatric Leukemia. The Super Scooper Ice Cream Pavilion is open from 12-5 pm and 6-10 pm on June 29 and 30, and July 1 from 12-5 pm.

Photo credited to phillyfunguide.com

I’ve only highlighted a few events that happened to strike my fancy, but theres plenty more going on in the Philly area. For a full calendar of events, you can visit gophila.com or phillyfunguide.com.

Drink Specials, Finnigin’s Wake, Reed’s in Blue Bell, Bourbon Blue, World Cafe Live, Music fesitivals, Ice cream festivals, Joshua Kahan Fund

Photo taken from septa.org

For any of you who travel public transit, you can sympathize with me…SEPTA(Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) can be your best friend and your worst enemy in the same day. Its nice not having to worry about driving when there’s traffic in the morning. And the traffic on the Schuykill expressway or 95 certainly is no picnic. Then once in the city theres all those one way streets that you don’t have to worry about which way is which. And the best part, you don’t have to worry about Parking! Its also economical and good for the enviroment. (we save gas when we ride together)
Ah, but it has its drawbacks doesn’t it? Like being a slave to its schedule. The past couple days I’ve found myself having to run to catch at least one of my buses. But one early bus did lead to me catching another early bus and getting home a lot faster so i guess that was an upside too….but i’m getting off track.
The purpose of this post is to talk about the decision to increase transportation fares. There has been much debate over the past several months as to what should be done to address the $150 million deficit in the operating budget. The fare increase was proposed earlier this year to be effective July 1, but was then vetoed by two Philadelphia representatives, Christian DiCicco and Jettie Newkirk.
Today, the SEPTA board voted in favor, 13-2, for a new budget that will increase bus, subway and rail fares by an average of 11 percent on July 9. The board also approved a “doomsday” plan that would cut services and increase fares up to 24 percent if in the event that legislation doesn’t up the annual state funding by about $100 million. Only half of SEPTA’s opperating budget comes from fares, the other half depending apon state and local government contribution.

I’m not looking forward to increase, however, its the lesser of two evils to having services cut. Unfortunatly I, as well as many others, am dependant upon public transportation to get to work. Hmm, would it be worth buying a car? But between higher gas prices and higher transportation fares, I’m begining to feel the increasing pressure of being caught between a rock and a hard place.

What are your thoughts on the transportation situation? Yay or nay to the fare increase? What would you suggest to make up for the lack of funds needed?

For more information on todays decision, see the article from philly.com.
And for more on the specific changes in fares, check out SEPTA’s offical site.

SEPTA, bus, train, public transportation, transportation fares, fare increase

Another quick note before the day is done…I have lots of ideas for the blog flying around in my head, but if you have any ideas of things you’d like to see me write about, please let me know! I encourage comments as well as criticism. thanks!
ok, night all!

I’m going to make this short because it is way too hot to sit at my computer in my un-airconditioned house. blah. (by the way, current temp. is 94 degrees!!!) but anyway…just a quick HELLO! and welcome to the new and improved Philly blog! :]
no offense to previous writers, but this blog has been lacking. So here i am to breathe new life into what i hope will become an informative guide about Philadelphia for those in the city, surrouding areas, or just looking to visit. I plan to feature facts, events, hot spots, restaurants/bars, and various other random things that have to do with the city of brotherly love. I’ll go into more detail (perhaps tomorrow) about those different categories.
for now, i’m off to find a cool place to relax. I suggest yous all do the same. Peace!

What have you done my dear beloved city? Is it true there’s no more hope for a bright tommorow and the only thing you can be sure of is the death of another of our sons or daughters and the hands of the souless idiots that run loose through your once joyfull nieghborhoods? What can be done to reverse the evil? Who can be held accountable for this travesty? The politicians will do no more than plan a meeting. The Clergy will light candles and march when it’s safe or the TV cameras are hot. The Police who nobody calls until it’s too late, will be happy to send the city coroner to pick up the remains of the young but dying existence who will no longer smile or root for their favorite team, that will no longer eat the Cheesesteak or Hoagies or feel the beat of the newest tune uploaded to the ipod. That soul is GONE No mound of Teddy Bears or grease painted windows asking to rest in peace will explain the value that was lost for nothing. Who was he or she that may or may not have been the wonderful earth bound angel that the funeral brochure will claim? Will the helpful nieghbor who washes away the blood from the sidewalk really care or is this just a task that needed to be done and the sooner the better.

The babies????? You’re letting the babies die too. Say it isn’t so. Again I ask you,,, who is responsible for this? Lets blame the police. They’re always good for misdirected finger pointing. I mean they’ll stop an innocent citizen for no other reason than he’s a minority or he is recognized from a previous run in. Lets face it, they’ll beat the hell out of you and me for wearing the wrong hairstyles right? How about the politicians that are to busy campaigning for that good public service gig with those undeserved perks as well as the “under the table” kickbacks and Eagles tickets. That’s only if they get time away from the corruption investigations. Nah, lets go after the Holy men. They worry Jesus and Allajh to death, take the donations and are nowhere to be found until the police or politicians screw up. ??? No wait, how ’bout we blame you Philadelphia? You who go about your lives hoping that the weather’s good and the daily number matches your picks. You work hard at your job, pay them bills, raise the kids and look forward to the weekend. Right? For the sake of argument agree, OK? Would it be asking too much to devote a little time to the very area you have to pass through everyday? “*&^%^^@@#! Bu bu bu but, what can I do? I’m busy, It ain’t my problem. It’s drugs and Rap music or Heavy metal. It’s MTV or BET, it’s the blacks, it’s the White’s, it the imigrants, it’s George Bush.” The George Bush excuse almost works for me but he’s got enough on his plate already that he ordered up but doesn’t wanna eat.

No my fellow Philly Folk, it’s us. Yes it’s all us. We sat by and lets these things happen. We’ve lost our voices. We look for blame instead of damning the shame. What the hell is the “homicide count”? Is there a cuttoff point or are we trying to break a record by every Dec. 31st? So what to do, what to do? Hey! Lets all buy guns and shoot back????? Nah. Lets keep the kids in the house especially the ones between 13 and 27. Why not just join in with the retards that think they’re cool by randomly firing a gun while running away or driving by. Don’t like any of those ideas huh? How’z bout this.

Get together with some of the nieghbors and create a weekend nieghborhood gathering. No theme, just a gathering. Introduce yourselves. Talk about things. Share some ideas about what it would take to turn your area around. Don’t be cheap. Order up some KFC or Pizza.

Coordinate this with the police department and just have a car or two be there.

Figure out where the closest recreation center is and find out what it has to offer and what you and your new friends can do to enhance the possibilities.

Now this is where the human factor comes into play. Develope an corporation of sort. Pick chairmans, secretaries, idea developers. Of course egos may get bruised but keep the bigger picture in focus.

None but the brave will be required for this next activity. Have scouts and spotters. Folks that will call the police any and everytime the unsavory element shows it’s face. If they gather at the corner. If it looks like there’s illegal substance transactions about to take place. When the 17 year old jr high school drop out pulls up with his Escalade. Basically all the things that have become the trumpets of trouble. The warning signs that have been ignored too long. Will any of this work and turn the tide of violence and decay? I wish I could swear to you that it will. What is the alternative? Accepting fear and death for the children is all that’s been the norm. So try it,

“I am the great OZ, you dare to come to me for a playoff berth? You stumbling, bumbling, overpaid, money grubbing bunch of playoff missin’ whiffle ballers.” Our beloved team would indeed need the gracious Wizard to grant them heart, courage and some brains. What in the devil is this team all about? They’ve got the money they wanted. They have one of the best sports facilities in baseball. The fans come out in droves. They’ve rid themselves of what was felt by many as “Soft Players” like Abreu and Lieberthal. Many loyal fans look for reasons that point soley to ownership and the front office. “They’re stupid Millionares that have no clue about running a team. They care more about hiring friends of a friend than getting real baseball people to run the show.” All this maybe true but, would it help any if the players on the field performed up to at least contractural expectations?

There are worse ownerships as well as teams that pay what could be considered as minimum wages and guess what? Some of those teams excel and make the post season. Some of those teams rid themselves of high priced players then become winners. What do I think the problem with own Phillies is today and has been for the last few seasons? First of all it may help if they stopped paying players just because they’re afraid of losing them to free agency. Where is it written that a Chase Utley would decide he no longer wanted to be a Phillie? Is Ryan Howard counting the days until he can become a St Louis Cardinal? There is no way of knowing until that time comes but in the meantime we have to sit through another season of comical baseball. What would be wrong with, “Fella’s, we put a good team together. Go out and win something and we’ll give you the ATM pin, also, if you’re coming from a winners situation it will only make you more attractive if you decide to file for free agency.” Last season was one heck of a roller coaster ride if I ever saw one. They started bad, got better, became atrocious, cleanned house and for the last two months were the most exciting team we’ve had around here since 1993.

This season has been more of the same. Up down, up down, who was that team that looked like the so-called team to beat then turned into a Sunday School softball picnic team with no gloves while fathers and mothers help little jr. hold the bat while he or she swings, then showing them what direction to run if they make contact? Is this our Phillies? Yyyyyyyyyyyes. Ok, enough beating up my favorite team. with more than 100 games to go and more talent than we’ve had in years, I think they’re gonna right the ship and surprise all those Eagles fans in early October who root for a team that’s really only a few Alter boys better than our Church team because they DO make the post season with regularity but stab us in the heart with the same dull popcicle stick when all is said and done.

This site is currently in need of a blogger. If you have any interest in writing about this city, feel free to submit an application at 451 Press.

Thank you

451 Press, Philadelphia, Blogger Wanted