Philadelphia, PA

When I wrote up the last Upcoming Events, some how I missed that starting today(through July 24th) is the PIGLFF, Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival!

The Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival is sexy, enticing, surprising and fun - showcasing nearly 200 films from around the globe, featuring world premieres, sneak previews, classic revivals and more, all in the comfort of cushy seats and air-conditioned theaters down Broad Street and throughout the Gayborhood…

…With a reputation, the parties and receptions are dazzling and fabulous, with a different event every night of the week! From dance parties to bowling and billiards, leather bars to ice cream socials, kinky Quizzo to lavish riverfront views - audiences will enjoy outdoor screenings on South Street and at Penn’s Landing, with stops in between at a dynamite array of queer-friendly bars, restaurants, hotels and clubs.
(quoted from the PIGLFF official website)

The centerpiece screenings are Out at the Wedding (jul 13 & 15) Itty Bitty Titty Committee (jul 14 & 15), Hairspray (jul 19th), The Witnesses (jul 19 & 21) and The Bubble (jul 20 & 22).
Also look for appearances by drag superstar, Rupaul, Anthony Rapp from the movie Rent and many others! For more information, check out the official program guide.

Technorati Profile

PIGLFF, Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Gay & Lesbian, Hairspray, Rupal, Antony Rapp

Check out this Cititizens Bank Park promotion:

Bring your Phillies home game ticket into a participating Citizens Bank branch and receive a free gift.

You’ll automatically be entered to win our Grand Prize - an opportunity to hit on-field at Citizens Bank Park, where you could win $10,000.

It’s that easy.

Visit any participating branch to enter.

Bring your ticket from any Phillies home game into participating Citizens Bank branches from April 25 through August 31, 2007 to be entered for a chance to win two tickets to the September 30th Phillies home game, as well as the opportunity to go on-field and compete for $10,000!

See a banker for details and official rules.

Visit the Phillies homepage to see a complete calendar with ballpark promotions, giveaways and specials.

P.S. for you phillies fans of the non-meat eating variety…my pal Sal wrote a post about CB Park’s vegetarian menu over on her blog at livingwithoutmeat.com

Phillies, Citizens Bank Park, Citizens Bank Promotions, Phillies Promotions, Phillies tickets, Philadelphia vegetarians

Oops, I almost forgot….

July 12th-13th
blogphiladelphia. I unfortunately didn’t find out about this until today and it already full. dang it. maybe they’ll have it again next year. If you are going, you’ll have to tell me about it and i’ll quote you on in a post.

July 14th
2nd Saturday in Manayunk. This month Main Street Manayunk partners with Alex’s Lemonade to take a stand against Childhood Cancer.

mur.mur celebrates its first birthday at the Borgata

July 19th
Bleu Martini is proud to present the release of this hit movie of the summer. Bleu Martini will be full of surprises all night long. Starting with a complimentary Hor D’Oeurves and FREE Drinks. For more, see their post on philly2night.com

Click for a list of Philly Summertime events as well as a list of Family Friendly events and actitivites brought to you
by phillyfunguide.com

Ralph Bernstein, who was known for his difficult questions to both coaches and players of Philadelphia teams for almost 50 years, died this past Saturday of cancer. Ralph Bernstein was very well liked and respected for his knowledge and his fervor.

You can read the complete story at The CBS Sportsline web site.

I mentioned in a previous post that SEPTA was going to increase fares 11 percent, and today those new prices went into effect. Weekly passes will cost $20.75, up from $18.75; monthly passes will rise to $78 from $70, and day passes will be $6 instead of $5.50. And as of now, there wil be no service cuts. The new fares will bring the the 2008 budget down to $100 million, with hopes that state Legislature will cover with a mass-transit funding stream. If all goes well, there won’t be the need to to execute the “doomsday” plan that would raise fares 24 percent with service cuts.
But the real concern now is that people will try to avoid the high prices and find alternatives to public transportation. SEPTA officials already expect 22,000 less daily riders. They can only hope the increasing gas prices will be enough to keep riders on the buses and trains. (See here for more of the SEPTA fare crisis.)

Pennsylvania’s budgeting problems aren’t exclusive to public transportation. State parks, museums and drivers licence offices have been temporarily closed. (You can click here to read a full article from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Or visit Myfoxphilly.com to find out what else has been effected.)

So what can you do to help? First and foremost, continue to support public services, including public transportation. You can also contact your local representative in Harrisburg and let them know how the budget crisis is effecting you. (If you don’t know who you representative is, you can look them up here.)

Budget crisis, SEPTA, fare increase

I had a busy weekend and i’m very tire so this will probably be a short post. I’ll just tell you a litle bit about said busy weekend.

Friday night, I went to Making Time at Pure. We hung out at the bar downstairs while waiting for the show to start. Colt 45s were free till 9-11 so i managed to get in a couple and I was feeling pretty good. Simian Mobile Disco were awesome to say the least. The undersized dance floor was packed but the energy in the room was intoxicating….or maybe that was the alcohol….

blurry photo of SMD taken on my cellphone

Late Sat afternoon I took the train into Manayunk to meet up with my friend. I popped into Main St. Music while I was waiting for her to get into town. New music in my posession= Mùm-Finally We Are No One and Dntel-Dumb Luck.
Dinner was at our favorite restaurant on main street, Winnie’s le Bus. I highly recommend it, and i think i might have to write about le Bus in it’s own post a little later.

ok, lame post. Give me a break, i’m tired. Now time for a shower and hopefully bed early. Ha! Yeah right.

pure, making time, simian mobile disco, manayunk, main st music, winnie’s le bus

After Wednesday’s fake out, its finally time for the weekend. And time for the list of weekend events.

Friday, July 6th
As i mentioned in a previous blog, tonight i’ll be going to Making Time at Pure night club, with Simian Mobile Disco. I’ve never been to a Making Time before, but from what i here its a good time. Live indie electro music. $10. 9-11pm open bar!!! Rock on. If I don’t see you there, i’ll let you know how it goes.
Today is also First Friday. From 5-9pm, galleries all around Philly open their doors with food, drink, and fantastic art. And its all FREE!

Saturday, July 7th
Like Cult Classic Movies? Like Old School Movie Theaters? Like men in corsets and fish net stalkings? Then it’s worth a trip to the Philly suburbs to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville. If you’ve never been to a showing of Rocky Horror, then be prepare for intreactive veiwing experience like no other. Come in costume if you’d like, and be ready to shout out lines with the rest of the audience. Tickets are $10 and the show starts at 10 pm. This show is not suitable for children, anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

And don’t forget to check out Philly2night.com for a full list of bar specials all around philadelphia.

First Fridays, Making Time, Dance Party, Pure Nightclub, Simian Mobile Disco, Cult Classics, Colonial Theatre, Rocky Horror

photo from Nationalgeographic.com

In June 1776, Betsy Ross was a widow struggling to run her own upholstery business. Upholsterers in colonial America not only worked on furniture but did all manner of sewing work, which for some included making flags. According to Betsy, in May the Congressional Committee called upon her at her shop. General Washington showed her a rough design of the flag that included a six-pointed star. Betsy, a standout with the scissors, demonstrated how to cut a five-pointed star in a single snip. Impressed, the committee entrusted Betsy with making our first flag. She finished the flag between late May and early June 1776, in time for the signing of the Declaration Of Independence in July. On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress, seeking to promote national pride and unity, adopted the national flag. “Resolved: that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”

The Betsy Ross House is located in Old City Philadelphia, 239 Arch Street, between 2nd and 3rd street. It is open for tours 7 days a week from 10am-5pm. The suggested donation is $5 for adults and $2 for children.
Ross never owned this house, but rented here between the years of 1773 and 1786. The house was built about 1740 and consists of 2-1/2 floors and nine rooms.

Click here for more information on the Besty Ross House.

Besty Ross, Besty Ross House, American Flag, five pointed star

Happy Forth of July everyone!!!

We may celebrate the Forth, but there were a lot of other important dates before and after that, involving our countries independence.
New Englanders had been fighting Britain since April 1775. The first motion in the Continental Congress for independence was made on June 4, 1776. After hard debate, the Congress voted unanimously, but secretly, for independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain on July 2. The Congress reworked the text of the Declaration until a little after eleven o’clock, July 4, when the twelve colonies voted for adoption and released a copy signed only by John Hancock, President of the Congress, to the printers. (The New York delegation abstained from both votes.)
Philadelphia celebrated the Declaration with public readings and bonfires on July 8. Not until August 2 would a fair printing be signed by the members of the Congress, but even that was kept secret to protect the members from British reprisals.
But it was on July 4th that Philadelphians heard the official news of independence from the Continental Congress, as opposed to rumors in the street about secret votes. And that is why we celebrate on the 4th of July.

Honoring the Day
In 1777, Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary with an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews and fireworks. Ships were decked with red, white and blue bunting. All familiar traditions we still carry out today.
In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day a holiday, albeit unpaid, for federal employees. But in 1941, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day a federal paid holiday.

So don we now our patriotic apparel, as we enjoy a day of relaxing, barbequeing, and of course, FIREWORKS! (let’s just hope the weather clears up around here).
And a reminder for this evening’s activities, see America’s Birthday: Philly Style or visit Phillyfunguide.com or the official Welcome America site. And tune into 6ABC for full live coverage of tonights celebration.

4th of july, forth of july, July forth, july 4th, Independence day

One of the most well known Philadelphians was actually born in Boston Jan 17, 1706. Benjamin Franklin ran away to Philadelphia when he was 17 after leaving a printing apprenticeship without permission.
In 1727, Benjamin Franklin, at age 21, created the Junto, a group of “like minded aspiring artisans and tradesmen who hoped to improve themselves while they improved their community.” The Junto was a discussion group for issues of the day; it subsequently gave rise to many organizations in Philadelphia. The members created a library, and at first they pooled their own books together. This did not work, however, and Franklin came up with the idea of a subscription library, where the members pooled their monetary resources to buy books. This idea was the birth of the Library Company, and the charter of the Library Company of Philadelphia was created in 1731 by Franklin.
In 1733, Franklin began to issue the famous Poor Richard’s Almanac on which much of his popular reputation is based. Adages from this almanac such as “A penny saved is twopence dear”, “Fish and visitors stink in three days” remain common quotations in the modern world.
Franklin is also well known as being a prodigious inventor. Among his many creations were the lightning rod, the glass armonica, the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses, and the flexible urinary catheter.
He also became very involved with politics, serving as justice of the peace, and elected to the Pennsylvania Assembly, an ambassador to France, and eventually, the President of Pennsylvania (ie governor).
Benjamin Franklin died on April 17, 1790, at age 84. He was burried in Chirst Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia, which you can still visit. It has become customary to place pennies on his grave.

As a tribute to Franklin’s legacy, the city of Philadelphia contains around 5,000 likenesses of Benjamin Franklin, about half of which are located on the University of Pennsylvania campus. Additionally, Philadelphia’s Ben Franklin Parkway (a major thoroughfare) and Ben Franklin Bridge (the first major bridge to connect Philadelphia with New Jersey) are named in his honor. ALso founded in his Honor is the Franklin Institute on N 20th Street. (future post on the Institute to follow soon!)

For more information on Ben and his contributions, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin

Ben Franklin, Famous Philadelphians, Philadelphia

Love to play games and get together with friends for good food and drinks? Well then Dave and Busters located at 325 N. Columbus Blvd., Pier 19 North, Philadelphia PA is the place for you.

Whether you are going by yourself to get away from it all, with a group of friends for an impromptu get together, or are planning a corporate event, Dave and Busters is ready to accommodate you.

For example, my graduating class had their 10 year class reunion there. It was great - after all, after you catch up with all your old classmates what else is there to do? Dave and Busters offers private party rooms, buffets, scavenger hunts, even Murder mystery events. The event planner for the Columbus Blvd location is Debbie Murray 215-413-1951.

Take it from someone who loves the place - Dave and Busters is a great place to have fun.

Dave and Busters, Philadelphia night life

Elfreth’s Alley
Photo taken from Wikipedia.com

With the approaching historic holiday, it seems appropriate to talk about Old City, Philadelphia’s aptly named Historic District. Founded in 1682 by William Penn, the city was laid out on the banks between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. Present-day Old City occupies several blocks between Front and Sixth Streets to the east and west, bounded by Vine Street to the north and Walnut Street to the south. Click here for a map.

A eclectic mix of character, culture and community, OCD(Old City District), is filled with restaurants, galleries, shops, and of course historic attractions; including Independence Hall, Independence Visitor’s Center, the National Constitution Center, the Liberty Bell Center.

Old City News
The OCD is working hard to keep our streets clean and safe, for residents and visitors. Thats why they started the Streetscape Vision and Action Plan. The vision behind the plan is to develop and implement improvements to the sidewalks that will enhance the area’s unique blend of historic and modern elements, the liviness of the neighborhood and promote business and imvestments in the community.

On July 1, 2007 The Food Trust opened Philadelphia’s first large-scale, Sunday farmers’ market at the Headhouse Square Shambles (2nd & Lombard Sts). The market had over 25 vendors selling a wide and appealing variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, pasture-raised meats, and dairy.
Join The Food Trust and friends for a grand opening celebration on July 22nd.

For more information on Old City and places to see, check out the official website at www.oldcitydistrict.org or click here.

(hmm…ok, how many times did i say “historic” in this post?)

Old City, Olde City, Independence Hall, National Constitution Center, Liberty Bell Center, Historic Attractions, Galleries, Philadelphia