When it comes to the Fourth of July, Philadelphia doesn't mess around. Things get started this Friday and continue through July 6 thanks to the celebration known as the Sunoco Welcome America Festival. This weekend there are family events during the day and free outdoor movies each night at different locations around the city, including a screening of "Rocky" on Saturday night.
This summer's music festival schedule is more crowded than any in recent memory, but with ticket prices for mega-events like Lollapalooza and the Virgin Mobil Festival creeping over $200, we can get on board with a weekend of music that doesn't eat up an entire week's paycheck.
The Popped Music Festival, taking off for the second year in Philadelphia this weekend, offers just that, with ticket prices starting at $15 a show or $65 for the full three-day event.
The eclectic line-up is headlined by indie heartthrobs-of-the-moment Vampire Weekend, classic rapper Slick Rick and gypsy punk act Gogol Bordello, above. The shows bounce around Philly, starting Friday night at the Trocadero Theatre in Chinatown, moving over to Drexel University Saturday and then to World Café Live on Sunday.
Related Stories:
· Popped! Muisc Festival [Official Site]
· Music Festivals coverage [Jaunted]
· Philadelphia Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Cepeda]
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by BS
The season's much hyped horror hit from M. Night Shyamalan, master of all things terrifying, opens today. "The Happening" is the story of a family on the run from a natural crisis that threatens humanity.
Mark Wahlberg plays a science teacher named Elliot Moore who tries to figure out why everyone is committing suicide in violent ways. Pretty gruesome, but it sounds like M. Night to us.
Plenty of The Happening was filmed in lovely Philadelphia, one of our favorite cities. In that vein we offer you some cool things to do in Philly this summer:
Where to Stay: Penn's View Hotel Right in the heart of the Old City, Penn's is a refurbished 19th-century colonial building that's now a cozy boutique hotel. Some of the Premium King and Queen rooms have views of the Delaware and private balconies. The on-site restaurant, Panorama, has one of the most highly regarded wine lists in the city.
Our intrepid steak-loving correspondent Hunter Walker has this dispatch from the front lines in Philly...
After a long journey down I-95, I found myself standing on the greasiest corner of the city, face to face with two foot-long cheesesteaks and a pile of fries. My eating adventure began when some friends and I decided we simply had to taste the famous sandwich on a road trip that took us through town. Not wanting to make a rookie mistake and get stuck at some tourist trap, I called a friend from Philly for some cheesesteak recommendations.
My Philly expert quickly told me:
You have to go to Pat's and Geno's. They're right across the street from each other. You gotta get one steak from Pat's and one from Geno's and compare them.
I told my friend that I didn't think I could make it through two whole cheesesteaks alive and she replied simply: "It's what you must do."
This weekend, Philadelphia was the place to be for music thanks to The Roots Picnic. The event featured performances from Diplo, The Cool Kids, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Gnarls Barkley and of course The Roots.
The picnic took place on Festival Pier at Penn's Landing, where cool breezes from the Delaware River were thankfully able to relieve the crowd from the 90+ degree heat.
Though the opening acts were hit-and-miss, Sharon Jones, The Roots and Gnarls Barkley closed out the night with a bang. One guy was actually moved to propose to his wife in the audience during their ballad "You Got Me." Roots' fans were also treated to a stunning solo from bassist Leonard Hubbard, who recently left the group after more than a decade.
The sun was rough and the venue could have used some seating, but if they do this again with an equally amazing lineup, The Roots Picnic will be worth a yearly pilgrimage to Philly. Below, our pictures of the the day's action.
Related Stories:
· Live Music coverage [Jaunted]
· Philadelphia Travel coverage [Jaunted]
If Betsy Ross and Ben Franklin were alive today, for what cause would they advocate? The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation thinks they'd join gay and lesbian Pennsylvanians in a new promotion called "We Your People," which encourages LGBT travelers to look at the City of Brotherly Love when making those summer travel plans.
The campaign also has help from Southwest Airlines and is timed not-at-all-coincidentally with Gay Pride festivities in many cities. (Philly's Pride Day Parade is June 8.) Local business owners, boutique moguls and even one journalist (Philadelphia Gay News founder Mark Segal) are helping the GPTMC spread the word that Philly is a LGBT-friendly destination.
And the poster children are getting something for their trouble: Campaign spokesman Matthew Izzo reports getting fan mail, site traffic and MySpace and Facebook requests aplenty since getting involved. Since we're feeling the love, too, we've got a video with Izzo right after the click.
Who knew the Sylvester Stallone statue outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art was a hockey fan? At least he's been captive to the cause since two Montreal Canadiens fans slipped a hockey jersey on the statue earlier this week, angering Philadelphia Flyers fans facing the affront to their NHL playoff rivals. (Yes, the NHL still exists.)
A similar plot by Pittsburgh Penguin fans was foiled by security guards around the statue, but they should be glad: The Flyers are 3-1 now, so clearly messing with Rocky doesn't help the away team.
Related Stories:
· Saving Rocky from Penguins Fan Desecration [Yahoo Sports]
· Sports Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: The 700 Levil]
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by egw
The Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival starts at noon this Saturday, and promises to bring 50,000 people to the swanky part of Philly for all sorts of fun. Everything from cafes, art, fashion shows, cooking demos and live music are advertised, and Walnut Street will be closed to traffic from 19th to Broad.
Truth be told, though, we're more interested in the plans of local blog The Illadelph than any public concerts:
Some daytime drinking/picnicking in Rittenhouse Square. Just sayin'. Especially when the weather comes through with 75 degrees of gorgeous.
We just hope the fun isn't ruined by an impromtu Stormtrooper invasion of Rittenhouse Square.
Related Stories:
· Rittenhouse Row Philadelphia [Official Site]
· Eating the Illadelph: Rittenhouse Row Spring Fest [The Illadelph]
· Festivals coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Lucius Kwok]
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by pbb
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