Jaunted

Gay Travel / Philadelphia Field Trip / Philadelphia Travel / Travel Snapshots / → All Tags

It's All Good in Philly's Gayborhood

In the heart of Philadelphia's Center City sits a quaint neighhorhood of shady streets and attractive shopfronts. No, it's not the upscale "Gold Coast"-sort of area, but it is the Gayborhood.

Bordered on the north by Walnut Street, south by Pine Street, east by 11th and west by Juniper Street, the Gayborhood is a village of gay-friendly shops, bars and restaurants. Although it was hopping during Pride Week in June as you can imagine, the real summer action has just begun, with two weeks of this month set aside for the "There's No Place Like Home" two-week-long block party.

From now until July 24th, you can follow the yellow brick road 32 rainbow street signs that were just unveiled this last weekend when we were in town. From there, it's all photo exhibits, special film screenings, and even a discount card for the Gayborhood businesses and bars.

[Photo: Jaunted]

Beer Travel / Festivals / Philadelphia Travel / Drinking Travel / → All Tags

Philadelphia Has a Flavor, and It's the New Summer Love Ale

William Penn sheepishly throws a toast

There's so much Pennsylvania news today, and all of it good! First, PA became the first state to tap into the travel benefits of Foursquare, and now the city of Philadelphia is tapping into its very own special brew. The beer from Victory Brewing Company will debut on June 4 at the start of Philly's Beer Week, and it's appropriately named "Summer Love Ale."

The release will at first be limited, but you can try hunting for it in the Northern Liberties neighborhood at The Standard Tap, and at Beer Week's Golden Monkey Dance Party on June 10.

So what does it taste like, you ask?

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TSA / Airport Security / Stupid Ideas / Travel News / Airports / PHL / → All Tags

Is the TSA Pulling More Pranks at Philadelphia's Airport?

Another day, another Philadelphia International TSA agent throwing around his authority for cheap laughs. Last time it was the budding comedian who pranked a college student by planting fake drugs in her luggage, reducing her to tears. This time it's a local sports fan who thinks that pulling aside mothers for wearing Cowboys jerseys is a charming local idiosyncrasy. Now there are two sides to every story and you have to judge individual accusations based on whether they ring true. This kind of rings true:

A Dallas Cowboys fan believes it was her jersey, not security, that led TSA screeners to pull her out of line for additional searches at Philadelphia International Airport... Galen, a mother of three, was on her way to Florida with her husband following the death of a family member. However, she found herself being patted in a plexiglass area in full view of other passengers. The biggest shock for Galen, who never asked TSA officials why she was being singled out, came when a screener walked up to her as she was putting her shoes back on to resume her trip. 'He walked up to me and said "how's it feel to be a Cowboys fan in Philadelphia?" I did tell him "wow,"' Galen said.

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Airport Security / Security / TSA / Animals / → All Tags

Bomb-Sniffing Airport Dogs Are Failing Bomb-Sniffing Tests

With the new heightened security at airports around the country, it’s likely that you’ll be seeing a few more dogs in the terminal checking things out. We’ve always taken it for granted that they were good at sniffing out trouble, whether it was drug-filled luggage or traces of explosive on a pink bag. Just like their human friends some dogs are a little better than others at their job, but there are some in action that aren’t making the grade.

Three bomb-sniffing dogs based at Philadelphia International Airport actually failed two consecutive tests. Before hitting the front lines, the dogs completed a 10-week training where they learned all about finding the bad guys. Afterward they had to pass a test, and once approved for action they usually need to be re-certified every year or so.

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College Football Travel / Sports Travel / Football Travel / Sports / Philadelphia Travel / → All Tags

Football Rivalry Travel: Army And Navy Prepare For Battle In Philly

The weather has gotten cooler, and college football is going strong. Here’s the scoop on just one of the country’s best rivalries to help your sports travel planning.

· Rivalry Match-Up: United States Military Academy vs. United States Naval Academy on December 12
You don’t need to know much about college football or even the military to know that the annual Army-Navy game is a pretty big deal. The two schools representing different branches of the military have been battling each other on the gridiron since 1890. Each team has had winning streaks throughout the decades, but Navy has been having the most success lately. They also lead the all time series, but only by a few wins. If Navy takes this year’s game they’ll also be taking home the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Let’s just hope that Army doesn’t steal Bill the Goat this year to rally the troops.

Stadium Info and tips on where to sleep and party, after the jump.

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Food Travel / Restaurant Week / Restaurant Travel / Philadelphia Travel / Philadelphia Restaurants / Hotels / → All Tags

Some News From Philly That's Not World Series-Related

How do you enjoy Restaurant Week menus and prices without it actually being Restaurant Week? Well, if you're in Philadelphia, all you've got to do is book your hotel stay on withlove.gophila.com, and you'll receive all the details on the hotels where you can dine on discount prix-fixe menus through December 30.

Restaurants featured run the gamut, from super swish 4-course meals at Lacroix at The Rittenhouse to fresh Italian at Positano Coast. And since we promised Restaurant Week prices, you'll be happy to hear the the 3-to-4-course meals are all either $20, $30 or $35 per person. We're guessing that Lacroix is up at the $35 end, but menu choices aren't piddly; think "prime rib, crab imperial, handmade orecchiette and olive oil-poached Scottish salmon."

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Baseball Travel / Baseball / Sports / Sports Travel / World Series / → All Tags

What To Do Before, During, And After World Series Game 3 In Philadelphia

It's World Series time and things are all tied up at one game a piece after two nights of great pitching for both the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies. Now the players and fans are driving down the Jersey Turnpike to get ready for game three between the Yankees and Phillies on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park. Loving you just as much we do baseball, we've put together some ideas for ways to stay entertained throughout your baseball-filled evening. Again, feel free to ignore all this advice below if you'd rather just watch the game. After all, that's what you paid for.

· Before The Game
The Phillies newish stadium is located in the middle of a huge parking lot that is shared by the city's other sports teams—so we’re thinking that most fans are going to drive to the game. Standard parking is $12 per car, but we’re a little suspicious that they could increase the charge since it is the World Series. Public transportation is available through SEPTA, but the workers might go on strike this weekend—so a car could be pretty handy. If you want some trains, the Broad Street Line is the best bet, just peep the schedule right here.

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Tourism Boards / Philadelphia Travel / Diverse Travel / → All Tags

Philly 360 Campaign Hopes To Attract African-American Visitors

When it comes to destinations, the new new thing is for a travel bureau to reach out to you as specifically as possible. Hey, you reading this blog! You want to go here! Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but we always like to see an interesting new campaign at work, like Philadelphia's "Philly 360°" campaign.

Philly 360° puts the city's African-American heritage front and center with videos and guides to jazz clubs and Underground Railroad sites. It's part of a larger micro-marketing campaign that includes ¡Philly Te Ama! (Latino Philadelphia) and We Your People, the LGBT Philadelphia promotions.

While the campaign focuses on black musicians, artists and trendsetters, anyone can enjoy shopping tips from Rakia Reynolds of Vibe Magazine or hear about ?uestlove's favorite hoagie joint. Kudos to Philly for thinking outside the box and outside Black History Month for this; after all, travel happens all year round.

Related Stories:
· Philly 360° Launch Page [GoPhila.com]
· Jaunted Does Lunch With ?uestlove of the Roots [Jaunted]
· Secret Sneaker Shopping in Philadelphia [Jaunted]

[Photo: micholitzii]

Literary Travel / Bram Stoker / Halloween Travel / Dracula / Vampire Travel / → All Tags

The Vampire Travel Seasons Begins In Philadelphia

Before Edward Cullen swept the field with his skinny sparkliness, Count Dracula was the nonpareil of dangerously irresistible vampires. But Philadelphia wants to introduce you to Dracula this Halloween, if you dare.

The Rosenbach Museum and Library's annual Dracula Festival allows the rare-books vault to bring forth Bram Stoker's original notes on his vampire creation, and in addition, they'll be hosting a free screening of the silent horror classic "Nosferatu" and a visit from Stoker's great-grandnephew to read from his vampire book. (Everyone's written one these days.) Outside Philly, the Tri-County Performing Arts Center will put on a stage version of "Dracula" (October 8-25, 245 E. High Street in Pottstown). If you prefer your vampires dancing, the Brandywine Ballet has you covered there on October 23-25.

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Top Chef / Top Chef Travel / Philadelphia Travel / Food Travel / → All Tags

Ex-Top Chef Contestant Heats Things Up in Philly, No Seitan in Sight

Pierced and tattooed to the nines, recently booted Top Chef contestant Jennifer Zavala claimed to have a fiery temper on the first episode of this season, but her dish—a disastrous seitan-stuffed pepper—was anything but hot and enticing. It looked and apparently tasted like a mealy, flavorless mess, which ultimately confused the judges and sent her packing.

But Zavala, like many other Top Chef hopefuls, isn't a culinary novice and won't be crying over her Santoku knife now that she's returned to Philadelphia. Hot like fire Zavala, whose cooking, we hope, doesn't always go the way of bland vegan fare, is a sous chef at Philly's Xochitl. Say it with us: so-cheet. There she helps whip up new Mexican cuisine that's familiar, but with a modern, elevated twist.

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Television Travel / It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia / Philadelphia Travel / → All Tags

Take an 'Always Sunny' Trip To Philadelphia

We're pained to admit that the Philadelphia shown in the F/X show "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" is only slightly realer than the New York of "Friends" or the Miami of "The Golden Girls." Still, even if you can't get a drink at Paddy's Pub, you can follow in their footsteps in the City of Brotherly Love (of the non-McPoyle kind).

If you haven't tuned in, the motley crew of "Always Sunny" run a fictional Irish bar in South Philly, which somehow leaves them time to insult and cheat anyone they possibly can. Philadelphia Tourism suggests Dirty Frank's in Center City (347 S. 13th St.) and the East Side Saloon (1823 W. Moyamensing Ave.), but any kind of dive that you can hang out in without getting thrown out of for saying something offensive would be a good bet.

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Ships / Philadelphia Travel / Travel News / Cruise Travel / → All Tags

Anchors Aweigh: An Endangered Ocean Liner Up For Sale In Philly

Diners at IKEA look out at the SS United States

Buried deep beneath our professed love of air travel is a true loyalty to the history of transatlantic liners and travel by ship. After all, our grandparents came to the US on the liner SS Bremen and relatives later traveled on the grand SS United States, with both ships winning the coveted Blue Riband—an award for fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

Although airplanes have long displaced boats as the preferred means of transatlantic travel, with ships relegated to pleasure cruises (even though Cunard makes a hearty effort to retain the grandeur), even the history of these beautiful behemoths is at stake.

Case in point: Just outside of Philadelphia's IKEA store along the river, sits the dilapidated hulk of the once-grand SS United States, her sleek lines and art deco appeal marred by rust and general lack of upkeep. Plopped in her spot at Pier 82 since 1996, the United States has been waiting and waiting for her owners, Star Cruise of Hong Kong (aka Norwegian Cruise Line) to make good on their promises to transform her into a Hawaii cruise ship.

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