Although winter is in full swing across much of the country, theme parks located in the more chilly locations still have a lot to offer for the holidays. Hersheypark has reopened its doors to visitors to help you celebrate the season. ]]>
Although winter is in full swing across much of the country, theme parks located in the more chilly locations still have a lot to offer for the holidays. Hersheypark has reopened its doors to visitors to help you celebrate the season. ]]>
Taking a page out of the Improv Everywhere playbook--and wanting to represent the city of brotherly love not the city that boos people--local radio personalities, Eagles cheerleaders and the 76ers dance team took to Philadelphia International Airport this morning to welcome passengers to town.
Given that today's one of the busiest travel days of the year, the Philly tourism board also saw the event as an opportunity to hype their "More Holiday Fun" promo, which casts the city as the perfect place for holiday shopping.
The tourism folks have put together a Google Map mashup of Philly boutiques with unique gifts for less than $25 and a mini-site that highlights budget-friendly things to do in the city in the run up to Christmas. Sadly, the holiday promotions don't include a welcoming committee of cheerleaders for everyone who visits between now and New Year's.
Related Stories:
· Philly Tourism's Holiday Map Mashup [Official Site]
· Christmas coverage [Jaunted]
[Photos: J. Holder for GPTMC]]]>
Though the inauguration of Barack Obama won't happen for another 63 days, hotels in DC are already filling up, sending tourists farther afield to look for accommodations in Maryland and Virginia. But Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania wants people to know that his state isn't really that far from DC. In a letter to senate colleagues he writes:
Many Pennsylvania counties along the southern border of the state still have hotel rooms available for the week of the inauguration. Some of these counties are just a 90-minute drive from Capitol Hill, while other communities in southeastern Pennsylvania provide easy access by Amtrak lines.
Should your constituents decide to stay in Pennsylvania, they may also want to consider visiting the Commonwealth’s many historic sights, including Gettysburg National Military Park in Adams County; key locations in Lancaster and York, which both served briefly as capitals of the colonies and meeting sites for the Second Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War; and numerous sites in and around the City of Philadelphia, including Valley Forge National Historic Park, Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center.
You can't fault the guy for hyping his own state, but before booking a room in PA for the inauguration festivities, remember that a 90-minute drive is actually a three-hour round trip--not including insane day-of-the-swearing-in traffic.
Related Stories:
· Casey: Don't Forget about PA for Inauguration [Official Site]
· Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies [Official Site]
· How To Get To Inauguration 2009 [Jaunted]
· How Do I Get Inauguration Tickets? [Jaunted]
[Photo: Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies]]]>
It seems like only yesterday that communities across the United States were clamoring for casinos, anxious for the boost in employment and tax revenue that they seemed to promise. Today, it's a different story. In the latest case of NIMBY (not in my backyard), state and city officials are pushing for a 3,000-slot-machine casino to be built at the edge of Philadelphia's small but vibrant Chinatown area, a move that has many residents hopping mad. The developers of Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia say that the project would revitalize a long-neglected area a half block south of Chinatown, helping rather than hurting local businesses. Opponents of the casino, however, fear that having a gambling den so close to home would exacerbate the problem of compulsive gambling, which has caused great damage in the Asian-American community in recent years. The Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, for example, estimated that nearly a third of its 40,000 daily customers were Asian, a far higher ratio than seen in the general population. We're not opposed to casinos on moral grounds - people are free to do dumb things with their money if they like - but we do feel like they put up a bit of a false front. Take any casino in Atlantic City, for example. Based on the advertisements, you'd expect to see James Bond wearing a tuxedo and playing baccarat. What you get instead are obese guys wearing sweatpants and oxygen tank-toting grannies on Rascal scooters feeding quarters into slot machines until their eyes glaze over. It's not a pretty picture. But things aren't looking good for Chinatown, as the City Council recently dedicated the area an entertainment district, paving the way for construction to begin. Until it's built, though, residents can always gamble away their life savings in the stock market.
[Photo: gamblingplanet.org]
Related Stories:
· Philadelphia's Chinatown Seeks to Keep Out Casino [AP/Yahoo! News]
· Philly Chinatown [semi-official site]
· Rascal Scooters [official site]
· Casino Coverage [Jaunted]]]>
Food-loving visitors to Philadelphia always face an eternally difficult question: Whether to get your cheesesteak fix at Geno's or Pat's. Philly natives will talk your ear off about the relative merits of the two legendary meat-and-cheese hawkers, and while it is possible to do both in one meal (they're right across the street from each other), the results won't be pretty.
So when Martha Stewart stopped by Philly to promote her newest cookbook, you know they weren't letting her out of town without having her weigh in on this pressing culinary controversy, and getting her opinion on camera.
Martha, shockingly, claims she has never even tried a Philly cheesesteak before. Or maybe it's not so shocking, given the disdain with which she examines the gooey cheese whiz and soggy onions.
The verdict: Martha majorly hates on Pat's, saying their offering is "kinda bland," and "maybe they forgot the salt and pepper." Geno's, however, gets the thumbs up from the domestic goddess.
Argument settled?
Related Stories:
· Martha Stewart Eats Cheesesteaks [Philly.com]
· Martha Stewart Tries Philly Cheesesteak for First Time, Prefers Geno's to Pat's [Serious Eats]
· The Front Lines of Philly's Cheesesteak Wars [Jaunted]
[Photo: Marvin Kuo]]]>
The sagging economy and rising food prices are making most restaurateurs want to go back in time. Philadelphia dining honcho Stephen Starr decided to go way back to the 1940s with his latest eatery, Butcher & Singer.
Starr (of Buddakan, Moriomto, and most recently, Parc) took over the opulent former National Bank building that most recently housed the restaurant Striped Bass and converted it into a pretty-damn-close-to-genuine Old Hollywood hangout.
Among the tufted leather booths, marble columns and low lighting, you almost expect Lana Turner to be puffing a cigarette at the table next to you.
The menu forgoes the trendy tendencies of Starr's other restaurants, sticking to simple steakhouse classics like prime rib, lobster Newberg and baked Alaska. Although, as you might expect, there's no nostalgia on the pricing: Butcher & Singer pushes Philly firmly into that three-digits-per-person price range.
Related Stories:
· Butcher & Singer [Official Site]
· New Philly Restaurant: Parc [Jaunted]
· New Philadelphia Restaurants coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: the busy brain]]]>
The National Park Service has acquired additional land at the site of the Flight 93 crash to create a more permanent national memorial to honor those who lost their lives on September 11.
Officials purchased 57 acres of land in western Pennsylvania in hopes that the final memorial can be completed by the tragedy’s 10th anniversary. The park service is also looking to create a residence on the property for a park ranger to provide increased security.
Finally, a nonprofit organization known simply as the Friends Group will be formed to ensure that the memorial is created to respect and honor those that lost their lives on 9-11. The group will also continue to raise funds in addition to the $13.5 million that's already been collected for the project.
Related Stories:
· National Park Service Acquires More Land for Flight 93 Memorial [USA Today]
· National Parks coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: hammer_4_u_68]]]>