If you're in Philly and craving steak frites or escargot, you're in luck, because a brand new French bistro opens today, just in time to celebrate Bastille Day.
Parc is the latest endeavor from Philadelphia restaurant mogul Stephen Starr, the man behind hotspots like Buddakan, Moriomto and El Vez. If you're familiar with any of those places, you can probably guess that the ambiance at Parc is less Left Bank, more Champs-Élysées.
Philadelphia City Paper has a walk-through of the elegant new space, which includes details like a 50-foot hand-crafted solid zinc bar, vintage fans and intricate tile work. No word yet on whether the food will be as exciting as the décor, so if anyone stops by today, be sure to let us know.
France's biggest holiday is coming up this Monday, July 14, but don't fret if you can't make it to Paris; Bastille Day is slowly but surely catching on in New York.
Of course, like most holidays celebrated in America, Bastille Day here is less of a cultural celebration, and more of an excuse to start partying early in the day (cf. St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo).
The festivities get going early, with the annual Liberty Festival and the famous waiters' race at Les Halles on Saturday. On Sunday there's an all-day block party and petanque tournament on Brooklyn's Smith Street, sponsored by Bar Tabaq.
The biggest bash is the French Institute's fete on Monday afternoon, which closes down 60th Street from Fifth Avenue to Lexington for an impressive array of French street food. There's also a special wine and cheese tasting inside the Institute's gallery for just $12.
We've been so focused on July 2 and July 4, we almost forgot that today's Canada Day. Happy 141st birthday!
To mark the day, Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave a speech at Peace Tower in Ottawa, and a formal flag-raising ceremony was also held on Parliament Hill.
There are some big things coming up for Canada this year: Quebec City will celebrate the 400th anniversary of its founding (two days from now!), British Columbia will turn 150 and Nova Scotia will celebrate 250 years of representative government. Parties: Always a good excuse for a visit!
Got all your pranks ready for tomorrow? April Fool's Day promises to be a lackluster attempt at humor throughout the travel media. If last year is any indication, Gadling will be leading the charge with a full day of fabricated travel news.
Hopefully they can come up with something a little more funny than Airbus puns. Humph. We'll see. Also possible are some Chris Elliott yuks about airlines actually helping out consumers instead of infuriating them.
Hey, did you hear it's St. Patrick's Day? It is! If you're still looking for some fun, might we suggest our favorite Irish pubs in Manhattan?
Alternatively, you could check out the Chicago River, dyed green for the day. Boston is partying all night long, too.
And there's always plenty happening in Dublin. It might be a little late to fly there now, but if you're already there, enjoy. Don't forget to send us drunken pictures!
Saturday caps the final day of Golden Week in Japan. Imagine President's Day, Earth Day, the 4th of July, your birthday, and your brother's birthday rolled into one.
The Japanese knock out five holidays in one seven-day period. April 29 is Showa Day (Showa no hi). It honors the birthday of former Emperor Showa, whose reign from 1926 to 1989 makes both Elizabeths look like slackers.
A few days later, on May 3, the Japanese celebrate Constitution Day (Kenpo kinenbi) as well as The Girls Festival (Hina matsuri). They remember that on this day, in 1947, the post-war constitution went into effect.
In a coinciding yet completely different celebration, families wish their daughters a happy life. Little girls receive dolls from their elders. Doll displays, adorned with peach blossoms, go up in homes and public buildings throughout the country.
Without stopping to regroup, the Japanese launch into holiday four. May 4 is Greenery Day (Midori no hi). Not to be confused with the soft-core punk band, the holiday is a nod to Emperor Showa's affinity for nature.
The celebrations taper off with Children's Day (Kodomo no hi) on May 5. Technically, it only refers to boys because the girls already got their homage earlier in the week. Boys, not to be outdone, receive samurai dolls and families hang streamers in their honor.
Though it supposedly has holy roots, the Jewish holiday of Purim has also been expertly distilled into the perfect excuse to party. Purim party tradition includes dressing up Halloween-style, gorging on hamantaschen, and getting crazy drunk. The religious component comes in when you pray to keep the hamantaschen down and not wake up with a brutal hangover.
So where should you celebrate over the weekend? Chabad of San Francisco's annual Purimpalooza ($20) takes place this Sunday, March 4, at 12 Galaxies. Chabad of Bucktown/Wicker Park in Chicago beckons "Hassids and hipsters" to Wicker Purim this Saturday at AllRise Art Gallery ($12 if you wear a costume), while in New York City, Heeb sponsors a karaoke party at Lit ($5). Unfortunately for Londoners, it doesn't seem that the infamous PunkPurim (pictured above) by Jewdas will be returning this year.
Happy MLK Day! Or, unhappy MLK Day, whichever way you care to look at it. Today's the day we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr., but also have to deal with the fact that he's gone. If the loss of MLK makes you sad, just think of it this way: today's a federal holiday. Is there anything more glorious than a 3-day weekend?
Events are taking place all over the country. Here's a taste of your options.
New York: MLK Day via Gothamist - You still have time to head over to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for a tribute and/or free tour "highlighting the plants of Africa."
San Francisco and the Bay Area: MLK Day via the San Francisco Chronicle - jazz performances in Piedmont and more.
Atlanta: MLK Day via Metroblogging Atlanta - tributes galore in MLK's hometown of Atlanta. Metroblogger james recommends the opening of the "I Have A Dream" exhibit at the Atlanta History Center.
Detroit: MLK Day via The Detroit News - act quick and you, too, can participate in the excellently-named Get Yo' Black Facts On game show at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (1 p.m.).
