by Sr. Editor on December 20, 2010
Photo Credit: (iStockPhoto/Nikada)
Dancing, DJs and dolled-up dresses are the name of the New Year’s game in Philadelphia, and this year, the city has a number of parties to choose from. Philly is hosting several glammed-up events for young professionals, couples and singles, as well as a few bar hops and the traditional fireworks on the Delaware River. Find the best party for you from the list below.
Glitter City Gala
National Constitution Center
525 Arch St.
This 8th annual party has everything you need to start the New Year right, with specialty martini bars, huge food buffets, a champagne toast, food stations, trolleys between the party and hotel partners. General admission tickets are $135 each and include a five-hour open bar, coat check and party favors. With a VIP ticket ($180), you get all the benefits of a general admission ticket plus an early and private entrance, private sitting and dance area and a top shelf open bar. V-VIP Table Service tickets are also available for $199.
12 Midnight
Crystal Tea Room
100 Penn Sq. E
12 Midnight is the sister party to Glitter City, with the same general amenities but with a different primary band (Philly Funk Authority) and on Penn Square instead of close to the river. General admission tickets are $135, and VIP tickets are $175.
New Year’s Eve Dance Party
Tavern on Broad at The Bellevue
200 South Broad St.
The dance party at Tavern will feature several DJs and nonstop grooving from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets are available in three tiers: General admission tickets comes with a four-hour open bar (cash bar after midnight) and champagne toast ($79), VIP tickets include a six-hour open bar, food buffets and a private line ($99), and Ultra-Exclusive tickets have a reserved table with seating and waitress service, as well as a bottle of champagne ($125).
Celebrity Style Caribbean Gala
Hyatt Regency at Penn’s Landing
201 South Combus Blvd.
If you want a front row seat for the New Year’s fireworks, the Caribbean Gala is where you want to be. This sixth annual celebration will offer a five-hour open bar, plenty of hors d’oeuvres, party favors, a champagne toast and DJs spinning many different genres of music. Tickets are $140 apiece.
Old City Passport
Lucy’s Hat Shop
247 Market St.
With one ticket, you get an all-access pass to three bars, starting with Lucy’s and continuing to Drinker’s Tavern and Top Hat. Tickets ($85) also come with a champagne toast, food and plenty of dancing.
All Access New Year’s Eve
Drinker’s Pub and Noche
1901 Chestnut St.
For just $65, you can traipse back and forth from Drinker’s Pub to Noche throughout New Year’s, meeting and making friends in both host spots. Tickets include a champagne toast and food.
by Sr. Editor on April 6, 2010
Photo Credit: iStock Photo/drbueller
With its part in American history and numerous Georgian architectural wonders, it’s no wonder Philadelphia has been the set for more than 1,000 films. Philadelphia is where the busy streets of the sixth-largest city in the nation meet the quiet, surrounding Amish country. The city is home to multiple historical sites and landmarks, including Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the Liberty Bell, one of the most prominent symbols of the American Revolutionary War.
From vintage to modern, urban to rural and everything in between, Philadelphia has it all. Here are the top five movies that represent the City of Brotherly Love:
Philadelphia
About: A lawyer (Tom Hanks) with AIDS is fired by a conservative Philadelphia law firm because of his condition, and he fights back against the firm with a wrongful dismissal lawsuit.
Represent, Philly: The library scene was filmed in the Furness Building, a fine arts library at the University of Pennsylvania, and the courtroom scenes were filmed in an actual Philadelphia courtroom that the city let the producers use.
Fun Fact: In the film, Denzel Washington’s character says he prays the Philadelphia Phillies will win the National League Championship Series pennant, and in 1993, the year the movie was released, the Phillies did.
Rocky
About: An amateur boxer gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fight the heavyweight champion and have his one chance at making a better life for himself.
Represent, Philly: Despite the entire movie’s filming in Philadelphia, few movie scenes are as memorable as the training montage in “Rocky,” where Rocky runs up the 72 steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and “air boxes” at the top, all to the tune of “Gonna Fly Now,” the “Rocky” theme song.
Fun Fact: While shooting his famous jog through the streets of Philadelphia, Sylvester Stallone pulled a tendon in his leg and was taken to a nearby hospital in a wheelbarrow.
The Sixth Sense
About: A child (Haley Joel Osment) who sees ghosts who don’t know they’re dead seeks the help of a regretful child psychologist named Malcolm (Bruce Willis).
Represent, Philly: In the scene where Cole is playing with toy soldiers in the church, he is in St. Augustine Catholic Church on the corner of 4th and Vine Streets. The scene where Malcolm misses his anniversary date with his wife is filmed at The Striped Bass restaurant on Walnut Street.
Fun Fact: When Cole and his mother are sitting in the kitchen, an empty container of Penn Maid sour cream is one of the glasses on the table. Penn Maid sour cream is only available in Philadelphia.
Twelve Monkeys
About: James Cole (Bruce Willis) is a convicted criminal living in a post-apocalyptic future who, to earn a pardon, goes back in time to collect information on a deadly virus.
Represent, Philly: In addition to the various abandoned buildings and public Philadelphia landmarks shown throughout the movie, interior shots of the climatic airport scene were shot at the Pennsylvania Convention Center at Reading Terminal, and scenes at the psychiatric hospital were done at Eastern State Penitentiary.
Fun Fact: At the time of filming, the two newscasters shown in the movie were actual journalists on Philadelphia’s Channel 10 news.
Witness
About: After an Amish child witnesses a murder, policeman John Book (Harrison Ford) goes into hiding in Amish country to protect him until the trial.
Represent, Philly: Most of the movie was filmed in Philadelphia and surrounding towns. The scene where Book talks to the child witness in the train station was shot at the 30th Street Amtrak Station.
Fun Fact: The 30th Street Station has also the filming location of the films “Trading Places” and “The Happening,” as well as four other movies.
by Sr. Editor on February 15, 2010
Photo Credit: iStock Photo/stoffies
Imagine having your intimate wedding in a free, large, well-decorated space that overlooks an expansive, sparkling-blue pool, surrounded by dogwood trees in full bloom.
Imagine… your apartment complex clubhouse.
Hosting your wedding at an apartment clubhouse is probably not how you envisioned your wedding as a child, but it can be beautiful regardless. There are plenty of bathrooms, guests can swim in your complex pool during your wedding weekend and you can host a laid-back cookout for your rehearsal dinner. Plus, the wrought-iron railing that surrounds the pool, detailed landscaping and multiple lights provide instant ambiance.
If you do not live in a apartment complex but want to utilize a clubhouse you’ve seen, many apartment complexes will rent their spaces to you. Better yet, if you do live in an apartment clubhouse, you may not have to pay anything at all. Simply call the apartment manager and find out how you may reserve the space, but specify that you want to reserve the pool and grills as well so you have complete control of the space. Perhaps you could also arrange for your guests to stay in the complex’s furnished apartments instead of nearby hotels.
Having your wedding in your apartment complex clubhouse means that, for the most part, your wedding will be outdoors. The clubhouse is where guests can use the restroom and where the wedding party dresses. Since it’s equipped with a large kitchen, the clubhouse will also be where caterers or family members prepare the food. You can even have your bridesmaids’ luncheon inside a well-decorated clubhouse, as it often has café tables and chairs, as well as sofas and armchairs.
The ideal apartment clubhouse will have a balcony that overlooks the pool. The bride and groom can say their vows on the balcony and the wedding party can be there too, or the bride and groom can be alone on the balcony (with the officiator, of course). In this instance, guests’ chairs should be lined up around the pool. Or, arrange for the band or DJ to be on the balcony, and the bride and groom, wedding party and guests are on the same level as the pool.
To differentiate your wedding from your reception, divide the surrounding area of the pool into separate spaces simply by using décor. Designate one area for food display, one for dining, one for dancing, one for gift display and one for photos of the bride and groom, and separate them with varying light displays, sheer, draped cloth or rented tents. Indicate the focal point of the wedding – where the bride and groom will say their vows – with two large flower displays and a rented archway. To really set your romantic scene, display rented ferns in varying heights near the food, string white lights around the fence and set up an area with white paper lanterns overhead for dancing underneath. You can always have someone move the flower displays and archway, and put a rented dance floor in their place.
Of course, with a apartment complex wedding, you may worry about freeloaders or onlookers. Chances are, if you utilize a space in a luxury Philadelphia apartment complex, you will not have to worry about freeloaders. If you’re still worried, speak to the apartment manager about arranging security for the area, or have him send out advanced notice to nearby residents about the event, so they don’t think it’s an apartment-sponsored party.
Some residents may look from their balconies at the romantic scene happening at the pool, but they will most likely be respectful of the event. Besides, you’ll be having such a good time and saving so much money that you probably won’t even notice.
