Summer in the City: Philadelphia

If you are within visiting distance of the City of Brotherly Love, you need to set aside some space on your summer calendar for a visit or two. Each year Philadelphians are keen to top the stellar summer from the year before by packing the calendar full of awesome events. From the best Independence Day celebration in the nation to a superb selection of concerts, Philadelphia is the place to be in summer. Below, check out our picks for each month.

JUNE
Kicking off the summer season is the Elfreth's Alley 76th annual Fete Day Celebration. This traditional event, dating back to the 1930's, is one of the two times each year that the residents of our nation's oldest street kindly open their homes to the public. The main event of this two-day summer spectacular occurs on Saturday, June 4th, between the hours of noon and 5PM. During this time around a dozen of these historic houses will be open for the public to tour. In addition to this decades-old tradition, the Museum of Elfreth's Alley will debut an exciting new event known as the Famous Philadelphian First Friday Auction. Celebrities with ties to Philadelphia have donated original artwork or signed memorabilia to be auctioned off, benefiting the struggling museum's education and preservation efforts. Tickets for this event cover both days of fun and excitement, and are 20% cheaper when purchased online prior to the event.

Four Nights in Philly or What to do when it's not Friday or Saturday night

Philadelphia is a fun, vibrant city with a ton of things to do on any given night. If you know where to go, you can find some sweet deals at bars, restaurants, theaters or any number of locations to have a good time. We decided to help you out with finding some of these deals by creating a little weekly calendar that will help guide you through the city and through the week.

Monday: Movie Mondays at the Trocadero (Chinatown)- While Movie Mondays have been going on for quite some time, I actually did not discover the event until Geekadelphia hosted a showing of Machete on January 10th. The cover for this event is $3, and that $3 goes a very long way. If you arrive between the doors opening at 6:30PM and 7PM, you will get a special ticket that is good for one free can of PBR and a small popcorn. Everyone who comes to Movie Mondays also gets a wooden nickel, good for $3 at the bar, and a raffle ticket for prizes to be given out later. In addition to the raffle, there will be trivia based on the film for additional prizes. To give you an idea of the potential for prize winning, as a result of my first time attending Movie Monday, I walked out with $50 of free swag. Not too shabby for a $3 cover. Check out the Troc's schedule to see what movies they have on tap.

Tuesday:  Taco Tuesday (South Philly, West Chester) - Adding the word "taco" to it makes Tuesday my favorite day. I first discovered the joys of Taco Tuesday at Jitter's Sports Bar in West Chester when I had friends attending the school over there. Fifty cent tacos and $3 Coronas kept me coming back for years. These tacos are so good that I'd pay five bucks for a plate of them, so the fifty cent price tag is an amazing deal. For those not willing to make the trip to West Chester, Tres Jalapenos in South Philly gives you all you can eat tacos for $12.99 and Tattoed Mom's on South Street for $1 tacos. There is no shortage of Taco Tuesdays around, so keep your eyes peeled and get ready to enjoy some tacos!