Out on the Town - Museums After Dark

Museums After Dark

When living in a city, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of great experiences. Often it is difficult to keep track of all the goings-on associated with city living. We here at The What Magazine pride ourselves on finding colorful ideas for making the most of your urban experience with Out on the Town, a feature highlighting the latest and greatest in your city.

In recent years, many museums have moved beyond your typical programming to offer a variety of cool events and happenings after regular operating hours. These evening events are often intended to attract the 21-35 crowds, and therefore usually include food, tasty adult beverages, and a main attraction that the type of people who are reading this would enjoy.

Day Tripper - New York State of Mind

One of the many perks of living in Philadelphia is its proximity to so many snazzy places. Philadelphians are within a two or three hour drive of the mountains, the ocean, and some of the coolest and most important cities in the world. With that in mind, the What is proud to present Day Tripper, our guide to the numerous fun trips you can take in and around the Philadelphia region.

New York State of Mind

 

Taking a day trip up to New York City is always a great time. Last time Day Tripper visited the Big Apple, we kept it touristy and stuck around Times Square. Now it's time to move on and check out another part of NYC. I had been itching to check out the Brooklyn Bridge and the Lower East Side Tenement Museum for awhile, and decided to combine the two for a nice walking tour with my pops. What we found along with the two main attractions led to a fantastic day trip.

Subway Serenade
The day began early, as I met my Dad at 30th Street Station around 8:30AM. Making the trip with someone who was just as interested in walking the legen-(wait for it)-dary Brooklyn Bridge and visiting the Tenement Museum definitely added to the fun. We hopped on SEPTA's Trenton line, departing at 8:49 and rolling into the Trenton Transportation Center around 9:30. From there, we hopped on a New Jersey Transit line headed into Penn Station in Manhattan, arriving around 11AM. One short ride on the A train took us to High Street in the heart of Brooklyn Heights.

Checklist - March 2012

The internet is full of magical, mystical things. So much, in fact, that it is sometimes hard to sift through all of the crap to get some decent information. In the interest of providing you with colorful ideas for everyday life, we here at the What present the Checklist so that you may find some helpful information from other sites along with a comic that makes us giggle.

Pizza + Beer = Happy
Mamma Mia Pizza Beer
Two of the greatest things on earth. The two reasons your friends will help you move. The two mainstays of any house party. Finally, they are together as one. A couple from Illinois took homebrewing to the next level when they created Pizza Beer. That's right, pizza-flavored beer. This is probably one of the greatest scientific achievements of our time, so check out their site and order some Pizza Beer!

Common Grammar Mistakes
Lit Reactor
There are more than enough websites, blogs, and such dedicated to poor grammar, but this one from Lit Reactor focuses on some of the more forgotten rules. Even the staunchest Grammar Nazi will be alarmed to find that they have been mistaken. I have probably broken several rules in this column alone. Regardless, check out these 20 Common Grammar Mistakes and improve your ability to correctly communicate.

Monthly Top Five - December

Hey, remember the What's Weekly Top 5 feature? So do we. The only problem is that it rarely came on a weekly basis, so we're switching gears. In  High Fidelity, the characters compare their top fives in a variety of categories. Being big fans of both the film and novel, we here at the What bring you our Weekly Monthly Top Five, a feature focused on five fantastic things that you should become familiar with.

Reasons to Visit Philadelphia in 2012

The City of Brotherly Love is a fantastic destination for arts and culture. With a great selection of museums, galleries, and theaters, there is no shortage of fantastic cultural institutions to choose from. While many flock to New York for theater or Washington for museums, Philadelphia has the best of both worlds. In 2012, several exciting events and exhibits are scheduled to be the highlight of Philly's cultural calendar.


5. Philly (Insert Fun Thing Here) Week - Chances are that no matter where your interests lie, Philly has a week for that. During Restaurant Week one can sample a variety of delicacies from the city's stellar selection of top-notch dining establishments. Fashion Week comes twice a year and boasts the best of Philly fashion. After taking a sabbatical in 2011, we can only hope it returns in 2012! If not, one can always find comfort in Beer Week. Beer Week is likely my favorite of all the weeks, as it is the perfect way for Philly's excellent roster of brewers to show their stuff.


4. The Festival Circuit - Philadelphia has become a hotbed for a variety of festivals over the years. With fests celebrating Film, Craft Beer, and all things folksy leading the helm, there are two somewhat newer festivals that lead the pack. In only its second year, the Philadelphia Science Festival looks to be at the top of many to-do lists after a strong debut in 2011 (as discussed by the What here). Perhaps the most anticipated of the many festivals offered in Philadelphia, is the Live Arts & Fringe fest. With a brand new headquarters and an ever-growing roster of participants, the Fringe is always a fantastic fest.

Pickelodeon - Pennypack Wheat Beer

Welcome to Pickelodeon, a little feature where we review all that is reviewable in the world. Pickelodeon is your one stop shop for the inside scoop on the best restaurants, bars, movies, music, events, and anything else you want to hear someone else's opinion on before you try it. Drop us a line in the comment box for any suggestions on what we should review next!

Pennypack Wheat Beer

On October 15, 2011, the Elfreth's Alley Museum played host to Brew Fest. This new annual October event was highlighted by a local home brewer competition. This year's competition was a low-key, anything-goes battle of the home brewers. Four different brewers submitted four very different beers. Ed Coffey, in keeping with the autumn-themed event, submitted a delicious Pumpkin Ale. Bill Shouldis submitted his German-style Roggenbier as a nod to Oktoberfest traditions. Keith Gormley's cleverly-named Magnum PIPA was also submitted along with the eventual winner, Candy Graham's Pennypack Wheat Beer.

All four beers that were a part of this inaugural competition were very popular amongst the judges. Both Tim Patton, owner and founder of Saint Benjamin's Brewery, and John Boswell, owner and founder of the Port Richmond Pour House, agreed that they would gladly pay to drink any of the brews submitted. The judges of the competition liked the spice of the Pumpkin Ale, the full-flavored Roggenbier, and even the non-IPA fans in the group enjoyed the Magnum PIPA. All four beers were so popular at the tasting that the Elfreth's Alley Museum is looking forward to bringing all four brewers back for future First Friday events.

Elfreth's Alley Museum Brew Fest 2011

 Originally posted on the Elfreth's Alley Museum Blog

The mercury has lowered and the leaves are changing, it's October and that means that something wicked this way comes. And by wicked, I mean wicked awesome. In less than a week, the Elfreth's Alley Museum will present Brew Fest 2011, a celebration of our city's sudsy past, present, and future.

During a tour of the museum at Elfreth's Alley, many are surprised to learn that beer was the beverage of choice for Philadelphians of all ages back in colonial times. This little tidbit is much less shocking than the reasons why! Philadelphia has always been a beer haven, from it's first European settlers in caves along the Delaware River right through Prohibition and into the modern trends of micro-brewing and home-brewing.

CHATS
Attendees of Brew Fest will get all the juicy details regarding Philadelphia's rise to prominence in the brewing world. America's best tour guide and noted historian Edward Mauger will discuss Philly's role as the beer capital of the colonies. Also on hand for a chat will be Mixed Pickles director/president of the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides, Bob Skiba, discussing the Prohibition Era of bathtub booze and speakeasies. With all of that history, we will also get into current events with a talk on pairing beer with delicious food from the experts at Triumph Brewing Company as well as a quick lesson on how to start home brewing from Saint Benjamin's Brewery.

BREWS
Once your thirst for knowledge is quenched, it will be time for the beer. Leading the charge of participating breweries is our proud sponsor Triumph Brewing Company. With several locations throughout the Delaware Valley, including right around the corner on the 100 block of Chestnut Street, Triumph is a great spot to try some of America's freshest micro-brews while enjoying some particularly delicious eats. Neighborhood restaurant Race Street Cafe will also kindly be donating a couple of kegs to our cause. Joining Triumph and Race Street will be the pirate-friendly brewers of Heavy Seas out of Baltimore and up-and-coming local favorite Saint Benjamin's Brewery. With such a wide selection of beer, you are sure to be satisfied!

GRUB
With the Autumnal Equinox behind us, it would be remiss not to pay homage to the great German tradition of Oktoberfest, albeit a few weeks late. Therefore, to accompany the stellar brews being served there will plenty of snacks to please your palate. Chef Walter Staib of City Tavern and A Taste of History fame is generously donating his delicious German sausages to be grilled on site. If tubular meets are not your thing, feel free to chow down on some soft pretzels, a Philly tradition brought over by early German settlers.

TUNES
Beer, food, and a little bit of learning would be enough for most people, but the Elfreth's Alley Museum wants to give you more. So in addition to all of the above, troubadour Joe Becton will be on hand to entertain you with tavern tunes both past and present as a group of Philadelphians compete to determine who has the best home brew. The winner will be determined by a panel of judges including Elfreth's Alley Association board member Danniel Gaidula, GEDO Project co-founder Adam Piazza, Elfreth's Alley Museum docent Karisa Blake, Saint Benjamin's Brewery founder Timothy Patton, Port Richmond Pour House owner John Boswell, former bartender/current teacher Alyssa McIntyre, and Brian Krisch, who has worked at too many Philadelphia cultural institutions to name.

SWAG
Finally, we have one more thing for you to look forward to for this year's Brew Fest. Each person who purchases a ticket to the event will automatically be given a raffle ticket. Prizes to be raffled off include cases of beer, books autographed by the authors, souvenirs from the Museum Shop at Elfreth's Alley, gift cards to local businesses, tickets to events, and more. There is also the soon-to-be-legendary Swag Wagon. The Swag Wagon is a wagon chock full of all of the aforementioned prizes. One lucky winner will walk home with that wagon. To increase your chances of winning, you can purchase more raffle tickets throughout the evening!

We here at the Elfreth's Alley Museum are eagerly anticipating this huge event and hope to see you there. We also encourage you to visit the links in this article as we would not be able to host this event without the help of all of these wonderful organizations.

SCHEDULE:
6:00 - Doors open
6:15 - Welcome/Food Pairings
6:45 - Home Brew How To
7:15 - Philadelphia: The Colonial Beer Capital
7:45 - Prohibition Preview/2012 Plans
8:00 - Raffle Prizes and Home Brew Competition Winner

Get your TICKETS here!

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.

Pickelodeon: The Philadelphia Science Festival

Welcome to Pickelodeon, a little feature where we review all that is reviewable in the world. Pickelodeon is your one stop shop for the inside scoop on the best restaurants, bars, movies, music, events, and anything else you want to hear someone else's opinion on before you try it. Drop us a line in the comment box for any suggestions on what we should review next!

The Philadelphia Science Festival

Science is everywhere! Or so says the slogan for the Franklin Institute's Discovery Camp. Over the past week, the Philadelphia Science Festival has shown the City of Brotherly Love that science truly is everywhere, from the beer they drink to the glass from which they drink. This two-week extravaganza has featured events that made astronomy astronomical, ecology economical, and physics physically impossible to ignore. Cheesy plays on words aside, the festival has inspired an interest in science and technology learning city-wide, and there is still a week to go.

Day Tripper: A Day in DC

One of the many perks of living in Philadelphia is its proximity to so many snazzy places. Philadelphians are within a two or three hour drive of the mountains, the ocean, and some of the coolest and most important cities in the world. With that in mind, the What is proud to present Day Tripper, our guide to the numerous fun trips you can take in and around the Philadelphia region.

The Destination

Washington, DC is one of my favorite cities in the world, and second only to Philadelphia in the states. Aside from being the nation's capital, it has a ton of culture and easily walkable or accessible via their fantastic Metro system. Like New York, DC is a destination that will pop up frequently in the Day Tripper feature. For this particular trip, we will be focusing on a day that is ideal for a date or a small group of friends (perhaps even a double-date). Furthermore, keep in mind that this itinerary is designed for a very specific Saturday, March 19, 2011. Also, you probably want to wear black and red. It becomes important later.

Christmastime in the City

Whether you like it or not, it's that time of year. The time of year when the stores bring out a dazzling array of red and green stuff and your mailbox fills with a heaping load of catalogs. While most of us are still coming down from a Halloween high or looking forward to a delicious turkey dinner in two weeks, the commercial world is busy telling us all that it's Christmastime. For city-dwellers, this is especially exciting. Most major cities have fantastic holiday traditions, and Philadelphia is no exception. Following are the top yuletide stops for you to make in Philly this holiday season.

Macy's Christmas Light Show

Since 1956, the light show has been presented in the main gallery of the Wanamaker building. This breathtaking display was narrated by John Facenda, the voice of NFL Films, for many years before a new narration was recorded by Julie Andrews in 2006. Andrews' narration is paired with the beautiful blinking lights telling classic holiday tales such as the Nutcracker and Frosty the Snowman featuring musical accompaniment from a live organist playing the massive organ. This show will air every hour between 10AM and 8PM daily from the day after Thanksgiving until New Year's Eve. Get there early for a good seat! 

The Dickens Village at Macy's
When Strawbridge's shut its doors several years ago, many (including myself) feared that it marked the end for the Dickens Village. Luckily, Macy's wasted no time in moving the village across the street to the Wanamaker building, placing it in the same building as the Light Show for everyone's Christmas convenience. The village tells the story of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol with 26 different scenes from the famous novel. Over 100 animatronic characters bring the tale to life as you read actual text from the novel on sign posts set throughout the miniature version of 1840's London. A new feature added by Macy's comes at the end of the exhibit, at which point you are escorted into a room to have a quick chat and a photo with Father Christmas himself!

Deck the Alley
When visiting the oldest continuously occupied residential street in the United States, many people wish they could see the inside of the historic Elfreth's Alley houses. Well, on December 4th, you will finally get your chance! As many as 14 of the residents living on the alley will graciously open their homes for touring. Outside, expect to see carolers in period garb and classic Christmas decor. Inside, you will find refreshments (often provided by the fantastic Race Street Cafe) and a book signing with David Papp, author of the children's book The Scarlet Stockings Spy. Tickets are selling fast, so do not hesitate to pick yours up!

Light Displays
The Philadelphia region is home to a variety of impressive holiday decoration displays. Several blocks throughout the city, especially in Southwark and Manayunk, will work together to decorate, while other houses go all out on their own. One such house is located at Fairfax Road and Huey Avenue in Drexel Hill. This house puts on a display that would shame the Griswolds. From lights, to animatronics, to a life-size Santa in his sleigh complete with all of his reindeer, this place has it all. It's easily accessible from the Drexel Park stop on either the 101 or 102 trolleys from 69th Street, and well worth the trip into Delco.

Holiday Train Sets
Nothing says Christmas like a decent holiday model train setup, and there are several to check out in Philly. The Franklin Institute and Septa Museum will often present modest sets in their respective museum spaces. The best set in the city, however, can be found in the old Reading Railroad building. Enter the door next to Dunkin Donuts and you'll be greeted with the expansive set. With sections representing cities, suburbs, and rural areas, this set has it all. Also, kids (and adults) will get a kick out of being able to operate select parts of the display.

Links & Last Words
This list is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to celebrating the holidays in the City of Brotherly Love. We welcome your comments to address any of your favorite traditions we may have left out. Check out the links below for more information, and have a happy holiday season!

• Macy's Light Show & Dickens Village
• Deck the Alley at Elfreth's Alley
• Map of Fairfax Rd. and Huey Ave.
• Holiday Train Sets in PA

Five fantastic tips to make your Franklin Institute visit better

The Franklin Institute Science Museum is always a fun and educational trip to take. However, many visitors at the museum easily lose their way, miss out on shows, and generally get grumpy when caught up in a crowd. In this article you will find five tips to help you easily navigate the museum’s halls, avoid crowds, and make the most of your visit to the Franklin Institute.

Tip #1: Making an entrance
There are several different ways one can enter the Franklin Institute. For those who drive, there is garage parking. The parking garage has an elevator (and stairs) that will drop you off in the Atrium, or lobby. A key thing here is to remember that parking garage access is on the second floor, not the first or fourth as many assume. Were you to walk or take public transportation to the museum, you would most likely walk up the big staircase out front of the building and enter via the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial. This, again, means a second floor entrance, and you will find the Atrium located behind the memorial. Should you require a handicapped accessible entrance, one can be found to the right of the big staircase at the front of the building. This is the only instance in which general public will enter or exit the building via the first floor.

Tip #2: The map is your friend
For whatever reason, many people have issues carrying a map in their hands as it gives the impression that they do not know where they are going. Well, if you are not familiar with the building, you more than likely do not know where you are going, so get a map. Maps are available in the Atrium, where you purchase your tickets. One can also view the map here on the Franklin Institute’s website. Another important item to pick up in the Atrium is the daily schedule, which will let you know the schedules for shows and live demonstrations.

Tip #3: Go against the flow
About 90% of visitors at the Franklin Institute start their visit on the second floor, either rushing to the Giant Heart exhibit or the recently revamped Electricity and Changing Earth exhibits. From there, they will scurry up the Pendulum Stairs to Sports Challenge and run amok. The best way to avoid these crowds is to start on either the first or fourth floors. On some days, the Observatory will be open on the fourth floor, and is a great place to stop by early in your visit when it is at its least busy point of the day. Should that be closed, start your day on the first floor all the way in the back of the building where you can ride the Baldwin 60000 locomotive without a crowd of screaming children or check out shows at the Franklin Theater or Planetarium. Save the popular exhibits such as the Giant Heart and Sports Challenge for lunchtime or the end of your day.

Tip #4: Go in with a game plan
Plan ahead! This is a key element to fully enjoying your Franklin Institute experience. Check the website at www.fi.edu and see if there are any major events that may lead to extra crowds. Go over the map, as mentioned above, and plan out which exhibits you would like to see the most. Call ahead to reserve tickets for any shows you may want to see, and ask if anything special is happening on the day on which you plan to attend. Familiarize yourself with the current traveling exhibit. If it is in its first or last week, there will be extra crowds on hand.

Tip #5: Know your surroundings
There are times when the museum can be a bit crowded due to a lot of field trips or any other number of reasons. When this happens, it’s helpful to know the area around the museum. Peak filed trip time is between 11AM and 2PM. If you find the building too crowded, you can visit the Free Library, which is right across the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. If Ben’s Bistro is too crowded, you could get some pizza at Little John’s, which is behind the museum at 21st and Race Streets, or grab a beer and a sandwich at Cherry Street Tavern, which is about two blocks behind the museum at 22nd and Cherry Streets.

Hopefully these tips will make your next visit to the Franklin Institute run smoothly. For more information on Franklin Institute events, you can keep checking this column and become a fan of the Franklin Institute on Facebook.

*From Patrick Wittwer's page on Examiner.com