Saturday, August 6, 2011
Pat's vs. Geno's: Philly Cheesesteak War!
video . . . Frank Olivieri (Pat's King of Steak's) and Joey Vento (Geno's Steaks) square off in the ultimate cheesesteak war!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
The President's House: Freedom and Slavery in Making a New Nation
From 1790 to 1800, when the city of Philadelphia was our new nation’s capital, Presidents George Washington and John Adams lived and worked in a mansion – the President’s House – that stood roughly one block north of Independence Hall. In that house, the first two American presidents literally invented what it meant to be Chief Executive of the United States.
The mansion also held a profoundly disturbing truth. It has been documented that George Washington, who owned over 300 enslaved Africans at his Mount Vernon home, brought at least nine of these servants to Philadelphia to live and work in the President’s House. This fact creates a challenge to the notion of American liberty; while the founders of our country declared “all men are created equal,” the brutal institution of slavery was still being cultivated and maintained. It was in this very house that George Washington signed the notorious Fugitive Slave Act of 1793.
The presidential mansion is replete with stories of both achievement and infamy – the birth of a free nation and its tenacious first steps, co-existing with widely practiced, indefensible enslavement of human beings. It is worth noting that John Adams was not himself a slave owner, and his wife Abigail was an outspoken critic of slavery.
The mansion also held a profoundly disturbing truth. It has been documented that George Washington, who owned over 300 enslaved Africans at his Mount Vernon home, brought at least nine of these servants to Philadelphia to live and work in the President’s House. This fact creates a challenge to the notion of American liberty; while the founders of our country declared “all men are created equal,” the brutal institution of slavery was still being cultivated and maintained. It was in this very house that George Washington signed the notorious Fugitive Slave Act of 1793.
The presidential mansion is replete with stories of both achievement and infamy – the birth of a free nation and its tenacious first steps, co-existing with widely practiced, indefensible enslavement of human beings. It is worth noting that John Adams was not himself a slave owner, and his wife Abigail was an outspoken critic of slavery.
Ultimately, President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in Making a New Nation is designed with a dual purpose. The site indeed commemorates the location and importance of the original executive mansion of George Washington and John Adams – key architects of American democracy. It also tells the long-obscured story of the enslaved Africans who toiled at the house, two of whom made a remarkable escape to freedom during Washington’s presidency.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Philadelphia Movie Sties Tour
Movie buffs will adore this tour of more than 50 movie sites
from 30 movies and TV shows filmed in Philadelphia.Sites Visited:
Independence Mall - Shooter / Rocky II
Independence Hall bell tower - National Treasure
Curtis Center building (lobby) - Unbreakable
Independence Square / Washington Square - National Treasure
Old Pine Churce graveyard - National Treasure
Famous 4th Street Deli - Philadelphia / In Her Shoes / Jersey Girl
Delancy Street - Italian Job / The Answer Man
Old City - Beloved
St. Augustine's Church - The Sixth Sense
PA Convention Center / Reading Terminal Market - 12 Monkeys / National Treasure
Hard Rock Cafe - Jersey Girl
Macy's - Mannequin / Mannequin On The Move
Manhole cover (City Hall) - 12 Monkeys
Municipal Services Building - Up Close and Personal / Shooter
LOVE Park - Baby Mama
Clothespin Statue (15 & Market)- Trading Places
Academy of Music - Age of Innocence
Furness Library (non site visit - clip only) - Philadelphia
Franklin Field (non site visit - clip only) - Invincible
2302 St. Alban's Place (Lynn and Cole Sear's home) - The Sixth Sense
Various City Scenes (clip only) - Rocky Balboa
Eastern State Penitentiary - Transformers Revenge of the Fallen / 12 Monkeys / Return to Paradise
Benjamin Franklin Parkway / Phila Museum of Art - Rocky / Rocky II / Rocky V / Rocky Balboa / In Her Shoes
Franklin Institute Science Museum / Aviator Park - National Treasure
Amtrak's 30th Street Station - Witness / The Happening / Blowout / Trading Places
Chestnut Street Bridge - Shooter
Pickwick Pharmacy - Philadelphia
City Hall - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen / Philadelphia / Law Abiding Citizen / Fallen / Blowout)
Broad & Walnut Streets - Marley & Me
Butcher & Singer restaurant - The Sixth Sense
Walnut Street - In Her Shoes
Rittenhouse Square park - The Happening / Trading Places / Rocky II
Curtis Institute - Trading Places
Tequila's restaurant - Unbreakable
Jamaican Jerk Hut - In Her Shoes
High School for Performing Arts (former Ridgeway Library) - 12 Monkeys
Geno's Steaks - Fallen
Pat's Steaks - Invincible
Italian Market - Rocky / In Her Shoes / Rocky II / Rocky Balboa
Loft Apartment of Andrew and Miguel - Philadelphia
8th & Chestnut Street Post Office - The Answer Man
Independence Hall - Shooter
*Subject to change as dictated by route, traffic detours or other delays.
Learn more at www.moviesitestour.com
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Mummies of the World: The Exhibition
Mummies of the World, the largest exhibition of mummies and related artifacts ever assemble is now at The Franklin Institute. This compelling collection, presented with reverence and dignity, includes ancient mummies and important artifacts from Asia, Oceania, South America, Europe, as well as ancient Egypt, dating as far back as 6,500 years.
Location: Franklin Institute
Website: Mummies of the World
Exhibit Hours:
Monday – Wednesday: 9:30AM – 5:00PM
Last admission 3:30PM
Thursday – Sunday: 9:30AM – 8:30PM
Last admission 7:00PM
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Mütter Museum
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5:15 AM
Posted by
Mike
Labels: Best of Philly - Tourist Attractions, Museums, Tourist Attractions
Labels: Best of Philly - Tourist Attractions, Museums, Tourist Attractions
The Mütter Museum is a medical museum located in the Center City area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It contains a collection of medical oddities, anatomical and pathological specimens, wax models, and antique medical equipment.
The museum is part of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The original purpose of the collection, donated by Dr. Thomas Dent Mütter in 1858, was medical research and education.
The Mütter Museum is best known for the Hyrtl Skull Collection and other anatomical specimens including a wax model of a woman with a horn growing out of her forehead along with several wax molds of untreated conditions of the head; the tallest skeleton currently on display in North America; a nine-foot-long human colon that contained over 40 pounds of fecal matter which originally came from a sideshow act called the human Balloon; and the body of the Soap Lady, whose corpse turned itself into a soapy substance called adipocere better known as grave wax.
Street address19 South 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19103.
Hours of operationMonday-Friday, 10am-5pm
Saturday & Sunday, 10am-5pm
The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving Day, December 25th, and January 1st.
AdmissionGeneral Admission (Ages 18-64): $14
Children (Ages 6-17): $10
Senior Citizens (Age 65+): $10
Students with valid ID: $10
Military with valid ID: $10
Fellows of the College: FREE
Children under 6: FREE
Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, but stands today in ruin, a haunting world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers.
Known for its grand architecture and strict discipline, this was the world’s first true “penitentiary,” a prison designed to inspire penitence, or true regret, in the hearts of convicts.
Its vaulted, sky-lit cells once held many of America’s most notorious criminals, including bank robber “Slick Willie” Sutton and Al Capone.
Located:
2027 Fairmount Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Phone: (215) 236-3300
Website
Similiar Links
Ghost Caught Inside Eastern State Penitentiary
Terror Behind the Walls: Halloween at Eastern State Penitentiary
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