us airways june 2014: season of celebration

Concerts, festivals, food, and eclectic

neighborhoods put a special shine on summer in Philadelphia.

BY JOANN GRECO

Season of Celebration

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Stops on this route of interwoven sites include the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Benjamin Franklin Museum, National Constitution Center, and Christ Church. They stitch together that fabled story as easily as Betsy Ross did the nation’s first flag.

“Philadelphia’s enduring independent spirit was established in the historic district,” says Meryl Levitz, the president and CEO of VISIT PHILADEPHIATM. “Today, you find that revolu-tionary quality all over the region.”

Beyond Philly’s historic heart, travelers gather deeper insights into the city’s past and a rich un-derstanding of this modern metropolitan area that some four million people are proud to call home.

Start by exploring the neighborhoods within a five-minute walk. To the north, Old City condos, art galleries, and happening restaurants are lo-cated in redeveloped Civil War–era factories. A few blocks south, Society Hill features stately red brick homes with Federal touches such as boot scrapers, marble stoops, and wooden shutters.

Hot Fun in the CityTo the east lies Penn’s Landing, a hub of summer fun, including concerts, films, and, most notably, fireworks and other events linked to Wawa Wel-come America!, the city’s weeklong Independence

In summertime, the streets of Philadelphia’s historic district are crowded with visitors looking to better understand America’s beginnings.

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Clockwise from left: Philadelphia skyline, Silk City, Morgan’s Pier, and the O-bon Festival in Clark Park

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Top Chefs and Beer HallsTrue foodies also know that some of the hippest restaurants lie on the fringes of Center City, just a 10-minute cab ride away. Along Passyunk Avenue, Nicholas Elmi, America’s newest “top chef,” has joined a stellar cadre of toque-wearers who have established innovative kitchens, while the culinary scenes of South Street West and Fairmount continue to grow. All over town, the beer garden concept is flourishing, from Fishtown’s Frankford Hall to Bella Vista’s Brauhaus Schmitz, from Brü to Drury Beer Garden, both in Center City.

Artful OfferingsFor the culturally inclined, the mile-long Benjamin Franklin Parkway reigns. The roster of museums includes the Barnes Foundation, where Cézanne’s still lifes top the bill this sum-mer; the Rodin Museum, with its unparalleled sculptures and recently replenished gardens; the just-expanded Franklin Institute; and The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, where the world’s exotic birds preen in the sum-mer spotlight. At the top of the parkway, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is showcasing the work of Patrick Kelly, the Philly native who made a huge splash in the fashion world of the ’80s.

Behind the Art Museum, Fairmount Park, the nation’s largest urban swath of green, offers treasures like Shofuso, a Japanese tea house and garden, and Please Touch Museum, a children’s attraction located in one of the few surviving structures from the 1876 Centennial Exposition.

Abundant CountrysideIf the park whets your appetite for more of the great outdoors, venture farther — but convenient-ly, no more than an hour’s drive. In Bucks County to the north, you’ll discover New Hope, a charm-ing artists’ enclave, and Doylestown, a county seat alive with a trio of distinctive museums.

To the south, Chester County and the Brandywine Valley lure with both Longwood Gardens and the rolling landscapes made famous by painter and Pennsylvania native Andrew Wyeth. To the west, the towns of the Main Line offer some of the area’s best-preserved history, such as Valley Forge National Historical Park, and picturesque draws, including Chanticleer, a former private estate now known for its enchanting botanical garden.

Day festival (July 1–7). Also on the Delaware Riverfront is Race Street Pier, a park that offers great activities (like morning yoga and cooling breezes) and Morgan’s Pier, a summer favorite for enjoying a frosty brew with a river view.

And to the west, head to University City’s out-door oasis Clark Park in August for the annual O-bon Festival, a free event honoring Japanese traditions and culture.

Sometimes, summer in the city means seren-dipitous surprises. For several years now, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has trans-formed a different empty lot into a site bursting with blooms. This year, Penn’s Landing is getting in on the pop-up action with Spruce Street Harbor, complete with an urban beach, hammocks, and a food-and-drink area on floating barges.

Vibrant NeighborhoodsShopping and dining are great ways to explore Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. Rittenhouse Square remains shopping central for big-name brands and luxurious goods. But elsewhere, the indepen-dents shine. The east end of Pine Street offers gift shops and eclectic boutiques, while the blocks of Midtown Village feature a variety of restaurants and shopping treasures. Meanwhile, the warehouses and studios of the Loft District, Old City, Northern Liberties, and Fishtown are home to the city’s maker, crafts, and artist communities.

158 JUNE 2014 usairwaysmag.com

The streets in neighborhoods

like Old City bustle well into

the evening.

VISIT PHILADELPHIATM

800.537.7676 visitphilly.com

Check out the next 38 pages to seewhat makes my region great.

visitphilly.com

My Phillyosophy:

I am never the same place twice.

Photos by J. Fusco, R. Kennedy and J.S. Ruth for VISIT PHILADELPHIATM

visit philly toc.indd 1 5/5/14 4:20 PM

a Stage


Opposite page, clockwise from top: Curtis 20/21 Ensemble performs at

Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall; Curtis Opera Theatre

performs Mozart’s Magic Flute; Curtis Symphony

Orchestra opens the 2012 Dresden Music Festival;

faculty member Jonathan Biss filming a free online course; Curtis On Tour

ensemble sightseeing in Beijing

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The global reach of the Curtis Institute of Music

All the World’s

But the Curtis Institute of Music does not rest on its laurels — or stay within the confines of Philadelphia.

Sure, it’s a local landmark, occupying prime real estate on Rittenhouse Square, but part of what has sealed the school’s reputation is its dynamism and philosophy of “learning by doing.” Its 168 students (who all receive full-tuition scholarships) routinely offer Philadel-phia residents some 200 free classical concerts a year. And in recent years, they’ve made all the world their stage.

Through Curtis On Tour, established in 2008, students, faculty, and alumni have trav-

For any institution of higher learning, alumni that include Leonard Bernstein and Samuel Barber and winners of Guggenheim Fellowships and Pulitzer Prizes would be achievement enough.

eled to 44 destinations in Europe, Asia, and both North and South America. With each performance, they’re increasingly in demand. After opening the Dresden Music Festival in 2012 — a distinction usually reserved for the likes of the Berlin Philharmonic or other es-teemed world orchestras — reviewers couldn’t rave enough: “Simply phenomenal,” was the assessment of one; “a first-class orchestra” was the description of another, with effusive com-pliments to conductor Robert Spano, himself a Curtis graduate. “They embody passion, preci-sion, and, despite their youth, astonishing musi-cal maturity,” said yet another.

Those who can’t make it to Dresden or any of the other 44 destinations don’t have to worry. Curtis has erased geographical boundaries by embracing 21st century technology with gusto. Its digital showcase is an online portal (curtis .edu/digital) guiding music lovers to classes, performances, downloads, and more. Thanks to a partnership with Coursera, a leading pro-vider of massive open online courses, some

68,000 students from 135 countries explored the intricacies of Beethoven’s piano sonatas and the history of Western music through perfor-mance. And when school isn’t in session, you can access clips from past lectures for free. The same holds true for Curtis Performs, an archive of performances of everything from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 to a chamber quartet performing a selection by 20th century com-poser Paul Hindemith. Similar to HD broad-casts from the Metropolitan Opera, Curtis Performs takes HD to another level, with ad-vanced technology that allows the videos to be viewed on any device — smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. Since its launch in 2013, viewers from 148 different countries have tuned in.

It’s an impressive record — especially for a 90-year-old. That’s right: In the fall, the Curtis Institute will celebrate its founding in 1924 by Mary Louise Curtis Bok, heiress to the Curtis Publishing Company, which produced The Saturday Evening Post and Ladies Home Jour-nal. It was one of her artistic consultants, con-ductor Leopold Stokowski, who glimpsed the future, predicting that Curtis would “become the most important musical institution of our country, perhaps the world.”

And indeed it has.

Curtis Institute of Music

1726 Locust Streets Philadelphia, PA

215.893.7902 curtis.edu/USAirways


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In the latter half of 2014, the shining light at the end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway promises several exciting exhibitions.

They include a tantalizing first peek at the mu-seum’s forthcoming renovation and expansion plans designed by master architect Frank Gehry, and an in-depth look at the pioneer modern

photographer Paul Strand. Opening on July 1 and continuing through the summer, Making A Classic Modern: Frank Geh-ry’s Plan for the Phila-delphia Museum of Art is curated by Tim-othy Rub, the mu-seum’s director and chief executive officer. It offers a behind-the-

will include many that are recent acquisitions. On October 21, 2014–January 4, 2015, the

museum mounts an exhibition on the iconic and iconoclastic Strand, an American whose experiments at the turn of the 20th-century helped establish photography as a major form.

Organized chronologically, Paul Strand: Master of Modern Photography (Oct. 21–Jan. 4, 2015) draws from the museum’s archive of more than 3,000 Strand prints to capture a career that spanned six decades. About a dozen works from Strand contemporaries — includ-ing photographer Alfred Stieglitz and painters Georgia O’Keeffe, Charles Sheeler, and Arthur Dove — will also be displayed alongside Strand artifacts, such as correspondence, cameras, and scrapbooks.

Images from the peripatetic photographer’s travels through the American Southwest, Europe, Morocco, Egypt, and elsewhere are a highlight.

And since Strand had a long-standing

interest in the idea of narrative, books, picture groupings, and his avant-garde films are given a stage, as are his wide-ranging experiments with photographic prints.

The installation will be divided into three broad sections that will illustrate Strand’s development. It begins with a look at his early modernist works, including abstraction, landscapes, and moving portraits of anony-mous subjects on the street. The next sequence examines Strand’s time in the Southwest and Mexico.

The final portion of the exhibition concen-trates on a handful of projects representative of Strand’s later life, including his return to New York and his renewed interest in film, as well as photographic suites he undertook in New England; Luzzara, Italy; and Ghana. Because context was so critical to Strand’s work, this section will emphasize the historical, social, political, and literary forces behind these projects.

Philadelphia Museum of Art

2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy.

Philadelphia, PA 215.763.8100

philamuseum.org

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has some big plans over the next six months. BY JOANN GRECO

New Landmark Exhibitions

Clockwise from left: new multipurpose space on the

museum’s second floor with a dramatic city view; Paul Strand’s The Family, Luzzara (The Lusettis),

1953 (negative), mid to late 1960s) print; Paul Strand’s White Fence, Port Kent,

New York, 1916 (negative), 1945 (print)

scenes look at the creative processes involved in dramatically augmenting an already beloved institution (it was designed between 1918 and 1928 in the Beaux Arts style by the firm of Hor-ace Trumbauer and others). “We’re trying to unlock the possibilities that are already in the DNA of a great building,” Gehry has observed, adding that what he’s really doing is “unclogging the arteries.”

The master plan calls for interior renovations and restorations to make the museum more easily navigable and adds significantly more space. In addition to new and enhanced entrances and an auditorium, the project delivers much-needed gallery space and exten-sive garden features created by Olin, an interna-tionally recognized landscape architecture firm headquartered in Philadelphia. The exhibition will include photographs, large-scale models, site plans, and renderings that illuminate both the museum’s history and overall vision of the master plan. It will also showcase other Gehry projects, as well as works representing the mu-seum’s varied collections that will be greatly affected by the project, including American art, Asian art, and contemporary art. These works

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Roaming Philadelphia’s outdoor museum BY A. WHITE

From Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture to Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker, Philadelphia boasts one of the largest public art collections in the nation.

“You can walk the length of the Parkway and experience some of the most impressive examples of public art in America,” says Execu-tive Director Penny Balkin Bach.

The Benjamin Franklin Parkway is home to the city’s top museums and outdoor sculptures, including Alexander Stirling Calder’s Shake-speare Memorial and Mark di Suvero’s Iroquois. The aPA brings two new artworks this summer: Symbiosis, a sculpture by artist Roxy Paine, is

The Association for Public Art (aPA) has a secret to share: Some of Philadelphia’s most notable art-works are not hanging in its galler-ies. The city itself is a museum.

hand-constructed from pieces of stainless steel pipe, plate, and metal rods welded into struc-tures resembling trees and branching systems; and artist Candy Coated will transform Eakins Oval into a whimsical

environment of color and illusion, with pro-gramming presented by Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and Fairmount Park Conservancy.

While on the Parkway, listen to the aPA’s Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO, an inter-pretive program that reveals the fascinating stories of more than 65 sculptures throughout the city. Artist Claes Oldenburg recalls the pins that littered his studio, which inspired his 45-foot-tall Clothespin sculpture, while other commenters compare the artwork to two people embracing. Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO is available by cell phone, app, audio download, and online at museumwithoutwallsaudio.org.

Stroll Through the Art

165usairwaysmag.com JUNE 2014

1528 Walnut St., Suite 1000 Philadelphia, PA

215.546.7550 associationforpublicart.org

Clockwise from top left: Symbiosis (2011) by artist

Roxy Paine; a passerby listens to the Museum

Without Walls™: AUDIO program for LOVE (1976) by Robert Indiana; artist

Candy Coated in her studio.

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With the Philadelphia CityPass BY APRIL WHITE

Armed with a Philadelphia CityPASS ticket booklet, you can save 46 percent off combined admission to the city’s top attractions. Each booklet contains prepaid entrance to The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia Trolley Works Tour, Adventure Aquarium, either the Phila-delphia Zoo or the National Constitution Cen-ter, and your choice between the Eastern State Penitentiary and the Please Touch Museum. The Philadelphia Trolley Works Tour ticket gives you 24 hours of unlimited on/off privi-

Who doesn’t want a

great deal when they travel? And if that deal

saves you both time and money, all the better.

leges aboard trolleys and double-decker buses that access 21 stops, including all of the City-PASS attractions except the aquarium.

And, in addition to saving money, CityPASS ticket booklets save time, by allowing you to take the VIP route and skip most main-entrance ticket lines. That’s a definite plus if you’re travel-ing with antsy kids. The booklets are valid for nine consecutive days, starting with the first day of use, so you can see the included sights and still have plenty of time to explore Reading Terminal Market, take your photo in front of the city’s famous LOVE statue, or run up the 72 steps to the entrance of the Philadelphia Mu-seum of Art and pose like Rocky.

You can purchase CityPASS ticket booklets online before you leave home or buy them when you arrive in Philly. All of the included attrac-tions sell the booklets at their box offices. Cost: $62 for adults (value $115), $39 for kids, 2-12.

Access to Adventure


For more information, visit

citypass.com/philadelphia.

From left: The Franklin Institute Rotunda,

Hammerhead shark at the Adventure Aquarium,

Please Touch Museum

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New marketing initiatives place Philly’s cultural happenings at your fingertips. BY JOANN GRECO

What to see and when to do it? The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, which advo-cates and markets for the area’s arts and cul-tural community, has several sophisticated tools to help.

Its comprehensive website phillyfunguide .com, for instance, offers arts lovers a calendar that lists thousands of events, searchable by type, date, or location. And about 100,000 people have signed up for its popular Funsavers initiative, a weekly email with half-price ticket offers for a variety of local cultural happenings.

“Funsavers has been a great resource for us,” says Sandy Catz, president of the Tri-State Jazz Society. “It has brought in new audiences,

With so many plays, exhibits, con-

certs, sporting events, lectures, and walking tours to sample, Phila-

delphia visitors and residents are in an enviable, if overwhelming position.

including younger music lovers and out-of-town visitors, every time we’ve worked with it.”

Such programs are not the only way the Alliance helps to ensure that institutions such as these flourish. It has spearheaded an audience-analysis project with 160 cultural groups that’s resulted in a shared master database of 2.3 mil-lion culture vultures; released research reports that demonstrate the economic impact of the arts and cultural sectors ($3.3 billion); and, working with state and local officials, the Alli-ance has also helped to establish public policies that encourage and protect that sector.

Approachable Art


Greater Philadelphia

Cultural Alliance

215.557.7811 philaculture.org

phillyfunguide.com

Top: Le Grand Continental/Sylvain Émard Danse, part of the 2012 Philadelphia

Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe (the 2014 Fringe is

Sept. 5–21).

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See what’s on next at the luminous Kimmel Center.

This summer it offers a full lineup of art events, from independent theater and jazz residencies to “The Composers,” a newly installed series of busts of classical composers crafted from old books by artist Long-Bin Chen.

Perhaps the most highly anticipated piece of programming is the arrival of The Book of Mormon, the Tony award-winning musical from the creators of South Park, now on tour. The show settles in for a six-week run on July 29 to wrap up the Kimmel’s Broadway Philadelphia series. Before then, theatergoers

With its iconic glass roof and

state-of-the-art auditoriums, the Kimmel Center is a sparkling

centerpiece on Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts.

can enjoy the return of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical Evita (June 17–22) and the Philadelphia debut of his recent stage adapta-tion of The Wizard of Oz (June 3–8), which features several new

songs written with Tim Rice.Also grabbing headlines at the Kimmel is

the latest entry from Iron Chef Jose Garces. A return to the roots and inspirations for his cooking, Volvér is proving to be innovative in telling those stories. It offers decadent chef’s tastings, and, like any other great show, they’re available by prepaid ticket only. For those look-ing for lighter but no less luxurious fare, the accompanying Bar Volvér features elegant noshes like tuna tartare and caviar, plus the city’s largest selection of champagne.

Cultural Display


BY JOANN GRECO

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

300 South Broad St. Philadelphia 215.893.1999

kimmelcenter.org

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The Benjamin Franklin Museum showcases the life of this extraordinary individual. BY WES ISLEY

But he was also a teenage runaway and, later in life, was accused of inciting riots against the monarchy while living in England. Most fa-mously, Franklin invented the lightning rod and confirmed much of what we know about electricity. Clearly, he was a brilliant man who transformed our world.

Learn just how much Franklin influenced Philadelphia and life in the U.S. with a visit to the Benjamin Franklin Museum, located within Independence National Historical Park. Renovated and reopened in 2013, the

Most people imagine Benjamin Franklin as a bespectacled, grand-fatherly figure who signed the Declaration of Independence and helped craft the U.S. Constitution.

22,000-square-foot museum brings Franklin to life by focusing on the compelling personality of this inventor, statesman, and entrepreneur.

View possessions such as the family Bible and a favorite armchair, and artifacts from Franklin’s printing and publishing businesses. Exhibits also explore his contributions to science, firefighting, higher education, and medical care. The mu-seum engages all ages with computer animation, hands-on objects, and touchscreen games.

Of course, the museum is only one attraction within Independence National Historical Park, which includes many sites connected to Frank-lin’s exceptional life. There’s Independence Hall, where the Constitution was signed; City Tavern, where Franklin often dined; Franklin Court, where his home and printing office once stood; and Christ Church, where Franklin lies at rest.

Think you know Ben Franklin? A visit to the museum that bears his name will make you think again.

Relevant Revolutionary


Benjamin Franklin Museum

Independence National Historical Park

317 Chestnut St. Philadelphia, PA

215.965.2305 nps.gov/inde

Interactive displays, touchscreen games, and

computer animation make learning fun for all ages.

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Over 142 years, it held 75,000 inmates in 980 cells, originally designed around a strict, soli-tary confinement rehabilitation approach that fell out of favor in the early 20th century. Revo-lutionary for its time, Eastern State Peniten-tiary’s radial architectural design was copied by hundreds of prisons worldwide, and the build-ing is also noted for having indoor plumbing and central heat before the White House.

The penitentiary’s vaulted, sky-lit cells held hard-boiled criminals such as famous bank robber “Slick Willie” Sutton and gangster “Scarface” Al Capone — although fine furni-ture and a cabinet radio made Capone’s stay relatively luxurious.

The prison closed in 1971 and sat aban-doned for more than 20 years. Now in a state of semi-ruin, the facility is open for tours every day, year-round. An audio tour narrated by actor Steve Buscemi guides visitors through crum-

bling cellblocks, past empty guard towers, and into Death Row and the underground punishment cells. A series of short, interactive experi-ences allows visitors to unlock a cell, open the massive front gate, learn to play bocce, tour the Operating Room,

From the day its doors opened in 1829, Eastern State Penitentiary gained a reputation for its hub-and-spoke floor plan, controversial confinement practices, and infamous inmates.

A Notorious Past


From left: the prison’s imposing exterior; visitors

tour Cellblock 7

Take a step back in time while exploring one of the most famous prisons in the country. BY WES ISLEY

and more. In addition to its daily

tours, Eastern State Penitentiary hosts special events throughout the year, such as an Alumni Reunion with former guards and inmates, Prison Food Weekend,

and Terror Behind the Walls, a haunted attrac-tion consistently ranked among the top in the nation.

Eastern State Penitentiary

2027 Fairmount Ave. Philadelphia, PA 215.236.3300

easternstate.org


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The venerable Franklin Institute is on the move again with astounding new exhibits. BY JOANN GRECO

Unveiled this month, the Franklin Institute’s $41 million expansion adds 53,000 square feet to an already abundant assemblage of thought-provoking science exhibits. The three-story wing will house a state-of-the-art traveling exhibit gallery, plus conference and education space. The centerpiece of the expansion, Your Brain, is the largest permanent exhibit at the museum and in the country, dedicated to the understanding of the brain.

The museum opened in its limestone struc-ture in 1934, more than a century after the

The new Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion literally shimmers thanks to 10,000 aluminum panels that undulate in response to the winds.

institute was first established as a private orga-nization dedicated to advancing the inventions of Benjamin Franklin. During the last eight decades, the museum has expanded with the times, starting with a bevy of pendulums and pulleys, adding a belching 1920s locomotive and a walk-through model of a human heart, and then incorporating the latest technology.

With Your Brain, the institute ups the inter-active quotient. A wall-sized video installation greets museum-goers with a graphic represen-tation of their neurological system. Elsewhere, a two-story climbing structure comes alive with lighting and sound effects as visitors ascend.

The pavilion’s inaugural traveling exhibit offers still more exhilarating experiences. Circus! Science Under the Big Top explores the physics behind great high-wire acts and allows thrill-seekers to launch cannon balls and tiptoe across tightropes. Once you leave the institute, you won’t see the world in the same way.

The Science of You

The Franklin Institute

222 N. 20th St. Philadelphia, PA

215.448.1200 fi.edu

Highlights of the Your Brain exhibit, and (center) the new

Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion

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Explore the maritime history of the Delaware River and the vessels that have called her home.

At the Independence Seaport Museum, visitors can discover that history as they explore exhibi-tions, peek in on a shipbuilding workshop, and climb aboard two anchored vessels designated as National Historic Landmarks.

Dating from 1892, the gleaming Olympia was Admiral Dewey’s flagship during the Span-ish American War, and is the only warship from that conflict still afloat. The Becuna, a 1944 submarine, served in World War II and, after being equipped with radar and nuclear war-heads, in the Korean and Vietnam wars. Both

The history of Philadelphia is inextri-cably linked to the Delaware River, from its beginnings as a colonial city to its primacy as one of the world’s great working ports.

ships are open during mu-seum hours, and behind-the-scenes tours take place on the first Saturday of every month. For a unique view, the museum rents rowboats and kayaks so you can row up to and around these ships.

The museum’s permanent collection delves into the waterfront’s history, from its early naval heroes and the birth of the U.S. Navy, to its growth as a mercantile and ship-building center and its development as an industrial and recre-ational powerhouse.

This summer, visit exhibits including Tides of Freedom: African Presence on the Delaware River, which traces 300 years of African American expe-rience in the Delaware Valley and is curated by Dr. Tukufu Zuberi, the host of the PBS Series History Detectives.

Ahoy Matey!


BY JOANN GRECO

Independence Seaport Museum

Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River

211 S. Columbus Blvd. & Walnut St.


phillyseaport.org

Tour the Cruiser Olympia, the world’s oldest floating

steel warship, at the Independence Seaport

Museum.

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Documenting our rights and freedoms at the National Constitution Center

As a museum, the National Constitution Center brings the U.S. Constitution to life for all ages through interactive exhibitions, theatrical performances, and original docu-ments of freedom.

As a Headquarters for Civic Education, the Constitution Center offers educators and students cutting-edge resources including the premier online Interactive Constitution.

As America’s Town Hall, the Constitution Center hosts timely conversations featuring

In the city’s heart, the National Constitution Center is the Museum of We the People, America’s Town Hall, and a Center for Civic Education.

distinguished speakers from across the politi-cal spectrum, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

Now through October 19, the National Constitution Center is presenting the powerful Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello, an exhibition that follows the stories of six enslaved families who lived and worked at Jefferson’s Virginia plantation — the Fossett, Granger, Gillette, Hemings, Hern, and Hubbard families — and the legacy of their descendants.

The exhibition includes nearly 300 artifacts that represent each family’s trade as well as personal items of the third president, including a walking stick, a chess set, eyeglasses, and a replica of the portable desk used to draft the Declaration of Independence.

Explore the story of slavery in early U.S. history while discovering the struggle and the self-determination at the heart of America’s founding.

Law of the Land


Interactive exhibitions and theatrical performances at the National

Constitution Center bring America’s story

to life for visitors.

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The National Museum of American Jewish History celebrates baseball. BY NANCY OAKLEY

The bases are loaded for Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American at Philadel-phia’s National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH).

On view through October 26, the exhibi-tion illustrates how baseball is truly America’s national pastime, given that it has provided a way for minority and immigrant groups to be a part of the American mainstream. Jewish heroes of the game, such as “Hammerin’ Hank” Greenberg of the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates, and Sandy Koufax of Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers fame, take center stage alongside Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Joe DiMaggio, and Ichiro Suzuki, the first Japa-nese position player to play in the major leagues.

Not that you have to be a base-ball aficionado to appreciate Chas-ing Dreams. There’s something here for everyone: the original sheet music for “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” Little League memora-bilia, and a nod to executives, journalists, fans, and vendors like Esther Schimmel of St. Louis,

Imagine priceless signed base-balls, scorecards, photographs, bobbleheads, uniforms, and more — a grand total of 130 pieces of game memorabilia.

Missouri, who kept kosher — even while selling non-kosher hot dogs. This decid-edly human approach is due, in part, to the museum’s call for objects, which was posted on a Tumblr page that quickly became filled with fans’ photos and recollections of stick-ball games, ballpark weddings, and more.

Assuming you can tear yourself away from all things baseball, check out NMAJH’s permanent holdings tracing the history of Jews in the United States and their contributions to American culture through art, civic service, charitable organizations, and work. From the sublime, consisting of paintings and religious artifacts, to the everyday, such as a Singer sewing machine and a Yiddish type-writer, you’ll agree that the museum’s collection, like Chasing Dreams, hits it out of the park.

A Home Run

National Museum of American Jewish History

101 S. Independence Mall East, Philadelphia, PA

215.923.3811, nmajh.org

From top: Jackie Robinson pin; Hank Greenberg and Joe

DiMaggio

525 Arch St. Philadelphia, PA

ConstitutionCenter.org Follow ConstitutionCtr on

, , , and . 215.409.6700

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For 127 years, Penn Museum archaeologists and anthropologists have been exploring the world.

Founded in 1887, the Penn Museum’s aspira-tions have always been grand. More than 350 expeditions (and still counting) later, the inter-nationally renowned museum and research center, located on the University of Pennsylva-nia’s urban campus, offers the public an aston-ishing view of world cultures through time and across continents.

Housed in an eclectic-style Arts and Crafts building with tranquil inner gardens, fountains, a reflecting pool, and nearly one million arti-facts, the museum, according to director Julian Siggers, “encapsulates the story of humanity.” It’s a big, diverse story. Guests can wander from famous Mesopotamian treasures of Queen Puabi, to colossal architectural elements from the Palace of the Egyptian pharaoh Merenptah, to Mayan stone monuments from Central America, and Buddhist sculptures and wall

The result of those travels? Today’s visitors can take an international expedition through the museum’s galleries.

paintings from Asia. Materials from Africa and the Americas — some traditional, some more contemporary — are also represented, while special exhibitions enrich the signature offerings.

Worlds Intertwined: Etruscans, Greeks, and Romans, a suite of galleries with more than 1,400 ancient Mediterranean objects, explores the inter-relatedness of the three ancient cul-tures, but the museum itself offers an opportu-nity to explore the diversity and interconnec-tions of human societies past and present.

“Our aspirational mission,” Siggers notes, “is to transform understanding of the human experience.”

An Expansive View


Penn Museum

3260 South St. Philadelphia, PA 215.898.4000 penn.museum

From top: an exhibition of Egyptian artifacts and

one of the museum’s tranquil outdoor gardens


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Magnetism — Philadelphia’s got it.

It’s this diversity, found in Philadelphia’s muse-ums, theaters, restaurants, nightlife, and profes-sional sports teams that attracts millions of visitors annually.

Philadelphia is also one of the most easily accessible U.S. destinations, and has a reservoir of 11,000 hotel rooms. Hosting guests is one of the things the city does best.

Tens of thousands of art revelers will appre-ciate this hospitality when they attend the third biennial Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA) April 10–25, 2015. An unparal-leled feast of plays, musicals, art exhibits, sym-phonies, bands, dancers, and singers will lure

Offering visitors the Liberty Bell and Philly cheesesteaks alongside five-star restaurants, the city is historic yet avant-garde, attracting leisure, business, and convention travelers.

tourists from around the globe to the city to immerse them-selves in all things art, and feast on international cuisine.

Business planners are timing conven-tions and meetings

to coincide with PIFA so attendees can experi-ence daily exhibits and performances that are typically scheduled months apart, even in major cities. The newly expanded Pennsylvania Con-vention Center (PCC) makes it easy to plan conferences via a new partnership with SMG. While the PCC is known for its beauty, high-tech amenities, and sheer size (it’s one of the nation’s largest convention facilities), SMG is recognized for best practices in customer service.

With a magnetic personality and all the right resources in place, Philadelphia is “Here for the Making” — whether it’s memories, business, meetings, or a new start.

Here for the Making

1700 Market St. Suite 3000


discoverPHL.com

From left: The Philadelphia

International Festival of the Arts features

performers, music, food, and attractions for all ages;

The Pennsylvania Convention Center has

79 meeting rooms, 1 million square feet of saleable

space, and the most expansive ballroom

space in the Northeast.

Playing with a Purpose

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The home of the Philadelphia Eagles undergoes a fan-friendly facelift.

Located only a few miles from the Philadelphia airport, Lincoln Financial Field has served as a meeting ground for Eagles fans since the sta-dium’s debut in 2003. In 2014, fans will be intro-duced to a new level of excitement at “The Linc,” as the Eagles finish a two-year revitaliza-tion project that will enhance the game-day experience for all visitors.

“We talked with our season-ticket members over the past few years to find out what was important to them. We developed this plan of action as a direct result of those conversations,” says team President Don Smolenski. “Our main goal was to dramatically enhance the game-day experience for our fans. They de-serve an exciting and fun experience every time they enter Lincoln Financial Field.”

As you begin your descent into the City of

Brotherly Love, you may be able to hear the chants of “Fly Eagles Fly” echoing from Lincoln Financial Field — home

of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Upon completion prior to the start of the the upcoming preseason, The Linc will have upgraded amenities for all fans, including: ■ Two new high-definition video boards, one

in each end zone, that are 100 feet longer than the previous screens

■ An extended group of LED ribbon-board displays that will present fans with 360 degrees of video, animation, stats, and more

■ Approximately 1,600 new seats in the north-west, southwest, and northeast corners

■ An in-stadium Wi-Fi network that will allow fans to be able to keep up with their fantasy teams, watch video highlights, and check stats on their mobile devices

■ A dynamic graphic package that prominently displays images of memorable moments and legendary players from Eagles history throughout the corridors of the stadium

■ Completely renovated club lounges through-out the stadium

■ Stadium-wide audio/visual updates, includ-ing the addition of over 1,150 HDTVsAs the newest group of Eagles hits the

gridiron in 2014, fans will have something to be excited about — both on the field and off.

Revitalizing The Linc


Learn More

For additional details and updates on the stadium’s renovations, visit events

.lincolnfinancialfield.com/stadium-reno.

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But for the little patrons who visit the Please Touch Museum, these actions all weave together seamlessly and successfully.

Located in Memorial Hall at Fairmount Park, the museum showcases eight eclectic exhibit “zones” that enhance social and cogni-tive skill development — but that’s the last thing on children’s minds when they enter the 156,000-square-foot space dedicated to their enjoyment.

Play hopscotch on a cloud? Sure! Drive a boat, gas a car, and shop for your own grocer-ies? Why, yes, you can. Row a flying machine? Give it a try!

Named by Huffington Post as one of eight “uncommonly cool children’s museums in the U.S.,” the Please Touch Museum engages all the senses to spark interest and encourage

Dream. Imagine. Create. The images these words evoke are often juxtaposed with learn, develop, and accomplish.


The Please Touch Museum is a wonderland of fun — and learning — for children. BY SUSAN NEWELL

children to explore and learn by experience. It’s a strategy that’s proven successful for 37 years: The museum has relocated or expanded four times in order to add space and now attracts more than half a million visitors annually.

Even for adults, the sheer expanse of the museum and its

exhibits is impressive. But for little feet and hands, it’s a dream come true. Activities run the gamut — from making music in the Rainforest Rhythm zone, to exploring lily pads and insects during water play in River Adventure, role playing at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and jumping down the rabbit hole in Wonderland.

The biggest challenge parents face? Convincing their children to leave.

The Please Touch Museum

Memorial Hall at Fairmont Park

4231 Avenue of the Republic Philadelphia 215.581.3181

pleasetouchmuseum.org


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Refined and modern, jewelry by Lagos never goes out of style. BY WES ISLEY

Since 1977, Philadelphia’s Lagos has presented timeless jewelry collections crafted as elegant works of art, yet meant to be worn by modern women every day for every occasion. Each piece blends contemporary jewelry trends with artful inspiration and expert craftsmanship, reflecting the vision of Founder and Creative Director Steven Lagos.

Gold receives a modern makeover in two new Lagos collections. Caviar Gold offers iconic Lagos caviar-like beading in shimmer-ing 18-karat gold. Combine a refined Caviar Gold beaded bracelet with earrings and a Lagos band ring set with pavé diamonds,

Classic and sophisticated, yet unmistakably modern. Does this describe Lagos jewelry or the woman who wears it? You’re correct on both counts.

or make your statement wearing a gold necklace and ring with striking black agate accents.

The 18-karat gold Covet collec-tion marries subtle signature Caviar beading with pavé dia-monds, rubies, and sapphires for a lovely feminine allure. A variety of designs allow for layering multiple

silhouettes — a lasting trend in jewelry, perfect for going directly from the boardroom to a night out on the town.

Of his two newest collections, Steven says, “There’s something magical about gold. People are intrinsically drawn to it. You feel its allure, wealth, and power when you wear it.”

It’s this passion for the materials and the design, even down to the emblematic crest adorning the clasp of most every piece, that makes Lagos both beautiful to wear and appro-priate for any occasion. While in Philadelphia, visit Lagos’ flagship store in chic Rittenhouse Square.

Timeless AppealClockwise from top

left: Rittenhouse Square store; items

from the Covet collection; Steven

Lagos, founder and creative director

LAGOS

1735 Walnut St. Philadelphia, PA

215.567.0770 lagos.com

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Macy’s Center City in Philadelphia fuses fashion and history. BY IVY LAMB

There aren’t many places that appeal to both shopaholics and history buffs — but Macy’s Center City in downtown Philadelphia is one of them.

Blending old and new, Macy’s Cen-ter City boasts 157,940 square feet of the latest trends in fashion and home decor, all housed in the historic Wana-maker Building. The store was originally opened in 1911 by pio-neering retailer John Wanamaker. At the time, the 12-story build-ing was the largest department store in the world.

During construction, Wanamaker bought the pipe organ from the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and had it installed in the seven-story atrium of the store. It took two years to install the 10,000 pipes, but Wanamaker decided that the organ still wasn’t loud enough. He opened his own pipe-organ factory on the 12th floor of the store, and between 1911 and 1930 he added an addi-tional 18,000 pipes. It remains the world’s largest performing pipe organ today, and shoppers still hear its melodic tones twice daily, Monday through Saturday.

Wanamaker was also known for introducing new retail concepts. He was the first to put a guaranteed refund policy in place, open a public restaurant in a department store, illuminate his store with electricity, and use a Bell Telephone in a store. He also provided his employees with a recreation center, an on-site infirmary, and free educational opportunities.

Wanamaker’s trailblazing store was acquired by Macy’s in 2006. Today, Macy’s is proud to preserve this unique piece of American retail history and present such events as the Christmas Light Show, Dickens’ Village, Christmas Win-dow Unveilings, special organ performances, and behind-the-scenes tours.

Retail Pioneer


Macy’s Center City

Macy’s Center City

1300 Market Street Philadelphia, PA

215.241.9000 visitmacysphiladelphia.com

Philadelphia College of

Osteopathic Medicine

4170 City Ave. Philadelphia, PA 800.999.6998

admissions.PCOM.edu

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Forward thinking is the hallmark of medical education at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

One of the leading medical schools in the U.S. since its founding in 1899, PCOM proved itself ahead of the times 12 years ago by creating a competency-based curriculum rather than the traditional time-based system. The result: better-qualified medical professionals. “From day one, when the medical student hits campus, we start teaching the basic science along with the clinical medicine. This natural marriage of understanding why we’re doing what we’re doing occurs throughout all four years of medical school,” says Art Sesso, DO, program director, general surgery.

To enhance the quality of a competency-based educational strategy, PCOM recently opened its new Clinical Learning and Assess-ment Center, a state-of-the-art 11,000-square-foot facility that includes 15 patient exam rooms, 4 simulator training rooms, an OR, an ER and trauma bay, an ICU and CCU suite, and 68 simulation trainers. One of the key approaches in real-world simulation is to allow students to fail in a safe environment where they can learn from their mistakes.

PCOM’s simulation center is also a critical training ground that addresses the evolution in today’s medical field from a single-physician delivery system to a team-based approach. PCOM’s simulations are designed to incorpo-rate assessments involving first responders, nursing personnel, and clinicians. This ensures higher-quality medical care and cost-effectiveness. The simulation lab is enabled to

Excellence in education is the founding principle at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM).

communicate with classrooms throughout the campus, allowing larger groups to be actively involved.

In addition to training students in the doctor of osteopathic medicine and physi-cian assistant studies programs, the Center’s standardized patient program allows stu-dents in PCOM’s mental health counseling and school and clinical psychology pro-

grams to hone their skills with actors who por-tray a range of mental and cognitive disorders.

Learning By Doing


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A focus on excellence and leadership encourages students to excel during and after college.

Over the college’s 57-year history, St. Frances Xavier’s order — the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus — transformed the magnificent Woodcrest Estate into a small but extraordinary liberal arts college.

Among the many colleges and universities on Philadelphia’s Main Line, Cabrini is recog-nized for academic excellence, leadership de-velopment, and a commitment to social justice.

With more than 30 majors, Cabrini wel-comes students of all faiths, cultures, and back-grounds, and encourages them to learn and serve in locations around the world, including Appalachia, New Orleans, Guatemala, Ecua-dor, and Swaziland.

Inspired by St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American citizen to become a saint, Cabrini College was founded in Radnor, Pennsylvania, in 1957.

Students excel both in and outside the class-room, and the Cabrini Cavaliers have captured numerous conference championships. In fact, six of the college’s 16 Division III athletic teams advanced to NCAA tournaments last year.

The school graduates large numbers of Pennsylvania teachers. Other top majors include communications, business, psychology, and the sciences. Thanks to small class sizes, students receive personal attention from nationally rec-ognized professors who regularly publish work and receive research grants. Together, students and faculty travel the globe to teach, learn, and share ideas.

Cabrini has the numbers to show that this combination works; within ten months of gradu-ation, 95 percent of graduates are employed or in graduate school.

Cabrini students intern at the White House, network TV affiliates, and major biotech, pharmaceutical, and financial companies. On campus and beyond, Cabrini students and alumni live out the college’s tagline: “Do something extraordinary.”

An Extraordinary Education


610 King of Prussia Rd. Radnor, PA

610.902.8100 cabrini.edu

Above, from left: Cabrini students during a spring

break service trip in Guatemala; students

working in a science lab


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And while Philadelphia has its share of adven-tures for moms and dads — the city is packed with historical sites where you can walk in the footsteps of Thomas Jefferson and Ben Frank-

lin — let’s face it: Many kids would much rather walk in the footsteps of Big Bird and Elmo.

Fortunately, there’s Sesame Place, the only theme park in the U.S. dedicated entirely to the award-winning children’s television show, Sesame Street. Located just 30 minutes north of Philadel-phia, Sesame Place is

Traveling with children can be challenging for parents and little ones alike.

tailor-made for the younger crowd, so you won’t have to explain why they can’t ride the big-kid roller coaster. Already a nearly 35-year tradition for families across the region, Sesame Place has whirling rides, water slides, and one-of-a-kind shows featuring all of the favorite characters. So how do you get to Sesame Street? It’s right there in the heart of Sesame Place, come to life as a full-scale replica of the block we all know so well from TV. There, kids can meet furry friends and even join in to sing and dance to-gether in the Neighborhood Street Party Parade.

On the real Sesame Street, there’s always something new to see and learn. The same goes for Sesame Place, where seasonal, interac-tive shows and events keep families coming back every year.

This year, the park debuted a new musical mystery show, Elmo the Musical — Live at Sesame Place! Soon, it’ll be Cookie Monster’s time to shine. Everyone’s favorite blue monster will open Cookie’s Monster Land, and he’s bringing along his new Sesame Street friends, Honker and Dinger! Cookie’s Monster Land is perfect for kids of all ages, with five new rides, a three-story net climb, a soft play area, and more.

Once summer is over, the fun doesn’t stop at Sesame Place. There’s at least one character who couldn’t let Halloween pass by without some serious celebrating — The Count, of course! In the fall, The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular gives families a thrill with festive mazes, storytelling hayrides, and a monster-themed disco dance party that’s so much fun,

even moms and dads might join in. And don’t worry: The Count has assured everyone that the Spooktacular is certified nightmare-proof.

During the holiday season, Sesame Place transforms into a winter wonderland for A Very Furry Christmas. In addition to everyone’s favorite Sesame Street characters, Santa Claus himself will be there, giving all the good little boys and girls a tour of his workshop. Of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a larger-than-life tree that puts on an impressive magical light show. Parents can also take care of last-minute shopping at the many seasonal gift shops on-site. And if you’ve shopped ’til you’ve dropped, just hop on the Furry Express train for a fun-filled tour through the Ginger-bread Cookie Factory.

Sesame Place

100 Sesame Road Langhorne, PA

866.GO.4.ELMO sesameplace.com

From thrilling rides to kids’ favorite TV characters, the fun never stops at

Sesame Place.

Show Time!

Clockwise from bottom left:

Elmo and friend; fun at The Count’s

Splash Castle; Cookie Monster greets a buddy

during the Neighborhood

Street Party Parade

™©2014 Sesame Workshop


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You visited Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, of course. You ate your way through the Italian Market (on your way to dinner on East Passyunk Avenue).

You saw a concert at the Kimmel Center, ex-plored the museums of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, cheered for the Phillies (hopefully!) at Citizens Bank Park, and people-watched in Rittenhouse Square. Ask a Philadelphian what you should do on your next visit, and they’ll suggest you head for the countryside.

It’s great advice. Philadelphians know that the region’s attractions don’t end at the city’s borders, especially in the summer. It’s an ideal time to explore outlying towns and their gardens, parks, main streets, and waterways.

Philly’s Center City is the perfect starting point for your excursion, with numerous towns and attractions located within an hour’s drive. Easily accessible by major roads or — for towns including Media, Ardmore, and Manayunk, among others — affordable public transporta-tion. Rejuvenation is rarely so convenient.

Garden SpacesIf you prefer a leisurely pace, head to any one of these towns’ public gardens and outdoor retreats.

Drive 30 minutes northeast up I-95 to reach the 235-acre Silver Lake Nature Center in Bris-tol (silverlakenaturecenter.org), and watch for

the rare, red-bellied turtle, and the coastal plain leopard frog. From there, head north to New Hope and Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve (bhwp.org), with nearly 800 native plants. Nothing beats a June stroll when the preserve is awash in honeysuckle, magnolia, azalea, and rhododendron (except maybe July’s butterfly weed and purple giant hyssop, or August’s sunflowers).

For a more manicured experience, head 30 minutes west of Center City to the gardens of Chanticleer in Wayne (chanticleergarden.org). This former private estate is lush with more than 5,000 plants. Here, garden hobbyists chat with Chanticleer’s horticulturists, and painters capture the riotous summer colors of the Grav-el Garden, or the architecture and ever-chang-ing foliage of the Ruin Garden. Detour on your way back to Center City, and stop by Chestnut Hill’s Morris Arboretum (morrisarboretum.org). Enjoy a bird’s-eye view of majestic, old trees while touring the property on a walkway that’s 50-feet high.

Twenty minutes south of Center City, you’ll find more than 650 acres of preserved wood-lands, wetlands, and meadows, 195 bird species,

and 17 acres of trails at the Tyler Arboretum (tylerarboretum.org) in Media. In the summer, the butterfly house and its fanciful treehouses delight younger visitors. Next, pick up the Balti-more Pike to reach Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square in less than 30 minutes. Long-wood (longwoodgardens.org) is another can’t-miss for nature lovers — even on the occasional rainy summer day. The extensive greenhouses are as impressive as the grounds.

Active travelers will find plenty to see and do just outside of Philadelphia.

Pushing Boundaries

Clockwise from left: Chanticleer,

Longwood Gardens, and Tyler Arboretum


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Festivals and FabExplore the surrounding arts and music scene within an hour northwest of Philly’s Center City at First Friday celebrations in the downtowns of Ambler (firstfridaysinambler.wordpress.com), Ardmore (firstfridaymainline.com), and Phoenix-ville (phxfirstfriday.com).

Summer fairs and festivals capture the local arts scene and town flair, from Media’s arts

tion for housewares (check out Heart of the Home) and fashion (try Savioni Boutique). And Bristol is home to the Doo Wop Festival in September.

Outdoor PlacesExperiencing the Philly region by foot, bike, or water can be as active or as leisurely as you like. Using Center City again as your base, it’s less than ten miles to the Schuylkill River Trail in Manayunk (schuylkillrivertrail.com). Grab bike rentals from the Wheel Fun Kiosk and enjoy a smooth ride. Just east along the Mount Airy neighborhood is 1,400-acre Wissahickon Valley Park, a popular destination for mountain bikers. A gravel path along Wissahickon Creek welcomes casual bikers and hikers, while more adventurous two-wheelers tackle the hills around Forbidden Drive. (The most challenging upper areas require legit skills and a park per-mit.) And if you’re an experienced climber, your destination is the 35-foot-high Livezey Rock on the eastern slope of the Wissahickon Valley.

Want more? Head northwest on the Schuylkill River Trail into Valley Forge. A destination unto itself, the Valley Forge Na-tional Historical Park offers visitors a glimpse of how Pennsylvania looked during the American

Revolution. Wander the trails or try a guided tour. From Valley Forge, the trail contin-ues on-road another eight miles into Phoenixville.

Speaking of Phoenixville, check out the canoe, kayak, and paddleboat trips offered at Port Providence Paddle (canoeandkayak.biz). It’s one of many launch points for enjoying a wet, but not too wild, take on the region.

To see the Brandywine by kayak or canoe, head about 45 minutes west of Center City to West Chester. Short-trippers ride to Harvey’s Bridge or Embreeville to float downstream for an hour or two to Northbrook Canoe Co. (northbrookcanoe.com); day-trippers push off from Northbrook for a trip of several hours into the landscapes made famous by painter Andrew Wyeth.

Unwind from your adventures in West Ches-ter’s vibrant downtown. Find local flavors at Carlino’s Market, or curb your sweet tooth at Éclat Chocolates. Do take advantage of outdoor dining at the Iron Hill Brewery and its full selec-tion of seasonal and house brews on tap. What better reward for a day of outdoor adventure than a local ice-cold brew enjoyed al fresco?

Plan Your Trip

Find details and themed itineraries at

visitphilly.com/towns.

Clockwise from bottom left: fresh local produce, Bredenbeck’s Bakery & Ice Cream Parlor, scenic

waterways, and Valley Forge National Historical Park

celebration (June 8) to New Hope’s three-day Revolutionary War reenactment featuring Wash-ington’s crossing of the Delaware River (June 20–22). Don’t miss the arts festivals in Ambler (June 13), Manayunk (June 21–22), and Jenkin-town (September 21). Kennett Square hosts its popular Mushroom Festival (September 6–8), a crowd pleaser for sure. Shopping Satisfaction Any day of the summer is ideal for exploring the antique shops of Skippack, as well as the bou-tiques, farmers’ markets, and outdoor dining options of the various countryside towns — and you’ll soak up a dose of sunshine on your shop-ping spree.

In less than a half hour from Center City, you can stroll Germantown Avenue in Chest-nut Hill. Start your day with an espresso from Chestnut Hill Coffee, or end it on a sweet note at Bredenbeck’s Bakery & Ice Cream Parlor (bredenbecks.com) with a scoop of Philadel-phia’s own Bassett’s Ice Cream.

Head 30 minutes north to reach scenic downtown Doylestown, home to independent shops like the Doylestown Bookshop (doyles townbookshop.com). Take another short jaunt to New Hope’s Main Street, a shopper’s destina-

What better reward for a day of outdoor adventure than a local ice-cold brew enjoyed al fresco?


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“Ican breathe here!” It’s a familiar refrain heard from travelers far and wide who’ve traded the frenzy of their busy lifestyles for a respite in bucolic Peddler’s Village.

is anything but sleepy. There’s a wealth of activi-ties here. Check in at the newly renovated Golden Plough Inn, with its historical character and 21st century perks, like Wi-Fi, a modern business center, and all-day activated lobby.

The Village offers one-of-a-kind shops and galleries from Irish crafts and gifts, hats, home accents, designer fashions, a salon and spa, to jewelry and cookery ware from the basic to the obscure. Stop for chicken pot pie or pot roast at the traditional Cock ’n Bull, craft beer and gourmet burgers at the casual Buttonwood Grill, or steaks, chops and a buzzy bar at Earl’s Bucks County. If the kids are in tow, don’t miss Giggleberry Fair, a wonderland that includes an indoor obstacle course, an upgraded game room, and an antique carousel.

Like so many of the area, including nearby New Hope, where the renovated Bucks County Playhouse offers off-Broadway fare, Peddler’s Village thrives on the artistic. Events include this month’s Fine Art and Contemporary Craft Show, an outdoor exhibition of paintings,

drawings, sculpture, photography, and more.With each season, there’s a celebration of

the region’s bounty: strawberries in spring, peaches in summer, and apples in the fall. Autumn brings the Scarecrow Festival, where you can build your own straw man, or join in a pie-eating contest. And, as you might expect, the holidays are perhaps the most enchanting time of year, with natural decorations, one mil-lion twinkling lights, and a Christmas Parade.

Brimming with so much beauty and artistry, it’s no surprise that Peddler’s Village is a favorite location for corporate retreats, weddings, family reunions, and many other celebrations. The Village was made to celebrate all that’s good in life. Upon leaving, you might feel a little sad, much like the romantic lead in the musical Brigadoon, who upon returning to city life, mourns the bygone charms of the Scottish village. But unlike Brigadoon, which only appears out of the mist every 100 years, Ped-dler’s Village will always be here, waiting for your return. So, what are you waiting for?

Routes 202 & 263 Lahaska, Pennsylvania

215.794.4000 peddlersvillage.com

Peddler’s Village is one man’s vision and everyone’s dream.

A Renaissance in Bucks County

Clockwise from left: The 42-acre land-scaped grounds of Peddler’s Village in spring; The country

shopping village offers 65 specialty shops; one

million jewel-colored holiday lights; Enjoy

family-friendly entertainment at 15

seasonal festivals; the antique operating

Carousel at the Giggleberry Fair family entertainment center; a beautiful and spacious Town & Country guest

room at the Golden Plough Inn

Nestled in southeastern Pennsylvania’s rolling hills of central Bucks County (so named for its resemblance to the countryside of Buckingham-shire, England) Peddler’s Village evolved from the fertile imagination of area native Earl Jamison. The beauty of Bucks County, home to James A. Michener and Pearl Buck, has inspired New Hope School of Impressionist artists and lured such literary greats as Moss Hart, Oscar Hammerstein, George S. Kaufman, and Dorothy Parker, who made Bucks County their home. Jamison was inspired to share the beauty and artistic legacy of the area with a broader public.

It began with the purchase of a chicken farm in the 1950s, which Jamison transformed into a storybook village: Brick walkways wind through gardens of native plants and stone buildings, while a water wheel churns over a rippling brook dotted with stone bridges. But the genius of Jamison’s design is its timelessness. Peddler’s Village may be a work of artifice, but it feels like it’s been a fixture of Bucks County for centuries.

However quaint its ambience, Peddler’s Village

Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Chester County’s Brandywine Valley

484.770.8550

brandywinevalley.com

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Then Chester County’s Brandywine Valley is the place to be this summer.

Downtown Phoenixville is home to Blobfest, a weekend-long street party, July 11–13, dedi-cated to the cult horror film The Blob. The campy 1958 movie was filmed around Phoenix-ville, though the amoeba-like alien star threat-ens not Phoenixville but nearby Downingtown. For more than a dozen years, Bridge Street’s landmark Colonial Theater has been the hub for all things Blob, with costume contests, reenactments of scenes from the film, and an amateur filmmaking contest.

If you’ve got pedals, or just enjoy the excite-

Calling all movie, cycling , and mush-room fans: The Main Streets of the Brandywine Valley are your summer destination for festivals as unique as the towns that host them.

Feeling Festive?


Clockwise from left: the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville; Kennett Square, the “Mush-room Capital of the World;” the Iron Hill Twilight Criterium in

West Chester

ment of them, don’t miss the Iron Hill Twilight Criterium on August 2, when bi-cycles take over down-town West Chester. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the event, which brings

crowds to Gay and High streets. The main attrac-tion is the professional cyclists who speed through the streets at sunset at up to 35 miles per hour.

Kennett Square is, proudly, the “Mush-room Capital of the World;” 65 percent of U.S. mushrooms are grown here. Naturally, there’s a celebration surrounding the dis-tinction: the Mushroom Festival, Septem-ber 6–7. Tour a mushroom farm, stock up and eat all the mushrooms you can. And be sure to try mushroom ice cream at local favorite La Michaocana Ice Cream.

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The picturesque Brandywine countryside inspires the artists that flock to this area BY JOANN GRECO

The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art is committed to exploring the intersection of the area’s natural and painterly splendors.

This summer, it enhances that dual mission with an exhibition of 45 works drawn from private and public collections as well as the Brandywine River Museum of Art’s own hold-ings.

Lure of the Brandywine: A Story of Land Con-servation and Artistic Inspiration (June 7 through August 10) showcases works like Andrew Wyeth’s

Defined by rolling green hills and a mean-dering river, the Brandywine Valley in Chester County has long served as a picturesque inspiration, most notably for three generations of Wyeth artists.

Landscape with Tree, William T. Richards’ The Valley of the Brandywine, and Jasper Cropsey’s Autumn on the Brandywine River.

Later in August, the museum unveils Exalted Nature: The Real and Fantastic World of Charles Burchfield, co-organized with the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo. Known for his luminous watercolor technique, Burchfield also took nature as his subject, lending his own distinctively modern touch to a familiar genre.

In addition to presenting special exhibi-tions, the museum has an outstanding collec-tion of American art and offers tours of the studios of illustrator N.C. Wyeth and his son, Andrew, as well as the Kuerner Farm, which served as the subject and inspiration for nearly 1,000 of Andrew’s works, beginning with his earliest painting of the farm in 1932 at the age of 15.

A Creative Conservancy


Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art

U.S. Rt. 1 Chadds Ford, PA

610.388.2700 brandywine.org

George A. Weymouth (b. 1936), Indian Hanna, 1990,

Collection Brandywine

River Museum of Art.


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In 1728, John Bartram, a Quaker farmer, planted a garden on the banks of the Schuylkill River, becoming the first to cultivate hundreds of native species gathered from all over the colonies.

Bartram shipped the seeds of his discoveries across the Atlantic, filling Europe’s gardens with New World magnolias and azaleas, sugar maples and sumacs.

Today, nearly 300 years later, Bartram’s Garden still blooms on its original site, its 45 idyllic acres planted with many of the same species John Bartram collected. But his lasting legacy is far larger: Thousands of acres of public gardens have grown in and around Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is America’s Garden Capital — for good reason and in every season.

Bursting in Blooms

From left: Bartram’s Garden, Longwood

Gardens

With 31 gardens within 30 miles of Center City, the region has the greatest concentration of public gardens in the country, earning it the moniker “America’s Garden Capital.”

A tour of Philadelphia’s gardens is a peek into the region’s past, its present, and its future.

Many of the majestic trees of the 92-acre Morris Arboretum have flourished there for more than a century, including the arboretum’s bender oak, which spreads 90 feet at the gateway to the gardens and is estimated to be 250 years old. Opening this month, a new 86-acre Mead-ow Garden at Longwood Gardens serves as both an ode to the past and a fresh look toward the future — where diverse habitats, wildlife, undu-lating fields of colors, textures, and lush wetlands integrate with walking trails and a restored farm-house. And in the interactive gardens of Cam-den Children’s Garden, a new generation learns to love the natural beauty of the region.

For visitors and locals alike, the region’s gardens offer a variety of experiences:

The Arboretum at the Barnes Foundation MERION

Twelve-acre former private estate featuring rose, peony, and fern collections, and more than 3,000 specimens of woody plants.

Awbury ArboretumPHILADELPHIA

19th-century Quaker estate with 55 acres of English-style landscape, gardens, ponds, and woodland trails.

Bartram’s GardenPHILADELPHIA

America’s oldest living botanical garden, with 45 acres of plantings.

Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve NEW HOPE

A 134-acre site of woods, meadows, a pond, and a creek filled with native plants.

Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of ArtCHADDS FORD

Wildflower and native plant gardens plus a museum featuring American art, including works by three generations of Wyeths.

Cabrini College CampusRADNOR

Native woodland with grand trees surround the 112-acre campus.

Camden Children’s GardenCAMDEN, NEW JERSEY

Four-and-a-half acres of interactive gardens and a butterfly house.

Visit 31 Gardens Within 30 Miles


Centennial Arboretum Horticulture Center FAIRMOUNT PARK

27 acres of landscape in the heart of west Phila-delphia, with trees and shrubs from Asia, Eu-rope, and North America.

ChanticleerWAYNE

35-acre pleasure garden that displays the beauty of the art of horticulture. Highlights include water and ruin gardens.

Hagley Museum and LibraryWILMINGTON, DELAWARE

Located on 235 acres along the banks of the Brandywine River, it’s the former site of the gunpowder works founded by E. I. du Pont.

Haverford College Arboretum HAVERFORD

The 216-acre campus is home to more than two miles of nature trails, a duck pond, an 18-acre pine arboretum, and small Asian and perennial display gardens.

Henry Botanic GardenGLADWYNE

This historic garden features plants growing naturalistically in the woodland and hillside landscape.

Henry Schmieder Arboretum DOYLESTOWN

Mature trees, native woodland, and designed gardens blend with Georgian architecture of the Delaware Valley College campus.

The Highlands Mansion & GardensFORT WASHINGTON

A late 18th-century Georgian mansion on 44 acres with a formal garden and 9 outbuildings.

Hortulus Farm GardenWRIGHTSTOWN

A 100-acre 18th-century farmstead and nursery with 30 acres of formal gardens including pool and lake gardens, and woodland walks.

Jenkins Arboretum & GardensDEVON Over a mile of paved walkways lead through native wildflowers and woodland gardens, including a diverse collection of rhododen-drons and azaleas.

Landscape Arboretum of Temple Uni-versity AmblerAMBLER

The 187-acre campus features a mix of natural and designed landscapes including gardens of culinary, dye, and medicinal herbs and dwarf evergreens.

Lewis W. Barton Arboretum and Na-ture PreserveMEDFORD, NEW JERSEY

Landscaped grounds, courtyard and patio gardens, exotic pines, wildflower meadows, recreational areas, and natural woodlands and wetlands.

Longwood GardensKENNETT SQUARE

One of the world’s great gardens showcasing dazzling outdoor gardens and fountains as well as indoor horticultural feats within a grand Conservatory. Open 365 days a year.

Meadowbrook FarmMEADOWBROOK

A 25-acre grand estate featuring a retail nurs-ery, plants, public gardens, and more; part of the Philadelphia Horiticultural Society family.

Morris Arboretum of the University of PennsylvaniaPHILADELPHIA

92 acres of colorful gardens, winding paths, bubbling fountains, and spectacular, mature trees make up this historic landscape.

Mt. Cuba Center HOCKESSIN, DELAWARE

Former estate of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland; home to 500 acres of naturalistic garden design and native plants.

Nemours Mansion & GardensWILMINGTON, DELAWARE

French gardens on 300-acre estate recalls the splendors of Versailles in its fountains and sculptures, with acres of forest.

Philadelphia ZooPHILADELPHIA

America’s first zoo includes diverse horticul-tural collections of trees, shrubs, and plants.

Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore CollegeSWARTHMORE

110 acres on Swarthmore’s campus features 4,000 kinds of plants, including seasonal cro-cus, roses, and hollies.

Shofuso Japanese House and GardenPHILADELPHIA

A traditional-style Japanese house in West Fairmount Park, with a viewing garden, koi pond and island, a tea garden, and a courtyard garden.

Tyler ArboretumMEDIA

A 650-acre historic arboretum with unique

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plant collections, state champion trees, mead-ow maze, and 17-plus miles of hiking trail

Tyler Formal Gardens of Bucks County Commu-nity CollegeNEWTOWN A restored 1930s four-tier formal garden featuring pear tree espalier, Stella Tyler’s bronze sculptures, marble fountains, varied plantings, and parterres.

WelkinweirPOTTSTOWN

An arboretum, gardens and historic home at the edge of a private valley overlooking ecologically diverse riparian, wetland and meadow, and forest habitats.

WinterthurWILMINGTON, DELAWARE

A du Pont family country place with a 60-acre garden inspired by the Brandywine Valley landscape, set amidst a 1,000-acre preserve

Wyck Historic House, Museum and GardenPHILADELPHIA Historic Quaker home, featuring the oldest rose garden in America and an heirloom vegetable garden.

For More...

Visit greaterphiladelphia gardens.org for more

information on America’s Garden Capital.

Clockwise from lower left: Morris Arboretum; Jenkins

Arboretum & Gardens; Mt. Cuba Center; Scott Arboretum, Chanticleer

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Earn Dividend Miles at Valley Forge Casino Resort.

Valley Forge Casino Resort is breaking new ground by helping guests take to the air through a new partnership with US Airways: Now, casino points can be converted into Dividend Miles.

The Dividend Miles program isn’t the only standout feature of the casino resort. With seven dining options from fine dining to ca-sual, more than 200,000 square feet of banquet space, celebrity chefs, comedy shows, a night-club, and a first-class gaming area, Valley Forge Casino Resort is the only Philadelphia area casino that has it all.

Think about a dream casino vacation: slots, roulette, blackjack, gourmet dining, and top-shelf drinks. Then pair all of that with a free flight to your choice destination.

After a day of gaming, enjoy casino entertain-ment, from Mixed Mar-tial Arts matches to coun-try rock and off-Broadway shows. Mosey on in to the Deuces Wild Saloon, where you can test your skill atop a mechanical

bull and sip on specialty drinks served in a glass boot. For a more mellow vibe, wind down at the Cameo Lounge with a signature cocktail before retiring to one of the resort’s 485 guest rooms and suites.

“We’re certainly different, and we’re proud of it,” says CEO Mike Bowman. “Play, dine, and stay. Come gamble, have a great meal in one of our restaurants, and stay the night.”

When it’s time to fly home, count up your points and head to the player services desk at the casino to redeem your US Airways flight for your next adventure!

A Flying Game


Clockwise from top: Pacific Prime restaurant;

Valley Forge Casino hotel; slot machines in the

gaming area

1160 First Avenue Kind of Prussia, PA

610.354.8118 vfcasino.com

BY NICOLE ESPLIN

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Traveling to Montgomery County reminds us of the feeling we get when we explore something new.

In Valley Forge and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (the visitor center is just 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia International Air-port), there are a lot of ways to feel that free-dom, from running or cycling along the rolling hills of Valley Forge National Historical Park, to meeting locals strolling along the main streets of a dozen neighborhood towns.

This summer, relish your freedom — the

Often when traveling, it’s not the tick-ing off of attractions that becomes our memorable moments. What lasts is the memory of the freedom we felt exploring something new.

destination’s tourism board is inspiring visitors to embark on new adventures big and small at the region’s unique places and wide-open spac-es. Seeking adventure? Try climbing a rope bridge in the mountain treetops. Some un-plugged family time? There’s kayaking and go-carting. Relaxing and reconnecting? Visit a museum, then enjoy a restaurant dine-around.

With accommodations to fit any budget and themed itinerary ideas — from arts and culture to history and shopping — that help provide the inspiration, the real beauty, says Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board president Bill Fitzgerald, is finding the experiences that en-courage you to take a deep breath, relax, and explore. Start packing for a memorable, educa-tional, and exciting trip, then explore your free-dom in Montgomery County.

Explore Your Freedom


1000 First Ave. King of Prussia, PA

610.834.1550 valleyforge.org

us airways june 2014: season of celebration

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