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Showing posts with label Center City. Show all posts

Showing posts with label Center City. Show all posts

Naked Cyclists Flood Philly Streets; First Photos

FIRST PHOTOS!

PHILLY NAKED BIKE RIDE!

SEPTEMBER 4, 2011

Naked bicyclists overwhelmed Center City Philadelphia late today as they cycled from the scenic River Drive, around posh Rittenhouse Square, down Market Street, through Independence Hall (just a few pedals from the Liberty Bell) and north to the Piazza at Schmidts in the funky Northern Liberties neighborhood.
The whole thing went off without a hitch with as many as a thousand or more pedal-powered participants receiving cheers from bystanders, gawkers and sidewalk diners along the route.
The weather was perfect and the view was -- well, you can see it here.
The Philly Naked Bike Ride is designed to promote bike-riding as an alternative to gas guzzling. It's part of an international movement. The organizers say they are interested in "fuel-conscious consumption." They claim this is their only message.
This was the third annual naked bike ride through the streets of Philadelphia. The first seven-mile Philly Naked Bike Ride in 2009 was counted as a big success with far fewer participating. The event seems to get bigger every year.
Do you have to be naked to participate? No. And some people weren't naked. It's a very public event and the extent to which participants disrobe is their own choice.
The local police were aware of the ride and monitored it. They didn't anticipate any problems just so long as the bike riders kept moving -- and as long as they did not engage in lewd behavior.
To our knowledge, there were no problems.
All photos copyright 2011, Dan Cirucci.

Naked Bike Ride Set For Tomorrow (9/4) In Philly

Photo from 2010 Philly Naked Bike Ride copyright 2010 by Dan Cirucci.

Philadelphia's Naked Bike Ride is set for tomorrow, Sunday (September 4) at dusk.
The ride is designed to promote bike-riding as an alternative to gas guzzling. The organizers say they are interested in "fuel-conscious consumption." They claim this is their only message.
This will be the third annual naked bike ride through the streets of Philadelphia. The first seven-mile Philly Naked Bike Ride in 2009 was counted as a big success with hundreds participating. This year, thousands are expected.
Do you have to be naked to participate? No.
The extent to which you disrobe is your choice. It's entirely up to you.
The local police are aware of the ride and will be monitoring it. But they don't anticipate any problems just so long as the bike riders keep moving -- and as long as they do not engage in lewd behavior.
So, where does the naked bike ride begin and where does it end? What's the route?
You have to subscribe to Philly Naked Bike Ride e-mails to find out. Go to www.phillynakedbikeride.org

Fight Back, Philly: Get Out And Enjoy The City

I've just caught up with our friend Kevin Riordan's recent column in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the flash mob attacks in Center City. We agree with Kevin: People should not abandon Center City. To the contrary -- they should make it a point to be visible and active right now on the city streets. Get out and shop, dine and visit all the local attractions. Take advantage of all that the city has to offer.
Here's part of what Kevin has to say:

To abandon the heart of the great metropolis to a bunch of what used to be called juvenile delinquents would be an incalculable loss.
Only a handful of other big American cities possess the pungent mix and glitz of downtown Philadelphia, where all sorts of people create all sorts of economic and cultural energy.
Center City isn't some developer's facsimile of what a downtown used to be. It's the real thing, and it can surely be protected without putting a tank at Broad and Spruce, without trampling on the civil rights of teenagers, troubled or otherwise.
More cops? More cameras? More arrests?
A coordinated approach among law enforcement agencies?
Bring it.

Click here to read the entire column.

Bravo To Mayor Nutter For His Words, Actions

As many of you know, I was out of town for quite some time and did not have a chance to be here for much of what led up to the Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter's stirring speech to the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church on August 7. In fact, I was still out of town when this speech was delivered.
But I've since had a chance to watch and listen to the full half-hour-plus of the Mayor's remarks and I have to say that I strongly support everything he said. I like the way that he spoke directly, forcefully, and from the heart. So, I've included a major video segment of his remarks here so that you might savor it.
In my mind (and I hope the Mayor takes no offense when I say this) Nutter came across almost as Christieesque. At first blush it seemed as if he took a page from the Big Guy across the river.
But, in truth I feel the Mayor was totally himself. Uniquely Nutter. These were his words spoken with true grit. And that made me feel good.
I'm glad the Mayor got this off his chest. I'm pleased that he spoke up. He ought to continue to speak bluntly and act firmly.
I myself made it a special point to go into Center City this past weekend -- On Friday (for lunch) and again on Saturday and Sunday (for dinner). On two of the three days I was joined by my wife, my children and others.
We all wanted to send a good, clear, strong message: We support the new city curfew and the vigilant enforcement of the law and we're not going to let anyone take the city away from us; we're not going to let anyone push us off the streets of a great, vibrant city; we're not going to be intimidated by a bunch of young punks. And we're not going to settle for lame excuses for lawlessness.
We also wanted to patronize Center City merchants during this critical time and make sure that the commerce and well-being of the city went on without interruption.
We found the streets of Center City Philadelphia to be bright, well-protected and alive with shoppers, diners and responsible residents and citizens.
We invite you to join them -- and us -- in Center City!

More Philly Flash Mob Attacks: This MUST Stop

Last night there were two more Philly flash mob attacks in center city.
One occurred near 15th & Chestnut and the other was near Walnut and Juniper. In both cases innocent people were attacked. In one case a man was severely injured. One of the incidents involved an 11-year-old perpetrator. At least one young person was part of both attacks.
Once again pedestrians in center city were victimized and the evening was disrupted by these dangerous and unconscionable attacks. One attack is one too many but these attacks have occurred far too often.
The city must crack down on this brazen lawlessness.
EVERY responsible organization in the city must speak up and demand action. Groups such at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Center City Proprietors Association, the Center City District, the Tourist and Convention Bureau, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, condo owners associations, neighborhood groups and similar organizations should band together and speak with one voice. And they should demand action now. They should also insist that these young hooligans be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
This situation simply CANNOT be tolerated any longer.

People Are Fearful; The Flash Mobs Must End!

Here are the results thus far of an informal Philadelphia Inquirer poll on the flash mob attacks in the city. It's clear that people are worried and concerned. They want action. Click here to vote in the poll. Mob attacks: How concerned are you?
1: No concern at all
	642 (4.1%)
2. Somewhat concerned
	1715 (11.0%)
3. Very concerned
	13277 (84.9%)
Total votes = 15634

Philly Flash Mob Breaks Woman's Leg

Another day, another flash mob.
The memories of a flash mob looting of a nearby department store were still fresh when a mob of young people attacked again near the center of Philadelphia's downtown area Saturday.
This time the young thugs were after pedestrians.
They shouted "run, run" and then they swarmed, breaking someone's leg and injuring others.
Yes, these mobs have hit other cities as well: Chicago and Washington to name a couple.
But I'm talking about Philly now because this is what I'm most familiar with and most concerned about.
Let's be clear on this: The flash mob attacks must end if the city is to have any future whatsoever. Forget "Philly Rising." Philly ain't goin nowhere but down if these hooligans are allowed to continue rampaging through city streets.
And as Mayor Michael Nutter seeks re-election, he'd better get on the case, pronto lest he find an newly-emerged independent candidate snapping at his heels.
Mature, law-abiding, taxpaying citizens are not amused -- not one bit.
Here's an excerpt from this morning's Philadelphia Daily News:

A woman's leg was broken and several other people were injured Saturday night when a large group of teens accosted pedestrians in Spring Garden, police and witnesses said.
Philadelphia police responded to two reports of pedestrians being assaulted by a large group of young people along Broad Street about 9:30 p.m.
One of those reports came from Emily Guendelsberger, 27, city editor for local arts and entertainment content for the Onion, the satirical newspaper and website. She was walking with seven friends on Green Street near Broad when they were accosted, she said. Guendelsberger, who remained hospitalized with a broken leg yesterday, declined to comment further.
A friend who was with her at the time, Daily News staff writer Molly Eichel, said that they were walking down Green Street when a group of teens was walking down Broad. "We heard kids yell, 'Run, run,' " Eichel said. "Some kid just came out of nowhere and punched my friend Charlie in the face."
Eichel said that when her group tried to run, about 20 teens chased them down the street. "They were kicking kids down and punching them when they were down," she said.

Click here for more on this story.

Happy Birthday To The Wanamaker Organ!

Today marks the 100th birthday/anniversary of the spectacular Wanamaker Organ which occupies the Grand Court of the Macy's (formerly Wanamaker's) store in center city Philadelphia.
Built by the Los Angeles Art Organ Company for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, the Wanamaker Organ was designed by renowned organ architect George Ashdown Audsley, author of The Art of Organ-Building. This heroic instrument had more than 10,000 pipes, and its construction was on such a lavish scale that costs soared to $105,000, bankrupting the builder.
In 1909, Philadelphia merchant-prince John Wanamaker bought the instrument for his new Philadelphia emporium. Thirteen freight cars were required to ship the entire organ from St. Louis, and installation took two years. The Grand Organ was first heard in the Store's seven-story atrium on June 22, 1911, at the exact moment when England's King George V was crowned at Westminster Abbey. Later that year, it was prominently featured when President William Howard Taft dedicated the Store.

Despite its immense size, the tone was judged inadequate to fill the huge court. Wanamaker's opened a private pipe-organ factory in the Store attic, employing up to 40 full-time employees to enlarge the instrument. William Boone Fleming, the original factory supervisor, was hired to direct the work. Lavish construction and elegant workmanship made the Wanamaker Organ both a tonal wonder and a monument to superb craftsmanship. The largest pipe is made of flawless Oregon sugar-pine three inches thick and more than 32 feet long—so large that a Shetland Pony was once posed inside for publicity photos.

The smallest pipe is a quarter-inch in length. More than 8,000 pipes were added to the Organ between 1911 and 1917, and from 1924 to 1930 an additional 10,000 pipes were installed, bringing the total number of pipes today to 28,500.

Commanding these huge resources is a massive console with six ivory keyboards and 729 color-coded stop tablets. There are 168 piston buttons under the keyboards and 42 foot controls. The console weighs 2.5 tons; the entire instrument weighs 287 tons.

The Friends of the Wanamaker Organ have planned an entire series of special concerts, tours and other events bouilt around the organ's centennial.

Click here for more information.

Groovy 'Shake Shack' Headed To Center City Philly

Shake Shack, the Manhattan sensation, is headed to center-city Philadelphia.
But cool your heels, the burger and shake master won;t hit town until the second half of next year.
Shake Shack will land above Rittenhouse Square at 2000 Sansom Street.
Restaurateur Danny Meyer (he of the famed Union Square Cafe) says he’s thrilled to add his “voice to the city’s vibrant culinary dialogue.” Philadelphia’s Shake shack will join six New York locations as well as branches in Miami, Washington D.C. Dubai and Kuwait City (what an eclectic list!)
Shake Shack features famous burgers, hot dogs, thick creamy shakes and frozen custard. And, the Philadelphia location is expected to offer beer and wine as well. So, if you're so inclined, you can have a beer with your frozen custard (aka soft serve).
The 2000 block of Sansom is already a VERY HIP corridor but it's about to become a lot more trendy and a lot more crowded!

Arts Festival: Philly's Broad St. Becomes Paris

We had a great time throughout the day on Saturday at the Street Carnival that culminated the month-long Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA).
Broads St. came alive as a Parisian street fair with art, whimsy, and live performances at every turn.
Gardens bloomed and fountains bubbled in the middle of the world's longest straight city street and the grand Avenue of the Arts teemed with delighted crowds.
It was a beautiful day and it marked the beginning of what we hope will be a great new spring tradition for Philadelphia.
There is one more day of PIFA activities on Sunday. Hurry on over!
C'est Magnifique!
All photos copyright 2011 by Dan Cirucci.

Meet And Greet City Council Candidate Capozzi!

Spectrum Realty proudly hosts a Meet and Greet with City Council Candidate Barbara Capozzi.
Take a break from the PIFA Street Festival this Saturday and stop in to see Capozzi!

Saturday, April 30 · 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Location	Spectrum Realty Office 423 South Broad St. Philadelphia, PA

Hosted by Michael Giuda, Mario Tropea, Jr., & Spectrum Realty Co.
Rick Baccare will be singing Sounds of Sinatra.
Complimentary cocktails & hors d'oeuvres will be served.

No contributions necessary to attend.
RSVP to info@capozziforcouncil.com

Philly City Hall Stars In Dazzling Light Show!

City-Hall-PIFA-lighting-rendering-680uw

Image courtesy The Lighting Practice.

City Hall, the focal point of Philadelphia, is soon to become (one of) the focal points of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA) as it’s transformed nightly beginning Friday, April 15 through May 19 by a special sound and lighting project officially titled Styling a Second Empire: A Light and Sound Experience.
The display, which will operate nightly from dusk to midnight Sunday through Thursday and until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, will feature animated graphics, moving lights and color-changing effects that re-interpret the architectural elements on one of Philadelphia’s most attractive and historic buildings.
The gorgeous transformation joins 14 other buildings along the Avenue of the Arts as “performers” in a free, outdoor art display in honor of PIFA. The buildings will be united in a “ballet of light,” set to original music, and will enliven the skyline nightly for visitors and residents along four blocks of Broad Street, from Market to Pine. Note: as you’ve probably noticed, the 14 buildings’ light display is already existing, having been installed in December 2008, but has been redesigned for this special month-long show.
The project is created by The Lighting Practice, a Philadelphia-based lighting design firm, working with students from the University of the Arts and sound system designers from Metropolitan Acoustics, and in partnership with Center City District and PIFA.
Celebrate the 100-year history of City Hall, once at the forefront of architectural fashion with its French Second Empire style, as you celebrate PIFA.

Styling a Second Empire: A Light and Sound Experience
Where: Avenue of the Arts
When: April 15-May 19, dusk to midnight Sunday-Thursday and until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday
Cost: FREE
More info: www.pifa.org

Wanna See The Eiffel Tower? Come To Philly!

The Eiffel Tower has arrived in Philadelphia.
And actually, that makes perfect sense. After all, there's been a natural link between Philadelphia and Paris ever since Ben Franklin arrived in Paris in 1776 and decided to stay for awhile as he advanced the cause of our new nation.
During his seven and a half years in Paris, Franklin argued the patriot cause, using his considerable diplomatic talents to secure loans, buy war materiel, and orchestrate shipments. Sometimes he was part of a negotiating team, but more often he worked alone as Minister Plenipotentiary, a title Congress bestowed in 1779.
So yes, the Eiffel Tower belongs here in Philly, at least for awhile.
And the great, glittering French landmark known to all the world can now be seen in Philadelphia's glorious temple of the performing arts, the Kimmel Center. In the great Commonwealth Hall of the Kimmel Center the Eiffel Tower celebrates the just-opened Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA).
Check out all the Festival events.
BTW: You can watch the Eiffel Tower light show daily at 7 PM and again at 10 PM. It's free.
Don't miss it!

Natalie Portman Shopping This PM In Philly

If there's a Hollywood star in town you can bet that our favorite gossip columnist Dan Gross at the Philadelphia Daily News is gonna know about it.
Here's an excerpt from Dan:

Natalie Portman shopped at Joan Shepp (1616 Walnut) Tuesday afternoon. The pregnant Oscar-winner is in town with fiance Benjamin Millepied, who choreographed her in "Black Swan," and who is now working with the Pennsylvania Ballet on "Building on Balanchine."

Click here to read more.

Klein Ends His 'INQlings' Column

Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Michael Klein has written his last INQlings column for the newspaper.
Klein announced that he's moving on in what appears to be a continuing shift under new management at the Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com.
Here's the way he explains it in today's column:

And just like that, my time at "INQlings" draws to a close, after more than 1,400 columns since its debut in 2001. My next stop is at Philly.com, for an exciting challenge. Meanwhile, I will continue writing for The Inquirer - including the "Table Talk" restaurant column - and feeding foodstuff into my "Insider" blog at Philly.com. Thanks for your tips, your feedback, and, most of all, your attention.

We wish Michael well in his future endeavors.
Click here to read more.

Video: Youths Looking For Trouble In Center City

View more videos at: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com.

Part of a report from NBC 10 Philadelphia:

There was an increased police presence in Center City Friday night amidst concerns of possible teen “flash mobs.”

The crackdown came amidst social media rumors of kids gathering and causing havoc. And the police presence came a day after video surfaced of an alleged fight Thursday between some teenage girls inside the H&M store at 16th and Chestnut Streets.

The unseasonably warm weather could have also played a role in the gathering of more teens in Center City.

Click here for more on this story.

Philly: Fear Of Flash Mob Closes Park

It's sad.
Scary.
And absolutely despicable.
But the truth must be told and faced: With the warmer weather flash mobs are once again threatening center city Philadelphia.
Let's be clear about this: These roaming, destructive groups of seemingly aimless young people threaten Philadelphia commerce, tourism and well-being.
THIS MUST BE STOPPED.
So, the school system, neighbors, community groups, civic groups, churches and -- most of all -- parents must all work together to put an end to this senseless, destructive and unlawful behavior.
And yes, if some of these young people have to be arrested and prosecuted, then let's get on with it.
Here's more from the Philadelphia Daily News:

Police shut down LOVE Park yesterday afternoon after 10 to 15 teens were arrested for disorderly conduct and rumors spread that flash mobs were set to form.
Officers stood guard at the entrances, telling passers-by not to enter the park. The park was shut down from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., said Lt. D.F. Pace, of Center City's 9th Police District.
"We keep tabs on Internet chatter - especially these social-networking sites - and we received credible information that flash-mob activity was going to form here," Pace said.
Click here for more on this troubling story.

Philly Bans 'CHRISTMAS' Village Near City Hall

Here we go again . . . The name of Philadelphia's German Christmas Village adjacent to City Hall has been changed to "Holiday Village" because some people have objected to the word "Christmas."
According to the Philadelphia Daily News, "the letters spelling 'Christmas' were removed yesterday afternoon from the archways on the north and west sides of the plaza, at the request of Managing Director Richard Negrin. They will be replaced with the word 'Holiday.'"
The city's spokesperson Mark McDonald says that Negrin asked for the change after the city received complaints. Again, from the Daily News: "As a city of great diversity, one shouldn't be surprised that there's a difference of views when it comes to symbols and words," McDonald said.
B-A-L-O-N-E-Y!
For the past two years this temporary European-style shopping village has been called "Christmas Village." That's the way it started. That's the way it prospered. That's the way it should stay.
It's Christians who are spending money on Christmas in the first place. Without this holiday (and this spending) the city would be dead and merchants, stores, restaurants, theaters, etc, would be out of business.
In Europe where the tradition began these temporary markets are set up for CHRISTMAS and that's how they are named. Face it: It's about Christmas.
And be sure of this: Christians should not have to hide the name of the holiday that gave birth to Christianity.
My suggestion: Unless and until the name is changes back to "Christmas," boycott Philadelphia's bogus "Holiday Village."
Click here for more on this story from the Philadelphia Daily News.