Stop by Teuschers Chocolates in the Bellevue Shops Lobby for you Easter and Passover Candy Today. Cute chick & rabbit boxes. Just sayin’
What a great week. I think I had a column on PhillyMag.com everyday, but today. My “The Party Never Stops” page debuted in Philly Mag. I went to a lot of fun events, and I even remembered a few of your names. Best of all the TULIPS have popped out. Colin Farrell sightings…
I was going to post a bunch of pixs of Philadelphian’s that were at the Virgin American party last night, as I posted “celebrities” that don’t normally grace these pages in my PhillyMag Column HERE (Seth Green, Amber Rose, Zoe Kravitz & Penn Badgley), but then I thought nah let me do something fresh. I was on my way to the Bows & Brews event at the Ethical Society, as I passed the park the sights and sounds drew me in. I thought wow there’s a lot of orange around. Why don’t I see what I can shoot and use orange as a theme. So the following pixs of orange somewhere in the shot.
She’s in red, but the bike behind her is orange, I think? This is also what you call shooting from the hip. I’m not always brave like my buddy Big Rube who will “hose you down” (paparazzi phrase) whether you know it or not. I really like the shots where you don’t know I’m taking you, candid.
I guess Rittenhouse Square wants to keep peeps off of the grass. Not sure if it’s working.
It was a little colder today than yesterday.
OK this may be red, but isn’t that orange in over there by Parc?
George Perrier is spending a lot of time at the Rittenhouse Row eateries, and people are paying their respects as they should. He looks relaxed at Rouge.
What’s going on at Parc? Colin Farrell didn’t eat here.
At Devon Big Rube is shooting a subject in the street. That’s Melanie Martin. I haven’t seen her in a bit. She’s been seeing John Westrum for about 2 years.
I like how someone put their hat on the statue. Victoria Secret Bag pink & orange
I wish people would walk their bikes through the park. About a decade ago they would give you a ticket for riding your bike through the park. I long for those days.
I finally made it to 2nd Annual Brews & Bowties Event which benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – Philadelphia Chapter. I will write more about it next week.
Francesco Storniok and Anh Phan
Ok that is questionable orange, probably more like pink, but I did like the shoes. What do you think of this subject so far? Or are you a Colin Farrell fan and you just want to jump to that info. It’s at the very bottom.
Then I had dinner at Davio’s which I will write about next week. When leaving I remembered that RAW Artists was at G Lounge, which is the basement floor of Davio’s. My friend Erin Como hosts it, with producer Fred Calalang. (Erin’s with boyfriendDanny Schuyler. Those two are just about to leave town for their next adventure. Erin got a TV gig out of state and will be leaving at the end of this month. So happy, yet devastated at the same time. Erin is by far one of the nicest peeps in Philly.)
Gallery ML to free body painting from its general perception as an over-sexualized fringe art and bring it into the realm of respected fine art. Tonight is First Friday and they are having an exhibit.
Nix Herrera, Face off season 2, Jem, Lawren Alice Curator – Gallery ML and Natasha Kudashkina, Artist
RAW Artist is held the First Thursday of every month. It’s musicians, artist, jewelers, fashion designers showcasing their work. I think it’s $10 to get in. If you’re a budding artist you should apply to show you stuff there. There’s also smaller events held at Valanni’s every Monday.
Colin Farrell spotted in Rittenhouse Square area
Colin Farrell is in town to film Dead Man Down with actress Noomi Rapace. There were sightings all over town on Thursday as I hear he is looking for a house to rent for the nearly two months he will be filming here. In the evening he was spotted walking through Rittenhouse Square, and then later at The Sporting Club at the Bellevue. (Guess I’ll start working out more.) It’s not a surprise because that’s where Bradley Cooper and Renee Zellweger worked out when they were in town. As I was leaving G Lounge someone gave me a tip that he was eating at a.kitchen. (hmm that is really blurry, but he’s the guy with the hand over his face [on blurry left]. I so had the wrong camera with me. ) Originally he was sitting in the window, but when I got on the scene there were two other snappers there and he moved his seat to the bar to eat, bummer for me. With no chance of knowing when he was going to leave, and the midnight hour approaching I left. Tune into Fox 29 Good Day Philly to hear about a few more sightings of celebs around town. Also did you see my star power column in Philly Mag Online Yesterday? Happy Easter and Passover. Thanks to my Sponsors. Please support them. How much fun was Let Them Eat Cake, just too much.
Nicki was a little surprised I tweeted she got a police escort yesterday and wanted to know who I was. Read on girlfriend. (BTW I didn’t tell you she was staying at the Four Seasons getting prettyfied during the day. I know what to tweet and not to.)
It songs like this that is going to bring Nicki Minaj to the next level. This CD keeps her rap fans happy, as does her fantasy Barbi world, but the pop songs will take her the Katy Perry route to fame and not the Lil Kim route of obscurity. I tweeted that this CD is better than Madonna’s and it is, I like it the first time I heard it not the 3 days it took me to appreciate #MDNA. Doesn’t mean that Madge isn’t the queen, it just means Nicki Minaj is going to be played in the dance clubs more this summer.
Nathan Morrissey and Juliana Rodriguez were first in line. They picked
up their wrist bands the day before and then returned Wednesday morning
at 5AM to wait in line.
TI Spmmoer. Shelvy Paredes and Caroline Ogden. Shelvy tells me that Nicki Minaj got her through some rough patches and loves her much for it.
Mckenzie Belton and Kylie Belton. So nice their mom chaperoned them the whole night, and didn’t even get a CD signed for herself.
Keiko El, Anyee Blount, Dreneisha Hector, Shvone Hill, Jon Carson and Naj oh I didn’t get her last name cause the crowd started cheering and I thought I was missing something.
She has a devoted fan base
For some reason celebrities like to increase my Klout score by starting Twitter fights with me. Then there followers send me the nicest messages. Thanks I’m at 65 now.
I’ve never seen a turn out for a CD signing in Philly like this
fashion ruled the day whether is was good
about Nicki love
Nicki signed her chest, she doesn’t plan on getting a tattoo but thought it was cool
Fierce Fashion
Everyone I talked to was goo gah in love with Nicki more. She told them she loved them and they were beautiful. They held on to those words like a bouquet of flowers.
The kids were decked out for Nicki like that did for Madonna 30 years earlier
Daniel Boon Coon Skin Hats seem to be in vogue again.I saw more than 1 guy with the animal on his head. Aren’t they hot?
the FYE manager happy triumphant with the awesome turnout
This scene played out over and over. Fans overcome with joy cause Nicki touched their hands and
told them they were beautiful
The line was 800 people long. They had people qued in 4 long lines on three different streets.
golden touch
Nicki signed a lot of things for fans, but she would not sign these prints that a guy was giving away to the people waiting in line
This guy was rushing to the tattoo store to get Nicki’s graph tattooed on his wrist.
Happy Birthday Kelly Mulholland, with friends Kayla Winsor and Lauren
Walegg. The girls all go to Penn State, but came down at 2AM to wait in
line for Nicki Minaj. Sadly FYE/Minaj cut the line off after the
originally agreed upon 500 people. That left a whole lotta people sad, but Nicki apologized via twitter saying that they should never have given out “Maybe Bracelets”
Future Nicki Minaj? Check out my Philly Mag column and the celebrity studded red carpet event at the Palomar Hotel last night.
The Loews Hotel hosted the 8th
Annual Flavors of Philadelphia fund-raiser for the American Liver
Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Division on Tuesday, April 3, 2012. Guests enjoyed a first class dining experience. The night began with a cocktail reception with exquisite hors
d’oeuvres prepared by Sole Food restaurant. A sit down three course
dinner prepared table side for twelve will follow with paired wine
uniquely designed by each chef to dazzle the palate of the attendees. The evening concludes with a delectable dessert reception.
This year the Liver Foundation celebrated forty years of excellence
in the culinary world by the The Sena Family .
The Sena Family owns Ristorante Panorama, Le
Castagne, Revolution House and La Famiglia, which stands as one of the
finest Italian restaurant in Philadelphia and a major landmark on the
city’s vibrant dining scene. La Famiglia has earned an international
reputation as one of the premier examples of gourmet Italian cuisine
outside of Italy. Luca Sena, Jr (Revolution House), Luca Sena, Sr (Panorama & Penn’s View), Chef Rosario Romano of Panorama, and Carlo A Sena (Pennsview Hotel)
Although on a much smaller scale then say the PAWS Dinner in June or Alex’s Lemonade Great Chef’s Event, this event is much more intimate and laid back than the others. The dining stations are all designed by the restaurants themselves too. Anthony Masapollo of Le Castagne
Flower arrangements, plating and tablecloths are brought in.William Eccleston, general manager and wine director of the Panorama Ristorante, April Martin and Carlo Sena, Le Castange
At Panorama they served the $500 bottle of Gaja for their guests, which was included in the $250 dinner price.
Bill and Shaiyn Wisemark were my table mates at La Familia.
Kristina Coiro and Jennifer Chapokas enjoyed dinner at Ristorante Panorama where they had pan seared shrimp over with truffled celery root and onions as an appetizer.
Sean Gibbons and Jennifer Deuel were at LeCastagne
near Rittenhouse Square
Union Trust – Meet the new crew. These three have been with the steakhouse for over a year and just recently got promoted. Last week you may recall I wrote about the opening of Revel, what I didn’t tell you and will tell you know is that a lot of Union Trust’s main honcho’s headed down there. The executive Chef Quincy Logan and Jeremy Ball, former general Manager at Union Trust Steakhouse both went to American Cut at the new casino. Cliff the bar manager is also left to work at the 47 story glass tower. Above is the new crew: Sarah Christiansen, General Manager at Union Trust Steakhouse, Nick Lauria, Executive Chef and Fredi Vento, Executive Sous Che. The restaurant is going through another growth and metamorphosis and I think you’re going to like it. Coming up in a few weeks is their Buck A Shuck special, plus the bar menu will be half price during happy hour, and soon they’ll have an Oyster Dinner Pairing.CHARITY EVENT FOR KEVIN NEARY.
Union Trust Event
We’re very excited for the May 6th event at Union Trust
Steakhouse. Kevin was working at Union Trust before the shooting, and we
are really grateful for Union Trust offering to host this event. It
will be the first event in the city that Kevin will be able to attend,
and Kevin’s friends Melissa and Erin have been working hard with Union
Trust to make it great.
Co-chairs again this year were Anthony Masapollo of Le Castagne and Sophia Stogiannis of Water Works Restaurant and Lounge. Looking on is NBC10’s Monique Braxton.
I ate at La Famiglia. I had never been there before. This is fried artichoke, which sat in the center of the plate wrapped by Branzino (fish). It was delicious.
There was an auction. This is one of the auctions where you hire an auctioneer to bring his stuff in for sale, sometimes they have a store. I know that the Philly Sports Cave will do this.
Usually you get one of a kind items, as well as collectibles like a Jimmy Rollins signed helmet, $750. The auctioneer lists the item at a certain price and that money is returned to them, then the charity adds an additional price and then the money above and beyond the auctioneers set price goes to the charity. The best part is the charity organizer doesn’t have to kill themselves looking for auction items.
PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS AND SPONSORS
• Penne • Water Works Restaurant • Le Castagne • Panorama • terra • Sole Food• Table 31 • La Famiglia • Verdad • Union Trust Steakhouse • Tavern 17 • Revolution House• Kadmon • NBC10 • Loews Hotel • Jefferson Hospital • Nemours/Alfred I. Dupont Hospital for Children • Sole Food• Burman’s Specialty Pharmacy • The Jones Group • Zavino Wine Bar • It’s a Cupcake • Fantasy Pretzels • CONGRATULATIONS SENA FAMILY!!
Last night
at the Loews Hotel was the 7th Anniversary of City of Hope’s “Let Them
Eat Cake.”
Let Them Eat Cake is Philadelphia’s Wedding Cake Design competition for
professionals, students and those who love to bake to create.
Brides-to-be and fondant foodies will converge for the seventh annual
competition featuring the best of the best. Awards & Korbel Champagne
It’s supposed to be a bride and groom event so they can check out the various wedding cakes, as well as vendors for their wedding. But I think it’s an event for cake lovers everywhere. The artistry this year was unbelievable, competition was fierce, one judge said. Shout out to Caroline Covelli and Jaclyn Fisher of Two Little Birds Wedding Planning. SO cute.
Sisters Mindy Touhey and Liz Rega with their 1920’s inspired Circus Cake, Cake Couture, LLC, Spring City, Pa
This is eye candy (ie I’m still on a sugar high am an unable to match the names with the cakes. Feel free to comment below if you recognize your cake.)
Piece a Cake ~ Colleen Lakey, Macungie Pa
People heard my pleas, specifically City of Hope and they provided plenty of doggie boxes for peeps to take samples home with them. There was still plenty left over for Executive Director of City of Hope’s Harry Giordano to bring to St. John’s Hopice around the corner. (with Fox 29’s weather guru Sue Serio.)
Cescaphe
Emily and Fiona Duffy (front) Jill Shoenfeld (Jill’s Fork) and Brian Duffy (Bar Rescue TV show & restaurant consultant)with April Margera (MTV’s Viva La Bam, Jackass, the CKY videos, Minghags: The Movie and Bam’s Unholy Union.) I asked April about her son’s (“Bam Margera & Friends” ) art exhibit which starts on Saturday at The James Oliver Gallery 723 Chestnut Street 4th Floor Philadelphia PA 1910. She tells me that Bam’s art is very Germanic, therapeutic, autobiographical, and really reflects the journey he is going through presently. As for April, she recently opened a store called “The Rose Hip Barn”, along with her mother Velma and daughter-in-law Kelly. The store, located in Thornton, PA, sells refurbished furniture
as well as homemade purses and accessories for the home.
Kersi Anderson and Adrianne Lauton – The Restaurant School. Old fashion Circus.
Ready for their close up – Kharisma McIlwaine, CW Personality gets her shot
Monica Glass, Fish pastry chef, Derek Lee, www.bestfoodblogever.com/ LeeAnne Mullins and April Margera look over a cake, judging it on style, creativity, theme and taste.
R2L
Joan Shepp styled Sarah Doheny, YUBr PR and John Soden
Sylvia Weinstock with a winning cake
The front of the cake. Plus it played circus music.
Master’s Baker, hmm how many jokes can you spot in that name? Chad Weldon, Ginger Lucas and sister Christie Weldon
Chelsea Boney and Shayna Clery – The Restaurant School
Best Student Design David Reimund and Franco Alvisi, Jr both 2012 graduates of The Art Institute in Philadelphia. The childhood friends hope to open their own place someday. Any investors around?
David Reimundhad an inspiration for the cake in the middle of the night, and wrote down his idea. I bet the first draft was less clear than this.
Linda Pham-Vertlieb and Stephanie Lyn Hayden
random
Kathy Dezzi, Eleanor Dezzi and Janine Dezzi. You may recognize Eleanor from Good Day Philly where she does political commentary. Tomorrow she is going to the White House for the Annual Easter Luncheon and Egg Hunt. Can’t wait to see the photos.
Lynsie Solomon, Wendy Wilhelm, Ritz Carlton and Carol Drumstas, Brown-Forman.
Coming up next for the Ritz Carlton, On April 10, Celebrate the new season with six courses prepared by
Michelin Three-Star Executive Chef/Owner Eric Ripert and
our new Chef de Cuisine Nathan Volz.
Mark Kingsdorf, Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultant and co-founder of “Let Them Eat Cake” with co-founder City of Hope’s Harry Giordano
And the winner is
Adelaide’s Bakery, Glendora, NJ
Adelaide’s Bakery, Glendora, NJ – Stefanie Murphy and Monica Motter. They won Best in Show and Best
Tasting at Philly’s City of Hope “Let Them Eat Cake” Competition! Stefanie named her bakery after her grandmother, Adelaide Spitsbergen who was on hand for the celebration.
City of Hope’s “Let Them Eat Cake” Competition at the Loews Hotel last
night. Sue Serio Attended. – Suzy Vanhoose and Stacey Hill of “Truly
Custom Cakery” Bucks County, Pa. They won Best Theme, Most Artistic and
Audience Choice. (Recently these two ladies combined their bakeries, and look what they produced, WOW) Check out this fun shot I took and placed in my PhillyMag Column http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2012/04/03/hughe-dillon-one-shot-eat-cake/
Habitat
for Humanity of Burlington County celebrated 25 years of helping
the community with a High Heels and Hard Hats Building Hope Gala at the Laurel Creek Country Club in Mt. Laurel,
New Jersey last week. The MC for the night was sports reporter KYW’s Ed Benkin.
Hosting the event was former Philadelphia Eagles player and now Congressman Jon Runyan who presented a proclamation from the United States to Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Todd Ermer
Habitat Board President, Harry Bagot, (r) was honored at the Gala
for his eight years of services. “We are thrilled to have Harry, his
commitment to the program and his leadership as the current board
president,” said Todd Ermer, executive director.
There was a silent auction featuring lots of signed sports memorabilia and other items that further help the fundraising efforts of Habitat for Humanity.
Plenty of the former Philadelphia Eagles team mates were on hand to celebrate the event including Vince Papale, who’s story was immortalized in the movie “Invincible,” starring Mark Wahlberg. Vince’s wife Janet was also in attendance.
A few of the ladies in high heels: Beth Harless, Maria Gregg, and Lauren Repici.
Joanne Blake, Jim Day and Anna Duhamel
“Each
year over 2000 individuals come out and volunteer with us in Burlington
County. We value each and every volunteer, even if they have never held
a hammer or a screwdriver. Volunteer labor is very important and
valuable to us, but it is not the only resource we need to keep the Habitat momentum growing. It also takes money. Without funds to buy materials and cover other costs, construction stops, “said Todd Ermer,.
Vince Papale, Irving Dale Fryar, a former American college, and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for seventeen seasons. Fryar played college football for the University of Nebraska, and was recognized as an All-American. He was selected with the first overall pick of the 1984 NFL Draft, becoming the first wide receiver to be taken number one overall, and played professionally for the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins of the NFL. Fryar grew up in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey and played high school football at Rancocas Valley Regional High School, Mario Henry, formerly of the Patriots, founder of Infinity Speaking Group and lives the” goal-setting” way of
life. He has proven through his life choices that goal-setting works,
and his vision is to help adolescents reach their full potential through
goal-setting and Jon Runyan, the U.S. Representative for New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional
District, will make an appearance. Runyan is a former offensive tackle
in the National Football League, (NFL), where he played for 14 seasons.
He is the fourth NFL veteran to be elected to Congress.
Habitat’s
Affordable Homeownership Program is designed to lend a “hand up” to low
and moderate income families in the community in order to help them
attain the dream of homeownership. Families who qualify perform up to
400 hours of “sweat equity.” The event raised over $45,000.
These
hours include volunteering on the worksite, in our ReStore and in
homeowner education classes. Successful completion of the program earns
the family a zero percent, affordable mortgage at the sale of the home. Just because the party is over doesn’t mean you can’t still help out. For more information check it out HERE. Thanks to Mike Hirata for shooting this event, and to Jaimi Gordon Public Relations.
XFINITY LIVE! Officially opened on Friday night. Years ago the City wanted to place the new baseball stadium in a Center City neighborhood, that way folks going to the games could have a diverse selection of eateries and other reason I couldn’t fathom. Thankfully that never happened, and they remained at the sports complex. Now with Xfinity Live! opening I think they have created that downtown experience they were looking for with this fun diverse facility opening.
Friday was the official opening and I don’t have the official count but the place was packed all day long from 4PM’s ribbon cutting to way after Mike and I left near 11PM. Outside of the eating facility there were several concerts going on including Third Eye Blind (Bradley Hargreaves the drummer, partied til the wee hours at Recess afterwards.)
Philly Style Magazine always right there with the best parties as the smoking hot new places. The party was held at Xfinity Live! at the Spectrum Grille. It was another fantastic soiree with an invite list that was super tight, as the peeps in charge wanted there to be able room to roam around in the grill. t I did catch these beauties. Nina Tinari, T2 Consultants, fresh from Miami, Carie Brescia, (She’s doing a fresh make up demonstration at Jacques Ferber‘s on April 19 at 6PM. Stop by.) Emmy Award-winning news journalist Dawn Timmeney, Lisa Gaudio and Mia Tinari Fisher, T2 Consultants
So good to see John Bolaris, wish I had a second to chat with him. He’s with his girlfriend Erica Smitheman, Classic Rock 102.9 WMGK’S John DeBella (wife Lisa was chatting across the room) and one of my favs especially as we are doing a project together on April 13 10PM CLUB ADESSO ADESSO 80s Dance Party with Special Appearance by Local Legend Jade Starling (Thanks to Jade’s friend for telling me she was there, we had been playing phone tag all week and needed to chat.)
I actually love Night Time more cause I was a night owl.
ON April 13 Jade will be performing Catch Me I’m Falling Plus songs from her new CD and Hosted by Celebrity Photographer HughE Dillon (oh does that mean I have to talk on a mike, ugh) – The Adesso 80s Dance Party begins at Happy Hour with DJ Jimmy DePre spinning favorites. Cover is free until 8 p.m., after which a $10 door charge will go into effect. I read your letters, I heard your pleas, and went to a lot of clubs to try and start a baby boomer 80’s dance party, we can throw a few 70’s songs in there too. Let’s Party!! (It’s beyond a thrill for me to be working with her as I really partied hard during the ’80s to her tunes. Great memories.)
Mike Lombardo, Lori Lombardo, NBC10’s Sports Guy John Clark and Simon Wong
I think I can see Ed Snider. He had the best view of the house, of course. I hear a few former Flyers were up there as well at former Gov Rendell. (BTW check out my column over at Philly Mag for the party the Gov was at Thursday night.)
Jenn skipped her flight to LA on Friday night just so she could attend the fab Philly Style Magazine soiree. She’s on Good Day Philly today interviewing the peeps from the new movie “The Three Stooges”
Carl and Roberta Dranoff with Maddy and Harvey Rovinsky,, owner of. Bernie Robbins Fine. Jewelers.
( Bernie Robbins’ celebrates their 50th Anniversary this year.)
Frank Phifer,Secrets Limo and Joe Marciano. Great to meet Frank finally. He’s been advertising of PCC for about 8 months and I had never met him before. I hope you’ll use his limo services as well as his Cool Pix’s Photo Booth service. It’s people like him that allow me to bring parties like these to you. Thanks so much. (Recently friends of mine use them, and I was in the van limo as we were going to a funeral and they were top notch. The driver had no idea my relation to Secrets Limo either. The price was fantastic too, about $65 less than the closest competitor.) (If you want to advertise on PhillyChitChat.com contact Laura Burkhart laura@thelabphilly.com for packages & stats. Thanks)
Larry Sutow, Capital Wines and Spirits, Director of Retail Sales and One on One promotions, and Shirley Sutow,
Paul and Wendy Rosen
The proud papa is glowing, not only because Jesse Rendell’s gonna be a dad in June, but also his company Rendell Management & Consulting oversees Xfinity Live! With him Lindsay Heck, National Sales Director Xfinity (left) and Katie Mohrfeld, Director of Sales (right)
NBC10’s Dave Warren and lovely wife Ali Frick. they just returned from New Orleans where they had a fabulous time. I saw the photos (NSFW)
The Professional Bullriders Bar is a must stop on your Xfinity Live! experience. Now this is a date.
Dan Stevensonof SugarHouse Casino and Councilman Mark Squilla were watching all the action in PBR
Jim Burns, FIVE and Ken Dienna at the PBR bar
Out back Third Eye Blind and a few other bands rocked the house. I was impressed by the set up. I think Xfinity is a win win. Great venues inside, and OMG that TV screen is off the hook amazing. What’s the remote look like?
Jane and Chris Cabott. Chris was planning to come with his new client and friend Jon Gosselin, but Jon was watching the kids. Jon is doing a lot of charity work of late, and will be on these pages shortly cause you know I love to promote the charities.
Where has Renee Reese been. Raising the kids and looking fabulous while doing it. She’s got the color blocking down with her yellow shirt, purple pants and vest. She’s with Philadelphia Eagle’s Player Hugh Douglas’ wife Simona Douglas, Sweet as can be.
Great to have Louis Abrams finally on these pages, and Jaret Gronczewski.
GN Kang and Kristen Celins.
Xfinity Live opens everyday at 11AM
Alycia Lane, Lauren O’Dorisio and Caitlyn Joyce. Alycia was in town to celebrate Lauren’s and Nicole Cashman‘s bridal showers. Those gals do everything together. Lauren and Nicole’s wedding dates are 7 days apart too, but in different countries. That’s a cake from Portito’s. It’s a polo hat. Thanks to John Colabelli and Philly Style Magazine for inviting me to this great party.
Sophia Konidaris and Donna Coghlan summer ready. I highly recommend Xfinitly Live!! really fun place. I have no doubt it’s going to be a big success. Kinda wish they had a game room though with pinball. Maybe they could work on that. Dave & Buster’s South Philly maybe?
Oh just a warning about parking. On Game days the valet parking price can be a little steep at: http://twitpic.com/93ha3y
Put on your denim and ‘bling’ and join your favorite celebrities for a night
of fun!
– Pro Athletes, including your favorite Phillies players
– Reality TV Stars
– Featured performances
* Meet and Greet with Cole and Heidi Hamels
* Enjoy cocktails and appetizers
* Sit down dinner
* Bid on silent and live auction items
* Gift bags
* Entertainment Including:
– Live Performance by nine time Grammy winner, John Legend!
– Win sparkling diamond jewelry
– Designer jean giveaway
– And much, much more!!!
The wait is over, Revel is a step in the right direction to revitalizing the casino industry in Atlantic City. But it’s going about it in an unconventional way, or should I say in a resort way. The Revel folks want to convey that they are more than just a casino, they are a resort. In fact you could probably visit there and never set foot in the casino, and still have a great time. I’ll show you how.
Here’s the Boardwalk view of the resort which is located on the North end of the island, next to the Showboat which houses one of my favorite restaurants Scarduzio’s.
One of the elements of Revel that goes against the norm is the valet car drop off is on the Atlantic Ocean side, meaning you get out of your car and immediately your vacation starts. It’s an incredible view of Revel Beach and the Revel building.
You are quickly whisked up to the The Lobby, 114 feet above sea level; is nearly two acres of outdoor space anchored by the SkyGarden and
the InOut Pool, a pool that begins indoors and continues outside
The year-round indoor-outdoor pool is be heated (in the 80s) and offers a
swim-through door to the outside, even in the dead of winter.
There are also outdoor fire pits and tons of couches,
seats and other comfy places to just plop down, read a book, sip a drink
or veg out or get a tan. If you walk to the edge of the building on the East side, you’ll enjoy a great view of the beach.
Floor: Revelry, 61 feet above sea level and named for its energetic and vibrant atmosphere;
showcases restaurants, shops
bars with a beach view,
nightclub, this one on the left is 4 stories tall and faces the beach. At night you see the glittering lights of the disco ball, and of the boardwalk. There’s also 4 floors of dancing and access to the outdoor garden with seats to lounge or chat with that someone new.
dayclubs, a casino and The Social, an intimate performance space for 700.
Chef Jose Garces will open three restaurants at Revel (500 Boardwalk, 855-348-0500), the newest resort destination in Atlantic City. Chef Garces will debut Distrito Cantina (609-225-9850), a margarita bar with Mexican street food from the adjacent Guapos Tacos, an indoor “food truck,” on Monday, April 2; a second location of his beloved first restaurant,
Amada(609-225-9900), on Monday, April 9; A room with a view, a view of the ocean. Nice.and Village Whiskey(609-225-9880), serving spirits and artfully crafted cocktails alongside classic American dishes, on Monday, April 16. “Opening
these restaurants in Atlantic City feels fresh and exciting to me, much
the way it did when I first opened Amada in Philadelphia,” says Chef
Garces, who owns Garces Group, with restaurants in Philadelphia, PA;
Chicago, IL; Scottsdale, AZ; and Palm Springs, CA. “I can’t wait to
bring something new and different to the dining scene here.” There will also be a Marc Forgione American Cut steakhouse, Robert Wiedmaier Mussel Bar, a gastro-pub inspired by an old-world Belgian roadhouse
and Alain Allegretti offers
Azure, a fine-dining French and Italian-inspired restaurant.
Plus Lugo, a brasserie, three
restaurants by Michel Richard: Central Michael Richard, a modern
bistro; O Bistro and Wine Bar; and the tentatively titled Breakfast
Room, a seated a la carte and grab-and-go spot.
Oh, there’s the casino floor. Spreading out atop a bright red carpet, the casino has 2,400 slot
machines and 160 table games, arrayed in an oval pattern; there are few,
if any, corners in the public spaces of Revel. The lighting of the
casino and public spaces is constantly changing, programmed to vary with
the time of day and day of the week, said Valerie Pageau, Revel’s
artistic director with the Montreal firm Sceno Plus. Let’s go out there…
I’m really not allowed to take pictures as they are having testing. i did snap the cute ceiling pieces, they were kites. Above that the ceiling is industrial. Looks cool.
Ivan Kane’s Royal Jelly burlesque Club is blending
live rock’n’roll with a modern take on traditional burlesque.
I predict this will become a destination place on it’s own. There are cat walks all over the place
one even peaks out from the center room soaring above the heads of the gamblers. It’s enough for you to loose your concentration.
There are plenty of mini lounges for you and your friends. Each one has it’s own stripper pole so you can get up personal. Guess who I saw there, our favorite guy Alp Atkan former Vice-President and General Manager at Delilahs Inc and now at Ivan Kane’s Royal Jelly burlesque club. You know this is gonna be a place to stop by.
Revel offers a 31,000 square-foot, 32-room spa called Exhale. It offers
hydrating facials, therapeutic massages and body-slimming services and A juice bar. The
spa has men’s and women’s’-only sides, with a co-ed common bath house
area. There, guests will find a salt grotto, a room made entirely out of
Himalayan salt bricks. I spent too much time reveling on the lower floors that I didn’t get a chance to see Beyonce’s suite on the 44th floor or any of the rooms. Next time, I’m sure to stay in one, at least for one night I hope. (Or maybe now I’ll be able to get a room at Caesars cause everyone will be staying here.)
Customer Service is the key at Revel. They want you to know they value your visits and will be sure to make you enjoy your time there.
They also believe in treating their employees as their friends. I wouldn’t be surprised if the company won best place to work. I got a chance to see the back of the house. It’s a mini city. They have their own restaurant called “Dish”. They get a free meal before their shift starts, and unlimited beverages. The above picture is from the back of the house. They’re all in this together, team work. (Mums the word, as a thank you and pep rally, the workers of Revel are getting a surprise Goo-Goo Dolls concert on Saturday.)
Thanks to Christie Honigman, The Honigman Group and David Luber Revel Relationship Marketing Executive for my behind the scenes tour. Thanks. Check out Revel it opens on April 2. PS I didn’t reveal everything. I will say it’s an exciting property, there’s so much to do or nothing at all if that’s your cup of tea.
Yesterday Macy’s welcomed TV personality and
jewelry designer and former Bravo’s NYC Housewife, Jill Zarin, to Center City for
a “Fashion Face-Off” and preview of the hottest fashions for
spring at
Macy’s “Find Your Magic” event.
Jill hosted a Macy’s Fashion show. Looks like colors are in, lots and lots of color blocking, bright primary colors, chunky jewelery and shoes. Jill is wearing the latest fashion from Nicole Miller.
After the runway show she signed copies of her mug for the fans.
Did you know that Jill has her own jewelery line coming out this
summer. You can find some of her trinkets on her website, but soon
you’ll be able to get them at a store near you. I think she must be promoting slips too cause she’s not shy about showing hers (This would have been a good place for someone to give out a handout about all things Jill Zarin is promoting). She told me that she loves Philly, it’s so clean and the Macy’s on Market Street was the nicest one in the whole bunch, even nicer than the one in NYC on 34th Street. She would know she’s been making appearances at them all. This weekend she’ll be down at the Borgata. Check out Macy’s Flower Show which I didn’t have time to do. It runs until April 8.
Check out my column online at PhillyMag.com Here. Lots of fun tidbits and pixs. Sharon Pinkenson was at the party too, a few mainline peeps and Cori Moskow’s Gloss PR executed the party.
What a great week. I think I had a column on PhillyMag.com everyday, but today. My “The Party Never Stops” page debuted in Philly Mag. I went to a lot of fun events, and I even remembered a few of your names. Best of all the TULIPS have popped out. Colin Farrell sightings…
(hmm that is really blurry, but he’s the guy with the hand over his face [on blurry left]. I so had the wrong camera with me. ) Originally he was sitting in the window, but when I got on the scene there were two other snappers there and he moved his seat to the bar to eat, bummer for me. With no chance of knowing when he was going to leave, and the midnight hour approaching I left. Tune into Fox 29 Good Day Philly to hear about a few more sightings of celebs around town. Also did you see my star power column in Philly Mag Online Yesterday?
