Philly Chit Chat

Last Wednesday during the Tony Bruno Show at the Adrienne Theater,  Jack Daniel’s hosted it’s Honey Hysteria
bartending competition. The top 4 bartenders competed against each other
to win tickets to the NCAA basketball tournament East Regional.

 Bartender Jay Jones

 Kris Hagan from Bru with Natalie

  Bartender Jay tells Natalie how he created his concoction

 The panelist try out the drinks

Danielle Kelly and overall winner Kris Hagan with his tickets to the NCAA
Final Four.

The Style Hour, a new event concept by Ian Michael Crumm launched last week at the Sonesta hotel. The event featured a curated
fashion presentation by Ian, which showcased men’s and women’s spring
fashion looks.Thanks to the Sonesta for hosting, and putting out a delicious spread.

Brooklyn-based Krammer & Stoudt showed lightweight suiting and swimwear, LA-based PS Kauffman sent their fine leather shoes for men, and York-based Arthur & Daughters presented colorful dresses.

 

 

Happy Monday Morning, so glad the weather alarmist were wrong and it didn’t snow on the beautiful cherry trees which have begun to blossom.

I’m on my way to DC later this week and am excited to see their Cherry Blossoms bloom for the first time. I’m being hosted by Capitol Hill Hotel. They have a very interesting Election Year deal going on that they want me to experience. You can follow my exploration of DC via their twitter @CapHillHotel  as I take over their account next weekend.

Oklahoma Thunder’s Russell Westbrook was in town last week to play against the Sixers on Friday. Thursday was a big day for Westbrook. He stopped by the True Religion store at 1604 Walnut St to check out his new like of tshirts and sweat pants. (shot from video he posted) Later that night he got lucky at SugarHouse Casino. On Friday he made a sweet 1 handed dunk to Thundering past the Sixers in a final score of 111 to 97.

 

 

Fast forward a month and the babies are born and ready to be fed, see that fish dad dropped off yesterday morning.

I’ve been lucky enough to catch a few of the eaglets feedings. They are so adorable.

Happy 2nd Day of Spring, and 2nd day of Macy’s Annual Flower Show. This year’s theme America The Beautiful.There’s lot to see, smell and a few things on the schedule to participate in.

 Macy’s started setting up the displays and planting the flowers in the shoe department on Thursday.

Macy’s Center City Philadelphia
Greek Hall, 3rd Floor
1300 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA, 19107
215-241-9000
Get Directions

Calling All Bakers – 5:30PM – March 22

Join
Macy’s Center City for a private baking class! Our specialty pastry
chefs will give you their insider tips to making the perfect apple pie!
With the purchase of a $20 ticket*, you will receive a $10 Macy’s gift
card**, access to the class featuring in-depth instruction, recipes and
your very own mini pie plate to take home. All you need to bring is
yourself and your appetite! Purchase your ticket at
MacysCCBakingClass.Eventbrite.com! Plus, with any $25 Macy’s purchase
made the day of the event, you’ll receive** a floral inspired coloring
book!

Event subject to change or cancellation. *Ticket purchase necessary for
entry. $20 Ticket purchase valid for 1 customer entry. Ticket purchase
is non-refundable. **Gift card valid until 4/3/2016 and will be
distributed at event check-in.

Good Saturday morning. It’s a good day for progress as the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA)  imploded the outdated high-rises to make room for low-rise townhouses.

Built in the late 1960s, 2100 people lived in the Norman Blumberg high-rises; the 18-story buildings, the Judson and Hemberger Towers. There was also 15
barrack-style buildings and another tower for senior citizens. All of them were taken down except the senior citizen building.

 In it’s place PHA will build units townhouse-style buildings, and PHA will has also developed a plan to create a retail coordinate in efforts to revitalize the neighborhood.

 The PHA website has more information on the project HERE.

Front row viewing

 This year’s event boasts support from Apple Vacations, Citrin Cooperman, Del Frisco’s, Digital Benefit Advisors, DTI, ECBM, Golf Performance Institute, Help Me PCS, Iron Mountain, Jersey Man Magazine, Magna Legal Services, Robbini Bespoke, Rock Avenue Bow-Ties, Savills Studley, Signarama Center City, ToBox, West Capital Management, and Weston Fitness.  

 

The Israeli Film Festival of Philadelphia is a celebration of Israeli culture, with the aim of enriching the American vision of Israeli culture and society through film. Each season, a slate of feature films and documentaries are selected to provide a diverse and impartial reflection of Israel. Last weekend the opening of the Israeli Film Festival took place at the International House, and PhillyChitChat photographer Mike Hirata headed out there and grabbed a few shots.

Every so often I tell this story, an amazing true story that happened to my family on St. Patrick’s Day in 2005, the day we buried my father at sea, at his favorite fishing hole. I’m just going to copy and paste it here from the first time I wrote it in 2005. My nephew is now grown up so I changed his name for his protection.

Today marks the 4 year anniversary since we spread my dad’s ashes in the Florida Keys as per his wishes. My father died suddenly at their house in Florida May 3, 2004. I like to mark this anniversary with this story each year: (Originally written March 23, 2005)Last Thursday, on St. Patrick’s Day, we celebrated my father’s life by spreading his ashes about 2 miles off the Florida Keys (he had died unexpectedly the year before in an accident at this house). It was a beautiful ceremony. We had a St. Patrick’s Day memorial party with his friends, no grandchildren, in the afternoon at the house on the water as dad had requested.

In the evening (about 9PM) the family (including the under 15 set who were not at the house during the day) gathered on the patio to enjoy mom’s key lime pie and other desserts by CANDLELIGHT. My nephew Peter (not his real name) was the only grandchild to join us on the patio as the other kids ate inside watching TV. Peter is a little over 2.5 years old (he had only met my dad about a handful of times as his family lived in another state) He wasn’t a big talker yet, but he could usually put a word or two together, and knows sign language for the important words like Eat, Food and Drink. (This was one of the last pictures I took of dad at their house in NJ with my mom and nephew Peter)

Peter had never been to my parents house in Florida, and this particular night was the first time he was even at the house at all as we all rented houses on a different parts of the island and had dinner at one another’s house the previous nights.  As we sat around the table on the patio, talked about the next day’s plans. PETER suddenly stood up from sitting on the ground and points into the darkness towards the water where my dad’s boat use to be docked (the boat was not there, as mom sold it right after dad died,) and states “POP-POP, boat.” He says this a few times. He goes on to say Pop-pop, minnow. “Pop-pop, home” “Pop-pop hello.” “No bait to fish”.

A very emotional Mom then asked me to go get a photo of dad and give it to Peter’s dad. His dad, pointed to the photo and says to Peter, “Who is this? Peter said Pop-pop.” Peter where is pop-pop? And then Peter pointed towards where the stern (back) of the boat would be, and where my dad spent many hours tinkering.

As time went on, things got quiet and Peter went back to being quiet and staring into the darkness, my sister Tracy said to me that it was like the movie the Sixth-Sense, I leaned over to her and said “Can Peter see dead people?”. (I don’t think Peter heard me, but his mother came over and tapped me on the head and looked at me with a disapproving look.)

THEN Peter jumps up and happily states, as he was raising his arms in the air like he was going to do a cheer, “NO ONE is DEAD,” “NO ONE is DEAD,” “No Sad, No one Dead,” Don’t be scared, No one dead, Pop-pop is Home.” After about a minute or two he stopped and began playing patty cake with Pop-pop? Then he played hide and go seek, even stating BOO a few times. Then he walked to the far (and less lit) side of the patio, about 25 feet from where we were all sitting, to where the empty hammock was. He then started pushing the hammock with TWO HANDS gleefully squealing “WHEEEEEE WHEEEEE ISNT THIS FUN….” Finally running back to where we were sitting stunned, Peter stated one last time “NO ONE DEAD, DON’T BE SAD” “Pop-pop HOME”