Talkin’ Turkey

There’s nothing quite like Thanksgiving. The family get-togethers, the giant turkey and enough overeating to put an elephant in a coma. It’s also time for another one of Philadelphia’s great traditions: The Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Dating back to 1920, the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade is the nation's oldest. That’s right – it all started here in the City of Brotherly Love. Beautiful floats and giant balloons are escorted down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, with dance teams and musical performances kicking-off the official start of the holiday season in grand style. And what Thanksgiving Day Parade would be complete without Santa!

The parade starts at 8:30 tomorrow and lasts until Noon. It’s a great event to watch from the comfort of home, but there’s nothing quite like being there. And with temperatures reaching the 60’s tomorrow, there’s no excuse! And the Boy Scouts will be collecting food for the needy during the parade, so make sure to bring a non-perishable food item too.

As a one-time participant in the Mummers Parade, I know the importance of these great events to Philadelphia. They’re part of our identity and a wonderful opportunity to get together and celebrate as a community. To be truly thankful for what we have, and to strive for better days ahead. The parade route may be shorter, but the outpouring of goodwill and caring are just as big.

- Frank Sinatra

Penang Packs a Philly Punch of Flavor

I grew up in Columbus, Ohio, a City that’s known for its chain restaurants. In fact, Columbus may be the birth place of the most chain restaurants. I even grew up with a red-headed Wendy whose Dad, Dave Thomas, started the eponymous food chain.

In high school I worked at two chains; Ponderosa Steak House, where I rotated the salad bar and Friendly’s, where I was a grill cook.

Formulaic food can be tasty if it’s prepared exactly according to the manual but it’s usually a little pricey and what’s good about it is bad about it, it’s predictable and rarely spicy or served hot!

Philadelphia is a bottomless pit of exciting, inexpensive eateries to discover. I love how you can eat on the cheap and there’s always a new place to try. Anyone who knows me knows I love to stuff my face and for me it’s often all about the food.

Penang on 10th in between Arch and Race Streets in the heart of Philadelphia’s China Town is one of my favorites. It’s Malaysian. The dishes are delectable and the combination of Asian and Indian flavors is over-the-top fabulous. My husband and I had lunch there last Friday. For $28.30, including the tip, we enjoyed Roti Toleur, ($5.50,) which we always order. It’s a “traditional Indian pancake with egg and onion served with curry chicken dipping sauce.” We also had Spicy Crispy Squid ($9.50,) tentacles in chef’s special sauce – which is sort of black and gooey sweet and sour coating – and, Chow Kueh Teow ($7.50,) Malaysian Stir Fry Flat Rice Noodle with Shrimp, Bean Sprouts and Eggs. Everything is served fresh and piping hot.

For years Penang only took cash, but now you can pay with a Credit Card. Unfortunately, our waiter wouldn’t let me take his picture! We were so stuffed after lunch we had to waddle over to the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show at the Convention Center. There’s no better food base to put down before the Show, any Show. – Lisa Simon

‘Tis the Season for The Nutcracker

The Mouse King was in his full glory this week. Standing in front of the Academy of Music, the Pennsylvania Ballet’s most storied character supervised new Nutcracker banners being installed on the Avenue of the Arts.

It was an exciting moment, one that heralded the beginning of the holiday theater season.

Philadelphia is chock full of entertainment in November and December, but the Nutcracker stands out as a not-to-be-missed holiday event. Its breathtaking beauty, sense of tradition and focus on family make it a treat that can be enjoyed time after time after time. I’ve seen the Nutcracker with various friends and relatives, and believe me, there’s something for everyone.

For my friend the violinist, it’s all about the music. Tchaikovsky’s glorious score, played by the Pennsylvania Ballet’s 45-piece live orchestra and accentuated by the Philadelphia Boys’ Choir  at the end of Act I is simply heavenly. For little girls, the magical, growing Christmas tree is a highlight, as are the tiny, angelic ballerinas who crisscross onstage in the Land of the Sweets. Even jocks like my husband appreciate the dancers’ athleticism, the way they work as a team, their precision and the endurance they need for those unbelievable leaps and turns.

For me, it’s all about the visual splendor, and this production, with new sets and costumes thanks to the generous support of our client, PNC Bank, is magnificent.

Even this pup and baby were excited to meet the Mouse King, proving, that yes Virginia, The Nutcracker really is for everyone.          -Bev Volpe

What a Phight!

Game 6 has ended. The Yankees’ Mariano Rivera has gotten the 27th out and the whirlwind ride that was the Phillies’ 2009 season is officially over. Like so many of my red pin-stripped brothers and sisters, I am disappointed and exhausted. It’s a tough day to walk around Philadelphia. However, there’s also a sense of extreme satisfaction that the Phillies represented our city well.

After the magically 2008 season, the Phillies won the opportunity not many championship teams get to do: defend their title. Throughout the year, our Phightin’s were beset by injuries, slumps, the loss of Harry. They came into the playoffs with a pitching rotation in question and a patchwork bullpen. But the team took these things all in stride and always played hard, always swung for the fences. If Ryan Howard was slumping, Chase Utley stepped in. Senõr Octobre, our “Chooch,” found another gear in the postseason. And Cliff Lee was simply masterful on the mound.

And the buzz around the city was electric. From banners on Broad Street to school pep rallies, this town embraced its team, through all the blown saves and poor starts. The heart of Philadelphia and that of the Phillies were shared beat for beat. Another town will have a parade in a few days, but it was one heck of a ride.

The numbness we feel will fade. After a back-alley beating of the Giants, the Eagles will have an opportunity to grab the spotlight again, hopefully by putting a slobber knocker on the hated Dallas Cowboys. But we shouldn’t forget all the things our boys of summer have done for us and our city. The hope and cheers and late inning comebacks (albeit one or two few).

Thank you, Philadelphia Phillies for treating us to a wonderful year of baseball, one so often absent in our past. Here’s to the hope of April, and another season where the entire region takes notice of our Phightin’ Phils.

- Frank Sinatra

Boo!

Jem, of Jem and the Holograms, complete with the pink wig and glittery guitar; a Penn State cheerleader with pom-poms— and a baby bottle; a velvet, pink bunny; a witch; a miniature bride. These are just a few of the homemade costumes, and characters, I have been for Halloween over the years. After all, Halloween is a chance to be anyone you want to be. It’s also a chance to eat lots of candy, carve pumpkins, and get scared silly- one of my favorite parts, and Philadelphia has several thrilling opportunities for all ages.

For years I have wanted to go to Philadelphia’s frightfully famous Eastern State Penitentiary, for its “Terror Behind the Walls” Haunted House; I finally had the chance this year, as a group of friends and I decided to give ourselves a scare. Voted the “Number One Haunted House in the Country” by AOL City Guide, “Terror Behind the Walls” is exactly what it names itself to be— a scary, creepy, and spooky experience in a 179-year old prison with castle-like walls, daunting dark corners, and a rich forbidding history. The disturbing factor that runs chills down your spine is that the Eastern State Penitentiary is rumored to be truly haunted, with officers and inmates reporting eerie sightings and mysterious experiences as early as the 1940’s.

And talk about elaborate costumes. Fourteen make-up artists take hours to transform 150 actors into tortured, traumatized, and terrifying prisoners and guards as they patrol, jump, grab, scream, and scare throughout the five feature attractions within the massive 11-acre complex. The Infirmary, new in 2009, is set in the prison’s long-abandoned medical wing, and in Lock Down, you reluctantly shuffle with eyes half-closed through one of the most haunted locations in the prison, Cellblock 12.

While “Terror Behind the Walls” is a great Halloween experience for the brave, there are also events in the Philadelphia area for children. Several of Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust’s (PREIT) Greater Philadelphia malls, Simon PR’s clients, are hosting Halloween events for families and shoppers.

On Friday, 10/30, Willow Grove Park’s Morning Club for tiny tots is having a Halloween Spooktacular with arts-and-crafts, games, and music, while The Gallery at Market East in Center City has Halloween-themed street entertainment for the busy lunchtime crowd. Springfield Mall is also having a Halloween celebration on Saturday, 10/31, with Halloween fun for young kids.

So break out your best Halloween costume, a big bag of candy corn, and get ready for another Halloween in Philadelphia.
-Meredith Wertz

Eureka! Discovering Science Philly Style

Thankfully, Brad Lidge is back in rare form. Watching the Phillies’ NLCS win over the Dodgers, I wondered how he hurls that nasty slider. My son, a pitcher, explained that it’s all about grip, arm angle and release point.

Every pitch is a lesson in science, which plays a key role in my teenager’s life—even if he denies it vehemently.

So today, I’m excited. Not only because our beloved Phillies have won it again, but because my child is finally accepting the importance of science. And because I get to tell that story for our great client, PNC, which just launched Grow Up Great with Science.

In another show of incredible corporate citizenship, the PNC Foundation is giving more than $500,000 to the Academy of Natural Sciences and The Franklin Institute for preschool science education. The money will send their experts into classrooms to aid teachers with preschool science lessons, and the kids’ families will get free admission to the science centers.

PNC is also funding the first planetarium show for preschoolers. Called One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure, it made its Philadelphia debut yesterday at the Fels Planetarium.

My older sister’s chemistry set was strictly off limits, but that never stopped me from sneaking her microscope, and asking why & how—questions I use every day as a PR pro. I might have grown up to be a creative type, but I’ve never lost the sense of wonder about the world around us.

After all, science is everywhere, from the Phightin’ Phils to a preschoolers’ classroom.
-Bev Volpe

Phightin’ Back

Swagger. That is what our Phabulous Phightin Phillies have had since the beginning of the postseason. Say the word. Let it roll off the tongue. SWAGGER.

The reigning World Series champs delegated to afternoon starts? Pundits doubting the team’s ability to get out of the first round? Snow days and baseball at 32 degrees? The Rockies coming from behind on the verge of forcing a Game 5? All wiped by a team with that strut synonymous with swagger.

Swagger comes from confidence. That you’ve been there before and you’ll move heaven and earth to get there again. That naysayers can talk about the bullpen, the past, the fans, snowballs and Santa. It won’t mean a thing. Swagger cures a variety of ills.

It’s a lot like Philadelphia itself. The city we work and play in. Like a cheesesteak hot off the griddle, it oozes swagger. The confidence to know that no matter what lies ahead, the city and the people who love it will pick themselves up, dust themselves off and find a way to win.

So with Game 1 of the NLCS in the win column and just seven more games to go before another parade, let’s look past another afternoon start. Move beyond the love affair with LA and Mannywood. Let’s root for our team that lives, eats and breathes the tough, confident spirit of our city. Let’s enjoy the swagger.

- Frank Sinatra