who's house... betsy's house

she crafty
So life has been a little nutty since Ethan came on the scene, but that is ok. It is the 4th, and all summery. It appears the rain has stopped so fire up the grills and get your bbq on. Above is the house of one of Philly's most popular summertime girls....Betsy Ross. People from all over the world come to see where Betsy did her handy work. You can find more info about her and her casa here.

Looking for fireworks and music to celebrate America? Find them both here.

Speaking of America...let's pay tribute to an american legend. We'll miss you mikey.
I'm out...moonwalking.

ethan, welcome to philly...

this is home
My son Ethan was born on June 6th, 2009. I must say it has changed my life already. He is my first and I can't wait to show him his home. No, not the little house that I have here, but Philadelphia.

Above is the famous skyline shot at the Belmont Plateau in Fairmount Park...as will Smith said, it's where everybody go. It's summertime Ethan!

shaken, not stirred...

with an olive on top
The Continental was it. The straw that stirred the drink. The cornerstone in the revival of Old City. The restaurant/martini bar/hot spot/place where everybody is beautiful, opened its doors on the corner of 2nd and Market in 1995 and never looked back. The 60's style dinner began the string of insanely popular restaurants of Steven Starr, who pretty much is now global with hit restaurants in NYC, AC and Florida.

If you find yourself in Old City and want to be like this guy, go ahead and go 007 smooth.

Take a look here for more info.

remember...

to all the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice...
Thank you. Remember all of those in uniform who have given their lives just so we can enjoy ours.

This picture is from the Phillies World Championship parade. The boys in blue kept it orderly...and fun.
Hope you all enjoyed the weather this weekend.

roads? where we're going, we don't need roads...

The road to nowhere
Elfreth's Alley is known as our nation’s oldest residential street. People have been living and collecting mail on this street since 1702. That's a lot of junk mail. Elfreth's Alley has been home to more than 3,000 people. Today thirty-two houses, built between 1728 and 1836, line the alley. Pretty amazing to come to Philly to see a street, but it's pretty cool. Nice shutters too.

The only problem with this alley is that there isn't enough road to get to 88 miles per hour!

it's all happening at the zoo...

I do believe it's true
It's a light and tumble journey from Girard Ave to the park. I love the zoo. Always have, always will. The Philadelphia Zoo is the oldest in the country. Again, another 1st in Philly.

That said, I hate the dreaded zoo traffic on i76. But that ok. It is worth it as the elephants are kindly, but they're dumb.

this tap goes to 11...

Or that is what the pros say
Standard Tap in Northern Liberties is about as un-standard as you can get. "The tap" is the gem of 2nd street and in my opinion, the best brew pub in the city. Standard Tap is always recommended by the pros for the beer, but even the food is great. Just last year Philadelphia Magazine ranked the tap as one the top 50 resturants in Philly...number 11 actually. Go get there when the Firkins are tapped and drink one for me.

Go check it out: http://www.standardtap.com

one down...

362 days ago I started this blog
Yep. On April 15, 2008 I started this photo blog and will be celebrating its 1 year anniversary this week. I just wanted to say thank you to everybody for actually enjoying it. In one year this site has had visits from over 60 countries and 6 continents. Not bad for a "lets try this out and see how it goes". It's nice to see that people around the world like our fair city.

If there is anything more or different you would like to see on this blog, send me an email and let me know. Or just comment below. I'd love to hear what you all think.

Thank you everybody...and happy holidays.
I hope you all stay tuned.

the king of steaks...

Pat the bat will sure miss this Pat
It's beautiful outside. The Phillies open today. The steaks at Pats are cooking. Just go outside and get one. Sorry for the lack of posting last week. Getting ready for the new baby has me a bit busy. That said, I can't wait to get him to South Philly for his first steak wiz, wit.

Here is a cheesy video (pun intended), if you want to learn more.

dragon tales...

Super Mario
Above is a pic of Mario the Magnificent, the official dragon mascot of the DU. Drexel University is a school in progress, even though it's been around since 1891. I swear they have a new building going up every year. But their number one building, "Main Building" doesn't need the support...it rocks. Of all the local schools, you have to think Drexel has that "Philly cool" feel to it. I won't lie. I work at the university, so I'm a little biased. But seriously...Drexel and West Philly do it right.

Learn more about the city school here....or talk to them now on twitter here... or visit their Facebook page here. Speaking of dragons, check out this one starting a sing a long. Mario can keep a tune.