Results tagged “franklininstitute”

Tonight, we're headed to the Franklin Theater at the Franklin Institute for night one of the FirstGlance Film Fest, another indie showcase sponsored by OctoberFestPhilly. We're especially looking forward to Dark Room Theater, written and directed by Temple grad Ben Pollack.

We know this is short notice, but tonight's Community Night at the Franklin Institute and with dozens of great exhibits open gratis it's certainly worth the extra effort of a weeknight out. In what is, essentaialy, a sceince extravaganza, the Franklin is opening up the doors to all of their hands-on exhibits (including the Sports Challenge and the Giant Heart) as well as the IMAX and Planetarium for free. That's right. Tonight, starting at five o'clock, you can visit this awesome muesum and take advantage of all the extras for no charge. Live science shows, 3D movies at the Franklin Theater, access to the fancy observatory, it's all free. Just show up at 5:00, register at the desk, and you're in. Commuinty nights are monthly, so if you can't make this one, there's another coming up in mid-November. Visit the website for more information, and check back here with Phillyist for a reminder!

The New York Times' Travel section ran a piece today that calls Philadelphia a "destination city"—something we could have told them years ago. We're happy that The Times has finally decided to show the City of Brotherly Love a little affection (instead of that Sixth Borough crap from a few years ago), but we'd like to point out that their recommended schedule is almost as improbable as the route of the Rocky run.

Aren't you?

It be International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and there be many ways to celebrate. The Franklin Real Pirates exhibit is a natural choice, though on the pricier side; as an added bonus, however, "Cap'n Slappy" and "Ol' Chumbucket," founders of the holiday in question, will be on hand, and there will be a screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl at 8PM.

You know it's bad when the dry cleaning lady gives you a disapproving look and tells you she can't guarantee success on the first try.

Why doesn't anybody tell us about these things before they happen?

Ah, flash mobs. We love them. From massive pillow fights to silent discos, they’re generally outrageous, funny, and tend to be a lot safer than actual mobs.

Once in a while, Proofreading Philly turns into Fact-checking (Phact-checking?) Philly, and this is one of those times. We just wouldn't be responsible bloggers if we didn't correct CBS 3's error on a favorite blogosphere topic, Star Wars. While the article has been corrected (without acknowledging the original error—how unprofessional!), we just had to post this screengrab, courtesy of Eric and Editor Jim, of the article on the day it published. Because when you can't be bothered to look at IMDB or Wikipedia to confirm a date, you deserve to be called out for it.

Ah, The Franklin Institute. Sorry, The Franklin.

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend

We're going next month, and we can't wait!

In honor of Ben Franklin’s birthday, lettuce-clothed PETA activists braved the cold yesterday afternoon to spread the word about animal cruelty. Dressed in nothing but iceberg lettuce, a bit of trim and a stretchy waistband, local Lettuce Lady Nicole Mathews passed out faux-turkey sandwiches, talked to tourists and answered bewildered Franklin Institute attendants in 30 degree cold. All, of course, prompting the perfectly reasonable question, “whaaaa?”

We'd like to start this post off with something we just read in a press release:

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend.

The best of the internet, chopped into tiny bits and grilled for your enjoyment.

What's new and/or interesting at Philly theaters this weekend.

If you’re finding yourself short on culture and shorter on cash, you’re in luck this weekend. Saturday is Museum Day, where you can get into a gaggle of local museums gratis. Sponsored by Smithsonian Magazine, the day is a way to spread art and history around and “bring Americans together,” we’re assuming in queues. All you have to do is sign up on the site to get your free pass (good for you and one guest—only one pass per household allowed) and make a list of places you’d like to see. The line-up has changed from past years (Franklin Institute is sadly not participating this go-around), but the selection for Philly is still nice and well-rounded: some possible stops include the Rosenbach, the Insectarium, and Penn’s Museum of Archeology and Anthropology. Ah, Joyce, cockroaches, and mummies. Now that’s a perfect Saturday afternoon.

Over the weekend, I visited the King Tut exhibition at the Franklin Institute for the second time. (The first time also yielded a column.) The exhibit closes in a few days, so it's more crowded than it was when I went in March. That's to be expected.

This Phillyist started drinking coffee in college (we're just not all that precocious, what can we say). Those days, coffee consisted of a cuppa from the student center convenience store or, on good days, the spoils from a trip to Wawa. We're in danger of dating ourselves here, but a Starbucks didn't appear anywhere near campus until half-way through our tenure, and we didn't succumb to the green goddess's siren song with regularity until several years post-diploma. But now we're hooked; Wawa just doesn't offer mistos. Starbucks' brew tends toward the bitter side, but we can't stay away. Is there crack in that there coffee?

Imagine dusk in the Appalachian mountains - the crickets are chirping through the tall grass, the moist air wets your back as a cool breeze sweeps through the dense heat. It's finally that time. The time when friends and family congregate on the front porch for some cold drinks - iced tea, beer and maybe some whiskey - and best of all, live music. The sounds of the fiddle, banjo, guitar and bass will soon...

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend.

children who don't usually need to be reigned in by their parents.