THIS IS WHAT I LIKE TO CALL "I'M GONNA DO YOU IN THE CAB IN NYC!"

Last night on 6th Ave near 50th Street

A Groundhog Day Celebration - Jan and John Haigis lead a sing-along of their Groundhog Day Carols at City Hall Friday

Every year in the Courtyard of Philadelphia City Hall, local musicians Jan and John Haigis lead a sing-along of Groundhog Day Carols to celebrate the changing seasons[?] (look I just copy it, I don't write it)

This year since Groundhog's Day falls on a Saturday, they will celebrate Groundhog's Day, a day earlier on Friday Feb 1, 2008 You can catch them tomorrow during the hours of 12PM & 2PM.

And be sure to buy a copy of their book of Groundhog Day Carols, they wrote them to tunes you will surely know.

Just think of the hit you will be on Saturday when you too can break out in song for your friends and family in celebration of Punxsutawney Phil, Gus, Shadow or the other one (see below).

GroundhogDuel.com and CelebrityPlush.com Launch as
Groundhog Day Nears

HARRISBURG, PA - Pennsylvania's famous twosome - the Groundhog and his Shadow - are at it again, this time rising to stardom in the Pennsylvania Tourism Office's new viral campaign at GroundHogDuel.com, according to Governor Edward G. Rendell.

So remember Noon at City Hall for singing "Groundhog Songs", tell them HughE sent you; I'll be in NYC shooting Fashion Week events.

Sister to Sister's Healthy Heart Event in January, and an upcoming one Feb 21- It's delicious and healthy

Last week I attended the Sister to Sister Heart Healthy Tasting with Celebrity Chefs. Women also received FREE comprehensive heart health screenings and immediate individual counseling with a health professional to discuss the results. They also offered engaging and fun educational seminars, fitness and cooking demonstrations, and other resources to promote heart health.

In addition to exciting silent auctions there was delicious food. Here Carol Saline gets a treat from Christina Pirillo from the PBS show Christina Cooks.

The event aims to raise awareness and funds in support of the Sister to Sister Foundation while offering a major Philadelphia networking opportunity and food and drink that is both tasty and healthy.Many conditions that put women at risk for heart disease, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes, are hard to detect without screening. Up to 82 percent of heart disease is preventable through lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, increasing exercise and eating a healthier diet.

Among the big-name local chefs who was scheduled to be at the Ritz Carlton creating a variety of dishes for guests to enjoy was: Ellen Yin, co-owner of Fork Restaurant and Bar. Here she is signing a copy of her book for a guest.One segment of the program demonstrated the healthy attributes of knowing how to protect your heart when dining out, including how to handle indulgences like wine and chocolate.
Author and Philly Mag writer, Carol Saline enjoying heart healthy chocolate. (Carol's daughter, Sharon and I went to elementary school together. They lived down the street from me when I was growing up)
Sister to Sister is currently planning a Women's Heart Health Fair in February 2008 in Philadelphia at the Phila Convention Center. Come Join Us: The Sister to Sister National Women's Heart Health Fair is a free, informative, and engaging event for women that features lifestyle presentations, cutting-edge information on medical issues of importance to women and their families, and complimentary heart-health screenings.

http://www.sistertosister.org/fairs/philadelphia.php
Thursday, February 21, 20088:00am - 3:00pm

Arch StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19107215-418-4700

The Hot New Eatery 10 Arts helmed by Philly Girl Chef Jennifer Carroll

UPDATE: IT'S OPENED and I went to the Party:
http://www.phillychitchat.com/2008/05/restaurant-10-arts-is-welcomed-addition.html

Move over Alycia Lane, there's a new beauty in town and she is cookin'. It's chef Jennifer Carroll, 33 now under construction under the dome in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton. As third in command of New York's storied Le Bernardin, "she's tough but feminine," says owner Eric Ripert on right.She grew up in the city's Somerton section. She's a grad of the Restaurant School here, followed by time in the Manayunk kitchens of Derek Davis at Sonoma and Arroyo Grille. After a year downtown at the late Avenue B, she escaped to San Francisco, where she worked at restaurants Julia (now closed) and Café Kati. She's sous chef at Le Bernardin, basically the No. 3 in one of the top-rated kitchens in North America.


If you haven't seen the inside of the Ritz-Carlton in awhile, this is what you would see if you walked through the doors todayand if you could see the otherside, it would look like this; completely gutted in order to begin from a clean slate to create 10 Arts (which is the address of the Ritz)
Last week Jennifer and Eric gave a few invited guests a look at the space
and a sampling of the food that will be served

Concept at 10 Arts will be American cuisine with an emphasis on the organic and utilization of products from local farmers. The restaurant will have an "approachable" price point. "Le Bernardin, scaled down," says Carroll.
Drinqs
The project entails a multi-million dollar renovation of the hotel’s majestic, historic Rotunda and the adjoining Pantheon area, which, when completed, will include a new bar, lounge and restaurant.

Expect to hear much in coming months about Jennifer Carroll, as chef de cuisine at 10 Arts by Eric Ripert.
Ten Arts by Eric Ripert is located at Ten Avenue of the Arts. For reservations and further information, call 215-523-8000 (Parts of this entry relied on Food/Drinq and Foodservice Monthly)

STAR WARS exhibit February 9 - May 4, 2008 at The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pa.

I love that Philadelphia has discovered how to put art on their steps. The latest manifestation is over at the Franklin Institute where they have a Star Wars exhibit opening February 9 - May 4, 2008


Fantasy and reality join forces in Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, coming at The Franklin Institute. This is the first exhibition to showcase costumes and props from all six Star Wars films while exploring cutting-edge research and modern technologies that could one day make the fantasy world of Star Wars a reality.

Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination invites visitors into a unique, immersive exhibit environment where they will be absorbed in hands-on experiences to discover how robots and landspeeders exist in the world of Star Wars, and learn about the important roles that imagination and science play in the creation of increasingly sophisticated machines. In two large Engineering Design labs, visitors get to use the knowledge gained in the exhibit to create and test their own speeders and robots. May the Force be with you!

I STILL GET EXCITED WHEN I GET PHOTOS IN THE NEWSPAPER

I have two photos in the Inquirer today, in Inqlings..

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20080127_Inqlings__A_hip-hop_hit_not_totally_Ludacris_.html

Through the magic of cropping, this is what one of the photos looked like before I submitted it.

Blair got off easy as I had some really dozy shots of her walking to the machine in just that towel...