ARE THE LOCUST CLUB DAYS NUMBER re: 8+2 is 10, whats worse adults who spent a million or kids in school?

I remember the prominently Jewish social club, The Locust Club with it's green awning's and uniformed doorman greeting its smartly dressed members as they arrived for dining or cocktails. But as progress rolled on and the prejudice that once kept Jewish patrons from entering the doors of other clubs, including the Union League, the dwindling numbers hit the Locust Club hard. The once 1000 membership strong fell to less than 300 in the early 1990s and the Club closed. A series of promising restaurants were never able to succeed here, and the building fell silent. In 2004, a developer filed plans to build a 10 story condo project after obtaining the two adjoining brownstones; he was met with neighborhood opposition. Progress is again rearing it's ugly head, and on Friday July 8, the 1610 - 1618 there's a 9AM at 1515 Arch Street 18th Floor the Historic Commission will review the application a 10 story structure which will be a music school and 23 dormitory rooms. The facade of two of the buildings
will be saved.Soon Philadelphia can offer tours of the facade's of what were once great buildings, we will start with the building that was once in front of the Penn Mutual building at 6th and Walnut, then go to the window casing at 8th and Chestnut, then over to the the façade of the c. 1900 Beaux-Arts style Rittenhouse Club where they are building 10 Rittenhouse Square as well as others...
The basement will be reserved for classrooms and a cafeteria. The Roof will have a terrace.

The white permit is from that failed project I spoke of earlier - $1 Million Condo's. The big complaint then was the building of an 8 story building, the music school wants to build 10 story, seems a lot worse for the shadow that will fall on the historic St. Mark's across the street. At the time this quote appeared in the Phila Biz Journal:

"The biggest issue is the height and the impact on the church's garden," said Richard C. DeMarco, an attorney at Klehr Harrison representing St. Mark's. "The garden is part of the church's identity, and the building is not sympathetic to the church."

Was the four years of four abandoned buildings enough to get this project done?
I imagine this hallway will be demolished, can I have the wainscoting?
If you have something to say please attend the meeting
Friday 9AM at 1515 Arch Street, 18th Floor

JAMES RESTAURANT's Chef James Burke chosen by Food & Wine for Best New Chef re: Party Photos

The other night I went to a party at James in Bella Vista on the edge of South Philadelphia.
It was in celebration of the chef and co-owner James Burke being named one of Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chefs for 2008; James opened 18 months ago. It's run by the husband-and-wife team of Chef Jim Burke and Kristina Burke.
The family was on hand for the celebration. Chef Burke and his wife are in the center of this photo.
Some of the food that was passed included hanger steak and potato confit skewers
Chicken liver pâté (hmm love it), Olive tapenade, Tuna tar tar, Porcini arancine
Braised octopus and cherry tomato with tarragon. What I was really impressed with, no not the octopus, but the the servers carried two dishes, one for the food and another for the placement of your used toothpicks. Usually when I am at an event I have to put those things in my pockets, or I see people place them on any flat surface available.

I was really impressed with the crowd that was assembled for the shindig; it really was an eclectic crowd of people, some who I really admire, for example Fashion Writer from the Philly Inquirer Elizabeth Wellington and Big Brother/Big Sisters Kelly Williams. I was so excited to meet Elizabeth, especially as Fashion Week is upon us and maybe we will run into each other up in NYC.For my long time readers you who know the term I someimes use "Philebrity" which I usually preface it with, Joey Sweeney's awesome term, how I hate he coined it instead of me, ok not really the hate part, but here he and she are: Philebrity.com 's Joey Sweeney & Ruth Carpenter, with WebLinc eCommerce guru Jen Oliver and WXPN's Jared Styles

XIX's marketing guru Molly O'Shea and Lisa Marie Walls. Juan Carlos Fernadez, RJ Thornburg of Bahdeebahdu, Michael Haschak of Pure Design, Warren Muller of www.Bahdeebahdu.com (They will be having an art opening in the fall, look for it)
Janita "Applebaum" Styles, Kristina Burke, Jessiah Styles and well another guy in a seer sucker suit that I failed to get his name. Sometimes I don't want to disburb people I fail to get their names and well that doesn't make a good Social Diary if names are missing. I work on that.

Jessica Wilson and Kelly KvitkaDJ Joey Sweeney laying down the tracks. Pretty impressive as the crowd was swaying and some folks moved to the space infront of the computer (that is still so weird for me to see, instead of a turntable or CD player, so old and unhip I will forever be). Good selection of music too. It was fun for me to chat with Joey & Ruth since I am such a fan of their site. Fan because I can't stop reading it, it's interesting, sometimes it is dead on, but sometimes I get mad when it attacks people I know that I think is unfair, and if its not well then I'm just sad for my friends.

About 150 guests attended; usually (when it's set with tables),
the restaurant can accommodate 60 or so for dinner, and about 20 at the bar. There seemed to be plenty of room, and the crowd was lively and comfortable. I like when the crowd at a party mixes and mingles, and sincerely that is the vibe you get from James and Krista Burke, relaxed and lively.



This is a great photo

Sous Chef Chris DeFeo who served two risottos: Saffron risotto and my favorite, Basil risottoMore Styles at the same party: Jessiah Styles, Janita Applebaum Styles and Chef James Burke. Jessiah and Janita have been out and about making both Michael Klein's column in July for his bday party at the G Lounge, and then yesterday 'casue they were partying with actor Hill Harper over the weekend.

Lauren Jacobsen, Jimmy Contreras and Deborah Zarnow. The girls are wearing clothes they bought at Jimmy's store, Kimberly Boutique in Center City. In fact Kristina Burke is wearing my favorite designer, Tibi bought at Kimberly's.

Political writer/film maker who also was in Michael Klein's column today congratulating her on selling her movie "Electile Dysfunction, here she is hugging her attorney Scott Sigman who must be a happy man to have negotiate the entertainment contract, WHOA is that attorney/client privilege?
I love this photo, and wish I could shoot a lot of my subjects from this angle. All of them really look terrific, hmm maybe I will insist on being shot from above. Joe Zoltek, Annie Heckenberger and Ruth Carpenter (I felt so naked as Annie and I had twit together for weeks and never met, even though we work in the same building, and she knows my intimate thoughts and this was our first meeting - Yikes!!)

PR Style Diva Sarah Doheny and John Snoden
Cheers!
Dan Murphy with my friendly competition, ok we are not competition, Jessica Hawkes and Scott. Jessica shoots for Philly Magazine and is fun, as you can tell, to hang out with.One of the hits of the evening was a signature drink that they whipped up for the evening, called Hendrick's and Honeydew. Made with fresh honeydew and garnished with a sprig of thyme and a bit of the melon, it was refreshing and lovely, perfect for a swampy summer evening. Check out the recipe after the jump.

Hendrick's & Honeydew

7 medium honeydew melon balls
1 1/2 ounces gin, preferably Hendrick's
ice
1 ounce chilled tonic water
1 thyme sprig

In a cocktail shaker, muddle 4 of the honeydew balls with the gin. Add ice and shake well. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass and stir in the chilled tonic water. Garnish with the remaining 3 honeydew balls and the thyme sprig. (And we were in luck as the gift bag was cleverly packed with all the items you needed to make the drink at home, even a full size ripe melon. If Phyllis is reading this I apologize for eating your pretzel before giving you the bag the next day - LOL)
I had two shots published from this event. This first one was placed by my agency out of NYC (WENN). It was placed on this site that publishes entertainment photos daily, usually doing involving the arts or food. Contact Online.com They cropped the original photo as I would have, to tell the whole story.
The Inquirer cropped it even more. I really appreciate my friend Susan Helfrich "setting" up this shot. I saw her going over to introduce herself, moved a nice women out of the way and captured this "candid" shot. If you follow my style you will know that I prefer a "real life" shot as opposed to the posed one. When shooting a red carpet, it is necessary to capture a posed photo, also events too, but as for photojouralism I really like the natural settings and I try not to disburb the scene too much. Here's the actual photo, where Matt Vlahos is in the edge of the photo. I saw the photo happen b4 it did, and it took all my energy to not push him to the right, so I "I Dream of Jeannie" willed it, and I was able to get one shot off before he walked into the frame further.
So if you haven't been to James, don't wait anymore, it's delicious and heck he's been voted by Wine and Magazine, a national magazine I might add, one of the Best New Chefs in the country!!

Quest Love’s Air Questo Air Force 1 PHILADELPHIA UBIQ SALE - re: is waiting in line worth it?

(Photos for this event will be posted after Sunday) After work yesterday (Monday), I was walking down Walnut Street and noticed these folks sitting in line. I thought hmm maybe they are waiting for jobs for the new restaurant going in where Striped Bass used to be. Being a curious kinda guy, and well Philly Chit Chat likes to report on good humor hopeful stories I went over and asked what the line was for. The guy in the white shirt, who would only give his name as Eddie, said they were waiting for the new ?uest Nike Sneakers at UBIQ, the sneaker and streetwear institution in Philadelphia at 1509 Walnut, which is across the street from where Eddie was waiting in line SINCE SATURDAY AT NOON.
After picking my jaw up off the ground I asked what the big deal was. He said he was there for his kid and his best friend who were # 2 & #3 in line. He told me the Air Questo Sneakers were $225. I asked well do you collect sneakers. He said he has for years. Was he a big collector of pokemono cards; No was the curt response. Then the truth came out. "Did you know these sneakers are selling for $1,000 on EBay, but we're just going to keep ours" That's when I thought, now I know he's crazy, sell one of those pairs Eddie!! (I know what you're thinking.. 42hrs/$1000, rats, rain, heat, where the heck is the bathroom? Maybe you'll change your mind after this...)

Ron Crawford gave me the 411 (do people still use that lingo) anyway Ron says that the shoes will be rung up by ?uest and the store only has 96 pairs. Altogether Nike produced 300 pairs making these sneakers a very limited edition. These sneakers were only offered in THREE cities in the US. NYC - because of its trend setting nature, LA for the flash and cash, and Philadelphia because of it's birthright in music and ?uest is from here.Not just any sneakers, but a pair designed by Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, drummer for the Grammy-winning hip-hop band, The Roots. Thompson designed the $225 red, green and gold Air Force 1 sneakers as part of the shoe company's 1World collection, which will feature 18 designs over eight months.


“These Air Questo’s right here are an extension of my personality. Kind of all-over-the-place” said ?uest Love. “I just wanted to start off with a very loud statement, a sneaker that sort of has 12 exclamation points behind it. Something that just screams “Rahhhhrr” so you know, this is an extension of my personality. The inside (of the shoe) is of me drumming. Yeah, inside art is very important to me. Even though you’re the only person that sees it from a consumer standpoint but, I sorta know you put a lot of work into it as a designer based on how your shoe is designed on the sole.” - ?UESTThe shoe features a mixture of burgundy leather and red canvas with neon green elephant print. It has red shoelaces, a lasered silhouette of ?uestlove, and a golden Nike swoosh. ?uestlove proclaims these shoes to be “an extension of [his] personality” as he strives to make “a very loud statement, a sneaker that sort of has 12 exclamation points behind it.”

1st floor: Men's and ladies kicks up front. Nike, Puma, Adidas, Reebok, Clae etc.
Toys and men's apparel to the aft. Undefeated, Alphanumeric, Futura Laboratories, aNYthing, Kid Robot, etc.
I'm told both men and women find these particular shoes attractive which are almost-ridiculous-looking Nikes, but if there's a market for them that's terrific.

outlandishly colored row after row. I like it, I think I will look for my September fashion week shoes her, or maybe something to wear to all the events I shoot. I have been looking for my little schtick and I don't like bow ties or colorful sports jackets.
The main floor, but don't forget to go to the 2nd floor: for Vans, Chucks and a bit of clothing.
These cases hold limited edition sneakers from years gone by (2001 -2006) ranging in the price between $1000 and $4000.
Duckie tells me that tomorrow is more than just a limited edition sale of ?UEST Sneakers "It's like Willie Wonka, because 8 of the shoes have golden laces which are very limited edition as they only made 25 pairs with the gold laces and tips.
Also included in the "Golden Ticket" sneaks are a pair of tickets to a special Roots concert. "People look at you like, 'A pair of sneakers?'" Eddie said. "But they don't understand, it's a culture." So look for Eddie at the head of the line throughout the day Tuesday, because the sneaker sale doesn't begin until 6PM when Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, drummer for the Grammy-winning hip-hop band, The Roots rings up the sales himself, and then spins for an hour.
August 5
UBIQ Walnut Street
1509 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102

MODELL'S CHESTNUT STREET & RANDOM CITY THOUGHTS

With all the inexpensive places to get pedicures, I think there's a few people who wear sandals should look into one
I wonder if this guy woke up and said "I'm gonna wear my favorite shirt with the hole in it?"

I like that people stand in line to get their photo taken with the Rocky statue; I wish they would hold their arms up like Rocky.
This is one of my favorite murals. It's at 22nd & Walnut. It's a wall painting to look like brick and windows. In the window is the reflection of a church that used to be where the Sunoco station sits. There's a shadow of the church on the building to the right of this picture of the same church.
Nice sunset Saturday night. This is near Front and Vine. We were headed to
4th Street Pub, where they have good burgers, but it's loud and cigarettes are $6. I'm glad I quit smoking a few years back. Now if only I could lose the freshman 10
Then we went to the Franklin Ice Cream shoppe. There medium's are large. Small would have been better, but I muddled through and ate my whole Cafe Le Layfayette.
Mike and I hung out with George & Jeremy. Remember Jeremy is the crazy dude who did the 60 mile race along the drives 2 Saturday's ago.
The only thing this is good for is framing Camden City Hall. I used to be a paralegal there when I first got out of school. SO I kinda love the building.
Some girls riding in a limo along Market Street standing up in the moon roof.
at 18th & Walnut there is a solar powered trash compactor sponsored by the CCD

There is alcohol in 4 flavors of Gelatti at gelatti place at 20th and Sansom.
Ought oh, someone tagged Oprah Winfrey's favorite Bed & Breakfast over near Rittenhouse Sq.

Bob & Matt, Mike and I hung out Saturday during the dayWe're fairly lame, we went to Ruby Tuesday's for Brunch. Did you ever have the salad bar there. They put the expensive stuff in the back, but you can't reach it easily as the glass protector cuts you off at the elbow. So I had a lot of lettuce.
I should've eaten at one of the burger places, despite not being able to eat jalapenos.

Modell Sporting Goods is moving into the old Lohmen's Plaza store, and before that it was Today's Man. I think that's a good move as there's no good sporting stores around, well except City Sports, but I think they have a lame selection. I like their shirts though.
Bath & Body works is now two stores away from The Body Shop at Liberty One
The next time the residents in my building complain about their $140 a month parking, I will send them this photo.