Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

New Year’s Day is about celebrating, and there’s no better place to fete than at the Philadelphia’s Mummers Parade, a 110-year-old tradition in which 10,000 men and women dressed in colorfully lavish costumes twirl, sashay, pirouette and strut up one of the city’s main streets. An unforgettably wild ritual, the parade and subsequent performances are all family friendly, yet exciting enough to entertain everybody. While a carnival-like atmosphere welcomes anyone who decides to stop by

Throughout the Philadelphia region, art spills out of galleries and into the great outdoors. Many of the region’s galleries and museums are set amid colorful gardens, quiet woodlands or serene meadows that accentuate the art found on the walls. Here are a handful of galleries that celebrate beauty both inside and out:

• When there isn’t a festival, concert or film series in the 27-acre Sculpture Park at the Abington Art Center, visitors can claim a

gophila.com/phillies and uwishunu.com are the go-to-sites for Philadelphia locals and visitors “phired” up to see the Phillies defend their World Series title against the New York Yankees. The official visitor site for Greater Philadelphia, gophila.com/phillies offers visitors and locals loads of Phillies-related content, including places to watch the game, the Citizens Bank Park lowdown, a photo slideshow, tips for fans from New York and more. Philly’s insider blog uwishunu.com, on the other hand, provides

Philly & New York: Big City Similarities & Differences:

• Both Philadelphia and New York are home to the most ionic symbols of freedom in the country. Philadelphia boasts the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, while New York cherishes Lady Liberty. Fittingly, the Philly/New York World Series match-up has been dubbed the Liberty Series.
• Philadelphians and New Yorkers like their bread. Philly folks are all about soft pretzels. In fact, many shops are now hawking

WHAT: The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) is hosting a Phillies fan party in New York City during game one of the World Series—a match-up between Philadelphia and New York. The tourism office and Shorty’s, an authentic Philly cheesesteak restaurant/bar in Hell’s Kitchen (in Manhattan), are co-hosting a With Love, Philadelphia XOXO™ party for Phillies fans looking for home-field advantage in New York City.

Four hours before game time, the With Love World Series

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing (GPTMC) today announced the launch of the With Love, Philadelphia XOXO™ Dining Guide, the newest component of the popular tourism campaign that gives hotel guests a pass to exclusive prix-fixe menus around the city. Now through December 30, 2009, visitors who book their stays on gophila.com/withlove receive upon hotel check-in a guide to the 26 restaurants offering three- and four-course meals for $20, $30 and $35 per person. Participants include

New On The Scene
Philadelphia’s dining scene continues to expand and diversify by the day. Here’s a look at some of the latest openings:

• What happens when a food writer falls in love with a chef? The result is a charming Bala Cynwyd bistro called Avril, serving French fare like wild mushrooms and sea scallops over savory pastry crust and braised rabbit with lavender and artichokes over polenta.
• With the success of his Queen Village

Just in time for tons of fun events, exhibitions and holiday happenings this fall and winter, Philadelphia’s hotel industry is turning it up a notch with two stylish new hotels and hotel packages for travelers of all interests. A Starwood and a Kimpton add to the region’s modern and diverse hotel scene, and with valuable offers like the Play & Stay Hotel Package, the Diana: A Celebration Hotel Package and 80 others on gophila.com/withlove,

Barkley Hendricks’ fans coming to Philadelphia for the hometown art legend’s first major career retrospective, Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool, can plan their trip at gophila.com/philly360, where they’ll find exhibition details, a Barkley and Friends tour of Philadelphia, a photo slideshow, videos, hotel package offers and more. The exhibition is on view at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) through January 3.

Here’s a look at some of the cool

The following itinerary is available on gophila.com/barkleyhendricks.

LOCATION: Historic Philadelphia, Center City and North Philadelphia

TRANSPORTATION: On foot, by taxi or car

DURATION: Two nights and two days

Note: Locations picked by Barkley and friends are indicated as such. Other places are suggestions of the tourism office.

Philly’s flavors, faces, rhythms and spaces have always been on the cutting edge of cool. Need proof? Acclaimed artist and local son Barkley L. Hendricks is bringing