Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

Restaurants, Bars & Entertainment:

• 12 Lounge – A full range of appetizers, pizzas, sandwiches, salads, wraps and a complete service bar makes this a pleasant spot to grab some food before a big night out. 4012 Walnut Street, (215) 386-3300
• Abbraccio – This reasonably priced neighborhood restaurant serves southern Italian dishes in its family-friendly dining room and on the outdoor patio. 820 S. 47^th Street, (215) 727-8247, www.abbracciorestaurant.com
• Abyssinia Restaurant & Bar – Voted the number one ethnic restaurant in the city, Abyssinia cooks up savory and authentic Ethiopian cuisine in a neighborhood packed with African dining destinations.

New On The Scene
The region’s love affair with Mexican cuisine rages on with newcomer Azul, a 50-seat exposed brick cantina and tequila bar that serves inspired fare like achiote-braised pork enchiladas, chocolate tamales and chili-spiked brunches. Building on the phenomenal success of their Passyunk Cantina Los Caballitos, Dave Frank and Stephen Simons have brought a second location to Northern Liberties. Cantina Dos Segundos boasts a cypress bar lined with premium tequilas, Mexican beer and fresh fruit cocktails, plus a party-friendly, cross-regional menu with dishes like Michoacan carnitas and free-range turkey mole. Mexi-Cali favorite El Fuego has also expanded to

People come to Philadelphia year after year to create new holiday memories with the help of the region’s time-tested traditions. Parents who remember standing in awe of the Enchanted Colonial Village at Lit Brother’s department store can take another peek inside the busy bakery, the bustling village store and the seven other restored scenes with their own children at the brand-new Please Touch Museum®. The Holiday Light Show at Macy’s and A Longwood Garden’s Christmas continue to make the season bright. And each year the fanciful Mummers strut their stuff up Broad Street during the day-long New Year’s Day parade.

Southeastern Pennsylvania is continuing to emerge as a major force in the nation’s wine industry. As wineries usher in major changes that promise to significantly enhance their visitors’ experience, Pennsylvania wines as a whole are continuing to make steady gains in quality, quantity and recognition. Over the past eight years, the number of the state’s wineries has doubled, increasing from around 60 in 2000 to 120 today. And, by winning top awards at the prestigious San Francisco and Los Angeles County Fair Competitions and international critics’ tasting challenges, Pennsylvania vintners have proven they can craft worthy wines.

The Philadelphia countryside

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) will join thousands of members of the media at UNITY ‘08: A New Journalism for a Changing World, July 23-27 in Chicago, to promote Philadelphia and The Countryside®. During the five-day convention, GPTMC will host three media receptions in conjunction with the local Philadelphia chapters of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). Other partners include the National Constitution Center (NCC) and the Multicultural Affairs Congress (MAC).

The receptions are as follows:

• Historic Philadelphia Media Reception, July 24 – Attendees will discover Historic Philadelphia, an

Wedding bells, the Liberty Bell and a three-day Fourth of July weekend has the hospitality industry still celebrating Independence Day. According to the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) and the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association (GPHA), Philadelphia hotel occupancy soared to 87% on Friday, July 4, and visitors stayed the weekend with occupancy at 81% on Saturday, July 5. This marks the second year in a row for Fourth of July success for Philadelphia hotels. Last year, a city-wide convention propelled Philadelphia hotel occupancy to 82%.

“Our member hotels are crediting this year’s stellar occupancy to a strong mix of

IgoUgo travel blog, a partner of Travelocity, named Philadelphia one of  “10 US Cities with Tourism Sites to See” this month. The trip planning Web site called gophila.com, Greater Philadelphia’s official tourism Web site, “undeniably fresh” and “full of multimedia options” and went on to say, “But besides being up-to-date, informative, and easy to use … it’s just plain fun.”

TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest online travel community, recently named Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park one of the top three patriotic attractions in the United States. The Web site’s travelers and editors also placed the Statue of Liberty in New York (#1) and the Freedom Trail in Boston (#2) at the head of the list.

In the summer of 2007, Independence National Historical Park welcomed more than
3.7 million visitors, an increase of 19% from the previous summer, according to the National Park Service. The Liberty Bell Center, Independence Hall, Congress Hall, the New Hall Military Museum, Franklin Court, the

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) recently received three awards recognizing the company’s efforts to promote Greater Philadelphia as an incredible, affordable, accessible and desirable destination to leisure tourists. Two of the honors came from local marketing organizations, and one came from Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell.

• Meryl Levitz, GPTMC’s president & CEO, was inducted into the Keystone Society for Tourism in the leadership category at Destination Pennsylvania: Governor’s Conference on Tourism, taking place May 4-6, 2008, in Gettysburg.
• On May 21, 2008, Levitz was awarded the Philadelphia Select award—an honor she accepted on behalf of GPTMC—by the Philadelphia

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) today announced the appointment of Rhonda R. Cohen, Esq. to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Cohen is a former partner at Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, one of the largest law firms in Philadelphia, where she practiced for 20 years before retiring in 2000. Her work focused on federal and state securities laws; mergers and acquisitions; and employee benefit plans, particularly stock-based executive compensation arrangements.

“GPTMC is pleased to have Rhonda Cohen on our team,” said Manuel N. Stamatakis, chairman, GPTMC Board of Directors. “She brings 20 years of legal experience

This summer’s Philadelphia Quest for Freedom will feature new programs, tours and exhibitions, including Black Hands, Blue Seas at the Independence Seaport Museum and Black Founders at the Library Company of Philadelphia, exploring the story of the region’s Underground Railroad and early African American history. Now in its second year, the program allows visitors to hear a more exciting and multi-layered rendition of the United States’ early years than ever before.

“Philadelphia was a major passageway to freedom and led the world in anti-slavery activities. Quest for Freedom allows us to provide ways for the public to access this compelling

Philly is known for its great music and legendary artists, and summer 2008 will showcase the great sounds of the city. From a super-sized outdoor jazz festival to a Fourth of July concert that’s the stuff of “Legend,” this summer promises to be music to the ears. Here are some of the great music celebrations worth listening to:

• West Oak Lane Jazz & Arts Festival (June 20-22): In only five years, this outdoor music festival has grown from a small neighborhood celebration to a massive jazz festival. Thousands of music lovers from around the world will gather to celebrate music,

School is out, but kids can Go 4^th & Learn during Sunoco Welcome America!, Philadelphia’s nine-day festival celebrating America’s birthday in America’s birthplace, Saturday, June 28 through Sunday, July 6, 2008. The fun, two-hour programs weave together interactive games, musical performances, storytelling and cultural activities, and each child who participates will receive a gift bag with a book and other goodies. Here’s the schedule:

• World Cafe Live – Budding musicians can learn the art of scatting from the Please Touch Museum’s Scat Cat. Kids will also try out different musical instruments and play with interactive puppets. Saturday, June 28,

Some of Hollywood’s biggest hits will be shown inside, outside and all around the town when Philly @ the Movies returns as part of the nine-day Sunoco Welcome America! Fourth of July festival, June 28 through July 6, 2008. The series of free flicks—two of which were filmed in the city—kicks off on Saturday, June 28 and continues through Saturday, July 5. Cinema fans can bring a lawn chair or blanket, pack some popcorn and enjoy the films. Rain or shine, the show goes on. Here’s the schedule:

• Rocky – Fans can take a run up the steps Rocky made

Aspiring artists can join local police officers to make their mark on Philadelphia during a giant Cops & Kids paint-in, Wednesday, July 2, 2008, 3:00-5:00 p.m. The event is part of Sunoco Welcome America!, Philadelphia’s nine-day Fourth of July festival, running June 28 through July 6.

Budding Picassos can demonstrate their artistic talents as they work with Philadelphia muralist Cesar Viveros to create a colorful mural that depicts police officers and youngsters standing around a young boy whose face expresses the hope of a community. Anyone can drop by and join in the fun. Cops & Kids will take place

The nation’s birthplace is still the best place to celebrate America’s birthday. Sunoco Welcome America!, Philadelphia’s nine-day marathon of Independence Day events, kicks off on Saturday, June 28 and continues through Sunday, July 6, 2008. In between, each day is jam-packed with films, food, dancing, a parade, patriotic ceremonies and free concerts featuring John Legend on Friday, July 4 and Boyz II Men on Saturday, July 5, with fireworks following both concerts. To make the festival even more special this year, the re-enactors who portray Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross will be married in a real wedding ceremony on July

Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross are getting married, and it’s happening in Philadelphia. In reality, Ralph Archbold, the city’s nationally recognized Ben Franklin re-enactor, fell in love with Linda Wilde, who often portrays Betsy Ross, and they decided to get married. The couple will exchange vows in a public ceremony on Thursday, July 3, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. in front of Independence Hall before the POPS on Independence concert, one of the Sunoco Welcome America! Fourth of July festival’s most popular traditions. Mayor Michael A. Nutter will officiate the ceremony, and the Grammy Award-winning Peter Nero and the Philly Pops

He’s hot, he’s a hit-maker, and he’s headlining the Sunoco Welcome America! Sunoco Sweet Sounds of Liberty Concert & Fireworks extravaganza on July 4, 2008. John Legend, the University of Pennsylvania graduate and five-time Grammy Award winner, will cap off the Southwest July 4th Parade with a free concert on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, enthralling thousands of fans with his smooth, neo-soul R&B.

To get the crowd in the mood, Philly’s own Russell Thompkins, Jr. and The New Stylisticss will lead off with the silky harmonies that defined the Philadelphia Sound. And after John Legend plays

The calendar might say it is July 5, but in Philadelphia the Independence Day celebration continues all weekend with even more Sunoco Welcome America!, a nine-day festival celebrating America’s birthday. The action moves to the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing where Boyz II Men, Philly’s own hometown music heroes and one of the most successful male singing groups of all time, take to the Pearle Vision Stage for the Waterfront Concert & Fireworks spectacular.

The free, family-friendly concert will kick off on Saturday, July 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Great Plaza located on Columbus Boulevard at Chestnut Street. The

This year’s Sunoco Welcome America!, Philadelphia’s nine-day festival celebrating America’s birthday, will feature not one but two spectacular, themed fireworks displays by the internationally acclaimed Zambelli Fireworks Internationale on July 4 and 5, 2008. The Independence Day show will mark the world premiere of a new patriotic anthem by Philadelphia’s legendary Patti LaBelle.

On Friday, July 4, following a day of patriotic ceremonies, a parade and a free concert by John Legend, the skies over the Philadelphia Museum of Art will glow with a colorful pyrotechnics show. Themed The Melting Pot, USA, the display will be set to musical selections