Green Dates, Philly Style

Julie Hancher is author and co-founder of Green Philly Blog, aiming to educate locals to greener choices, choose local eco-friendly businesses and visit green events. Her eco-friendly blog has been nominated on the Philly Hot List in the 2010 Best Local Blogger category.

As the city of Brotherly LOVE, Philadelphia has a lot to offer to those who want to experience the city. Want to incorporate some eco-friendly themes into your dates? Whether you’re on a first date or fiftieth, there’s plenty of ways to green your dating life.

Before you even go on the date, you’ll have to assemble your wardrobe. Dress to impress with some eco-friendly threads off Arcadia Boutique’s rack. You’ll definitely find clothes appropriate for anything from casual movie dates to formal galas or weddings. Need a new haircut? Try Juju Salon & Organics for natural hair therapy.

For the traditional first date dinner, dine on some local, organic cuisine. Cut out those extra emissions from eating meat by chowing down at Horizon’s fine vegan restaurant. Executive Chef Rich Landau creates dishes that won’t have anyone missing meat. Try to avoid restaurant chains and instead dine with hometown foodies such as Lolita, Vetri, Bindi, Tria or Supper that use local suppliers & farms wherever possible.

Looking for a quick lunch? Maoz Vegetarian has delicious choices to top falafel pitas & other quick treats. If your date is a carnivore, Pita Pit’s healthy & fast and is certified from the Green Restaurant Association. Many restaurants like Pumpkin use locally sourced food wherever possible – check Philly Homegrown’s website for a complete list.

Want to meet someone for drinks? With local breweries such as Victory Brewing, Yards, Philadelphia Brewing Company, Nodding Head and more, you can find some eco-friendly local brews that won’t travel too far from brewery to the tap.

Have an interest in sports? Good news – Catch the Phillies at Citizen’s Bank Park. Their Red Goes Green campaign offset their carbon footprint, inserted recycling bins and green cleaning products. Prefer to watch some football? The Eagles’ Go Green campaign has made great strides to watch the games at the Linc.

If you want to get physical, rent or ride a bike and hit one of Philly’s bike trails. From the Schuylkill bike trails, Manayunk, Valley Forge – there’s TONS of choices in the city limits. Don’t own a bike? Rent one from Fairmount Park. Another alternative is to plant a community garden – Philadelphia boasts more than 500 to choose from!

This fall, don’t miss Philly’s largest environmental event at Green Fest Philly on September 12th. Between live music, local produce, vegetarian food, composting, recycling & contests, you’ll learn new ways to turn green.

Enjoy the nice weather outside by bringing some organic cheese & local wine to a picnic. Between outdoor concerts at Rittenhouse Square, many areas of Fairmount Park, or with the LOVE statue in view of JFK Plaza, you can’t go wrong. For the eats, remember to pack your goods in reusable containers like plastic or glass Tupperware. You can find many local choices of cheese and snacks from one of Philly’s many Farmers Markets. Pick up something sweet from the Night Kitchen Bakery’s sustainable efforts or John & Kira’s Chocolates for dessert.

Take local transit, bike or walk over to one of Philly’s outdoor movie locales! Northern Liberties’ Liberty Lands, the Delaware River Waterfront, and Schuylkill Banks all show films free of charge for you & your beau.

Want some different entertainment? Support local artist and visit the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival (Philly Fringe) for unique acts like comedy, improv, film, dance, theatre or visual art.

For an early morning togetherness, visit local brunchers like Honey’s Sit & Eat, who use local and organic foods wherever possible.

Whether you’re dining, dressing, biking or being entertained, Philadelphia has limitless options to stay local during your dates to keep those carbon emissions down. Be creative and enjoy the possibilities!

-Julie, Green Philly Blog

Philly on a Budget - Summer Guide 2010 from the Frugal Philly Mom

We've asked some of our 2010 Best Local Blogger Nominees to guest blog for us, and we're happy to present our first guest blogger, the Frugal Philly Mom! She's got some great tips on ways to save and keep the kids entertained in Philly this summer. Check out her blog here.

Planning a trip to Philadelphia or just sticking in town this summer? It's hard for me to be able to list all of the great things to do. Here's just some ideas on how to enjoy what Philly has to offer while on a budget.

Tour our Stadiums: It's no big surprise that Philadelphia is a huge sports town. Take a tour of the home of the Philadelphia Phillies ($10 for adults and $7 for children) and the Philadelphia Eagles ($9 for adults and $7 for ages 18 and under). Tours are usually once a day so click on those links and buy your tickets ahead of time.

Get a CityPass: Want to visit all of Philly's main attractions but worried it will get too pricey? Just get a Philadelphia CityPass! For one low price you can visit 6 different attractions. $59 for adults and $39 for children you will receive a booklet that contains six real tickets to the most famous Philadelphia attractions.
Philadelphia CityPASS booklets contain six tickets:

• The Franklin Institute, admission and one Fels Planetarium show
• Adventure Aquarium, admission
• Phila Trolley & The Big Bus Company, on/off privileges for 24 hours from time of validation during operating hours
• Philadelphia Zoo, admission
• An Option Ticket, with choice of either admission to The Academy of Natural Sciences – or admission to the National Constitution Center
• An Option Ticket, with choice of Please Touch Museum or Eastern State Penitentiary

Cool Down: It gets pretty hot here in Philly during the summer months. What better way to cool down but to visit a water park. Unfortunately you'll have to travel a little outside of Philly but here are 2 options this summer.

For those with younger children Sesame Place is the perfect place. With more than 60 physical play stations and water rides Sesame Place is perfect for any family with children 2-15. It is located near Philadelphia, in Langhorne, PA. The park is 30 minutes from Center City. With an Elmo's Any 2 Day visit you can 2 different visits for the price of 1! If you plan to stay for one day you can get discount coupons to save up to $20 on single-day admission at participating McDonald's (NY or PA), Wendy's (PA), Wawa (PA or NJ) or Walgreens (PA). You can also bring your own lunch. There are two picnic areas are available outside the park. There is one in the Preferred Parking Lot and the other in the General Parking Lot.

For those with older children make a visit to Dorney Park. Located in Allentown, PA, approximately 1 hour outside of Philadelphia, the park features nine roller coasters, other adult and children's rides, and a large water park, Wildwater Kingdom. Coupons may be found at participating Subway and Dunkin Donuts in June, Burger King's in July, and Taco Bell & Wendy's in August. Also find savings coupons on specially marked cans of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew and Sierra Mist. Again to cut cost you can bring your own lunch. They have a picnic area outside the park.

Eat: Philadelphia is full of great restaurants. Here are just two of the many places to get a great selection of what Philly has to offer to eat. Reading Terminal Market: Plenty of places to eat all under one roof. Make sure to take advantage of the $7 Meal Deal. Another great place to visit is The Piazza at Schimdts located in Northern Liberties. It offers easy and free parking as well as a great selection of different restaurants with an amazing outdoor eating area with Jumbo TV so feel free to bring your own lunch or eat at one of the many great restaurants located right in the Piazza. The Piazza is family and pet friendly.

Must Sees: Most people think of Philadelphia and they think "Birthplace of America" and about its historical sites. Check out the Liberty Bell Center, Independence Hall, The Betsy Ross House and The National Constitution Center all located in Old City. Make sure to visit The Independence Visitor Center at 6th and Market Street where you can get a many different guided tours of historical Philadelphia.

Accommodations: www.VisitPhilly.com is a great place to do our research on different accommodations available in Philadelphia. A great deal is the Philly Overnight Hotel Package where you can get two nights, free hotel parking, A Free gift upon check-in: an adorable Philly’s More Fun Teddy Bear and The Official Philly Brag Book.

FREE Things: This summer there is a great line up of Events at Penn's Landing. Make sure to check out their events calendar to find what's going on during your visit. My favorite is Screening Under the Stars. Every Thursday night in July and August, a different film will be screened outdoors on a big screen at Penn’s Landing. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair and enjoy a great free movie.

If you have young kids here are 2 great FREE playgrounds! Smith Memorial Playground located near Kelly Drive it features a giant wooden slide and fun for kids of all ages. Make sure to check out the indoor playhouse for more fun on rainy days! Another great spot is Franklin Square Located at 200 N 6th St Philadelphia, PA 19106.

I hope that this information is helpful in navigating Philadelphia this summer.

Thanks & Enjoy!

-Frugal Philly Mom

SO much to do, SO much to see...

In a city with such a rich history and culture, it is simply impossible to hit all of the hot spots on your own. Want the true Philadelphia experience? Take a city tour.

It is no secret that the key to every Philadelphians heart is through their stomach. Whether its a hoagie, a soft pretzel or a cheesesteak, and pretty much everything in between, you can taste for yourself at some of the local favorite spots on the Flavors of Philly food tour.

With all this talk about, make sure to remember Philadelphia's historical significance! For an up-close and personal look at America's Birthplace, try the Constitutional Walking Tour. There's no better way to see the sights!

Have your day booked with other Philadelphia adventures? Well, Philly By Night is a great way to check out the city once the sun goes down.

See what there is to see, and do what there is to do. Take it all in, but keep the HOT LIST in mind... and don't forget to vote!

It is only a matter of time before cheesesteaks become a topic of conversation when discussing Philadelphia. Arguably one of the most important pieces of Philly's culture, the cheesesteak has created not only friendships and rivalries, but a lasting tradition.

That said, when you're in Philadelphia, you have a cheesesteak. Concerned about where to get a true Philly cheesesteak? Don't be. No matter what the neighborhood, you are sure to find one.

Check out Geno's, an old South Philly favorite. Geno's has been dishing out this delicious Philadelphia tradition since 1966, and shows no sign of stopping... now open 24 hours a day.
Also in South Philly, is Steaks on South. A relatively new player in the game, they not only serve cheesesteaks the traditional way, but chicken cheesesteaks and veggie cheesesteaks as well.

University City is home to Abner's Cheese Steaks, claiming they hold the keys to the "true Philly food experience", they not only feed the local students, but support many of Philadelphia's universities' athletic programs.

Now a West Philly landmark, Jim's Steaks has been in business for 70 years, and with that much experience they are sure to serve up top-knotch cheesesteaks.

With so many options, it seems it would be near impossible to pick a favorite... but we've left Philadelphians with the task, and their vote will determine the Best Cheesesteak in Philly, cheese wiz and all.

Kicking off the 2010 Philly HOT LIST Contest

We are coming to you live from the Philly HOT LIST Headquarters. The search for the Best businesses in the Philadelphia area is on, for the fourth year in a row! From breakfast to bookstores and everything in between, we will leave no stone unturned.

This year we've got a fresh new look, and a brand new partner to go with it! The Philly HOT LIST is now at home on MyPHL17.com, home of the Phillies!

But we can’t do it without you! On the Philly HOT LIST your votes will determine who is #1. Winners are chosen by true Philadelphians, not editors or celebrities. Every vote counts!

It's a brand new year for the Philly HOT LIST. We're on Facebook, Twitter, we're blogging (duh), and we have some brand new categories that we think you'll find pretty exciting.

We'll be keeping you updated with news about who's winning, who's competing, and what's getting the most buzz around your city.