Classy, Confused

On a seemingly empty Monday night near Eastern State Penitentiary, Jack's Firehouse takes on the air of an after-hours mafia lounge. While we enjoyed our drinks at the bar in the center of the old firehouse, there appeared the most smartly dressed young men wining and dining an old man in a tux with a British accent. Mafia or no, Jack's is fantastic to feast your eyes on. I'm told the 30-some foot tall structure is made from now extinct wood--and it's still beautiful. Food-wise, I dined on an appetizer of the best seitan tips I've ever had, and will ever have, in my life. Honestly, I like seitan a fairly good deal. But the combination of the marinade and the perfect grilling made those tips more tasty and pleasing in texture than I ever thought wheat gluten was capable of. I only have one gripe: why would such a seemingly classy joint have the cheapest bathroom features possible: some seriously sandpapery-ass toilet paper and no hot water. Not pleasant for the ladies.

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Restaurants • Strawberry Mansion

Philadelphia Distance Run

Mention the word "running" and most people cringe. Mention running 13.1 miles (yes, all at once) and they say "Are you fucking crazy?!" Actually, yes. And I'm not the omly one. Every year around mid-September (this year: Sunday, September 21 at 7:45 a.m.), thousands of runners parade the City of Brotherly Love for what they consider to be a grand ol' time: The Philadelphia Distance Run. Now, if getting up at the ass crack of dawn, wearing shorts and a tank when it's 50 degrees and speed-racing across the city is not your idea of fun, don't worry, there are many other ways to get involved. If you're fortunate enough to live on the race course, then you'll probably be awakened by the noisy crowd of runners passing by your stoop. Instead of yelling profanities out your window, take a look outside and shout "You're almost finished!" even though the runners are only at mile four. If you like volunteering, because really, we all enjoy working for free, you can pass out cups of power drinks at the water stops and hope that the runners are talented enough to grab it from your hand without spilling most of it on you. Of course, if you're feeling really ambitious, you can run the race, brag to all your friends about how awesome you are, and afterwards, eat and drink whatever the hell you want. Cheesesteak, fries and beer, here I come!

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Art Galleries , Museums • Strawberry Mansion

Art After Five

This is two-for-one radar, but you’ll see why. The PMA, as ubiquitous promos make clear, has a Frida Khalo show February 20 to May 18. It’s still worth pointing out again since, unlike, say, the Renoir show this show actually presents a unique opportunity to see an artist’s work. But when are ya gonna go? Sunday, “pay what you wish” day? You’ll wish that guy pressed against you had showered as you catch glimpses of art through gaps in the seething masses. Well the PMA also has, every Friday, “Art After Five” events. The museum is open 5-8:30 pm and there’s live music, mostly jazz. The jazz is often pretty good, but even better, no crowds. Fretting over the cost? Let me suggest getting a museum membership. It’s $60 a year for individuals, $35 for students. With that you get in free any time ($14 otherwise), and you’ll get to see the Khalo show free ($20 otherwise). So for a measly $26 you can go any time for a year; which means live jazz any given Friday. Can’t beat that.

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Art Galleries , Museums • Strawberry Mansion

The Perelman Building

No doubt you're aware that the Perelman building is finally open, if only because the construction vehicles and trailers that surrounded the northeast corner of Fairmount and Pennsylvania Avenue for a seemingly endless length of time are in fact gone. What you probably aren't aware of is that the building is open to the public for free through the end of this year (that would be December 31st, if you want to get all specific). The Perelman is hosting several exhibitions at the moment, including large-scale works of sculpture, modern and contemporary art, photography by Alfred Stieglitz, and various gifts that the Art Museum has collected over the years. There's also a special Renoir exhibit, though that one isn't free unless you're a member. The Perelman building also hosts a new cafe where you can grab some grub (though I'm sure the museum staffers have a more eloquent way of putting it) and an installation they call "A Landmark Transformed," documenting the evolution of the Perelman building from its opening as the home base of Fidelity Mutual in the 20s to its new role as an expansion of the Art Museum. In other words, there's plenty to see, and you can finally walk within 20 feet of the building without worrying about a falling 2x4 knocking you on the head.

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Art Galleries , Museums • Strawberry Mansion

Spring Gardens Community Garden

This is a big garden—a full block’s worth of plots from 10 x 10 to 20 x 20 and a garden gate that is the envy of community gardeners throughout the city. At the height of the summer, you can work in your plot, as butterflies waft by, and forget that you’re in the city. Not to mention your harvest of tasty veggies and pretty flowers. Afraid travel, neglect or, say, lack of any knowledge of gardening will reduce your plot to a dismal patch of weeds? OK, almost everyone else’s plot will make you feel mightily inferior if it happens; but there are plenty enough friendly gardeners who will help. There are a few rules about use of a common area and you’ll need ten hours of garden commons service; otherwise you’re on your own. Interested? You may be on a waiting list for a few months (maybe longer than “a few”). It’s worth the wait. There’s even a bullfrog in one of the plots. A bullfrog for God’s sake! Do ya know another garden with a bullfrog? No, I didn’t think so.

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Community Gardens • Strawberry Mansion

The Courtyard at St. Stephen's

I love St. Stephen's Green, but it can get a bit too noisy on occasion. Inside, the hard wood creates an echo chamber; out on the sidewalk, the vehicle/drunken pedestrian/SEPTA bus symphony is overwhelming at times. Fortunately, St. Stephen's also has a semi-hidden courtyard with enough room for a medium-sized group out in the open air. Fancy decor it's not, but really, is that what you're looking for in a neighborhood bar? Best of all, most people don't know to ask about it, so there are often open tables back there. Of course, I may have just ruined that by blabbing about it. So, if you're in the mood for great food and drinks at a spiffy bar, but would prefer the noise level just a tad bit lower, head over to 17th and Green and ask for a courtyard table. Unless there's only one left, in which case you'd better leave it for me.

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Nightlife • Strawberry Mansion

St. Stephen's Green

With Fairmount residents anxiously awaiting the opening of Monk's on Green—formerly Tavern on Green, which closed its doors over the winter—the arrival of St Stephen's Green could not have come at a better time. (Okay, the "Green" bar names are getting kind of annoying, but they are all located on that street, so at least it's accurate.) At any rate: St. Stephens, a gorgeous woodwork-laden establishment with a warm, inviting atmosphere, and $5 Guinness pints, is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. The place was hopping when we stopped in for a drink and a snack just four days after its opening, and the wait staff was the friendliest we've seen in Fairmount. The on-tap selection is pretty standard: Yuengling, Yards, Stella, Guinness, and a few other basics, with a good selection of bottled beers to round out your options. But the food menu is what really caught our eye: a pretty darn decent list of sandwiches and snacks, most in the neighborhood of $10 or so. There are a few "Irish" dishes on the menu (Shepherd's Pie, Bangers & Mash), but it's the fries that get our highest praise: five bucks got us the best fries we've found in Fairmount.

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Nightlife • Strawberry Mansion

Aspen

It's a big night. Your parents are meeting. It might as well be THE night because if her parents don't get along with yours, it will be pretty messy from this point on. She chooses neutral territory—a restaurant called Aspen that is a mix of traditional fare and plates with new-age flare. After a bit of awkwardness, some G & Ts, and a try from the restaurant's tasty beer selection, it stops mattering that your Dad is half-deaf and her Mom forgot her glasses. My suggestion: stick to what you know. At our table, we found the fish and chips and the burger to be far superior to the seafood special. Regardless of the menu, this restaurant feels like home and can help alleviate the awkwardness of any first meeting. That is, until the check comes and the argument begins over who should pay.

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Restaurants • Strawberry Mansion

L'Oca Italian Bistro

The site of a former beer joint is probably the last place you'd expect to find a snazzy Italian BYOB, but that's where L'Oca opened its doors just a few weeks ago, in the shadow of Eastern State Penitentiary. With most dishes priced in the mid teens to low $20s, it's not the cheapest food around, but it's on par with—and in some cases cheaper than—the other fine dining establishments in the Art Museum Area (such as Jack's Firehouse and London Grill). And judging by a recent visit, L'Oca has already drummed up plenty of business: every table was full by 6 pm for a Saturday dinner. The staff is pleasant and attentive, and the food is top-notch (we personally recommend the homemade ravioli and/or the dish we've forgotten the name of, with the tiny pasta and eggplant and half a garden full of vegetables. You'll know it on the menu when you see it). Tip: although at a first glance the location seems strange, it makes a lot more sense when you remember that L'Oca is a BYOB: there's a liquor store just steps away, at 20th and Fairmount. Ahhhhh.

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Restaurants • Strawberry Mansion

The Bishop's Collar

It's hard not to love a pub that uses old library books as menus. On our last visit we found the list of sandwiches (and perhaps more importantly, beers) pasted inside the back cover of a children's book salvaged from a public library. A friendly, if occasionally yuppie, crowd calls this place home most every night of the week. And we can see why. Plenty of beers are available on tap; the food is tasty and not too pricey; the atmosphere is welcoming. There's a jukebox with just enough room for groups to huddle around while selecting tunes, a sit-down area in the back, a decent-sized bar, and a church pew—yes, a church pew—at the front door. The Bishop's Collar also serves a Sunday brunch (right after church of course), and during warmer weather it's a nice place for a sidewalk meal. Just one warning: don't expect to have a quiet conversation here. We don't know if it's the wooden walls making an echo chamber, or the shape of the place, or what, but it doesn't take more than a few patrons to bring the noise up to a near-painful decibel level. Expect cacophony.

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Nightlife , Restaurants • Strawberry Mansion

The Whole Foods Bulk Bar

Maybe you really, really like granola. Or you love whole wheat pasta, but you can't find what you're looking for in the packaged pasta aisle of your favorite supermarket. Or you're making a recipe that calls for mung beans, but you've never even heard of mung beans, let alone where to find them. Look no further than the Whole Foods Bulk Bar. Here you'll find everything from oats, dried fruit, and beans to nuts, rice, and pancake and waffle mix. Our favorite? Sun-dried tomatoes. And even if there's something that you can find elsewhere, like rice, you'll get it cheaper by buying a pound or two at once and keeping it on hand instead of buying boxed rice every time you want to make a stir-fry. Staples like trail mix and granola are available, too, in several different flavors and styles. While you're there, pick up the free Whole Foods "bulk basics guide," which will tell you how to prepare those dried navy beans, rehydrate dried fruit, or store bulk-bought flour.

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Supermarkets • Strawberry Mansion

In the Doghouse

You feed him, scratch his belly and let him out when he gives you those eyes. And in return, he keeps your feet warm on December nights, protects the house, and can lure in attractive strangers within a 1-block radius. Loyal friends like that deserve to be treated, and In the Doghouse is just the place to spoil your furry friend—bowls and leashes don’t even begin to scratch the surface of everything in stock! Plus, there’s plenty for the dogowner and wanna-be dogowner as well. In the Doghouse will provide information about adoption, and happy hours are hosted the third Friday of each month, featuring a gourmet bakery and ice cream treats. So treat your best friend to a shampoo and paw-dicure and come on over.

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Pet Shops • Strawberry Mansion

Philadelphia Museum of Art Giftshop

Some people go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for culture. Others go for the kickin’ giftshop. More formally called the Museum Store, it’s packed with books, posters, jewelry, and clothes. Outfitting yourself in a T-shirt with a wolf on it is a little too Napoleon Dynamite, but the scarves are great accessories. There are allegedly several other stores inside the museum, but I’ve only seen another tiny one sandwiched up on a balcony, which really isn’t worth squeezing through. An added bonus to buying from the giftshop is when people say, “Oh, that’s sooo cute/awesome/the best thing ever,” you get to tilt your nose in the air and say in a bored, intellectual tone, “I picked it up when I was at an exhibition at the museum.”

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Art Galleries , Museums • Strawberry Mansion

Rodin Museum

The oft-overlooked Rodin Museum is one of the Philadelphia treasures hidden in plain sight. Administered by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and situated snugly on the northeast corner of the Ben Franklin Parkway and 22nd Street, the museum is a pay-as-you-will landmark—perfect for college students and other visitors on a limited budget. (The museum does have a "suggested" donation of $3, still a bargain.) Just walking up to it is an experience in itself: a replica of "The Thinker" greets you at the outer gate, while a replica of Rodin's monstrous masterpiece "The Gates of Hell" adorns the actual entrance to the building. The museum hosts a combination of more than 120 original and bronze casts of Rodin's works, including "Eternal Springtime" and "The Burghers of Calais." From the smallest sculptures to the massive Gates, this astounding collection of Rodin's work—second only to the collection in Paris—is not to be missed. Even though it usually is.

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Landmarks • Strawberry Mansion

Wake up Yoga

I keep telling myself that I’m going back to yoga class, but I get up on Saturday morning and drink coffee with the newspaper instead. And I really have no excuse, since the coolest yoga studio in town is only a couple of blocks away from my house. Wake Up Yoga was started by Corina Brenner in 2002, and they offer classes for just about everyone°™beginners, mothers, professionals. And I don’t just mean working professionals; Wake Up Yoga has a series of classes to certify you as a yoga teacher. The studio is in a converted rowhouse, and the space is warmly decorated, with butternut squash-colored walls designed to help relax and energize the stiffest yoga student. Whether you’re looking for a low-impact way to tone up those winter muscles (or lack thereof,) or increase the mindfulness of your day-to-day life, Wake Up Yoga has got a class for you. The teachers are expert and encouraging, and they’ve got all sorts of price ranges to fit your budget°™from $5 drop-in classes to five 90 minute sessions for $60.

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Yoga • Strawberry Mansion