August 27th, 2010

Last weekend I went camping at Point Lookout State Park in Maryland and decided to research places to camp near the Philadelphia area.  I found an article written by a woman with her top five favorite campgrounds near Philly.  I think her definition of the word “near” is a little different than my own, but maybe some of the parks are worth the road trip. Out of her top five, I’ve only been to Shenandoah National Park and had a great time so I trust her judgment on the other sites.  Shenandoah is about a five hour drive from Philadelphia and the main draws (for me) are the hiking trails and beautiful views from the mountain tops.  I got up super early one morning to watch the sunrise and it was breathtaking.  Other recommended campgrounds near Philadelphia are Dingman’s Campground (2 hour drive), Pioneer Campground (3 hour drive), Promised Land State Park (2 hour drive), and Cape Henlopen State Park (1.5 hour drive).

One suggestion I have for you camp-goers is to think ahead and make reservations a couple weeks (or in some cases, a couple months in advance) before your trip.  My friends and I wanted to go camping at Assateague Island this summer but it turns out it is always fully booked even before the summer months begin.  Also, check the forecast before you head out, and plan accordingly!  When I went camping last weekend the temperature ended up being almost 110 degrees.  The beaches were packed and it was way too hot everywhere so we ended up bailing a day early because we couldn’t stand the heat.  Also, do some research on your campsites to see what activities are offered.  A lot of places have fishing, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, swimming, and more.  Find a place you can do what you like.

If you’re not a camper, you should obviously be able to find things to do closer than 1.5 to 5 hours away from the area.  Check out VisitPhilly.com for some ideas!

Tagged As: camping, Cape Henlopen State Park, Dingman's Campground, Philadelphia, Philly, Pioneer Campground, Promised Land State Park, Shenandoah National Park, Visit Philly
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June 29th, 2010

An advantage of going to school in the Philadelphia area is having an array of restaurants, museums, parks, or stores to visit whenever you wish.  An advantage of going to school at Chestnut Hill College is having opportunities to go on trips with classmates and teachers to restaurants or parks and having fun in a new environment while simultaneously learning or putting classroom lessons to practical use.  Before the end of the semester, my Spanish Conversation class took a trip to La Tierra Colombiana and practiced speaking Spanish with each other, our teacher, our shuttle driver, and the servers at the restaurant.  I thought it was a great way to get some practice talking in Spanish outside of our typical classroom setting, and the food was AMAZING.  I ordered the Arroz con Pollo and was tempted to order another plate of it to take back to my dorm to eat as leftovers.  (Explore their menu.) The prices at the restaurant are decent as well; my food was just $10.50 and I was more than satisfied with the quantity of food.  I unfortunately didn’t have room to try dessert though!  That just means I’ll have to go back sometime and refrain from filling up on bread and lunch or dinner before trying the flan, cheesecake, pound cake, bread pudding, or ice cream.  Maybe I’ll start with dessert next time… 

If you truly want to experience the Latin culture of Philly, La Tierra Colombiana also hosts Salsa dance nights (or Bachata/Merengue/Reggaeton/etc) on some nights in a club setting of the restaurant.  I’m not too into dancing, but I’m sure it would be a great experience for the experienced dancers or the newbies who are just looking to have a fun time.

¡Gracias CHC por todas las oportunidades de practicar mi Español, y gracias Profesora Rogers por la introducción a un restaurante magnífico!

Tagged As: class trip, Colombian food, Cuban food, La Tierra Colombiana, phila, Philadelphia, Restaurant, Spanish classes
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March 19th, 2010

Before driving back down to Maryland for spring break, my sister wanted to take advantage of being in the Philadelphia area by checking out South Street and going to a concert at the Theatre of the Living Arts to see Copeland on their last tour.   After she and our friend Mel picked me up from my Sugarloaf dorm, we decided we were craving pizza and began our search for a good pizza place.  After our GPS led us to two different non-existent places, we found Toto’s, which we quickly established to be THE BEST PIZZA PLACE EVER.  We ordered a cheese pizza pie and watched as someone behind the counter started making it and brought it to our table in just a matter of minutes.  After finishing our awesome meal we headed over to South Street to explore before getting in line for our concert.

Teaser picture below. This is how close we were.  : )

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Tagged As: Concert, Music, Philadelphia, Phileo Yogurt, Philly, South Street, Theatre of the Living Arts, Toto's Pizza
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February 8th, 2010

Last weekend I enjoyed several things that occurred in the Philadelphia area.  On Saturday I went to the Philly Auto Show to drool over the Lamborghinis, but there was a celebrity car there that drew a crowd and lines to sit in the car.  A replica of Bumblebee from the Transformers movies was in one of the showrooms.  It even had the Autobots logo on its side and hubcaps, with the word TRANSFORMERS on the inside of where the car doors shut.  Another one of the more popular cars was the new Corvette Stingray Concept Car which looks really really awesome.

My favorite part of visiting the car show was visiting Ford’s section, because besides all their cool cars (the new Fiesta is adorable!) they had fun play-like areas set up for whatever reason.  There was a mini glockenspiel, a foosball table, and a computer where they welcomed customer feedback on a Twitter-like website.

There were also several sports celebrity appearances scheduled throughout the week including Placido Polanco, Vince Papale, Hugh Douglas, Charlie Manuel, Stewart Bradley, David Akers, Darryl Dawkins, and Eddie Alvarez.

The car show happens every year around the end of January and the beginning of February, running for about a week.  Adult tickets (ages 13 and up) are 10 dollars each and kids tickets (7 to 12 years old) are 6 dollars each. Check out the website for tickets. You can always get them at the door, but they cost 12 dollars on weekends as opposed to 10 dollars good for any day if you buy from the website.

The other things I enjoyed last weekend included a nice dusting of snow and seeing Harrison Ford’s new movie Extraordinary Measures with cheap movie tickets that I got using CHC’s “Fall In Love With Philly” ticketing program that Liz wrote a blog about before.  Movie passes for almost ten bucks cheaper than I’d get from buying at the theater?  Yes please!

Tagged As: Car show, CHC Ticketing Program, movies, Philadelphia, Philly Auto Show
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December 3rd, 2009

 I choose to give thanks to God every day, Thanksgiving was one of those days I did that and more.  Thanksgiving is a day of reflection on what we are thankful for. It seems many families experience thanksgiving with different traditions. So in the spirit of being diverse and embracing different traditions my friend Emil (BFF) and I set out on a journey to 7 different houses to shake hands, hug friends, and of course EAT!

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Tagged As: Art, basketball, Community Service, Food, Friends, Jobs, Philadelphia, Philly, photos, thanksgiving, Visiting
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November 27th, 2009

Visits from family or old friends are always fun for college kids (especially when parents treat you and your roommates to dinner like in those Olive Garden commercials!) but due to Chestnut Hill’s sublime location, there are so many more things to do than just show mom and dad around campus.  When my mom comes up to visit or pick me up for breaks, she loves stopping by the Christiana Mall on the way up from Maryland.  She also gets a kick out of all the interesting little stores located on Germantown Avenue and up on the Hill.  My sister and some friends recently came up to visit and ventured into center city Philadelphia to see a Kurt Halsey art exhibit at Art Star Gallery and Boutique.  They are big fans of Kurt Halsey’s work, and even left the gallery with some of their favorite prints. 
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Tagged As: ArtStar Gallery, Christiana Mall, Kurt Halsey, n3rd, Philadelphia
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May 30th, 2009

      

       One of the most wondrous things about college is not having class on Friday. Normally, with the exception of science majors, one will not have class on Friday’s, which is great for sleeping in, but also, a chance to explore the city without spending loads of money. For a total of $10- $5 each way, one can take the R8, or R7 to 30th Street Station, and see well-known bands, playing live music for free! This past Friday, my friend Emilia and I went to the World Cafe Live, which is concert venue run by the University of Pennsylvania’s radio station, WXPN to see the White Rabbits perform. Located on 3025 Walnut Street, the World Café is not a far walk from the train- about 4 blocks in total. However, before you make the trip to University City, you must reserve tickets at: http://xpn.org/concerts-events/free-at-noon. Once you arrive, simply, walk down the stairs, sign-in, and enjoy- the doors open at 11:30 a.m., and the venue is a standing room, which simply means, arrive early, and you’ll be guaranteed a spot in the front of the stage.

 

     Being my first free at noon, I thought the idea of live music for free was too good to be true; however, I was pleasantly surprised. Having heard of the White Rabbits on Pandora radio, I surmised that it would enjoyable to see them live, and they were incredibly entertaining- both the lead singer, Greg Roberts and guitarist, Steve Patterson played drums during the set, and their sound is infectious. Blending a mix of ska, and reggae, but are a bit less baroque poppy then Vampire Weekend, the White Rabbits are a must see- with drumming-intensive songs such as “Percussion Gun,” and “Rudie Falls,” the band is well-known for having energy-infused shows, in which, dancing is mandatory! The White Rabbits’ passion for their music radiates in their sets, and the band is in the beginning stages of becoming a well-known, indie band. Their second album, It’s Frightening, produced by Britt Daniel of Spoon, has received critical acclaim, and is on iTunes for $6.99. Also, if you’d like to listen to a few songs, but you’re low on cash, check out their myspace: http://www.myspace.com/whiterabbits. If you’re digging their sound, the White Rabbits will be back at Johnny Brenda’s June 5th, and at All Points West Festival in New Jersey on August 1st. Also, if you’d like to hear this concert live, or any other concert from the Free at Noon series just click: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5194329. Happy Listening!

Tagged As: Concerts, Music, Philadelphia
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March 17th, 2009

Before returning to CHC from Spring Break, I experienced my first ever punk rock concert at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. I stood in the mid-back to enjoy listening to the show and stay at a safe range from the mosh pit, but still could see the bobbing heads and bodies moving back and forth a ways in front of me. Since I’m not too tall, I spent a lot of the evening watching the performances on stage conveniently projected onto the wall to my left.

The opening act was an all girl band, Civet. Their music was decent and I was impressed with their talent, (it’s not too often one comes across ladies dolled up in cute skirts and dresses, but can work the stage like hardcore rockers). But I really enjoyed the next group- H2O a lot more. The group has been together for over a decade and was mostly comprised of middle aged men, but ran around the stage like teenagers. They communicated with the crowd, cracked jokes, and explained some of their songs-many of which were actually pretty deep. I listened past the booming bass drum and screaming words to hear the lyrics of a song asking What happened to the passion? What happened to the hard work? What happened to the music and message that I love? So not only did I get a great performance and fun melodies to sing and dance along to, but a few thought-provoking moments as well.

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Tagged As: Civet, Concert, Dropkick Murphys, Electric Factory, H2O, Music, Philadelphia
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