Book Buzz: Must-Read Memoirs
Avid readers of memoir agree: sometimes the most surprising stories are true! If you're looking to immerse yourself in a moving book, you should check out one of these memoirs. They're all sure to delight and instruct!
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Didion's harrowing recollection of grief chronicles the year following her husband's sudden death from a heart attack. Written in stark, beautiful prose, Didion won a Pulitzer Prize for this unflinching portrait of her own bereavement.
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
For two years in Iran, Azar Nafisi brought a group of female students together to read and discuss forbidden classics of Western literature. An extraordinary tale of standing up against censorship and tyranny, Nafisi's memoir is a beautiful story told with passion and courage.
Naked by David Sedaris
David Sedaris's collection of autobiographical essays is a hilarious and loving look at various events of his life told in a voice unlike any other. Sedaris celebrates his own catastrophic detours, inviting his readers to smile and laugh at his past misadventures.
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain's incredible recollections from more than two decades in the culinary world is both funny and shocking. A giddy look into the crazy characters at work in the world of fine dining, Bourdain has a lot of kitchen tales to share, and they're all fascinating.
Vetri: An Acclaimed Dining Experience With Intimate Italian Pleasures
Philadelphia is a city with a boatload of history and various hailed “institutions,” but it also has plenty of room for a deserving newcomer. Compared to some of the city’s other Italian mainstays, Vetri is a veritable baby—opening in 1998, it’s barely out of its first decade. And yet, the quality of the food and service has earned the restaurant raves from chefs like Mario Batali, a man who knows Italian food when he eats it. Vetri is different from the instant you walk in; instead of a sprawling dining hall, it’s an intimate space that only seats a handful of diners. Chef Marc Vetri has become famous for his handmade pastas, which are wonderfully fresh and tender to the tooth. The other offerings on the menu are equally delicious, with spectacular meat, fish, and vegetarian offerings. Wise eaters go on Friday and Saturday nights for his tasting menus, which are paired with carefully chosen wines to create a meal of unimaginable deliciousness.
Vetri
1312 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 732-3478
www.vetriristorante.com
Marigold Kitchen: A Flower Of Cuisine
Ithaca, New York’s Moosewood Kitchen has served as an incubator for some of the best chefs in America. Invariably, young culinary talents come there, learn the ways of the fantastic farm to table cuisine, and spread it around the country. Marigold’s Executive Chef Robert Halpern started his journey there and worked at such paragons of inventive cooking as Chicago’s Alinea before moving to Philadelphia and opening Marigold Kitchen. Located in a converted house in an extremely beautiful neighborhood, Marigold’s cuisine combines the latest inventive technology with spectacularly sourced ingredients for a dining experience you won’t soon forget. Each meal begins with a series of amuse-bouches that prepare your palate for some spectacular dishes. The service is attentive and informed, and dishes come out of the kitchen perfectly timed. Expect to drop $100 per person easily but you can’t get cooking of this quality for diner prices.
Marigold Kitchen
501 S. 45th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 222-3699
www.marigoldkitchenbyob.com
Valentine Fun: Famous Couples In History
Make It Work: Five Great Design Sites
The rise of the Internet has been great for designers and crafters, as it’s easy to share ideas and projects with people all over the world. A number of excellent sites have sprung up as resources for design-savvy people. Here are five that you'll enjoy having in your bookmarks:
Designspongeonline.com – A leader in the design blog field, the long-running Design Sponge offers a panoply of cool ideas, interviews, shopping advice, guest columns, and more. It’s an indispensable resource.
Swiss-Miss.com – The blog of a design studio run by a Swiss transplant to New York City, Swiss Miss is a fantastic visual archive of striking colors, textures, and materials. A wonderful place to look for inspiration.
Design-Milk.com – A great collection of funny, creative, and inspiring pieces from all over the design world, the staff at Design Milk has a sharp eye and a gentle touch. Every visit will give you something to chew on.
Ikeahackers.net – An amusing concept makes this blog a must-read. Every post begins with a piece of mass-produced Ikea furniture and reconfigures it into something unique and stylish.
OhJoy.blogs.com – Oh Joy! is the blog of a working designer who shares her inspiration with the world. Her blog flits from interior decoration to food to textiles, but everything is beautifully photographed and very desirable.
Philadelphia 76ers: Poised For Greatness
With three playoff berths in the last four seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers have had solid showings recently, and they're ready to carry that success further into the postseason. Last year's arrival of Doug Collins as head coach gave the team a much needed boost. His leadership helped add another fourteen wins to the previous season. Collins has a team of new and veteran talents to nurture. Jrue Holiday enters his third season as one of the most exciting players on the roster. Louis Williams, Thad Young, and Andre Igoudala also promise to keep up the team's high-octane attack. Philadelphia also still has one of the top power forwards in Elton Brand. This is a team ready to capitalize on the consistent promise shown in previous years. They want more than just a first round playoff exit. This season might be their breakout year.
Find Sixers schedules, tickets, merchandise, and more at http://www.nba.com/sixers.
Trip Idea: Skiing in the Northeast
If you live in the northeast, there’s no need to spend money on plane tickets; there’s world-class skiing in your back yard. And if you live in the west, why not leave the crowds in Taos and Sun Valley behind and check out these gorgeous, challenging slopes?
Bretton Woods, NH. Now affiliated with the historic Mt. Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods specializes in keeping families happy. After recent expansions, it has become the largest ski area in New Hampshire with over 430 acres of skiable terrain. Included in the expansions are nine lifts, snowmaking abilities, and additional base and mid-mountain lodges. There is also seemingly endless cross-country skiing.
Elk Mountain, Uniondale, PA. Situated north of Scranton, Elk boasts Vermont-style skiing, and the trail system lives up to the name. This is a place for the serious skier. No resort amenities are to be found nearby, but if you come here to simply ride or ski—and maybe have dinner in the excellent base lodge restaurant—where you will be amply rewarded.
Lake Placid/Whiteface, NY. Twice the site of the Winter Olympics, Lake Placid offers a quirky combination of small town Americana and international ski mecca. Whiteface boasts the East's largest vertical drop, but also harbors a reputation for being cold and icy. It can be that, but there's something magical about whirling down the same slopes as Olympic racers and World Cup freestylists.
Stratton, VT. Snowboarding was born here, and the resort remains a favorite among riders. The sport's roots are honored each March with the annual staging of the U.S. Open competitions. Stratton was also one of the first mountains to install a six-passenger, high-speed chairlift. The downhill boarding is pretty much a wide-open affair—with spacious runs and plenty of intermediate-friendly pitches.
Snowshoe, WV. Perhaps the best-kept secret in the east, Snowshoe is a cozy gem in the Alleghenies. It’s a reverse resort, meaning that the main facilities, rental stores, and lodging are located at the summit of the 4,848-foot mountain, offering easy slope access and a stunning king-of-the-hill perspective on the mountains.
Watch The Future: Comparing TV On Demand Boxes
The days of broadcast television are coming to a close – people just don’t want to be tied down to their couch every week at a specific time to watch their favorite shows. New set-top boxes provide all of the programming with much more flexibility and versatility. But which one should you choose? This article will help you make the decision.
Roku was the first company on the market to release a set-top box for Netflix streaming video. The Roku DVP connects with a variety of digital services through your home Internet line to bring both standard-definition and high-definition video to your TV screen. Each of these services does require a separate monthly subscription cost, however. Some of the most popular services on Roku include Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Instant Video.
AppleTV is Apple’s entry into the set-top box market. Unlike the Roku, AppleTV requires a networked computer to serve some of its content, including video and music purchased from the iTunes store. It also has some features that other models do not, including the ability to generate slideshows from Flickr or MobileMe and the ability to watch YouTube and Vimeo videos.
Google TV is similar in nature to AppleTV – a set-top box working off of the Android operating system, it provides programming from a number of sources. Unfortunately, the platform is not as embraced by many providers, including Hulu, ABC, NBC, and CBS, as well as Viacom subsidiaries. Until this is rectified, we cannot recommend Google TV
The 2011 Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade
Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Parade is always a big day on the local calendar. Marching bands, floats and Hollywood stars march down broad ways to give thanks, have fun, and ring in the holiday season. As always the parade is sponsored by 6ABC and the Philadelphia Museum of Art is ground zero for the fun. Check out the details here.
Trip Idea: Toronto
The next time you’re planning a vacation, why not head to Toronto? As Canada’s largest city, it’s buzzing with fascinating cultural attractions, a friendly and diverse mixture of people, and so many options for things to do that your itinerary will overflow with exciting possibilities. Here are five must-visit sites for any Toronto trip:
The Royal Ontario Museum - Located in downtown Toronto, this museum of world culture and natural history is one of the city’s major highlights. Click here to visit the museum website: http://www.rom.on.ca/
The Steam Whistle Brewery – Visitors to Toronto rave about this popular city attraction. The Brewery hosts tours and tastings, so you’ll relish free glasses of Canada’s premium pilsner while learning about the inner workings of the brewery. Visit the website: http://www.steamwhistle.ca/index.php
Toronto Island Park – If you’re looking to enjoy some quality outdoor time on your trip, then this is the perfect place for you. The park has four stunning islands that contain trails, gardens, beaches, picnic spots, amusement park rides, and much more. Click here to learn more: http://www.toronto.ca/parks/island/
Hockey Hall of Fame - Interactive exhibits, life size statues, theatres, a broadcasting booth, and a replica dressing room make this attraction equally fun for both die-hard hockey fans and those without any particular interest in hockey. Visit the museum’s website: http://www.hhof.com/
Casa Loma - Built in 1911 and modeled on the medieval castles of old, Casa Loma lets visitors take a step back in time to the days of knights and brave steeds. You’ll love exploring the castle’s secret passageways and underground tunnels, as well as enjoying the collection of stunning Canadian art that graces the castle walls. To learn more, click here: http://www.casaloma.org/
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