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Imagine Tarantulas Climbing All Over You at Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Photos, video, story by Cassie Hepler We like to get our hands dirty furry here at Explore Philly. And if that means holding a huge, fuzzy spider, so be it. Meet Misty, a rose haired Chilean tarantula with blue tones on her butt. She’s 8 years old and was very calm, cool and collected. We were eager to hold her which really resulted in her climbing all over our hands. She felt weightless and we only spazzed out slightly once but fortunately Invertebrate Specialist Karen Verderame and Misty didn’t even notice. Now you too can see the biggest, baddest and most fearsome of all spiders in Tarantulas: Alive and Up Close…
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Victory Beer Reigns Victorious with School Bus Tours, Brewpubs in Kennett Square, Parkesburg
by Cassie Hepler What’s better than beer? More beer! That’s pretty much the Victory beer tour in a nutshell at the new Parkesburg brewery. Then there was the Kennett Square location that opened last year. And let’s not forget the mothership. Where is that you ask? The Downingtown meetup, where the school bus tour leaves from, is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, 33 miles west of Philadelphia (aka not that far of a drive, especially for craft beer!) First drink some beer at the mothership bar/brewpub in Downington, then board the school bus and don’t buckle in (because you can’t, remember? Just hold on for dear life!) When you arrive,…
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Atlantic City’s Golden Nugget Grotto Ristorante Unveils New Head Chef and Tasty Menu
Photos, story by Lou Perri Grotto Ristorante, located in the Golden Nugget Casino, Hotel & Marina in Atlantic City, introduced new head chef Carmine Favuzzi and a redesigned menu at a tasting party recently. With the addition of Favuzzi, Grotto has reinvented its menu, incorporating seasonal ingredients and fresh pasta to complement the restaurant’s extensive wine selection of more than 200 varieties, 70 percent of which are Italian. Originally from Molfetta, Italy, Favuzzi studied Italian cuisine at the Culinary Institute of Bari. Upon graduation, Favuzzi worked in the kitchen of several five-star Italian hotels before coming to America, where he held several chef positions for Italian restaurants in New Jersey…
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Diana Ross and Jason Alexander Celebrate Einstein Healthcare’s 150th Birthday at National Constitution Center
Photos, story by Cassie Hepler Yet another wonderful thing about Philadelphia (as if…) is it’s stellar health care options. From Jefferson to Penn, people on the East Coast and lucky Philly folks have access to top-notch health care. And certainly a place named after the genius (with his permission, of course) Albert Einstein himself would certainly be proud of the impressive hospital progress. Einstein Healthcare Network kicked off its 150th anniversary with a star-studded event at the National Constitution Center, celebrating its journey from a 22-bed hospital to a comprehensive network of health providers serving Philadelphia and Montgomery County. Jason Alexander (best known as George Costanza from Seinfeld) hosted while diva disco singer Diana Ross…
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Stockton Completes $23 Million Showboat Sale, Moves Toward Future
Stockton University today concluded the $23 million sale of the Showboat property in Atlantic City to Showboat Renaissance, LLC. “Stockton is closing this chapter in our history, and moving on to exciting plans for the university’s future, which include new academic programs, expanding both community partnerships and global outreach, and construction of major new facilities which will transform the Galloway campus,” said President Harvey Kesselman. “The university is fortunate to have worked with someone with a strong record of successful development and a commitment to Atlantic City, which is important to Stockton,” Kesselman said. “It has been a pleasure to work with Bart Blatstein on this successful sale. Stockton will…
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Skirt: Bringing Customized In-Store Styling to Philly Fashionistas
Story, photos by Tori Radday Skirt, a fashion boutique, recently launched their third store in Rittenhouse Square at 212 S. 17th Street, in Philadelphia. Skirt brings customized styling and a new shopping experience to Philadelphia’s best-dressed. Skirt prides themselves on being much more than just another fashion retailer. They don’t have sales associates but rather they have stylists. Customers aren’t just seen as another sale or another commission but as someone to develop and nurture a relationship with. Maureen Doron, Skirt founder and owner, explains “what makes us unique is that we hire stylists, we don’t hire women who stand behind the counter to ring up your sales. All of…
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Scoliosis Surgery Set for February 12 at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler You have probably been wondering where have my personal blog posts have gone? Well, it’s been one busy year with passion projects! We launched Explore-Philly.com and Explore-NJ.com in January of 2015 and have been making waves since then. From what I’ve been told, even people who don’t read anything follow our online magazines. Thank you for your continued support! Including working weekday mornings as assistant editor at the Philadelphia Public Record and going to casting calls with my agency, modeling and acting when I can squeeze it in, I’ve been one busy bee. The bad news? My once manageable lower lumbar scoliosis (read the blog…
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Go Back to Old Hollywood Glam Decadence with Cescaphe Event Group and Diner En Blanc at Water Works
Story by Cassie Hepler, photos by Cassie Hepler and David Houck There’s one common theme about New Year’s Eve in any city. You can usually expect some sort of douchebag-filled party full of ‘bros who think grabbing girls body parts is socially acceptable somehow and want to rumble by the end of the night. Thankfully, we stumbled upon this gem thanks to an amazing Philadelphia artist, Inna Race, who invited us and peaked our interest instantly. Granted, there were just a couple of other events that sounded pretty awesome in the city too but Old Hollywood style with complimentary valet parking and coat check? We were sold! Plus we recognized one…
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Independence Business Alliance Teams Up with Borgata at Holiday Party
Photos, story by Deja Cromartie The Independence Business Alliance (IBA) hosted their annual holiday party to spread the holiday cheer with business owners, professionals, corporate and community partners in Philadelphia’s vibrant LGBT business community. The fully packed Holiday Soiree was held at the beautiful Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel. Guests were dressed in festive attire and enjoyed a delicious selection of hors d’oeuvres, several impressive food stations and double open bars. During the event, the Director of the IBA announced a new partnership with the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City. The Independence Business Alliance is a membership-based business advocacy organization dedicated to making the Philadelphia region an influential and diverse LGBT business…