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Four Seasons Hosts Sneak Peak Party at BOK Building to Celebrate Comcast Plans in Philadelphia, PA
Greens and white candlelight … nature’s simple and perfect analogous match to bacon and eggs. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “Come quickly, I am tasting the stars!” –Dom Pérignon, monk and cellar master attributed to the discovery of champagne, upon first tasting it. As in Dom’s quote above, I found myself not only “tasting the stars” but doing so beneath them, when the Four Seasons Hotel celebrated its impending 2019 installation atop the Comcast Center by hosting a rooftop, invite-only Pop Down event at South Philly’s BOK building. According to Peter Nowlan, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the hotel, “Four Seasons Pop Down brings the Four Seasons experience…
- Art, Culture, Dance, Day Trips, Dessert, Entertainment, Events, Explore with Cassie, Fitness, Latest News, Music, Sports, Style, Suburbs
Cirque du Soleil’s VOLTA Electrifies Audiences Under the Big Top in Oaks, PA
Vibrant background colors and name-zapped graphic create visually arresting poster. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden (event photography courtesy of Cirque du Soleil) Step right up! It’s showtime, folks. Over the summer, the circus came to town at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. The renowned Cirque du Soleil arrived with its Under the Big Top production of VOLTA, and Oaks was woke! For some time preceding Cirque’s descension at the Expo Center, the locals and passers could witness the construction progress of a large tent (one that seated 2,500). People were talking. Something grand-scale was in the offing. A big deal in little but mighty Oaks. Word of…
- Beauty, Culture, Drink, Education, Entertainment, Explore with Cassie, Latest News, Music, Style, Technology, Travel
A Unique, Online Gift Guide for Last Minute Holiday Shoppers
Story by Explore, submitted photos/video The year of 2018 has been our best yet for Explore! While our publisher Cassie Hepler moved across the country to Phoenix, Arizona, it has helped expand the blog and gaining more traction and faithful followers every day. We have made some new partnerships and awesome blogger/influencer friends in the Valley of the Sun to California and beyond. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all who have helped us succeed in this crazy, exciting blogging world. From the East Coast to the West Coast, we looking forward to exploring more and outside the USA for 2019. In the meantime, as we…
- Architecture, Culture, Dessert, Drink, Entertainment, Events, Explore with Cassie, Food, Latest News, Music
Bizet’s Opera ‘Carmen’ Seduces Crowds at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music
There’s no missing exactly who and what have arrived. Vive le stage drop! “Love is a rebellious bird that no one can tame.” – Georges Bizet, Carmen, Act I Story, photos by Sharon Kozden – cast photos provided by Steven Pisano for Opera Philadelphia How is it possible I’ve lived so long without attending an opera? My only awareness of opera came when Glenn Close’s bunny-boiler character in “Fatal Attraction” was obsessed with “Madame Butterfly.” Then there was the ‘Til Tuesday “Voices Carry” video, where Aimee Mann won’t hush-hush at another operatic-looking performance. Yep: my vast store of knowledge in all things opera is formidable, I know. I just always…
- Day Trips, Dessert, Drink, Entertainment, Events, Explore with Cassie, Food, Latest News, Music, Restaurants
Award-Winning Treno Pizza Bar Features Fantastic Pig Roast in Westmont, NJ
Eye-catching sign’s arrow with nostalgic design directs me in can’t-miss fashion. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden There will be pig. Pork talk. Porcine photos. After all, it was a pig roast I’d attended. Just sayin’ because I’d shown a friend my snap of the roasted pig, and her less than enthusiastic reaction made me realize there may be others similarly sensitive or put off, and who don’t realize (despite the telling title) that this review is about a pig roast. Okay then: disclaimer- and spoiler alert stated right off the bat, I can proceed. On an August evening, I nipped over the Ben Franklin Bridge and made my way to…
- Architecture, Beauty, Charity, Culture, Dance, Drink, Entertainment, Events, Explore with Cassie, Fashion, Food, Latest News, Music, Nature, Style
Deco on the Delaware: Picnic in Roaring 20’s Fashion at Glen Foerd Mansion in Philadelphia, PA
Picture-perfect and pastoral picnic. I love her and that’s the beginning and end of everything. – F. Scott Fitzgerald Story, photos by Sharon Kozden When finding out about 20’s themed party at the Glen Foerd estate and mansion along the Delaware River, and that the event’s theme was “Deco on the Delaware,” my first thought was, “What to wear?” An English major, my thoughts quickly turned “all things Gatsby,” specifically the two flawed characters, Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. I’d read somewhere that F. Scott- and Zelda Fitzgerald were known as the Jazz Age’s “Golden Couple”. I located the perfect flapper dress at Phoenixville-based LuLu Boutique & Gifterie. It was…
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Membership Not Required at Springfield Country Club’s Tavola Restaurant
Enjoy the country club’s 6,000 square foot-expansion (all outdoors!) of Tavola. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” – James Beard Within the past year, I’ve become a country mouse, who doesn’t much get out and about to country clubs. I’m so country, in fact, that local honey is produced by honeybees on the property where I live. Hens lay eggs. Doves coo. Woodpeckers peck. Trees hang low with fruit. All number of critter sounds abound, while cars pass infrequently along a quiet, solitary road. I even have a screen door that can slam. Still, when my editor offers an assignment, I’m at the…
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It’s a Wrap: Philly Fireworks Ends Wawa Welcome America 2018
Story, photos by Sharon Kozden There are many definitions for “lit” … as in “getting lit.” Not all have to do with a booze buzz. One alcohol-unrelated definition is “something that’s amazing in any sense.” Certainly, the spectacular July 4th fireworks’ display on the Ben Franklin Parkway, which concluded the weeklong celebration of the 4th annual Wawa Welcome America Festival, definitely was lit-worthy. Alcoholic beverages were discouraged; participants were asked to remain compliant in this regard. In Phoenixville, the borough in which I reside, I could almost hear the Philly crowds’ collective oohs and aahs as the sky was lighted up. The appreciative fawning seemed to travel down river…
- Art, Beauty, Culture, Drink, Education, Events, Explore with Cassie, Food, Latest News, Music, Nature, Suburbs
Size Matters at Era Contemporary’s ‘Small Beauties’ Art Exhibit
The Cynwyd Club hosted “Small Beauties” art exhibit, providing a spacious setting and ample room for guests to mingle and study displayed works. “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent Van Gogh Story, photos by Sharon Kozden It really is about the little things, isn’t it? I used to wish that one – just one – gentleman caller would know me well enough to gift me with a blade of grass, a pine cone or even a dandelion – you get the idea. Don’t get me wrong: I’d never turn up my nose at any offered gemstones, swanky vacations or the like. It’s…
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Tasty Wings, Burgers and Beer at P.J. Whelihan’s Pub & Restaurant in Oaks, PA
Story, photos by Jill Beckel The newest member of the P.J. Whelihan’s brand, P.J. Oaks, will be your new go-to spot for happy hour, game nights and meeting up with friends. P.J. Oaks opened its doors in Montgomery County, PA in 2016. P.J. Whelihan’s Pub + Restaurant is part of the well-loved P.J.W. Restaurant group. Now with 14 locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and an additional 3 arena locations, P.J. Whelihan’s is quickly becoming a Philadelphia area staple. Known for a massive craft beer selection, an incomparable game-day experience, and of course, The Official Wing of Wing Bowl, P.J.’s demonstrates every day just how much #PJsDoesItBetter. We stopped by the…
