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Explore With Cassie

Lifestyle & travel blog finding the unusual out of the ordinary.

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  • CassieHepler.com
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  • Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Christmas Pop-up Bar Tinsel Brings Season’s Gleam to Philadelphia

    December 2, 2023 /

    Tinsel is lit for Christmas 2023! “Oh, heart, let’s never grow too old To smile anew, when Christmas comes, At tassels red and tinsel thread …” ~ Nancy Byrd Turner Story, photos by Sharon Kozden Philadelphia’s beloved and popular Christmas pop-up bar is back! Tinsel came to sleigh on November 24th with its 2023 “Christmas Comedy” theme. In addition to lights galore and always outre displays and decorations, Tinsel is highlighting decades of tee-hees from fan-fav funny movies. Something I really look forward to at Tinsel each season is the specificity to detail in its overall production, decor and presentation. Be on the lookout for the little things. Check every…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Another Nor’easter Didn’t Stop People from Attending the 3rd Annual Philadelphia Restaurant Festival

    May 31, 2018

    Round Up Your Squad, Ride Horses and Chill at Rancho de la Osa in Sasabe, Arizona

    March 2, 2022

    Explore the Rich Cultural Tapestry of Arizona’s Native American Indian Tribes

    November 3, 2025
  • Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage

    Philadelphia’s Christmas Pop-up Bar Tinsel Amps Up Watts, Tech and Decor

    December 31, 2022 /

    Tinsel’s swirly signage hangs from the Midtown Village building’s gingerbread-house exterior. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “Tinsel is another word to describe anything as being cool or amazing (You are so Tinsel).” — Urban Dictionary Christmas, 2022 is a wrap. Time to recycle-toss the tree and pack-up those fragile ornaments until next year’s production. And speaking of productions, check out this account of my own ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas adventure! On the evening of November 21st, I made the scene at Tinsel, the wildly popular Christmas Pop-up bar owned and operated by Teddy Sourias of Craft Concepts Group, where Sourias and Kory Aversa of Aversa PR & Events were…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Spend 24 Hours in the Mountain Town of Norcia, Umbria in Italy

    May 25, 2026

    Cultivating Leadership: Union League of Philadelpia Hosts The Germination Project’s 2017 Draft Day Gala

    December 7, 2017

    iPic Theaters Mixes Movies, Chefs and Crafted Cocktails for a Luxury Escape in Scottsdale, AZ

    May 31, 2018
  • Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage

    Fahoo Forays, Dahoo Dorays: Welcome U-ville, a Seussian Whoville at Philadelphia’s Uptown Beer Garden

    December 31, 2022 /

    Bright Lights, Big City:  Uptown Beer Garden presented its seasonal U-Ville in homage to the Seussian Whoville. Between the radiant white of a clear conscience and the coal black of a conscience sullied by sin lie many shades of gray – where most of us live our lives. Not perfect but not beyond redemption. ~~ Leslie Pinckney Hill “People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.” ~~ Audrey Hepburn Story, photos by Sharon Kozden On the evening of November 16th, I Ubered into the City to celebrate the unveiling of Uptown Beer Garden’s holiday creation, U-ville … a name whose…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Balboa Supper Club and Stateside Vodka Perform a Festivus Miracle!

    February 7, 2018
    Inn at Palm Springs

    Inn at Palm Springs, California is an Oasis in Coachella Valley

    November 1, 2020

    Look Out Philly Chefs, Local Culinary Kid Kills It on Chopped Junior

    May 25, 2017
  • Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Uptown Beer Garden Mutates Upside Down for Spooky Season with ‘Stranger Things’ Theme

    October 23, 2022 /

    “People don’t spend their lives trying to get a look at what’s behind the curtain. They like the curtain. It provides them stability, comfort, definition.” ~~~ Murray Bauman, Stranger Things   Story, photos by Sharon Kozden Actually, Murray, I beg to differ with your above-referenced statements about “the curtain.” I liked getting a look at what’s behind it … at least I did on the evening of September 28th … when Aversa PR and Craft Concepts Group welcomed media to a preview party like none other at Uptown Beer Garden‘s Stranger Things-themed pop-up bar. Greetings from Hawkins, Indiana. Wish you were here! Perhaps if I had watched Netflix TV’s Stranger…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Baby Sea Turtle Season Enchants Everyone in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

    December 2, 2024

    Totally Awesome Holiday Gift Guide for People Who Have it All

    December 13, 2017

    Philadelphia’s Bellevue Hotel Hosts Historic Hotels of America Reception

    January 9, 2019
  • Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News,  Lifestyle

    Philadelphia’s Nightmare Before Tinsel Halloween Pop-up Complements Day of the Dead

    October 21, 2020 /

    Nightmare Before Tinsel follows strict adherence to face-mask protocol. Meet the new abnormal normal. “Terror is a passion which always produces delight when it does not press too close.” —Edmund Burke Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “How you pull up, Baby? How you pull up?” I pull up like I am all about the total experience. No summertime shore trip happens unless I watch Jaws first. The night before touring a nuclear facility, I popped The China Syndrome into my DVD player. A medical operation on my schedule guarantees a viewing of the suspenseful Coma the evening before I’m anesthetized. I intentionally scare myself. Apparently, I’m in good company, particularly…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Marriott Irvine Spectrum Offers Restful, Upscale Hotel to Explore Orange County, California

    October 6, 2025

    Explore Affordable Luxury on the Italian Riviera at Europa Hotel in Sanremo, Italy

    May 11, 2026

    Drink the Pope’s Wine at Châteauneuf du Pape near Avignon, France

    January 26, 2026
  • Destinations,  Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Piazza Pod Park Opens in Philly’s Northern Liberties, BEBOT Towers Over Fun-for-All Hot Spot

    June 19, 2019 /

    Piazza Pod Park in Northern Liberties is officially open. Robot Bebot looms large. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden Remember when the now infamous Philadelphia Flyers’ mascot Gritty arrived on the scene in late 2018? Gritty, he of the bugged-out eyes and shaggy orange fur recently made room for the new kid on the block-one Bebot, an imposing but welcoming robot from Burning Man that towers over the Post Brothers’ latest creative use of community space (dubbed Piazza Pod Park) in Northern Liberties. The Mod Pod. I remember that television show. Tee. At 33 feet high and weighing in at 13,000 pounds, Bebot’s jolly wave greeted the public on June 8th’s grand…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Relax and Enjoy Slow, Southern Style in Clarksville, Tennessee

    September 26, 2018

    Art Car World Bringing Burning Man Vibes to Douglas, Arizona

    December 5, 2021

    Cheerio! Exploring London, England a Second Time Around

    January 14, 2020
  • Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Philly Restaurant and Bar BLUME Blooms at VIP Preview Party

    June 5, 2019 /

    Photos, story by Sharon Kozden Growing restaurant mogul Teddy Sourias and Craft Concepts Group unveiled Blume, their latest restaurant and bar concept during a VIP preview bash on a warm April evening. Located in Rittenhouse on the former site of Cinder, Copper & Lace, Blume drew crowds eager to pose before its window’s larger-than-life, Peter Max-like colorful butterfly decal. Inside, a ceiling covered in plants and bearing the establishment’s name twice as nice and in lights hovers over a relaxing banquette seating area. Between décor design elements (don’t miss the wall of realistic roses!), that are both whimsical and sophisticated, Blume is Philly’s summertime hot spot to be, sipping cocktails,…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    DJ Ruckus Continues His Residency at Borgata’s Premier Nightclub, Talks Janet Jackson, Lenny Kravitz, Hillary Clinton, Kim Kardashian and More

    May 22, 2016

    Christmas Village Unwraps 16th Year in Philadelphia’s LOVE Park and City Hall, Festival of Trees Debuts

    December 13, 2023

    Look Out Philly Chefs, Local Culinary Kid Kills It on Chopped Junior

    May 25, 2017

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